Stephen Strasburg Plans To Retire
Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg plans to retire, per a report from Jesse Dougherty and Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post. A news conference is tentatively scheduled for September 9. He signed a massive seven-year, $245MM contract prior to the 2020 season but has hardly pitched since then due to injuries. The financial specifics of how that contract will be affected by this retirement are not yet known.
The news is, on the one hand, not terribly surprising in light of what has transpired in recent seasons. In the almost four years since the ink dried on that contract, Strasburg has only thrown 31 1/3 total innings. Frequent injuries have repeatedly derailed his attempts to get on the mound, with thoracic outlet syndrome the most significant. But taking a wider view, it’s a shocking, sad and far-too-early end to a career that had such tremendous highs.
Strasburg, now 35, was one of the most highly-regarded prospects in history based on his work at San Diego State University. As a sophomore in 2008, he posted a 1.58 ERA in 98 1/3 innings and followed that up with a 1.32 ERA in 109 innings as a junior. The Nationals held the first overall pick in the 2009 draft and selected Strasburg, signing him shortly thereafter to a four-year, $15.1MM contract.
Strasburg made his professional debut in the Arizona Fall League that year and went into 2010 as already one of the top prospects in the league. Baseball America ranked him second overall, trailing only Jason Heyward at that time. Their report from that time noted his fastball, which sat in the mid-to-upper 90s and could touch 102 mph. They also highlighted his plus-plus curveball and plus changeup, noting that he had excellent command of all his pitches.
He came into 2010 with the highest of expectations, especially for a franchise that has just moved to Washington from Montreal in 2005 and had performed quite poorly since then. He began that year in Double-A but dominated in five starts with a 1.64 ERA and was in Triple-A by early May. Six starts at that level resulted in an ERA of 1.08 and a promotion to the major leagues by June.
In his much-hyped first major league outing against the Pirates, he tossed seven innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits. He didn’t surrender a walk and punched out 14 opponents. He finished his rookie season with a 2.91 ERA in 68 innings, striking out an incredible 33.6% of batters he faced. Unfortunately, the excitement of those results was paired with the news in August that Strasburg would require Tommy John surgery.
Although Strasburg was set to miss most of the 2011 campaign, the positive feeling around the Nationals was starting to build. The club was able to select another franchise-altering player when they got Bryce Harper with the first overall pick in 2010. Subsequent years would see them add other significant young players like Anthony Rendon, selected 11th overall in 2011, and Trea Turner, acquired from the Padres in a 2015 trade.
Strasburg, along with those players and many others, would lead the Nationals out of their years-long rebuild and into a period of prolonged success. The club went 80-81 in 2011 as Strasburg returned from his Tommy John rehab and made five starts late in the year. The club would emerge as a perennial contender from there, making the postseason in 2012 and finishing above .500 in each season for the rest of the decade, with multiple playoff appearances sprinkled in.
That stretch was marked by tremendous work from Strasburg, though also significant injury issues. The 2012 to 2018 period saw him post a 3.19 ERA over 189 starts, striking out 28.8% of batters, walking 6.5% and getting grounders on 45.2% of balls in play. But there were limits to the volume of his workload, most controversially in 2012. His first full season after the Tommy John surgery, he was famously shut down in September. The Nats made the playoffs for the first time since the franchise relocated, but they were eliminated by the Cardinals in the NLDS as Strasburg was left off the roster.
He finished that year with 159 1/3 innings pitched and managed to increase that total over the next two years, getting to 183 in 2013 and then 215 in 2014. He added another five postseason frames in that latter campaign, though the Nats were again eliminated in the NLDS, this time by the Giants. But he struggled to stay at that level of output in the seasons to come. Issues with his shoulder, back and elbow would send him to the injured list at various times, which kept him between 127 1/3 and 175 1/3 innings in each campaign from 2015 to 2018.
But the results were still good, despite the injuries, with Strasurg never finishing any of those seasons with an ERA higher than 3.74. In the midst of that period, May of 2016, he and the Nats agreed to a seven-year, $175MM extension, though one that afforded him opt-out opportunities after 2019 and 2020.
It was in 2019 that everything finally went right, both for him and the club. He stayed healthy all season and logged 209 innings over 33 starts. He registered a 3.32 ERA, 29.8% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 51.1% ground ball rate. The Nationals as a club got out to a dreadful 19-31 start but rallied over the rest of the season to finish 93-69, securing a spot in the Wild Card game. Max Scherzer started for the Nats against the Brewers, but Strasburg entered the game with the Nats trailing 3-1 after five. He tossed three shutout innings as they took the lead, eventually winning 4-3 as Strasburg went down as the winning pitcher.
From there, the Nats went through the Dodgers, Cardinals and Astros, winning their first World Series title. Strasburg tossed 36 1/3 innings in that postseason with a 1.98 ERA, including two starts in the World Series with a 2.51 ERA, earning MVP of the series in the process.
On the heels of that excellent season, Strasburg triggered his opt-out and signed the aforementioned seven-year, $245MM deal. In 2020, he made just two starts before being diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome and undergoing surgery. It was hoped that he would be fully healthy for 2021 but he only made five starts before it was determined he would require thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, a procedure that he was never able to recover from. He made one start in June of 2022, with diminished velocity, before landing right back on the injured list immediately after. Later that year, he expressed his belief that he had been dealing with the thoracic outlet symptoms since 2018.
This year, he tried to start a throwing program in the offseason but continued to experience nerve discomfort. He was shut down from all physical activity and apparently has given up on ever getting things back on track. Today’s report indicates that his nerve damage is such that “he has struggled with mundane tasks, such as lifting his young daughters or opening a door with his right hand.” A report from Dougherty back in July highlighted that there are two different types of thoracic outlet syndrome. Players like Merrill Kelly have had venous TOS and bounced back whereas Strasburg has neurogenic TOS, which typically is harder to recover from. Though his deal runs through 2026, he and the club have presumably worked out some sort of arrangement for the remainder, the details of which remain unknown at this point.
Thanks in large part to that condition, Strasburg’s career will be filed in the brief-but-brilliant category. He appeared in 247 regular season games, throwing 1,470 innings with a 3.24 ERA. He struck out 28.9% of the batters he faced in that time, walked 6.6% of them and kept the ball on the ground at a 45.8% rate. He was selected to three All-Star clubs and won a World Series, earning series MVP honors in the process. MLB Trade Rumors congratulates Strasburg on a fantastic career and wishes him the best in retirement.
Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Reds Outright Henry Ramos
The Reds have sent outfielder Henry Ramos outright to Triple-A Louisville, according to the transactions log at MLB.com. He had lost his 40-man roster spot when Cincinnati selected Nick Martini onto the big league roster on Tuesday.
It’s the second time this season in which Cincinnati sent Ramos through waivers. The Reds outrighted him in mid-July and reselected his contract a couple weeks ago. Ramos had played his way back to the bigs with an excellent showing in Louisville. Through 234 Triple-A plate appearances on the year, the 31-year-old is hitting .315/.399/.522 with nine homers and a quality 12% walk rate.
Ramos hasn’t maintained that power pace in very brief big league looks. Cincinnati has plugged him into 23 games and given him 86 trips to the plate. Ramos has walked in 12.4% of those and has reached base at a solid .349 clip, but he has managed just four extra-base knocks (three doubles and a triple).
The switch-hitter has spent over a decade in the minor leagues. He has logged minors action with the Red Sox, Cardinals, Dodgers, Giants and D-Backs but had only reached the majors with Arizona (an 18-game stint two years ago) prior to this season’s stay with the Reds. Ramos has been outrighted twice before and therefore has the right to explore free agency, but he could choose to accept the assignment to Louisville as he had in July.
Greg Allen Elects Free Agency
The Yankees announced that outfielder Greg Allen has elected free agency after clearing outright waivers. New York had designated him for assignment on Tuesday when bringing up rookies Everson Pereira and Oswald Peraza from Triple-A.
Allen has had a pair of stints in the Bronx. After suiting up for 15 games two seasons ago, he returned to the organization in May when the Yanks acquired him in a minor trade with Boston. Allen rather quickly thereafter suffered a strained hip flexor that cost him more than a month and a half. He returned in late July and operated in a fourth/fifth outfield capacity until this week’s DFA.
The switch-hitting Allen tallied 28 plate appearances over 22 games this time around. He picked up four extra-base hits, including a homer, while striking out 10 times. The former fifth-round pick has now appeared in seven straight MLB campaigns, working mostly in a depth capacity. He’s a .231/.300/.340 hitter in 828 career plate appearances. Allen has an excellent .292/.403/.433 batting line through parts of five seasons at the Triple-A level.
A plus runner, Allen has 48 stolen bases in 57 attempts at the major league level. That’s an 84.2% success rate that’s nearly five percentage points better than this year’s league average (despite the fact that the bulk of Allen’s attempts came before the introduction of the more favorable rules for baserunners last offseason). That speed gives him the ability to cover all three outfield positions, though public defensive metrics suggest he’s better suited for work in the corners than center field.
Active rosters expand from 26 to 28 players at the start of September. Clubs are required to bring up at least one position player as part of that expansion, leading some to roster a pinch-running specialist for the stretch run. Allen could hold some appeal in such a role. If he finds another landing spot before end of day on August 31, he’d be eligible for postseason play with his new employer.
White Sox Recall Korey Lee
The White Sox have recalled catcher Korey Lee from Triple-A Charlotte. He is expected to make his White Sox debut in this evening’s contest against the Athletics, as reported by Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. In a corresponding move, catcher Carlos Perez has been optioned to Triple-A.
The 25-year-old Lee came to Chicago at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Kendall Graveman to Houston. Lee had been one of the Astros’ top prospects since he was selected out of UC Berkeley in the first round of the 2019 draft. He made his MLB debut in July 2022 but was optioned a month later when the Astros acquired Christian Vazquez at the deadline. He has not played in a big league game since, and his rookie status remains intact.
Lee is a glove-first player with power potential in his bat. Baseball America ranked him as the no. 7 prospect in the Astros system this offseason, citing his “variety of average-to-plus skills” behind the dish and his “power-centric approach” at the plate. His best tool is his strong arm, which BA gave an 80 grade (the highest possible evaluation).
Perez was recalled in early August after Seby Zavala suffered an oblique strain. The 26-year-old Perez has been catching in the White Sox organization for nearly a decade, although he has never been a top prospect. He has appeared in 18 games for the White Sox this season, posting a .611 OPS in 30 trips to the plate. He will return to Triple-A, where he has fared slightly better, putting up a .705 OPS in 68 games.
Meanwhile, Zavala began a rehab assignment on Tuesday. There is no clear timetable for his return, but it is possible he won’t be back until September, at which point rosters will have expanded to 28 and the White Sox will have the flexibility to activate Zavala without optioning Lee.
Zavala is a stronger defensive catcher but has contributed very little at the plate this year, slashing .155/.207/.304. Yasmani Grandal, for his part, is hitting somewhat better (.235/.309/.345) but is no longer much of an asset with the glove. Lee has struggled with the bat since his arrival in Charlotte, posting a .255/.309/.275 slash line, but if Chicago views him as part of the future core, it is a good time to get him some more big-league experience. The White Sox’s postseason hopes have long disappeared, and these last 35 games provide an opportunity to get a better look at one of their potential catchers of the future. Grandal will be a free agent at the end of the season, while Lee’s fellow catching prospect Edgar Quero still looks to be a year or two away from making his MLB debut. The White Sox should have plenty of playing time available behind the dish in 2024.
Reds Place Joey Votto On 10-Day IL, Recall Nick Senzel
The Reds have placed first baseman Joey Votto on the 10-day IL with left shoulder discomfort, the team announced. In a corresponding roster move, Nick Senzel has been recalled from Triple-A Louisville.
This specific injury is especially worrisome for Votto, considering the left rotator cuff surgery that cost him the final seven weeks of the 2022 season and the first 12 weeks of 2023. It’s often a bad sign when a player re-aggravates a previous injury, and it’s particularly concerning for a player of Votto’s age; he will turn 40 in September.
Last summer, Votto explained that his shoulder had been causing him problems since 2015, and he only opted for surgery once the pain reached a breaking point. Evidently, the surgery was unable to completely alleviate his pain.
The veteran got off to a slow start when he first came off the injured list in mid-June, but it wasn’t long before Votto found his footing. Across 30 games between early July and mid-August, he hit ten home runs in 115 plate appearances, putting up a 134 wRC+. He wasn’t walking quite like prime Votto, but he was crushing the baseball. He recorded 12 barrels and 34 hard-hit balls, and his 92.1-mph average exit velocity was reminiscent of his 92.9-mph figure from his resurgent 2021 season. It certainly seemed like Votto was back to full health and ready to start padding his Hall of Fame resume.
Unfortunately, he has struggled tremendously over his last ten games. In 37 plate appearances, Votto has just four hits and 11 strikeouts. His whiff rate has risen to a career-high, and he hasn’t barreled a single ball. He exited yesterday afternoon’s contest against the Angels partway through and did not return for the second game of the doubleheader that evening. The recurrence of his shoulder discomfort explains his early exit and could explain the sudden downturn in his performance.
As Gordon Wittenmyer reports for the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Reds are planning to put Votto through “a strengthening program” before re-evaluating his status. With no timetable for his return, it’s fair to wonder if Votto is done for the season. If so, it becomes increasingly likely that the Reds will not pick up his option for the 2024 campaign. The team holds a $20 million option with a $7 million buyout, which means they must decide if their long-time star is worth an additional $13 million in payroll next year. If the Reds decline their option, Votto will become a free agent for the first time in his 17-year career. There is little use speculating about what Votto might do in free agency without a better understanding of his current injury. The severity of his shoulder problems will inform Cincinnati’s decision and, subsequently, his next course of action.
Senzel has had a difficult season, including two separate trips to the injured list and one optional assignment to the minor leagues. In 80 games for the Reds, he has a 72 wRC+ and -0.5 FanGraphs WAR. He has mostly split his time between third base and the outfield, and the defensive metrics suggest he has been below average at the hot corner and all three outfield positions. With the recent promotion of top prospect Noelvi Marte, Senzel is unlikely to see much time at third, but he could play the outfield while Spencer Steer takes over for Votto at first base. Cincinnati also has young outfielders TJ Hopkins and Michael Siani on the 26-man roster, in addition to journeyman Nick Martini. Trey Mancini is also in the organization as of yesterday evening, and it stands to reason that the Reds signed him to a minor league deal in light of Votto’s injury.
Pirates Select Rob Zastryzny, Transfer Angel Perdomo To 60-Day IL
The Pirates have selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Rob Zastryzny from Triple-A Indianapolis, the team has announced. To make room on the 26-man roster, they have optioned right-handed pitcher Yohan Ramirez to Triple-A. In addition, to open up a spot on the 40-man roster, left-hander Angel Perdomo has been transferred to the 60-day IL.
Zastryzny, 31, signed a minor league deal with the Bucs in the offseason and cracked the Opening Day roster. He’s been on and off the roster since then, having twice landed on the injured list, once due to discomfort in his throwing elbow and another due to forearm inflammation. He made 18 appearances around those trips to the injured list with a 5.29 earned run average and was designated for assignment at the end of his second IL stint.
He cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A. He has thrown 16 1/3 innings at that level this year with a 4.41 ERA but better peripherals. He has struck out 23.9% of opponents while issuing walks at a tiny 1.5% rate and keeping the ball on the ground at a 45.8% clip, leading to a 2.80 FIP at that level. That will get him another shot on the big league roster on a non-competitive Pirates club. He has between one and two years of service time, meaning he’s yet to reach arbitration and can be cheaply retained by the Bucs for future seasons, but he’s out of options and will need to stay on the active roster or else be removed from the 40-man again.
Perdomo, 29, landed on the injured list just a few days ago due to left elbow discomfort. The club hasn’t released any specifics on his condition but it seems it’s serious enough that they don’t expect him back this season, as this transfer eliminates any chance of him returning before the middle of October. He posted a 3.72 ERA in 29 innings this year, striking out 37.6% of hitters while walking 9.4%. Like Zastryzny, he has less than two years of service time and can be cheaply retained for next year if the Bucs so choose, but he’s also out of options.
Guardians Grant Amir Garrett His Release
The Guardians announced Thursday that left-hander Amir Garrett, who’d been pitching with their Triple-A affiliate, has requested and been granted his release. He’d signed a minor league deal with Cleveland back on July 25.
Garrett, 31, opened the season with the Royals — his second season with Kansas City — and pitched 24 1/3 innings of 3.33 ERA ball during his time with the team this season. Despite that strong surface-level run prevention, Garrett’s longstanding command issues reached a career-worst point in 2023, as he walked 17.9% of his opponents during that time.
The tightrope act seemed unsustainable, and the Royals clearly felt the same, designating Garrett for assignment on July 9 and releasing him a week later when they couldn’t find a trade partner. He signed with Cleveland not long after and has allowed three runs on four hits and four walks with four strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings for their Columbus club.
The hard-throwing Garrett has never possessed particularly strong command but managed to put together a nice 2018-20 run with the Reds anyhow. The southpaw pitched 137 1/3 innings during that three-year peak, logging a 3.60 ERA, 30.2% strikeout rate and 11.6% walk rate. Garrett’s strikeout rate has dropped with each subsequent season, however, as his walk rate has steadily climbed. He’s now logged a 5.06 ERA in his past three seasons and 117 1/3 innings.
Garrett could still latch on with a postseason hopeful that’s in search of left-handed bullpen depth down the stretch. With the trade deadline having passed, there aren’t many avenues for big league clubs to add depth at this stage of the schedule. So long as Garrett joins a new organization prior to Sept. 1, he’d be a candidate to make his way onto said club’s postseason roster — if he pitches well enough to merit such consideration, of course.
Guardians Outright Zack Collins
Guardians catcher Zack Collins went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Columbus, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He was designated for assignment earlier in the week, when Cleveland claimed Eric Haase off waivers from the division-rival Tigers. Collins has been outrighted in the past and will thus have the option to reject the assignment in favor of free agency.
Selected by the White Sox with the No. 10 overall pick of the 2016 draft, Collins was viewed a bat-first catching prospect with plus raw power and a keen eye at the plate. Questions about his hit tool and ability to stick behind the plate have long existed, but Collins has displayed that ability to draw free passes and put the ball in the seats in pro ball. He’s walked in 13.1% of his big league plate appearances and boasts an even heartier 17.5% walk rate in the minors. Strikeout issues have cut into his power potential, but Collins still popped 19 homers in 471 trips to the plate between High-A and Double-A in 2017 and slugged 22 long balls between Triple-A and the big leagues in 468 plate appearances back in 2019.
Collins has just 11 home runs in 465 trips to the plate at the MLB level, and that’s due largely to a huge 33.5% strikeout rate. When Collins does make contact, it’s typically scalding; Statcast credits him with an average exit velocity of 91.2 mph and a 10.6% barrel rate in his career. He’s clobbered nearly 46% of his batted balls at 95 mph or greater — he’s just swung and missed too much to capitalize on that knack for hard contact. He’s a career .188/.300/.329 hitter in the big leagues but carries a much better .252/.371/.468 slash in 1040 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.
Defensively, Collins has drawn below-average grades in framing and blocking. He posted strong caught-stealing rates earlier in his minor league career but has struggled over the past two seasons — particularly under the new rules in 2023 (4-for-32). Collins has begun to log more time at first base and designated hitter in recent seasons.
Reds Sign Trey Mancini To Minor League Deal
The Reds have signed first baseman/corner outfielder Trey Mancini to a minor league contract, tweets Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. The veteran was released by the Cubs after being designated for assignment on deadline day.
Mancini’s tenure with Chicago lasted only a few months. Signed to a two-year, $14MM free agent pact last offseason, he played in 79 games. Mancini slumped to a career-worst .234/.299/.336 batting line through 263 trips to the plate. He homered only four times and struck out at a lofty 29.7% clip. He particularly struggled in the two months preceding the deadline, hitting .200/.247/.318 in 93 plate appearances from June 1 onwards.
Chicago added Jeimer Candelario once they played their way into buying, bumping Mancini from the roster. He spent a few weeks on the open market but will now join one of their top competitors in a tightly-packed playoff bubble. The Cubs currently occupy the second Wild Card slot in the National League but are just half a game clear of the Giants, Reds and D-Backs — all of whom are tied for the last spot. Both Chicago and Cincinnati are still within four games of the Brewers in the NL Central.
Mancini doesn’t step right back into the playoff chase, as he’ll begin on a non-roster deal. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s added to the MLB team in relatively short order, though, as the Reds could use a right-handed bat in a first base/corner outfield mix that skews toward the left side.
While Mancini’s stint in the Windy City was unquestionably a disappointment, he’d been an above-average hitter in his three prior seasons. The Notre Dame product connected on 35 home runs with a .291/.364/.535 slash in 2019. He’s never replicated quite those heights but has topped 20 longballs on three other occasions. Between 2021-22, Mancini combined for a decent .247/.323/.412 showing in a little over 1200 plate appearances.
While Mancini has struggled against pitchers of either handedness this year, he had a quality .263/.334/.450 mark against left-handed pitching in the two prior seasons. The Reds have Joey Votto at first base and lefty-swinging Will Benson — whom they’ve almost entirely shielded from unfavorable platoon matchups — in right field. Righty-swinging Kevin Newman and Stuart Fairchild both recently landed on the injured list, while Nick Senzel was optioned a few weeks ago. TJ Hopkins, Michael Siani and Nick Martini are currently on the MLB roster in a depth capacity.
If they call Mancini up, he’d add a much more accomplished bat to the bench. He’s also regarded as a strong clubhouse leader, which would surely be welcome in a generally young Reds’ locker room as they vie for an unexpected postseason berth. Since he joined the organization before September 1, Mancini would be eligible for the playoffs if the Reds find their way into October.
The Cubs are on the hook for Mancini’s respective $7MM salaries in each of the next two years. If the Reds select his contract, they’d only owe him the prorated portion of the $720K league minimum for whatever time he spends in the majors. That amount would come off the Cubs’ ledger.
Guardians, Daniel Norris Agree To Minor League Contract
The Guardians have brought veteran lefty Daniel Norris back to the organization on a minor league pact, according to the transaction tracker at MLB.com. He had elected free agency over the weekend, a few days after Cleveland designated him for assignment.
Norris has spent the 2023 campaign with the Guards. He signed a minor league deal at the end of Spring Training and was called up in mid-June. Norris was DFA within a few days, stuck around after clearing outright waivers, and returned to the bigs at the end of July. He again lost his roster spot last week, as an injury to Cam Gallagher led Cleveland to temporarily devote a 40-man roster spot to Zack Collins as a depth catcher.
The 30-year-old has made six appearances on the year, allowing seven runs (four of them earned) across 10 1/3 innings. Norris has worked out of the bullpen at the MLB level but started 12 of 18 appearances with Triple-A Columbus. He carries a 5.60 ERA across 53 innings there. Norris has a slightly below-average 19.9% strikeout rate and has walked nearly 11% of batters faced at the top minor league level. His fastball has averaged a personal-low 89 MPH in his limited MLB work.
While Norris hasn’t posted great numbers at either the MLB or Triple-A level in 2023, the Guardians are clearly comfortable with him as a depth arm. The one-time top prospect has pitched parts of 10 years in the majors with five clubs. The bulk of that time was spent in Detroit, where he got extended run out of the rotation between 2016-19.
Norris has worked almost exclusively in relief as a big leaguer over the last three seasons but has stayed stretched out as a starter in the minors. He’ll again serve as a non-roster depth option in Columbus down the stretch and will return to free agency at the start of the offseason.