NL East Notes: Nationals, Mets, Braves
Nationals star Stephen Strasburg missed the beginning of the season with a nerve issue in his right hand, but it didn’t shelve him for long. The reigning World Series MVP made his season debut last Sunday, though the Orioles roughed him up for five earned runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. It turns out that Strasburg may not have been at full strength during that outing, as manager Dave Martinez revealed Wednesday (via Byron Kerr of MASNsports.com) that the 32-year-old is still dealing with tingling in his hand. “I was a little bit concerned,” admitted Martinez, who added that “we will definitely have to keep an eye on it.” Strasburg’s scheduled to face Baltimore again on Friday, at least for now.
- Oft-injured Mets infielder Jed Lowrie will undergo injections in his ailing left knee, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. The Mets won’t have a timeline for a potential 2020 debut for Lowrie until they see how those injections affect him. At this point, though, it’s clear the Mets can’t count on Lowrie to emerge as a late-season reinforcement. The club’s decision to sign him to a two-year, $20MM contract before 2019 has been an abject failure, as Lowrie has appeared in just nine games since.
- The Braves aren’t expecting either second baseman Ozzie Albies or first baseman Matt Adams to return next week, manager Brian Snitker said Wednesday (via David O’Brien of The Athletic). Both players have been on the injured list since Aug. 5 (Albies for a wrist issue, Adams for a hamstring problem), though Albies is obviously the more important member of the club. After all, Albies turned in terrific seasons in 2018 and ’19 as a full-timer in the Braves’ lineup. They’ve primarily gone to Johan Camargo and Adeiny Hechavarria at the keystone in Albies’ absence.
- Southpaw reliever Sam Freeman left the Nationals’ loss to the Mets on Wednesday with a flexor strain, Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic relays. There’s “a level of concern” over the injury, per Martinez, especially because Freeman underwent Tommy John surgery in the past. Freeman, whom the Nats signed to a minor league contract in free agency, has tossed five scoreless innings for them this year.
Asdrubal Cabrera Changes Representation
Nationals infielder Asdrubal Cabrera has changed representation and hired Gene Mato of Mato Sports Management, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. MLBTR has made note of the switch in our Agency Database.
The well-traveled Cabrera joined the Nationals last August after the Rangers released him. Texas signed Cabrera to a one-year, $3.4MM contract before 2019, but it cut ties with him after he managed a subpar .235/.318/.393 line across 368 plate appearances in its uniform. The switch-hitting Cabrera then came alive as a member of the Nationals, slashing .323/.404/.565 in 146 PA. Cabrera’s down-the-stretch production helped the Nationals to the playoffs, and though he struggled in the postseason, the club still won its first-ever World Series championship.
After Washington took home the title, Cabrera returned to free agency and sat on the open market for a couple months. However, the Nationals ultimately re-signed the 34-year-old to a $2.5MM pact for this season. The move has paid off for the Nationals, as Cabrera is off to a .326/.380/.674 start with three home runs over 50 trips to the plate.
Quick Hits: Yankees, Chapman, Rays, Morton, Nationals, Rizzo, Martinez
The New York Yankees will make a decision about Aroldis Chapman‘s timeline to return to action after a throwing session on Tuesday, per ESPN’s Marly Rivera. Chapman has yet to make an appearance this season. He tested positive for COVID-19 back on July 11th after showing mild symptoms. Chapman has been working his way back to full strength and hopes to return to the back end of the Yanks bullpen shortly. Last season, Chapman put together another top-notch campaign with 37 saves in 60 games and a 2.21 ERA/2.28 FIP while striking out 13.4 batters per nine innings.
- Charlie Morton of the Tampa Bay Rays left his start today with right shoulder inflammation, per Juan Toribio of MLB.com. The Rays do not appear to be overly concerned about Morton in the long-term. The 36-year-old hasn’t gotten off to a great start with a 5.52 ERA across three starts, though it’s obviously s small sample, and a 4.06 FIP isn’t quite so pessimistic of his performance.
- The Washington Nationals aren’t any closer to coming to terms on an extension either for manager Dave Martinez or GM Mike Rizzo, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post (Twitter links). Both are in the final year of their current deals. The Nationals have proven a fairly conservative organization and one that won’t budge due to public perception. For their parts, both Martinez and Rizzo appear to have great trust in the organization. Given that the Nats are coming off a World Series championship, it’s hard to imagine either man moving on. Rizzo is the longstanding architect of these Nats – one of the most sustainable contenders of the last decade – while Martinez is the culture of the club in its current iteration. He has both the respect and the admiration of his players, by all accounts. This is pure conjecture, but Nats ownership may be taking a principled stance by waiting on these extensions. They’ve routinely let star players play out the final seasons of their deals, and it shows some organizational continuity to do the same with Rizzo and Martinez.
Stephen Strasburg To Make 2020 Debut Sunday
Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg will make his 2020 debut Sunday against the Orioles, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports. Manager Dave Martinez indicated the Nationals are hopeful that Strasburg will give them 75 to 80 pitches in his first start of the season.
Strasburg has been on the shelf with a nerve issue in his right hand, which is certainly not the way he or the Nats expected him to begin the seven-year, $245MM contract they re-signed him to last offseason. Injuries have often been a problem for Strasburg, whose career began with great fanfare in 2010, but he stayed healthy in 2019 en route to a 209-inning campaign and a 3.32 ERA/3.25 FIP with 10.81 K/9 and 2.41 BB/9. He put the cherry on top with a marvelous playoff performance that concluded with a title for the team and a World Series MVP for himself.
This year’s Nationals have come out of the gates slowly at 4-5, but a few of the starters they’ve used – Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, Austin Voth and Erick Fedde – have done well to prevent runs. Scherzer left his start Wednesday with a hamstring injury, but the three-time Cy Young winner is optimistic he’ll make his scheduled start, per Camerato.
Poll: Big-Budget Long-Term Payrolls
Looking at long-range payroll commitments, there’s a fairly sizable gap between the top-five spenders and the number six club (the Padres, at a total of $396MM). Here’s that top-five:
| Rank | Team | Total |
| 1 | Angels | $651.00 |
| 2 | Yankees | $612.00 |
| 3 | Dodgers | $533.36 |
| 4 | Nationals | $488.68 |
| 5 | Phillies | $488.50 |
That list isn’t remotely surprising. Some other deep-pocketed teams have pared back or simply not yet agreed to blockbuster extensions with existing stars. The handful of teams listed above have each recently agreed to monster contracts with one or more superstars.
Looking at a team’s future outlook involves quite a bit more than its contractual commitments. We’d want to consider controllable young talent, the prospect pool, and a wide variety of business factors in assessing which organization is best-situated for the long haul.
Here, though, we’ll just focus on the deals that are already locked in. First, I’ll re-list each of those five teams’ eexisting commitments. Then, you will vote for the one that you’d most prefer to have were you operating a large-budget franchise. (Click on the links to expand the image.)
The Angels feature two mid-prime superstars, including the greatest player of this generation.
The Yankees have an ace, a former MVP who could still return to his former glory, and a group of quality players.
The Dodgers had only limited future commitments until they struck a bold deal to keep one of the game’s best players.
The Nationals are all-in on high-grade rotation pieces.
The Phillies spent big to pluck high-end talent from division rivals.
Which is the best slate of contract commitments? (Poll link for app users; response order randomized.)
Which big-budget contract mix is best?
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Dodgers 44% (2,067)
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Yankees 21% (990)
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Angels 16% (739)
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Nationals 11% (541)
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Phillies 8% (368)
Total votes: 4,705
Nationals Designate Emilio Bonifacio
The Nationals have designated veteran utilityman Emilio Bonifacio for assignment, the club announced. Righty James Bourque was also optioned down as the team trimmed its active roster as required.
Bonifacio, 35, hadn’t seen the majors in the past two seasons but drew the Nats’ attention as an offseason target. He seemed to have a bead on a utility role but ultimately saw little action, striking out twice in three plate appearances.
The Nationals ended up securing the services of Josh Harrison, who has been given more opportunities in the early going. And the team evidently still prefers not to give up on the out-of-options Wilmer Difo. That left Bonifacio on the chopping block.
Max Scherzer Departs Early With Hamstring Injury
7:59pm: Thankfully, Scherzer is not dealing with an arm issue. He says he has a hamstring issue that flared up during the game, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com was among those to cover on Twitter.
5:32pm: The Nationals pulled ace Max Scherzer from tonight’s game after one inning. It’s not yet clear what drove the decision.
Scherzer had a bit of a rough frame, throwing 27 pitches and allowing one run. He had exhibited lower-nineties velocity — not necessarily a bright red flag in its own right, but a step down from his typical heat.
This is a developing story …
Nationals Activate Juan Soto
The Nationals have activated outfielder Juan Soto and right-hander Wander Suero from the injured list, the team announced. Outfielder Andrew Stevenson was optioned to the alternate training site to open one roster spot, while the team’s recent placement of Will Harris on the IL left them with an existing vacancy.
Soto isn’t in tonight’s lineup, manager Dave Martinez told reporters (Twitter thread via Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com), but he’s available to pinch-hit. Soto himself told the club that he felt he needed at least another day to get up to speed for a full nine-inning game. The 21-year-old has yet to play this season since testing positive for Covid-19 on Opening Day and also missed much of the team’s Summer Camp, so he’s a bit behind. Recently signed utilityman Josh Harrison is getting the nod in left field in Soto’s place tonight.
The Nats have gone 3-4 in Soto’s absence. Their schedule has been partly interrupted by the Marlins’ Covid-19 outbreak, as the Nats were scheduled to face the Fish over the weekend but saw that series postponed due to ongoing health concerns with the Miami organization. In a way, the Nationals will benefit from that postponement, as they’ll now likely have Soto back in the fold for three games he’d have otherwise missed. For the time being, they’ll host the Mets for the first of a two-game set. Washington’s next dozen games will come against the Mets and the Orioles. Soto won’t be back in the everyday lineup right out of the gate, but he’ll be back in the heart of the order before long.
Juan Soto Cleared By MLB, Waiting For D.C. Approval
Nationals superstar Juan Soto is making progress on the clearance process to rejoin the team. He has been cleared to resume action by Major League Baseball after receiving two negative coronavirus tests, manager Dave Martinez told reporters including Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic (Twitter link). Jon Heyman of MLB Network had previously tweeted the news.
Trouble is, Soto still has one more hurdle to clear. He’s in need of approval from the Washington, D.C. Department of Health. The hope is that authorization can be obtained in time for Soto to suit up on August 1st.
While the Nats would have preferred not to go without Soto at all, this still rates as generally promising news. He ought to be able to participate in the bulk of the 2020 contests. Unfortunately, the club is already in a hole after a 1-4 start.
The Nats are also still waiting for co-ace Stephen Strasburg, who has experienced nerve irritation in his hand. He’ll skip another start tomorrow, with Erick Fedde taking the ball in his place. It does sound as if Stras is nearing readiness to ramp back up.
Juan Soto Receives Consecutive Negative Tests
5:15pm: Nats manager Dave Martinez tells reporters that Soto has now received the required back-to-back negative test results from Major League Baseball’s approved labs (Twitter link via Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post). The team is simply awaiting league/city clearance for Soto’s return at this point.
11:15am: Nationals star Juan Soto is currently out due to a positive COVID-19 test, meaning he needs consecutive negatives before he’ll be allowed to return to action. It seems he’s currently registering mixed results in testing, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports on Twitter.
Per the report, Soto has registered six negative tests — three from official league tests and three from team-administered tests. He has yet to string together two negatives that qualify to clear him for activation. Putting aside the phenom’s own situation, it’s yet another reminder that testing for the virus is anything but a foolproof means of ascertaining an infection.
For the Nationals, the first concern is obviously with Soto’s own well-being. From a pure competitive perspective, he’s obviously also of critical importance to the team’s hopes of pulling off a repeat title run. The charismatic 21-year-old carries a .287/.403/.535 batting line through his first 266 MLB games and was every bit as good during the team’s 2019 postseason run.