NL Notes: Lackey, Cardinals, D-backs, Nats, Papelbon
The Cardinals are trying to rebuild while contending, which is why they let right-hander John Lackey depart in free agency, writes Mark Saxon of ESPN.com. Their motivation in letting Lackey walk was receiving a compensatory pick in return, general manager John Mozeliak told Saxon. “The big thing for us is, with where we’ve picked over the last five or six years, it’s really hard to be aggressive on our pipeline. Any chance we could get to pick up a draft pick has been something we value. Perhaps you could argue we overvalue it, but that’s been the strategy of late.” As a result of losing Lackey, St. Louis got the 33rd pick – with which it drafted high school outfielder Dylan Carlson in June – while Lackey is now a member of the archrival Cubs after inking a two-year, $32MM deal during the offseason. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Lackey has carried his above-average production from St. Louis to Chicago, having logged a 3.56 ERA, 8.96 K/9 and 2.49 BB/9 across 151 2/3 innings. Thanks in part to Lackey, the first-place Cubs are what should be an insurmountable 13 games ahead of the Cardinals in the NL Central.
More on St. Louis and two other NL clubs:
- Cardinals outfielder/first baseman Brandon Moss, an impending free agent, told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he’d like to re-sign with the Redbirds. “Honestly, I have thought more about wanting to stay here than I have thought about where I could end up,” Moss said. “I think most guys spend their entire careers trying to get to a place like this.” A hip injury helped lead to a subpar output last year for Moss, who joined the Cardinals in a July trade with Cleveland, but he has rebounded in 2016 to post a prolific .257/.339/.563 batting line through 304 plate appearances. Moss leads the Cardinals in home runs (20) and, among major league hitters with at least 300 PAs, trails only David Ortiz in ISO (.306). Mozeliak spoke highly of Moss last week, though the GM added that it wasn’t the right time to discuss an extension. Whether with St. Louis or another team, Moss looks primed to land a raise over his current salary of $8.25MM.
- The Diamondbacks have removed left-hander Patrick Corbin from their rotation in favor of right-hander Zack Godley, tweets Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Corbin’s demotion to the bullpen comes on the heels of a Thursday start in which he surrendered eight runs (four earned) on nine hits in 1 2/3 innings of a 9-4 loss to Boston. With a 5.58 ERA through 132 1/3 innings, Corbin has unexpectedly produced poor results this year. The 2014 Tommy John surgery recipient combined to throw 293 1/3 frames of 3.47 ERA ball in 2013 and ’15, adding a 46.7 percent ground-ball rate and 7.85 K/9 against 2.18 BB/9. Although Corbin’s strikeouts (7.18) have remained in a similar range and his grounders (52.6) have increased, both his walk rate (3.88) and home run to fly ball rate (18.5 percent) have spiked. Godley, who has thrown 44 2/3 innings this year, hasn’t fared much differently than Corbin (5.24 ERA, 7.05 K/9, 2.62 BB/9, 53.5 grounder rate).
- Jonathan Papelbon didn’t have the smoothest tenure with the Nationals, evidenced by his dugout dust-up with right fielder Bryce Harper last season, but key members of the organization defended the reliever after his release Saturday (via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post). “It’s always going to be tough for somebody, but he couldn’t have handled it any better, and I truly mean that,” ace Max Scherzer said of how Papelbon dealt with losing the closer role to the recently acquired Mark Melancon. Continued Scherzer, “Unfortunately, some things went sideways and some other way, but when you talk about a veteran guy in this clubhouse and what he can do for us, he’s going to be missed.” Both president/GM Mike Rizzo and manager Dusty Baker echoed Scherzer’s sentiment. “I think he handled it like a professional, like he’s done everything else here,” offered Rizzo. “He was a great teammate. He was popular with his teammates. They knew that he had their back and they had his,” stated Baker.
Nationals Release Jonathan Papelbon
The Nationals have officially announced that they’ve released former closer Jonathan Papelbon, making him a free agent. The Nats had initially told Papelbon they intended to designate him for assignment, as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post writes (Twitter links). Papelbon instead requested to be released, since the process of being designated for assignment could result in him being in DFA limbo for up to ten days. The Nationals agreed, although they waited for much of the day Saturday to make the move official. Papelbon’s release clears space for Reynaldo Lopez, who will start tonight against the Braves.
The 35-year-old Papelbon has had a hard time this year, with a 4.37 ERA, 8.0 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 35 innings, and his struggles had deepened recently — he allowed a total of nine runs in his last five outings, and he hadn’t pitched in a week. Those struggles coincided with the Nats’ recent addition of Mark Melancon to replace him at closer, and Melancon has had great success so far in Washington. Also, while Papelbon pitched well in previous seasons despite steadily declining velocity, his average fastball continued to slow this year, dropping to 90.9 MPH five years after peaking 95.0 MPH in 2011.
The release ends Papelbon’s tenure in Washington, which began just over a year ago when they acquired him (with cash) from the Phillies for a minor leaguer. His on-field performance was satisfactory down the stretch for Washington last year, although he was involved in an ugly incident near the end of the season in which he choked teammate Bryce Harper in the dugout.
After struggling in 2016, Papelbon would have had little or no trade value, given his performance, his salary ($13MM for the year) and his dodgy clubhouse reputation. He’s due for free agency this winter. The Nationals surely gauged trade interest before releasing him, but it’s easy to imagine that there wasn’t much.
ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick was first to report that the Nationals were likely to make a move with Papelbon, and that he had asked to be released (all Twitter links).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
East News & Rumors: Marlins, Red Sox, Nats, Mets
Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Saturday that the playoff-contending club hasn’t discussed signing Miami native and resident Alex Rodriguez, whom the Yankees released Saturday.“You’ve got to have a place to play. I know he hasn’t played in the field in a long time. I don’t know where he fits right now,” Mattingly told reporters, per the Associated Press. However, given the injury-forced absence of Justin Bour, Mattingly didn’t rule out the 41-year-old Rodriguez as a first base option for the Marlins. “There’s no reason he couldn’t play first. He has the ability to do a lot of things,” Mattingly stated. “We miss Justin a little bit over there at first. I don’t think we’ve been able to replace that. We’re always looking at ways of getting better in different areas.” The Marlins have been deploying right-handed hitters Miguel Rojas and Chris Johnson in a first base platoon with the lefty-swinging Derek Dietrich, though the former two have registered miserable batting lines this season. The same is true of Rodriguez – hence his release – but he’s only a year removed from hitting a tremendous .263/.394/.532 in 193 plate appearances against southpaws.
More regarding A-Rod and the majors’ two East divisions:
- For his part, Rodriguez seems unsure if he wants to continue his career. After his final game with the Yankees on Friday, the 22-year veteran was reluctant to say he was done. “For all the things I’ve been through, to have a night like tonight, I don’t know what more I can ask for,” he said (Twitter link via David Lennon of Newsday). For what it’s worth, in a survey of 24 executives from around baseball, nearly half (11) told Jayson Stark of ESPN that Rodriguez would return either this season or in time for spring training next year.
- On the heels of his Saturday release from the Nationals, free agent reliever Jonathan Papelbon would welcome a return to Boston, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI (Twitter link). Papelbon, whom the Red Sox selected in the fourth round of the 2003 draft, had a highly successful run with the club from 2005-11. During that seven-season, 429 1/3-inning span, the right-hander converted over 88 percent of save opportunities (219 of 248) and compiled a 2.33 ERA, 10.67 K/9 and 2.41 BB/9. He’s far less effective now, having lost a few miles per hour on his fastball and his job as Washington’s closer before it released him. However, Boston’s bullpen has posted a 4.14 second-half ERA – the sixth-highest figure in baseball – notes Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. Moreover, the Red Sox are without injured setup man Koji Uehara, and closer Craig Kimbrel has scuffled while dealing with soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. Given their issues, Papelbon is “worth investigating,” Sox president Dave Dombrowski told reporters, including Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
- Thanks to a clean MRI on Saturday, the Nationals will not place right fielder Bryce Harper on the disabled list, president and general manager Mike Rizzo said (via Alex Putterman of MLB.com). Harper hasn’t taken an at-bat since last Saturday because of a stiff neck, and manager Dusty Baker is wary of playing the 23-year-old in the event the team decides to place him on the DL retroactively. By playing him, Baker would reset the clock on a retroactive DL stint.
- Left-hander Jon Niese is likely to return to the Mets’ rotation at the expense of Logan Verrett, whom the team pulled from its starting five after a disastrous Friday outing, according to Troy Provost-Heron of MLB.com. In an 8-6 loss to the Padres that dropped the Mets to below .500, Verrett yielded all eight runs on six hits (including four home runs) and three walks. Verrett has thrown 60 innings as a starter this year and recorded a 6.45 ERA, 6.15 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9. Niese was a capable option out of the Mets’ rotation from 2010-15, but he struggled this year with the Pirates after an offseason trade, leading Pittsburgh to deal him back to New York prior to the non-waiver trade deadline. Niese’s return to the Mets was going well until Thursday, when he gave up six earned runs on three hits and three walks in just an inning of work.
Injury Notes: Harper, De La Rosa, Rasmus, Bour, Gray, Cishek, Zych
A slumping Bryce Harper was out of the lineup again tonight for the Nationals owing to a seemingly minor neck issue, but the precise nature of his injury has been the subject of some debate. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post breaks down all the back-and-forth on the topic. In essence, Nats GM Mike Rizzo strongly denied a report from SI.com’s Tom Verducci indicating that Harper may have been playing through a shoulder injury for some time. Rizzo insists that Harper simply has a stiff neck that has not yet required a DL placement.
Here’s more on some injury situations around the game:
- Diamondbacks righty Rubby De La Rosa has suffered a setback in his efforts to come back from a forearm injury, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets. He’s headed for an MRI to see where things stand. It seems as if there’s little reason to expect the 27-year-old to return to the majors this season. That’s a tough blow for the D-Backs, who surely would like to get a longer look at a pitcher who showed a fair bit of promise this year. Over 47 2/3 innings earlier in the season, De La Rosa worked to a 4.15 ERA with 9.3 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9.
- The Astros will be without Colby Rasmus for a month or more after he underwent surgery to remove a cyst from his ear, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Rasmus has been struggling for some time, and it’s fair to wonder whether the issue may have played a significant role. He’ll need to return in good form to provide a boost to the ‘Stros — and to bolster his fading free agent position.
- Marlins first baseman Justin Bour isn’t progressing in his attempt to return from an ankle injury, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports on Twitter. In fact, manager Don Mattingly says that Bour “went backwards” of late, with the team’s expectation now being that he won’t return until at least early September. That certainly seems to open some room for Miami to look into adding a bat to chip in down the stretch.
- Athletics righty Sonny Gray only just began forearm exercises today, John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group reports. He won’t begin throwing again unless and until the inflammation subsides. At this point, it seems far from certain whether he’ll make it back to a major league hill this season.
- The Mariners may soon send reliever Steve Cishek out on a rehab assignment, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports. It appears that his hip labrum issue is indeed as minor as the team had suggested. Meanwhile, fellow pen righty Tony Zych is also finally making some progress and will begin a rehab assignment on Friday. Adding those two arms down the stretch would provide a significant boost to Seattle’s late-inning mix.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Wilson Ramos
With 380 outstanding plate appearances under his belt this year, it seems fair to say that Wilson Ramos has finally arrived for the Nationals. And he’s done so at an opportune moment for himself as well as the team, as he’ll hit the open market after the season.
Ramos, who turned 29 just yesterday, has had quality campaigns before, but injuries and inconsistencies had raised questions about his future. Coming into the year, it wasn’t even clear whether the Nats would stake an important campaign on the aptly-nicknamed “Buffalo.” Though he was back at full health last year, Ramos had compiled only a .245/.275/.375 batting line over his prior two campaigns, and the Nationals were often cited as a possible suitor for a new backstop via trade or free agency.
Instead, the team bet on Ramos’s talent, and that decision has paid off in spades. Over his 96 games of action entering play today, Ramos owns a .336/.384/.549 slash with a career-best 18 home runs. Even better, he has done that while improving his strikeout (12.6%) and walk (7.4%) rates. Offseason LASIK surgery was cited as a reason for optimism heading into the year, and it certainly seems as if there’s reason to buy into that explanation. Ramos is hitting the ball hard and on a line more than ever before, which helps to support his .347 BABIP (which does still also point to some expected regression). Plus, as noted above, it’s not as if this outburst comes totally out of the blue. Ramos ran up a .269/.327/.449 batting line over 2011-13, though he only managed 834 plate appearances in that span due to an ACL tear suffered in 2012.
NL News & Rumors: CarGo, Utley, Rizzo, Roark, Giants
Here’s the latest from the senior circuit…
- Carlos Gonzalez was removed from the second inning of tonight’s game due to left ankle inflammation, as noted by several reporters (including MLB.com’s Thomas Harding). The Rockies star sprained that same ankle last Wednesday and has missed two of Colorado’s four games in the interim. It’s a situation worth monitoring given Gonzalez’s checkered injury history, not to mention the Rockies’ attempt to stay afloat in the NL wild card race. Losing Gonzalez for any extended amount of time is an obvious blow for the Rox, naturally, though the club did get some outfield reinforcements when Gerardo Parra was activated off the DL today.
- Chase Utley told reporters, including Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times (Twitter link), that he intends to play in the 2017 season. Utley, who turns 38 in December, will be a free agent at season’s end and was still putting up above-average offensive numbers as recently as 2014. He has somewhat rebounded (.250/.327/.372 with seven homers in 395 PA) this season after a very rough 2015, and he is still providing solid glovework at second base. Utley could have a tough time matching the one-year, $7MM contract he got from the Dodgers last winter, though teams will certainly take a look at a respected veteran with Utley’s excellent career track record.
- The trade that brought Tanner Roark to the Nationals may be the best of GM Mike Rizzo’s career with the club, as MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman gives his ranking of Rizzo’s top 10 trades. Roark and Ryan Tatusko were acquired in a July 2010 deadline deal that sent Cristian Guzman to the Rangers, and Guzman’s 15 games with Texas ended up being the last of his career. Roark wasn’t a heralded prospect at the time (Tatusko was actually a better-regarded arm) but the right-hander has blossomed into a major contributor on Washington’s staff.
- The Giants aren’t likely to add any major pieces during the August waiver trade period, Grant Brisbee of the McCovey Chronicles opines. Exceptions could be made in the case of injury or if the Giants unexpectedly end up with a player they claimed only as a blocking maneuver (a la their pickup of Cody Ross in 2010), though Brisbee notes that there are seemingly few cost-effective players available at San Francisco’s positions of need who would actually be upgrades.
Injury Notes: Norris, Hill, Zimmerman, Jennings
Here are several injury notes from around the game.
- The Dodgers have announced that they’ve placed Bud Norris on the 15-day DL with a mild back strain (retroactive to August 1) and recalled fellow righty Ross Stripling to take his place. As SB Nation’s Eric Stephen points out (on Twitter), Norris is the 26th Dodger to head to the DL this season. Stripling will start for the Dodgers today against the Red Sox. Norris has posted a 4.34 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 29 innings with Los Angeles since arriving in a late-June trade with the Braves.
- The Dodgers’ need to reshuffle their rotation goes beyond Norris right now, too, as new acquisition Rich Hill has been scratched from his start on Sunday (as the Los Angeles Times’ Mike DiGiovanna tweets) due to remnants of his blister problem. Brandon McCarthy will take Hill’s place. Hill remains on the DL, where he’s been since he was still in the Athletics organization. He hopes to make his Dodgers debut Friday, as FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets.
- The Nationals have placed first baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the 15-day DL with a left wrist contusion, MASN’s Dan Kolko tweets. Zimmerman was hit by a pitch last Sunday and has not played since. To replace him on the active roster, outfielder Brian Goodwin will begin his first stint in the big leagues. It’s been a tough season for the 31-year-old Zimmerman, who has hit just .222/.284/.394 in 335 plate appearances. The 25-year-old Goodwin, a former first-round pick and top prospect, was hitting .284/.350/.434 for Triple-A Syracuse.
- The Rays have announced that they’ve placed Desmond Jennings on the 15-day DL with a left knee contusion, activating fellow outfielder Mikie Mahtook (hand) from the DL to take his place. It’s been a very rough go for the 29-year-old Jennings, who’s batted just .200/.281/.350 in 225 plate appearances this season while also missing time due to a hamstring strain. Notably, Jennings also missed most of last season after having arthroscopic left knee surgery and then bruising the knee late in the season.
Injury Notes: Ross, Lowrie, Hahn, Putnam, Hanigan
Here are the latest injury notes from around the league.
- Nationals starter Joe Ross is still dealing with shoulder soreness and has been removed from his rehab assignment, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post writes. Ross was in the midst of a solid first full season with the Nats, with a 3.49 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 95 1/3 innings, but he has not pitched in the big leagues in over a month. The team’s current rotation plans appear somewhat open-ended, although they have off days upcoming on Monday and Thursday and could potentially get by for the next week and a half or so with only four starters. Ross could make one more rehab start and then return right around the time the Nats need a fifth starter again.
- The Athletics announced before last night’s game that they’ve placed infielder Jed Lowrie and righty Jesse Hahn on the 15-day DL and recalled outfielder Brett Eibner and righty Andrew Triggs from Triple-A Nashville to replace them. (Eibner, who recently arrived from the Royals organization in a trade for fellow outfielder Billy Burns, homered in his Oakland debut last night.) Lowrie is dealing with a toe injury that could be season-ending if he undergoes surgery, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle recently explained. Max Muncy will play at second in his absence. Hahn, meanwhile, has a shoulder strain, although John Shea of the Chronicle tweets that Hahn does not believe the situation is serious.
- White Sox reliever Zach Putnam had surgery Thursday to remove a bone fragment from his right elbow, the team has announced. The team further notes that the ligament was intact, and that Putnam will begin rehab next week. Putnam was off to a great start this season, with a 2.30 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 27 1/3 innings, but he went down with the elbow injury in late June and hasn’t pitched since.
- The Red Sox have placed catcher Ryan Hanigan on the DL with ankle peroneal tendinitis, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal tweets. The 35-year-old Hanigan has played sparingly this season, collecting 102 plate appearances and hitting just .158/.216/.221 while serving as a backup. He also missed significant time earlier in the season due to a neck injury. Bryan Holaday, who the Red Sox claimed from the Rangers yesterday, will now share catching duties with Sandy Leon.
No Extension Talks Between Wilson Ramos, Nationals
Wilson Ramos is in the midst of a career year and is on the cusp of free agency, and it looks as though unlike teammate Stephen Strasburg, Ramos will hit free agency without agreeing to a contract extension. The 28-year-old tells Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post that the Nationals have yet to approach his camp about brokering a long-term pact.
“They have told me absolutely nothing still,” said Ramos. “I’d like [to have my future here], but those are decisions they make … They haven’t made any calls or communicated with us. We’re still waiting.”
Manager Dusty Baker said to Castillo that he hopes the front office does “something big” to keep Ramos in D.C. for the long haul, though with fewer than three months until he’ll have the opportunity to test the waters of the open market, the odds of that happening seem rather slight. Ramos is hitting .331/.381/.536 with 16 home runs on the season and, as Castillo notes, has dramatically cut his strikeout rate (perhaps due to the benefits of offseason LASIK surgery). Ramos has excelled at thwarting stolen-base attempts in the past four seasons, and the 2016 campaign has been no exception, as he’s picked off 36 percent of those who have run against him. And while his pitch-framing ratings have deteriorated over the course of his big league career (per Baseball Propsectus), he was still average in that regard in 2015 and is above-average in 2016.
The breakout for Ramos isn’t necessarily a total shock, as he was long billed as one of the game’s Top 100 prospects as he ascended through the Twins’ minor league ranks. Durability has been an issue for him, as he’s missed time in the past due to a torn ACL in his right knee, several hamstring strains and a fractured hand, leaving him with an average of just 86 games per season from 2011-15 with the Nats. Ramos’ ability to remain healthy will be one of the biggest red flags surrounding his market in free agency this season, but he has age, former prospect pedigree and a brilliant platform season all on his side. He should enter the winter as the top catching option on the market, as reflected on MLBTR’s Free Agent Power Rankings, wherein Ramos lands at No. 8 overall in terms of earning power. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes suggested that it’s time to consider the possibility of a five-year deal for Ramos, and I fully agree with that notion.
Jay Bruce Rumors: Saturday
Since it’s probably fair to assume we’re going to learn quite a bit of new information on Reds outfielder Jay Bruce today, we’ll go ahead and kick off the weekend’s deadline chatter with a post to house it. You can check back on last night’s whirlwind series of reports right here. Bottom line: there was talk of movement with the Dodgers, possibly involving Yasiel Puig and/or a third team, but nothing has come to fruition as of yet.
Here’s the latest on the veteran slugger, who is putting up career-best numbers at the plate and comes with another season of control via a $13MM club option:
- Rosenthal tweets that the Mets and Reds continue to discuss a Bruce swap, but nothing is close at this time.
- The Mets are “very involved” in the pursuit of Bruce, according to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon (Twitter link). New York, of course, discussed Bruce with Cincinnati at last year’s trade deadline but ultimately secured Yoenis Cespedes instead.
- Stark reports that the Reds aren’t asking for elite prospects for Bruce but want two or three good players from the next tier down (Twitter link).
Earlier Updates
- The Rangers have at least “checked in” on Bruce, per ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link). Texas could be a fit with Prince Fielder out for the year and Shin-Soo Choo dealing with ongoing back issues, though Crasnick notes that pitching remains the priority.
- The Mariners were said yesterday to be both out and then in on Bruce, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says (Twitter links) that there’s nothing happening on that front (though the teams are discussing shortstop Zack Cozart). Another team with questionable interest is the Giants, and Rosenthal suggests that they are still kicking around the idea of adding Bruce. The idea would be to slot his bat into the outfield mix now, and then use him as a replacement for free agent-to-be Angel Pagan in 2017.
- Though the Dodgers are still involved on Bruce, last night’s chatter of a three-team swap is dead, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark (via Twitter). It was never entirely clear just what that scenario might have looked like, though it seemed that Puig was a piece of the picture.
- Bruce’s market represents a “moving target,” Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets. (Those of you who followed yesterday’s frenzy will surely understand this.) As things stand as the weekend begins, the Orioles are out, per Heyman. The Nationals are focused first on improving their bullpen, though seemingly remain involved. That leaves the Dodgers as the obvious suitor, with the Mets and Mariners among the other organizations that have at least some ongoing interest in Bruce.