- The Mets’ tough-it-out approach with injured young starters Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz is backfiring on them, while the Nationals are benefiting from a more guarded method, opines Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post. Harvey missed the entire 2014 season because of Tommy John surgery and then responded with a 238 2/3-inning workload last year, writes Boswell, who points out that Harvey and agent Scott Boras expected the Mets to shut him down late in the campaign. However, general manager Sandy Alderson had no such expectation and Harvey elected to keep pitching after dealing with backlash from fans and media. Meanwhile, the Nats have taken care of ace Stephen Strasburg, another Boras client, having shut him down early during their 98-win showing in 2012. They also sent Strasburg to the disabled list last month rather than take a chance with his upper back injury. Strasburg dominated before landing on the DL and has continued doing so since returning July 3. Moreover, while Strasburg might have been this year’s NL All-Star starter, he and the club made the “mutual decision” to keep him out of the game, per president and GM Mike Rizzo.
Nationals Rumors
Royals Among Teams Interested In Josh Reddick
The Athletics and right fielder Josh Reddick have not restarted contract talks, thereby increasing the likelihood of a trade by the Aug. 1 deadline, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The A’s offered Reddick a three-year, $36MM contract extension during the spring, but his camp countered with $56MM over four years and might have been amenable to $50MM to $52MM, according to Slusser. As of now, Oakland is unwilling to give a four-year commitment to Reddick, who will turn 30 next February.
In the event the out-of-contention A’s do shop Reddick prior to the deadline, there should be no shortage of interest in the left-handed hitter. The Bay Area-rival Giants, Cubs, Dodgers, Blue Jays and Nationals are among the potentially playoff-bound clubs that have scouted Reddick, but the defending World Series champion Royals are following him the closest, per Slusser.
The 45-42 Royals, who are seven games behind AL Central-leading Cleveland and 3.5 out of the Wild Card, entered Saturday ranked 26th in the majors in runs scored (342) and tied for 19th in wRC+ (92). They’ve primarily relied on Paulo Orlando and Brett Eibner in right field, and both have posted above-average batting lines this year across a combined 264 plate appearances. Their track records fall well short of Reddick’s, however, so replacing them with Reddick and getting standout center fielder Lorenzo Cain back from a hamstring injury to team with left fielder Alex Gordon would give Kansas City an enviable trio of starting outfielders on paper.
Dating back to his first year in Oakland, 2012, Reddick has hit a solid .255/.320/.437 with 81 home runs in 2,300 plate appearances. Reddick has also graded out well on the base paths and (for the most part) defensively throughout his time with the A’s, though Ultimate Zone Rating has assigned him negative marks in the field going back to last season. A broken thumb suffered in May kept Reddick out of a large chunk of games earlier this year, but he returned late last month. Overall, he owns a .296/.371/.429 line with five homers and nearly as many walks (23) as strikeouts (25) in 213 trips to the plate this season.
It’s important to note that the A’s don’t necessarily have to trade Reddick, to whom they could extend a qualifying offer after the season ends. The A’s would then receive a first-round pick as compensation if he declines the QO – which should be worth in the $16MM to $17MM neighborhood – though they seem likely to land more enticing assets via trade from an outfielder-needy contender. Reddick is on an affordable $6.575MM salary this year, which could help to drive up the A’s potential asking price for him as Aug. 1 approaches.
Dusty Baker: "No Real Place" For Trea Turner Right Now
The Nationals’ Trea Turner, whom Baseball America ranks as the sport’s fifth-best prospect, rejoined the club Friday when first baseman Ryan Zimmerman landed on the disabled list with a strained left rib. The middle infielder hasn’t slotted into the Nats’ lineup, though, which is no surprise in light of manager Dusty Baker’s comments on Friday. “Right now, there’s no real place for Trea to take,” Baker said, per Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. “This isn’t a tryout camp. This is try to play the best team overall to win the game and win the pennant. Hopefully Trea will be a part of that while he’s here.” Turner has garnered some center field experience at the Triple-A level, though Baker is wary of putting him out there in the majors at this point. “I’m sure in time, he’ll show us all, but right now, he’ll probably remain in the infield unless I have to make a move out there in the outfield,” stated Baker. Between second baseman Daniel Murphy and shortstop Danny Espinosa, the Nats have an outstanding middle infield, so it doesn’t appear Turner will make much of an impact if those two remain healthy. The 23-year-old has batted an excellent .302/.370/.471 with 36 extra-base hits and 25 stolen bases in the minors this season.
Nationals Have Interest In Jay Bruce
Among the clubs looking at Reds outfielder Jay Bruce are the Dodgers and Nationals, both of whom have been tied previously to the slugger, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. (Rosenthal previously reported those connections here and here.) Neither of those organizations has a critical need for an outfielder, though it’s possible to imagine both looking to add some thump to their lineups. Of course, those are likely to face competition for the revived veteran from other quarters. Bruce holds the top spot in MLBTR’s top twenty trade candidates list as he continues to put up monster offensive numbers.
Nationals Release Scott Sizemore
- Outfielder Tony Campana is headed to the White Sox on a minor league deal after being released by the Nationals, per Eddy. Campana, 30, has seen MLB time in parts of four seasons, none since 2014. He owns a meager .215/.289/.230 slash in 158 Triple-A plate appearances on the year.
- The Nationals have released infielder Scott Sizemore, also via Eddy. The 31-year-old was off to a rough start, hitting just .205/.353/.323 over his 243 plate appearances on the year. He hasn’t cracked the majors since 2014.
Nationals Activate Jonathan Papelbon, Option Michael Taylor
The Nationals have activated injured closer Jonathan Papelbon, per a team announcement. In something of a surprise move, the club optioned outfielder Michael Taylor to create roster space.
[Related: Updated Nationals Depth Chart]
While the move isn’t an atypical mid-season transaction, it does carry some added trade deadline implications for the division-leading Nats. For one thing, Papelbon had shown some concerning trends on the year; for another, the organization has not received the production it would like out of the center field position.
Looking first at the pen, Papelbon has continued to get useful results, as he owns a 3.28 ERA on the year. But he hasn’t finished the year with an earned run average over three since way back in 2010, and the underlying numbers suggest a bigger problem. In particular, Papelbon is striking out less than seven per nine on a career-low 9.5% swinging strike rate and is averaging just 90.7 mph on his four-seamer.
Adding a quality reliever seems like a no-brainer for the Nationals regardless of how Papelbon shows upon his return from an intercostal strain. But his performance could help dictate just how desperate the team feels to improve. The pen has been good on the whole, and Shawn Kelley is far from the worst fill-in closer, but a team with World Series aspirations will surely want some more room for error.
Meanwhile, the demotion of Taylor comes as he continues to produce uneven results at the plate. While he was more productive in June after a dreadful start, he hasn’t seen much playing time in the last week and hasn’t been hitting when he has been in the lineup. With Ben Revere showing some signs of life, it seems that Taylor will be tasked with working on his game in a regular role at the Triple-A level.
Adding a reliever for an outfielder leaves the Nats’ roster out of balance, so this could well be a temporary move. Looking at the club’s current depth chart, dropping a reliever would likely mean parting with Matt Belisle — who has been rather effective — or sending struggling young fireballer Felipe Rivero to join Taylor in looking to get on track at Triple-A.
If and when the club dips into its system for another position player, top prospect Trea Turner could conceivably get the call. The middle infielder has now played four games at center for Syracuse, so he could potentially join Revere there while playing a super-utility role of some kind. Super Two status is no longer a concern in Turner’s case, so team need and player development are probably the only real considerations.
It’s worth noting that there are some potential player control issues here, but they don’t involve Turner. Entering the year, Taylor had 1.037 days of service, and he has picked up another 90 days thus far in 2016. That leaves him 45 days shy of reaching a second full season of service, so an extended stay in the minors could well leave the club with an added season of future control.
Nationals Activate Stephen Strasburg, Place Joe Ross On DL
The Nationals have activated right-hander Stephen Strasburg from the disabled list and placed fellow righty Joe Ross on the DL with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, Dan Kolko of MASN was among those to report (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Updated Nationals Depth Chart]
Strasburg, whose last action came June 15, will start for the Nats on Sunday. The 27-year-old hit the DL with an upper back strain on June 26, retroactive to June 16. Prior to that, the ace posted stellar numbers – 2.90 ERA, 11.4 K/9 and 4.92 K/BB rate – over 93 innings and began the season a perfect 10-0. Strasburg also inked a seven-year, $175MM contract extension in May, of course, so the first-place Nats can breathe a sigh of relief that one of their top players and most significant investments avoided a serious injury.
Unfortunately, the same might not be true in regards to the 23-year-old Ross, whose average sinker velocity fell nearly two miles per hour (from 93.5 to 91.8) in his start Saturday and dropped into the high 80s in his fifth and final frame. Notably, Ross’ brother – Padres ace Tyson Ross – has missed nearly the entire season with shoulder inflammation, and the Nats will now hope their Ross doesn’t suffer a similar fate. Before succumbing to injury, the second-year man tossed 95 1/3 innings of 3.49 ERA ball and added a 7.46 K/9, 2.25 BB/9 and 44.1 percent ground-ball rate. Even though Ross has emerged as a quality starter, his loss shouldn’t do much in the near term to hinder a Nats rotation that has Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Tanner Roark, elite prospect Lucas Giolito and Gio Gonzalez in the fold.
Nationals Concerned About Joe Ross' Velo Drop
- The Nationals are concerned about the velocity drop right-hander Joe Ross experienced in their 9-4 loss to the Reds on Saturday, manager Dusty Baker told reporters, including Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Ross lasted 5 1/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on 10 hits while striking out only two batters. The 23-year-old’s sinker, which averages 93.5 mph, came in at a mean of 91.8 mph Saturday and fell into the high 80s in his final inning, notes Ladson. Ross insisted afterward that he’s healthy, saying, “My stuff wasn’t there, the command wasn’t really there. It’s a little frustrating, but I feel all right.” Washington will take a cautious approach and continue trying to limit Ross’ workload, stated Baker. After narrowly eclipsing the 150-inning total between the majors and minors last season, Ross is up to 95 1/3 frames this year.
Nationals Could Pursue Jay Bruce
In an ideal world, the Nationals would like to acquire a right-handed hitter before the Aug. 1 trade deadline, but they’re considering pursuing Reds left-handed slugger Jay Bruce, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video links). Bruce, who has hit .275/.319/.557 with 17 home runs in 313 plate appearances this year, could be a possibility in the outfield or at first base for the Nationals – to whom he can’t block a trade. Bruce is also familiar with Nationals manager Dusty Baker from the skipper’s time in Cincinnati, notes Rosenthal, who adds that the team recalling highly touted prospect Trea Turner to play center field is also an option.
Bronson Arroyo Makes Second Rehab Start
Veteran starter Bronson Arroyo made his second rehab start with the Nationals’ Gulf Coast League affiliate today, allowing no earned runs and two walks while striking out three over five innings. The 39-year-old is making his way back from partial rotator cuff tendon tears, and he still hopes to return to the big leagues in 2016, as MLB.com’s Bill Ladson tweets. It would be quite a comeback for the vet, who hasn’t appeared in the Majors since pitching 86 innings with the Diamondbacks in 2014. Here’s more from the East divisions.
