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Nationals Place Ryan Madson On DL, Select Tim Collins

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The Nationals shuffled their bullpen mix Tuesday, announcing that they’ve recalled righty Trevor Gott and selected the contract of lefty Tim Collins from Triple-A Syracuse. Right-hander Ryan Madson has been placed on the 10-day disabled list in one corresponding move, while southpaw Sammy Solis is headed to Syracuse to open a second spot on the 25-man roster. In order to create room for Collins on the 40-man roster, the Nats moved right-hander Erick Fedde from the 10-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list.

Madson has been dealing with back discomfort, and the official diagnosis on his injury is “lumbar nerve irritation,” manager Dave Martinez told reporters (Twitter link via Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com). With both Madson and Sean Doolittle on the shelf, the Nats will turn to young Koda Glover as their interim closer, tweets Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. Glover, though, is unavailable tonight, so Justin Miller would likely receive a save opportunity, should it arise.

As for the 28-year-old Collins, this’ll be his second stint with the Nats this season. The two-time Tommy John surgery victim pitched to a 2.77 ERA in 13 innings with the Nats earlier this season, prompting some frustration from Washington fans when he was designated for assignment. However, Collins posted a less impressive 8-to-6 K/BB ratio in that time, and he ultimately stuck with the organization after clearing waivers and being outrighted to Triple-A. The former Royals setup man has a 3.94 ERA and a 32-to-15 K/BB ratio in 30 Triple-A innings so far in 2018.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/14/18

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There are quite a few minor moves to cover, with Baseball America’s Matt Eddy releasing several weeks’ worth of transactions. We’ll use this post to cover the most notable ones that haven’t yet featured on MLBTR:

  • The Angels released outfielder Ben Revere, who could perhaps be an interesting player to target for contending clubs that like the idea of adding a good defender and baserunning threat to their system. Revere, 30, hasn’t seen the majors this year after seven-straight seasons of action at the game’s highest level. He’s slashing .277/.319/.406 with a pair of steals through 166 plate appearances at Triple-A.
  • Ending a relationship that never seemed to work out, the Dodgers have cut loose infielder Erisbel Arruebarrena. Now 28, the former international signee hadn’t played much in the club’s system since he was suspended in May of 2016.
  • The Phillies have released a pair of former big leaguers: infielder Danny Espinosa and outfielder Adron Chambers. Espinosa’s always fickle bat has not yet recovered from a 2017 nosedive. In 240 Triple-A plate appearances with three organizations this year, he owns a .295/.239/.312 slash. Chambers, meanwhile, hasn’t seen the majors since 2013 and last played affiliated ball in 2015, but came back from an indy stint to produce a .278/.328/.437 batting line in 138 Triple-A plate appearances.
  • A host of players received their walking papers from the Diamondbacks. Righty Brian Ellington is among them; the flamethrower struggled badly with his command in limited minor-league action. Southpaw Anthony Vasquez was also released after after 85 2/3 innings of 5.04 ERA ball in the upper minors. The club also dropped several outfielders. Cesar Puello (.317/.426/.454) and Dan Robertson (.263/.361/.407) are both former big leaguers who were getting on base at Reno, but will now seek other opportunities.
  • The Giants released two notable players in righty Chris Heston and backstop Ryan Hanigan. Heston, 30, only made nine appearances in the minors this year owing to injury. Hanigan, who’s closing in on his 38th birthday, is still looking to crack the majors for the 12th-straight season but did not help his cause with a .175/.254/.193 batting line in 63 plate appearances at Triple-A.
  • The Cubs parted with Ryan Webb after he made just 11 appearances at the Rookie ball level. It is not immediately clear why the 32-year-old did not get a shot in the upper minors, or what’s next for him In eight seasons of MLB pitching, from 2009 through 2016, Webb owns a 3.43 ERA through 393 1/3 innings.
  • A variety of other former major-league relief pitchers were also on the move. Among them: The White Sox signed once-promising Braves reliever Mauricio Cabrera. Righty Dallas Beeler was released by the Royals. A trio of former MLB lefties are back in free agency after being cut free: Elvis Araujo (Orioles); Paco Rodriguez (Twins); and Dario Alvarez (Mariners).
  • Meanwhile, the Mariners parted with outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis and the Nationals did the same with Alejandro De Aza. One-time Rule 5 pick Taylor Featherston landed with the Reds.

Inside The Nationals' Trade Of Brandon Kintzler

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It seems as if some behind-the-scenes drama contributed to the Nationals’ decision to trade Brandon Kintzler to the Cubs, Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman writes.  GM Mike Rizzo reportedly believed Kintzler was an unnamed source in two recent stories (by Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports and Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post) that detailed internal criticisms of the Nats’ clubhouse culture and Dave Martinez’s handling of pitchers.  Kintzler has vigorously denied these claims, saying as much to Rizzo personally.  Once word spread about the situation, Passan even contacted Cubs president of baseball ops Theo Epstein to state that he’d never been in contact with Kintzler and that the reliever wasn’t the one who provided the much-discussed quote about the Nationals’ clubhouse being “a mess.”  Furthermore, as Heyman notes, it seems odd that Rizzo would single Kintzler out for any role in Janes’ piece when several other Nats relievers were quoted by name.  Ken Rosenthal provided an alternate view on the Kintzler trade in a video for FOX Sports, saying that Washington’s primary reason for moving Kintzler may have been to escape his $5MM player option for the 2019 season.

Stephen Strasburg Making Progress

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  • The Nationals hope to have injured right-hander Stephen Strasburg back in their rotation before Aug. 21-23, a key series against division-rival Philadelphia, Jamal Collier of MLB.com writes. Strasburg, out since July 26 with a pinched nerve in his neck, threw a successful 64-pitch bullpen session Saturday.

Nats Heard From Eight Teams About Harper Trades

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  • The Nationals received calls from “about eight teams” about Bryce Harper when rumors arose around the trade deadline that Washington was at least open to considering dealing the star outfielder.  Despite the interest in Harper’s services, it doesn’t seem like talks got very far with any suitor, as the Nats were understandably hesitant about dealing Harper whatsoever.  The Indians were the only team known to have shown interest in Harper.

    [SOURCE LINK]
  • The Nationals received calls from “about eight teams” about Bryce Harper when rumors arose around the trade deadline that Washington was at least open to considering dealing the star outfielder.  Despite the interest in Harper’s services, it doesn’t seem like talks got very far with any suitor, as the Nats were understandably hesitant about dealing Harper whatsoever.  The Indians were the only team known to have shown interest in Harper.

Quick Hits: Bumgarner, Strasburg, Correa, Happ

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Kerry Crowley of The Mercury News boldly calls Madison Bumgarner’s contract situation the Giants’ “elephant in the room”. Crowley wonders whether Bumgarner must be traded in order to spark a rebuild for the club, who failed to make any significant moves at the trade deadline and now sit at 57-58 on the season after struggling to the league’s worst record last year (tied with the Tigers, of course). Whether the club ultimately decides to “rebuild or remodel”, Bumgarner’s the only player on the roster whose contract might warrant teams forking over a significant prospect return; something an aging Giants team could certainly use. Crowley describes Bumgarner’s future as “uncertain” in the amidst a mediocre team with a gargantuan payroll.

More on a few interesting items from around MLB this evening…

  • The Nationals received some welcome news on Stephen Strasburg today, as the right-hander reportedly “felt good” after tossing a 42-pitch bullpen session. According to Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post, he’s likely to throw another one tomorrow and could potentially embark upon a rehab assignment soon thereafter. He’s been on the DL since June 26th with a cervical nerve impingement, but on the bright side he was cleared of any structural damage in his shoulder shortly thereafter.
  • The Astros appear to be even closer to getting a valuable asset back on the field, as Carlos Correa was spotted at Minute Maid Park today, with Christian Boutwell of MLB.com among those eye witnesses. Though he was inactive for today’s game, the former Rookie of the Year shortstop believes he could be back on the field as soon as tomorrow. Correa’s having a down season by his standards, hitting .268/.352/.480 with a slightly-bloated 24.4% strikeout rate.
  • The Yankees, for their part, already got a notable player back from the DL. J.A. Happ was activated today, filling the roster spot left vacant after they optioned Chance Adams to Triple-A last night. Happ’s been on the DL with hand, foot and mouth disease for the past week plus, but will return to the rotation and attempt to provide the value the Bombers envisioned when they traded Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney in order to obtain him. Happ’s posted a 4.05 ERA through 21 starts

Nationals Place Kelvin Herrera On DL, Recall Koda Glover

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3:50pm: An MRI revealed no structural damage in Herrera’s shoulder, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post tweets.

1:45pm: The Nationals announced today that they have placed reliever Kelvin Herrera on the 10-day disabled list with a right rotator cuff impingement. He’ll be replaced by Koda Glover, who’ll make his MLB season debut.

Needless to say, this represents a disappointing development for a Nats club that already failed to capitalize on a chance to make up some ground in the division yesterday. The club lost a game that Max Scherzer started, with Herrera surrendering the go-ahead runs before leaving the mound with a trainer.

The loss of Herrera is particularly worrying with first-choice closer Sean Doolittle already on the shelf. That said, the 28-year-old has not dominated to the extent expected when the Nationals picked him up earlier in the season from the Royals.

Over 17 innings in D.C., Herrera has allowed nine earned runs on 23 hits with 7.9 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9. His 1.824 WHIP sits quite a bit higher than the elite 0.818 mark he carried earlier in the year with the Kansas City organization.

This represents the latest change in the composition of the relief corps. Beyond the temporary absences of Herrera and Doolittle, the Nats recently parted ways with Brandon Kintzler and Shawn Kelley while adding Greg Holland and now Glover.

Though Glover has been seen as a potentially significant late-inning contributor by the organization, he has faced some roadblocks. He was carrying a 5.12 ERA last year, despite much more promising underlying numbers, when he went down with back and arm issues.

Glover’s next MLB appearance will be his first since June 10th of last year. He has shown some promising signs of late, however, throwing eight innings of 2.25 ERA ball with a 10:2 K/BB ratio thus far at Triple-A Syracuse.

Nationals Sign Greg Holland

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After reportedly agreeing to terms over the weekend, the Nationals have officially struck a deal with veteran reliever Greg Holland. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post tweeted the news, which has now been announced by the team.

Holland will head straight onto the Nats’ MLB roster, the team announced. Righty Jimmy Cordero was optioned back to Triple-A to create space.

In a sense, this represents a culmination of years of dalliances between Holland and the Nationals. Though the sides did not line up during either of his trips onto the open market, the Scott Boras client obviously held appeal all along to the D.C. organization.

Of course, the premise is quite a bit different now than it was in the prior two winters. Holland was recently cut loose by the Cardinals after a rough stint with the team. The St. Louis organization will remain responsible for the remainder of his $14MM annual salary, less a pro-rated portion of the league minimum.

This move represents the latest twist in the Nats’ recent bullpen saga. Even as the club decided not to blow things up at the deadline, it moved veteran reliever Brandon Kintzler. Days later, the team designated and dealt Shawn Kelley after he slammed his glove and stared into the team’s dugout in the midst of a mop-up outing.

In parting with those two hurlers and adding Holland, the Nationals are certainly taking some chances while saving salary. It’s arguable, at best, whether there’s greater upside in the current mix; the floor, surely, is lower.

Holland has a history of excellence and was a quality performer for much of the 2017 season. But he’ll now rejoin former ’pen mate Kelvin Herrera — a mid-season acquisition in Washington — with considerably less fanfare than he would have at most points in the past.

After all, through 25 frames this year, Holland has coughed up exactly as many earned runs and walks as he has recorded strikeouts, with 22 of each. That startling fact is backed by some other problems. Holland has lost another mile per hour on his fastball, even against his diminished post-Tommy John levels. And he’s generating swinging strikes at an 11.8% rate that’s the lowest since his first, brief taste of the majors in 2010.

If there’s cause for optimism, it lies in Holland’s relatively improved work since he took some time off in the middle of the season. He was tuned up for five earned runs in a July 8th appearance against the Giants, but otherwise has thrown 11 innings over which he allowed three earned runs with an 11:5 K/BB ratio since his return in mid-June.

Nationals Agree To Sign Greg Holland

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10:36pm: There “is nothing official” between Holland and the Nationals yet, Chelsea Janes tweets, though it seems like a deal will indeed happen eventually.

9:58pm: The two sides have reached an agreement, Heyman tweets.

1:19pm: It appears the two sides are “moving toward a deal,” Jon Heyman of Fancred reports.

11:42am: The Nationals and free-agent reliever Greg Holland are in discussions on a contract, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports. They’re one of several teams to show interest in the Scott Boras client since the Cardinals released him on Friday.

On paper, Holland would help replenish a Washington bullpen which lost fellow right-handers Brandon Kintzler (traded to the Cubs) and Shawn Kelley (designated for assignment) earlier this week. However, both Kintzler and Kelley have outpitched Holland, who endured a shockingly poor stint as a member of the Cardinals.

Thanks to his past work as a closer with the Royals and Rockies, Holland secured a $14MM guarantee from the Cardinals on Opening Day. That came after Holland unexpectedly sat on the open market for the entire offseason, and it’s likely that not getting to partake in spring training contributed to his subpar St. Louis tenure. Regardless, Holland posted an equally peculiar and unacceptable line with St. Louis, where he notched a 7.92 ERA with 7.92 K/9 and 7.92 BB/9 over 25 innings (32 appearances). Consequently, despite the Redbirds’ sizable investment in Holland – whose signing also cost them their second-round pick in 2019 – they cut the cord on him after four months.

Landing Holland would be a far less risky play for the Nationals than it was for the Cards, as he’d only cost the Nats the prorated league minimum through season’s end. Reeling him in would also add yet another Boras client to a roster which already has seven such players, give Holland a chance to rebuild his stock going into the offseason and perhaps help keep Washington in contention. At 56-54, the Nationals will enter play Sunday trailing the NL East-leading Phillies by six games and a wild-card spot by 4 1/2.

Athletics Acquire Shawn Kelley

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4:52pm: The Athletics announced that they’ve acquired Kelley for international slot money. To clear room for him, they placed outfielder Jake Smolinski on the 60-day disabled list with a blood clot in his left calf.

4:46pm: The Athletics have acquired reliever Shawn Kelley from the Nationals, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reports. There’s no word yet on what the Nationals received in exchange, but given that they designated Kelley for assignment earlier this week, it’s likely to be an insubstantial return.

Even though it’s competing for a playoff spot in the National League, Washington elected to move on from Kelley after he admitted he “acted like a baby” in a 25-4 rout over the Mets on Tuesday. Kelley slammed his glove after allowing a home run in that game, which offended general manager Mike Rizzo and others in the Nationals organization.

“If you’re not in, you’re in the way,” Rizzo said (via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post).

It’s clear Kelley’s actions didn’t turn off Oakland, which is pushing for a playoff berth in the AL. If his results to this point of the campaign are any indication, the 34-year-old Kelley should help the Athletics break their three-year playoff drought. Kelley logged a 3.34 ERA with 8.91 K/9 and 1.39 BB/9 in 32 1/3 innings with the Nats this year, though that came with a 27 percent groundball rate and a 4.56 FIP. He’s in the final season of a three-year, $15MM contract and is making $5.5MM.

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