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Nationals Outright Tyler Moore

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TODAY: Moore has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, per an announcement from the club.

YESTERDAY: The Nationals placed first baseman/outfielder Tyler Moore on waivers yesterday, James Wagner of the Washington Post reports on Twitter. It’s not immediately clear if the club is seeking release or outright waivers, but Moore would not be able to refuse an assignment if outrighted, as he’s accrued less than five years of service and has never previously been removed from the 40-man.

Moore, who is out of options, had agreed to a $900K salary in his first season of arbitration eligibility.Washington will remain on he hook for about one quarter of that non-guaranteed amount (45 days of pay, or approximately $221K). Moore had seemed in line for a bench bat role, but obviously the organization decided to go with another alignment.

The Nationals have utilized Moore in a bench role in each of the previous four campaigns, though he’s never exceeded 200 plate appearances in a single year. All told, he owns a .228/.281/.401 slash with 24 home runs over 649 trips to the plate at the major league level.

Moore played his way into the organization’s plans with a strong 2012 effort, but has fallen shy of league average production in each year that’s followed. He has generally hit well in the upper minors and obviously has intriguing power, but he’s not a natural outfielder and doesn’t represent a platoon option at first base. With four solid outfield options on hand and a variety of potential bench pieces with greater versatility, it seems that Moore was the odd man out.

To some extent, the move represents a vote of confidence in the health of Ryan Zimmerman, as Moore would likely have stepped into a time share with Clint Robinson had Zimmerman been deemed unready for the start of the season. Of course, he might well still take such a role, if he clears waivers and is stashed at Triple-A. Any team considering a claim of Moore would need to take on his arbitration obligations, and Moore’s anemic spring batting line could make that unlikely.

Opt-Out Notes: Robinson, Boyer, Morales, Burnett, Murphy

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As Spring Training winds to a close, several teams will face roster decisions on veteran minor league signings.  Some of these veterans are Article XX(B) free agents whose fates have to be decided five days prior to Opening Day, while others have differing opt-out dates.  Here’s the latest on some veterans looking to catch on with Major League rosters…

  • Shane Robinson can opt out of his contract with the Indians on March 29 if he isn’t on the Tribe’s 25-man roster, MLBTR has learned.  While Cleveland is notably thin on outfield options, Robinson could choose to opt out since the Indians have added veterans Marlon Byrd and Will Venable to their outfield mix within the last month.  While Robinson has only a .237/.302/.313 slash line over 649 career plate appearances, he is an above-average baserunner and defender at all three outfield positions.
  • Blaine Boyer’s opt-out with the Brewers is March 27 and Franklin Morales can opt out on March 28, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.  Chris Capuano, another veteran arm competing for a job in the Brewers bullpen, appears to have the standard Tuesday deadline for Article XX(B) players.
  • Sean Burnett’s opt-out date on his Nationals contract is April 1, James Wagner of the Washington Post reports.  The Nats have 24 hours to either add Burnett to the roster or release him if he exercises his clause.  The southpaw is looking to make a comeback after pitching only 10 1/3 innings total over the last three seasons due to shoulder surgery and Tommy John surgery.
  • David Murphy hasn’t heard anything from the Red Sox about his roster status and doesn’t expect to before the March 27 opt-out date, the outfielder tells WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford.  “I think in most cases in a situation where an out date is created in a contract, most teams are going to want to take it down to the wire because you never know what might happen with injuries,” Murphy said.  On Monday, the veteran said he might consider retirement rather than go to the minors at this stage of his career.

Nats Think Lucas Giolito Close To Being Big-League Ready

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The Nationals have reassigned top pitching prospect Lucas Giolito to minor-league camp, but they’re expecting to see him in the big leagues soon after a strong performance in Spring Training, James Wagner of the Washington Post writes. “He’s close to being big-league ready,” says GM Mike Rizzo. “I think the bulk of his developmental curve is complete. But he needs to work on the smaller, little details of preparation, participation and performance in trying to get major-league hitters out.” Giolito whiffednine batters while walking three and allowing three runs in 6 1/3 innings this spring. In the short term, the Nats are planning to go with a rotation of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Tanner Roark and Joe Ross, and it should be noted that Giolito’s experience is limited — he was dominant last season, but spent the bulk of the year at Class A+ and only made eight starts at the Double-A level. He’s also just 21 and has an injury history that includes Tommy John surgery. Still, the future seems very bright for one of the Nats’ best young talents. Here’s more from the NL East.

Nationals Could Face Outfield Dilemma; Will Pursue Ballpark Naming Rights Deal

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  • The Nationals have an interesting potential dilemma brewing in the outfield, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. Michael Taylor has had a strong camp, and seems clearly ready for a full test at the MLB level, but Ben Revere is now in the fold at center while Jayson Werth’s contract (and, it might be added, standing in the organization) make it difficult to create space. From my perspective, Werth’s injury history makes him a prime candidate for regular rest, which ought to provide plenty of opportunity for all of these players. It’s interesting to note, though, that Rosenthal says the Nats likely would have traded Taylor had the club managed to sign Jason Heyward or Yoenis Cespedes over the winter.
  • The Nationals have an interesting potential dilemma brewing in the outfield, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. Michael Taylor has had a strong camp, and seems clearly ready for a full test at the MLB level, but Ben Revere is now in the fold at center while Jayson Werth’s contract (and, it might be added, standing in the organization) make it difficult to create space. From my perspective, Werth’s injury history makes him a prime candidate for regular rest, which ought to provide plenty of opportunity for all of these players. It’s interesting to note, though, that Rosenthal says the Nats likely would have traded Taylor had the club managed to sign Jason Heyward or Yoenis Cespedes over the winter.
  • Off the field, but relating to it, the Nationals are engaged in a renewed effort to sell their ballpark’s naming rights, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports. Valerie Camillo, the organization’s chief revenue and marketing officer, explained that “this is a major revenue opportunity that was untapped by the team, when you look at overall picture of revenue growth potential.” Particularly with the MASN television dispute still proving a tough nut to crack, it obviously makes sense to pursue all avenues to improve the bottom line. While that may require some difficult tradeoffs with the Nationals Park name fairly entrenched, Camillo says that the club is doing it for a good reason: “It’s not as if we’ll be maximizing revenue without a competitive product on the field. We’re doing what we can to keep the fans happy, and I think the predominant thing fans want is winning.”

Giolito On Path To Influence Playoff Race

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If Lucas Giolito isn’t in the majors by June then something has gone wrong, a scout tells Jayson Stark of ESPN, Giolito is the number three prospect in the game per ESPN, Baseball Prospectus, and MLB.com. Giolito features a 98 mph fastball, plus-plus curve, and an above average changeup. Stark and those he’s talked to can’t offer enough praise, throwing around terms like future “superstar” without reservation. The Nationals will hope Giolito can provide the same midseason boost their division rivals enjoyed from Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz last season.

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Nationals Release Logan Schafer

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.

  • The Nationals have announced that they’ve released outfielder Logan Schafer. (They also reassigned infielder Jason Martinson to the minors.) The Nats had signed Schafer to a minor-league deal in November. He hit 4-for-20 in Spring Training. The 29-year-old can play all three outfield positions and generally rates as a solid defender, particularly in a corner, but he hasn’t shown enough offense to stick in the Majors. Schafer appeared in all of the last five seasons with the Brewers, accumulating a career .212/.286/.319 line in 646 career plate appearances, including 143 last year. Milwaukee outrighted him after the season.

Latest On Bronson Arroyo

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SATURDAY 10:55am: GM Mike Rizzo says Arroyo has partial tears in his rotator cuff tendon and there is inflammation in the area, MASN’s Dan Kolko reports (all Twitter links). Arroyo will be shut down for ten days to two weeks, at which point he’ll begin a program to strengthen his shoulder. The rehab process could take four to six weeks.

FRIDAY 8:33pm: The Nationals have told reporters, including MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman (Twitter link), that tonight’s reports regarding Arroyo are “not consistent” with their findings. Nats brass, Arroyo and the club’s medical staff will have a meeting tomorrow.

7:17pm: The initial results of an MRI on Bronson Arroyo’s shoulder were, somewhat incredibly, misread by the doctor that evaluated him, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Arroyo does not have a tear of the rotator cuff in right shoulder, as he was initially told, but rather is suffering from bursa sac inflammation. Arroyo will be shut down for seven to 10 days, but he does not have the career-threatening injury he believed himself to be facing just yesterday. Notably, James Wagner of the Washington Post tweets that the first diagnosis came from a non-baseball doctor, so it was not the Nationals’ medical staff that provided the faulty results.

Earlier this week, MLB Network’s Peter Gammons reported that Arroyo had a tear in his labrum, and Arroyo himself spoke to reporters the following day to reveal that he’d been told the tear was actually in his rotator cuff. The veteran right-hander was said to be weighing whether to undergo surgery and rehab for another comeback attempt or call it a career.

The injury still seems to hinder Arroyo’s chances of making the Nationals’ Opening Day rotation, as another seven to 10 days without throwing would mean he can return to throwing with another seven to 10 days of Spring Training to get back up to speed. However, the very fact that Arroyo is not facing a devastating injury is a breath of fresh air. The well-liked and well-respected Arroyo has been hoping to break camp with the Nats and return to a Major League mound for the first time since the summer of 2014, when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and required Tommy John surgery.

Prior to that injury, Arroyo was baseball’s most durable starter. From 2005-13, Arroyo pitched in 300 games and averaged 211 innings per season, falling shy of the 200-inning milestone just one time, when he tossed 199 innings in 2011. Arroyo was not only durable, but effective, as he worked to a 4.10 ERA in that span despite pitching at the hitter friendly Great American Ball Park and despite the fact that many of those frames came during a much higher-scoring time period.

Bronson Arroyo Has Torn Rotator Cuff

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10:50am: The tear is in Arroyo’s rotator cuff, not his labrum, the pitcher himself told reporters (Twitter link via Zuckerman). Arroyo described the tear as “significant” and said that while he’s waiting for further evaluation, “It’s not looking real good.” Via James Wagner of the Washington Post (on Twitter), Arroyo says he will decide whether to rehab the shoulder or retire within the next couple of days.

MARCH 17, 9:15am: The Nationals told reporters this morning, including Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com, that reports of the labrum tear are “premature,” and they’re waiting for an MRI from the D-backs to compare the results to yesterday’s test (links to Zuckerman on Twitter). Zuckerman further notes, though, that Arroyo was seen hugging teammates in the clubhouse and that “everyone seems to sense what the likely result” of the situation is. Said manager Dusty Baker: “We don’t have to make a rash decision on anything. I think we owe him that as a man and as a professional.”

MARCH 16: Right-hander Bronson Arroyo, who is in camp with the Nationals on a minor league contract and has been vying for the fifth spot in their rotation, has an “80 percent tear” of the labrum in his right shoulder, tweets MLB Network’s Peter Gammons. Earlier today, it was reported that Arroyo would be scratched from his upcoming start due to shoulder soreness, but the severity of the injury will end Arroyo’s comeback attempt with the Nationals, Gammons notes.

Arroyo chose a minor league deal with the Nats (and his former skipper Dusty Baker) this winter over a return to Cincinnati on a minor league pact. The veteran innings eater had been hoping to make it back to the Majors for the first time since 2014 after missing the 2015 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Arroyo had long been known for his durability prior to signing a two-year pact with the D-backs spanning those 2014-15 seasons, but he underwent Tommy John after tearing his UCL three months into his first season with Arizona. He didn’t pitch in 2015, though his salary was included in a couple of trades to help balance out the financial element of said deals.

Arroyo could certainly look to rehab from the injury, but the possibility also has to be raised that this latest setback could bring to an end what has been a long and fruitful career in the big leagues. Earlier this spring, the 39-year-old told Tyler Kepner of the New York Times that he hoped to pitch beyond the 2016 campaign, but he also added, “If I don’t make it out of this camp and this arm just won’t go, I’m completely satisfied with what I’ve done in the game.”

From the team’s vantage point, the loss of Arroyo means that right-handers Joe Ross and Tanner Roark are likely to fill out the rotation behind Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez. Top prospect Lucas Giolito figures to challenge for a rotation spot of his own at some point over the course of the season as well.

Bronson Arroyo Dealing With Shoulder Soreness

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  • Nationals right-hander Bronson Arroyo was scratched from his start today with shoulder soreness, as James Wagner of the Washington Post reports. For now, the 39-year-old will rest and see how it responds, but any absence certainly puts a dent in his hopes of beating out Tanner Roark and Joe Ross for a rotation gig. Arroyo, who signed a minor-league deal full of incentives if he makes the majors, had some work done in his shoulder when he was out for Tommy John surgery, according to skipper Dusty Baker.

NL Notes: Cueto, Jennings, Pirates

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Giants starter Johnny Cueto was hit in the head on a Billy Burns liner on the first pitch of his outing Monday night, according to various reporters, including the San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman. Cueto stayed in the game and pitched three innings, but was checked by team doctors after pitching and will head to the hospital in accordance with team protocol (Twitter links). One would think the Giants would have removed Cueto from the game after the incident if they had considered the issue serious (acknowledging, of course, that pro sports teams have at times underestimated the impact of potential concussions). There would have been no reason for the Giants to keep Cueto in a Spring Training game if they had any indication he was hurt. Still, the situation bears monitoring. Here’s more from around the NL.

  • The grievance filed by the Marlins against the Nationals regarding former Marlins GM and manager Dan Jennings was settled in favor of the Nationals, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post writes. The Nationals are paying Jennings $115K to be a special assistant to GM Mike Rizzo. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported yesterday that the Marlins took issue with that salary because they owed Jennings $1.5MM based on his previous contract with them, minus his salary in his new position. The Marlins thought the Nats’ $115K salary was too low given Jennings’ responsibilities, and that they were therefore on the hook for too much of his remaining salary. Via Janes, though, the disagreement has been resolved. “It’€™s an old grievance, and it has been settled,” says Rizzo.
  • Pirates GM Neal Huntington is excited about his organization’s Triple-A rotation, Stephen A. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The Bucs today optioned top prospects Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon to Triple-A Indianapolis and reassigned fellow starters Chad Kuhl, Steven Brault and Trevor Williams. (They also optioned outfielder Harold Ramirez and reassigned catcher Reese McGuire and lefty Kelvin Marte.) Of those starting pitchers, Glasnow and Taillon are the headliners, but Kuhl, Brault and Williams are all prospects in their own right. All could wind up pitching at Indianapolis this year (although perhaps not right away, as Nesbitt notes, since the Bucs might need to preserve a spot there for a depth starter like Kyle Lobstein or Wilfredo Boscan.) “The future is bright,” says Huntington. “You run Taillon, Glasnow, Kuhl, Brault and Williams out in one setting — that’s a very exciting group. … Each one of them brings something that’s very, very intriguing. Now you put that group of five together, it bodes well for our future.” Kuhl is a sinkerballer who pitched well for Double-A Altoona last season. Brault, a lefty, excelled at Class A+ and Double-A after arriving last winter in the trade that sent Travis Snider to Baltimore. And Williams is a recent arrival who the Bucs acquired from the Marlins when pitching guru Jim Benedict headed to Miami.
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