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AL Notes: Ramirez, Baker, Twins, Hoffman

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MLB is nearing agreement on a plan to send an All-Star squad off to Japan this November for a series against the Japanese national team, tweets Jon Morosi of FOX Sports. Of course, the league has a rich history of sending its best on tour to one of the world’s great ballplaying nations.

Here are some notes from around the American League:

  • Manny Ramirez is still looking for another opportunity, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. While recent contact with the Orioles failed to materialize into an offer, a scout who has seen Ramirez work out recently said that the 42-year-old slugger looks fit and was impressive with the bat. Agent Alex Esteban tells Heyman that most of the interest has come from American League teams, though several NL clubs have checked in as well. MLBTR’s Zach Links reported back in February that Ramirez had elected to join Miami Sports Management.
  • The Rangers regretted the need to designate Scott Baker for assignment after a brief call-up, reports MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan. With Baker needing several days of rest after throwing 5 1/3 innings of relief in his only appearance, and the bullpen looking overworked, GM Jon Daniels said the move was an unfortunate necessity. “He did everything we asked,” said Daniels. “Unfortunately we are at a spot where the bullpen is taxed because our starters are not getting deep into games.” (Of course, the most recent Rangers starter — ace Yu Darvish — did manage to go deep in tonight’s game.) As for Baker’s fate, Daniels says that the club will “see if there is trade interest” but otherwise will place him on outright waivers.
  • With the fifth overall slot in the upcoming amateur draft, the Twins could be eyeing either high school shortstop Nick Gordon or college righty Aaron Nola, ESPN.com’s Keith Law wrote in a chat yesterday. Law also notes that the Blue Jays could be a player for injured righty Jeff Hoffman, who could also intrigue several other AL clubs (Law lists the Astros, Royals, and Red Sox, while also citing the Nationals as a possibility).

Minor Moves: Tateyama, Phipps, Komatsu, Johnson

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

  • Japanese sidearmer Yoshinori Tateyama has been released by the Yankees, according to the International League transactions page. The 38-year-old, a 12-year Nippon league veteran, came stateside in 2011 with the Rangers. In two seasons, he threw 61 innings of 5.75 ERA ball while striking out 9.0 batters per nine against 2.5 BB/9. Working out of the Yanks’ Triple-A pen this year, Tateyama carried a 6.08 ERA in 13 1/3 innings, though he did have an impressive 11.5 K/9 against just 2.0 BB/9.
  • The White Sox have released 28-year-old outfielder Denis Phipps, according to the International League transactions page. Phipps was struggling at Triple-A for Chicago in 2014 with a .159/.250/.270 line in 72 plate appearances. This year was the first that Phipps spent away from the Reds, with whom he had a cup of coffee in 2012. Of course, if the Dominican never finds his way back to the bigs, he can still talk up his lifetime 1.064 OPS, even if it covers just 11 plate appearances.
  • MLB.com’s Bill Ladson reports (via Twitter) that the Nationals have released outfielder Erik Komatsu. The 26-year-old was selected by the Cardinals in the 2012 Rule 5 Draft and then claimed off waivers by the Twins when St. Louis cut him loose. Komatsu made 58 total plate appearances that season, hitting .216/.293/.216 before being returned to the Nats. The former eighth-round pick, who was once traded from Milwaukee to Washington in exchange for Jerry Hairston, batted .188/.365/.271 at Triple-A this season and owns a career .232/.344/.328 batting line at that level.
  • The Indians have outrighted utility man Elliot Johnson to Triple-A Columbus, according to the club’s transactions page. Johnson signed a minor league deal with Cleveland this offseason but collected just two hits with seven strikeouts and no walks in 20 plate appearances in his time with the club before being designated for assignment last week. The 30-year-old Johnson had the option to reject his assignment and pursue free agency, but the team announced that he has accepted and will report to Triple-A Columbus (Twitter link).

NL East Notes: Marlins, Alderson, Flores, Nats, Uggla

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In his latest piece for FOX Sports, Rob Neyer examines the hot starts of both the Marlins and Rockies to see if either club can sustain its success and make a playoff run. While Miami’s trio of Jose Fernandez, Nate Eovaldi and Henderson Alvarez is imposing, he also points out that the club’s hitters are playing over their heads. A year after finishing last in the Majors in scoring, Miami is second in the NL in runs after adding Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Garrett Jones and Casey McGehee but doing little else. As for Colorado, they’ve posted the NL’s lowest strikeout-to-walk ratio, and it’s tough to buy the starts of Charlie Blackmon and Brandon Barnes, Neyer believes.

More links pertaining to the Senior Circuit’s Eastern division…

  • Though the perception is that Omar Minaya left a mess in New York for Mets GM Sandy Alderson, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the remnants of that mess are keeping the Mets afloat. He states that one could argue the team’s best players this season were acquired during Minaya’s tenure. Sherman calls Matt Harvey Minaya’s “parting gift” to the team, adding that the trades of Carlos Beltran and R.A. Dickey were made possible because Minaya’s regime brought them in to begin with. He notes that “this is not a final report card” as Alderson hasn’t been in charge long enough for a total transformation, but also points out that none of Alderson’s draftees have made the Majors yet.
  • Baseball America’s Matt Eddy profiles Wilmer Flores for Mets fans as the team prepares to install him in its infield, noting that his bat is his ticket to the Major Leagues, but fans shouldn’t expect him to come close to replicating the .318/.357/.524 batting line he’s compiled in the PCL. He also has defensive flaws, as “his slow first step and well-below-average speed make him an imperfect fit at any spot but first base,” says Eddy.
  • The Nationals have weathered injuries to Bryce Harper, Doug Fister and Wilson Ramos in large par due to a dominant bullpen, writes the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore. Kilgore notes that offseason acquisition Jerry Blevins has been dominant to this point, and indeed, Blevins has a sub-3.00 ERA with the best strikeout rate (11.15 K/9) of his career in this season’s small sample.
  • Despite his well-documented struggles, Dan Uggla isn’t likely to be released by the Braves, writes MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. The Braves don’t appear comfortable biting the bullet on his remaining $24MM, but they also aren’t comfortable with him as their starting second baseman. Atlanta is likely to evaluate its other options — Ramiro Pena and Tyler Pastornicky — in the coming weeks before turning to prospect Tommy La Stella for assistance, adds Bowman.

East Notes: Knuckle-Curve, Roberts, Strasburg

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In an interesting piece for FOX Sports, Dan Rozenson of Baseball Prospectus looks at the increasing proliferation of knuckle-curveballs around the game, and suggests that the pitch could be a better weapon than a traditional hook — especially for hard throwers — due to its more fastball-like release point and typically greater speed. While A.J. Burnett of the Phillies is one of the game’s better-known practitioners of the pitch, many others are less well-publicized and have only recently been identified in the PITCHf/x system.

Here are a few more brief notes from the game’s eastern divisions to start off the morning …

  • When Brian Roberts joined the Yankees as their starting second baseman, he not only left the only organization he had known (the Orioles) but stood to replace one of the game’s best players in Robinson Cano. Adapting to his new environs and dealing with that pressure may have explained some of Roberts’s early-season struggles, writes Brendan Kuty of NJ.com. “I think it was more self-inflected than anything,” Roberts said of his slow start. “You try hard, I think. I’ve always said it’s got to be hard for guys to switch teams all the time. I was always so comfortable. It was like riding a bike every year.”
  • The Nationals are increasingly setting loose ace Stephen Strasburg, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. “I mean, he’s our horse,” said manager Matt Williams. “He’s a guy that can go 120 [pitches].” While Strasburg’s fastball velocity is down and his results have lagged somewhat in the early going — thanks in large part to giving up lots of early runs — he is striking out batters at a ridiculous 12.2 K/9 rate and advanced metrics love his work. Strasburg has thrown 47 1/3 frames through his first eight starts, which lags Adam Wainwright’s league-leading 58 innings in as many outings. But if the 25-year-old can continue working late into games, he could well make his first push past 200 innings. That could deliver a big bump in arbitration earnings for Strasburg, who netted a relatively modest $3.975MM in his first trip through the process.

NL East Notes: Alderson, Mets, Hamels, Detwiler

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Gavin Floyd made his Braves debut last night and halted the team’s seven-game losing streak with seven brilliant innings, allowing just a run on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts against the Cardinals. That victory gave Atlanta a half-game lead over the Nationals in a surprisingly competitive NL East. Only 2.5 games separate the Braves from the last-place Phillies in the standings. Here’s the latest from one of baseball’s most competitive divisions…

  • The New York Post’s Ken Davidoff writes that for all of the successes that Sandy Alderson has had since taking over as GM of the Mets in 2011 — including the trades of Carlos Beltran and R.A. Dickey — his inability to craft a serviceable bullpen tarnishes his reputation. As Davidoff points out, 19 different pitchers have earned a save for the Mets since 2011. He goes on to opine that if the Mets were ever to aggressively pursue veteran relief help on the trade market, this is the year to do it.
  • The Mets are discussing when to promote prospects Noah Syndergaard, Rafael Montero and Jacob deGrom, assistant GM John Ricco told WOR 710 AM (via Metsblog’s Matthew Cerrone). Ricco said he and VP Paul DePodesta are in agreement that they want to wait until the pitchers have nothing left to prove in the minors. Said Ricco: “…rushing one of those guys and putting on pressure and creating a situation where they’re the savior is not something we’re looking to do.”
  • Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com examines Cole Hamels’ performance since signing his six-year, $144MM extension with the Phillies and comes to the conclusion that Hamels hasn’t lived up to the expectations set forth by that deal yet. Hamels has the 44th-best ERA (3.56) since the time his extension was signed, despite being the game’s sixth-highest paid pitcher, he adds. Seidman notes that it’s understandable for the Phillies to have paid Hamels so much, given his status as one of their best homegrown talents ever, but he wonders if the team should have traded him then attempted to re-sign him the following winter.
  • Following up on his colleague Adam Kilgore’s examination of Ross Detwiler’s curious usage last night, James Wagner of the Washington Post spoke with manager Matt Williams yesterday about the left-hander’s usage. “We’d like to get him in there more. We’ll make plans to do that. [Monday] is an example of we gotta hold him, hold him because we didn’t know how it was going to go today. Turned out that Blake [Treinen] pitched well and we had to get him an inning today and it just didn’t work out. He’ll get back in there.” Wagner also looks at how Treinen has been handled curiously in the minor leagues; Treinen had pitched just one inning in a week’s time prior to Monday’s start.

NL Notes: Mets, Samardzija, Detwiler, Nationals

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As efforts to recover money in relation to the Bernie Madoff scandal continue, the amount owed by the Mets owners — the Wilpon family — continues to go down, reports ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin. At present, the Wilpons’ obligations sit at just above $80MM. Of course, any continued decrease would presumably improve the overall financial health of the franchise. The Mets checked in with the fifth-highest free agent outlay over the past offseason, and could increasingly be a big player on the open market as GM Sandy Alderson works to supplement the team’s young pitching.

  • Speaking of those young Mets arms, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News writes that several pitching prospects are expected to filter up to the big league roster sooner rather than later. Assistant GM John Ricco says that the team is “getting to the point where it’s probably weeks as opposed to months.” Ricco emphasized that the team was taking the long view, even as the bullpen struggles. “We want to make sure when they come up here they are going to actually help,” he said. “The bigger factor is their development. They will be ready to come up here when they have done everything they needed to do down there.” Rafael Montero and Jacob deGrom appear to be closest to making the leap from the Mets minor league ranks, according to the report.
  • While the early season dominance of Cubs staff ace Jeff Samardzija has only heightened attention on his situation, GM Jed Hoyer says that it is still not certain that he will be dealt, as Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com reports. While sources told Rogers that no progress has been made in extension talks, Hoyer said that the line of communication remains open. “We’ve tried to keep things quiet,” said Hoyer. “We’ve had a lot of conversations with him. … There’s been pretty consistent dialogue [that] hasn’t reached the point of fruition yet, but there’s always been a dialogue.”
  • Another pitcher who could conceivably change hands at some point is Ross Detwiler of the Nationals, though that is purely my conjecture at present. The team decided to put him in a bullpen role despite a reasonably solid track record as a starter, emphasizing at the time that he could be an impact, power lefty in relief. But as Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post writes, the 28-year-old has been used in extremely low-leverage situations this year. Most recently, the club decided not to give him a spot start tonight against the Dodgers — preferring instead to promote Blake Treinen for a one-game stint — and then threw him in relief after the team was already down four runs. Detwiler seems expensive and somewhat over-qualified for his current role as a mop-up reliever. (He is earning $3MM in his second season of arbitration eligibility and has a 3.46 ERA in 301 2/3 innings — mostly as a starter — over 2011-13.)
  • Nationals manager Matt Williams said in an interview with MLB.com’s Bill Ladson that the team’s early injury woes have been frustrating, but not altogether unexpected. “You set out the year and get out of Spring Training with this grand plan,” he said, “realizing that it never goes as planned. It simply doesn’t.” While making room for Wilson Ramos, Bryce Harper, and Doug Fister should be fairly straightforward (and most welcome), the team will face some tough decisions when Ryan Zimmerman makes his return. With Danny Espinosa’s rebirth, and questions still ongoing with regard to Zimmerman’s ability to defend the hot corner, deft management could be required from the rookie skipper in allocating infield playing time the rest of the way. Also in the interview, Williams addressed the much-discussed handling of his young superstar, Harper. Williams spoke highly of the 21-year-old and said that Harper’s pre-injury benching was team-related, rather than an indictment of Harper himself.

Nationals Tried To Extend Fister In Offseason

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The Nationals made one of the offseason’s biggest splashes by acquiring Doug Fister from the Tigers (in exchange for left-handed starter Robbie Ray, infielder Steve Lombardozzi and lefty reliever Ian Krol), but according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, the team tried to double down on that move by signing Fister to a long-term deal. Talks never got very far off the ground, however, according to Kilgore’s report. Fister himself wouldn’t comment on the situation.

Washington GM Mike Rizzo employed a similar tactic when he acquired Gio Gonzalez from the Athletics prior to the 2012 season, signing him to a five-year, $42.5MM contract with a pair of $12MM club options. Locking up Fister would have ensured that the team’s rotation could be fronted by Stephen Strasburg, Gonzalez and Fister through at least the 2016 season. Washington tried to lock up its other top starter, Jordan Zimmermann, this offseason as well. Instead, they agreed to a two-year, $24MM contract that gave the team cost certainty but didn’t buy any further team control.

Over the past three seasons, Fister has pitched to a 3.30 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 50.9 percent ground-ball rate in 586 2/3 innings. In that time, his 13.3 fWAR and 12.6 rWAR each rank ninth in the Major Leagues. In place of a multi-year deal, he and the Nationals agreed to a $7.2MM salary for the 2014 season. Washington controls Fister through 2015, and he is set to make his team debut on Friday against the A’s.

NL Notes: Frandsen, Despaigne, Framing, Floyd

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Here are some notes out of the National League:

  • Kevin Frandsen returned to Philadelphia for the first time tonight after his surprising, late-spring departure from the Phillies. Now with the division-rival Nationals, Frandsen told reporters, including Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, that he enjoyed his time in Philly but was “blindside[d]” when he was outrighted. Frandsen said that he took a “leap of faith” in declining his outright assignment (and giving up his $900K salary), but that “a bunch of teams” called when he became available.
  • The Padres’ signing of Cuban righty Odrisamer Despaigne was indeed delayed by the need for a visa and physical to seal the deal, writes MLB.com’s Corey Brock. Echoing a scouting report obtained by MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes, GM Josh Byrnes said that Despaigne profiled as a creative, deceptive, “old generation” Cuban hurler. Brock says that San Diego’s new arm will start out at Double-A, in part to avoid the high-scoring PCL to start his career, but could well rise to the majors this year.
  • If and when he joins the big league club, Despaigne may benefit from the one area in which the Padres have paced the bigs this year, according to Fangraphs’ Jeff Sullivan (in a piece for FOX Sports): an expansive strike zone for San Diego pitchers. The club leads the league with 52 called strikes than expected, thanks largely to the receiving efforts of its backstops. That was an area of priority for the club, as it put resources into improving the skills of incumbents Yasmani Grandal and Nick Hundley while adding Rene Rivera due in large part to his abilities behind the dish.
  • The Braves are set to activate hurler Gavin Floyd from the DL this weekend, after the veteran righty worked his way back from Tommy John surgery. Of course, the expectation when Floyd signed his $4MM, incentive-laden pact with Atlanta was that he would join the rotation. That seemed all the more likely when the club suffered a shocking run of injuries to key starters. But with Mike Minor back from his own rehab stint and the team’s current starting five firing on all cylinders, MLB.com’s Joe Morgan writes that Floyd could open in the pen.

Quick Hits: Balsley, Surprises, PEDs, Nationals

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Longtime Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley is a key cog in San Diego’s efforts to take the next step, according to a fantastic profile from MLB.com’s Corey Brock. Former ace Jake Peavy credits Balsley as a critical element in his development, and a long list of other current and former Friars have likewise benefited from his tutelage. Most recently, reclamation project Tyson Ross has effected a turnaround due in part to Balsley’s efforts.

Here are a few more notes from around the league to round out the evening:

  • The biggest surprise in the season’s early going is clearly the struggling Diamondbacks, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Other players and teams leading the list include Charlie Blackmon, Dee Gordon, the Brewers, and one of the offseason’s riskiest signings in Jose Abreu.
  • While the news on the PED front has thankfully been fairly quiet this season, multiple minor league ballplayers have been disciplined. Baseball America maintains a regularly updated page documenting those suspensions — a useful resource for fans looking to understand the issue in its broader context.
  • The Nationals have promoted or traded many of the organization’s best internally-developed talent in recent seasons, but have stockpiled a solid array of talent at their Class-A affiliate, writes James Wagner of the Washington Post. Led by top prospect Lucas Giolito, the Hagerstown rotation includes a series of intriguing 2013-draftees in Jake Johansen, Austin Voth, and Nick Pivetta.

NL East Links: Mets Payroll, Phillies, Harper, Nats

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The Mets’ relatively low payroll has left them with the ability to make additions that will boost the payroll on the trade market this summer, GM Sandy Alderson told Tyler Kepner of the New York Times yesterday. “We have the authority to go higher if it’s necessary at the trade deadline,” Alderson told Kepner. “I’m not worried about that at all.” Alderson, who somewhat controversially stated a goal of 90 wins for the Mets prior to the season, said he’s optimistic about his team’s chances, knowing that the rotation can continue to compete and the offense is bound to improve.

Here’s more from the NL East…

  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. participated in a Q&A with Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News and discussed a host of Phillies-related topics. Asked if he was concerned that every right-hander who opened the season in the bullpen (with the exception of Jonathan Papelbon) had been demoted to Triple-A, Amaro replied: “We’ve already started looking outside with other teams and also with possible free agents. We’ve touched base with a couple of them to see if they’re fits.” Asked if the team had the money to spend on a free agent reliever (i.e. Joel Hanrahan), Amaro said, “If there’s money to spend and we feel it’s something we should do, then we’ll have to address it.”
  • Also within that piece, Amaro discussed his lack of production at third base from Cody Asche. Amaro noted that Asche has typically been a slow starter at every level and preached patience in Asche. Of course, if his struggles continue, the Phillies do have top prospect Maikel Franco waiting in the wings. Franco, however, is hitting just .172/.234/.253 in 94 Triple-A plate appearances after his monstrous .339/.363/.563 line at Double-A in 2013.
  • FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal writes that there’s too much scrutiny on Bryce Harper, who, at 21 years of age, would be the youngest player on the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate and even the youngest on their Double-A affiliate. He praises Nats manager Matt Williams for pulling Harper following a lack of a hustle just two days after a team meeting in which he mandated such behavior. However, Rosenthal questions Williams’ willingness to discuss the situation at length with the media.
  • In a blog from earlier this week, ESPN’s Keith Law took a more critical view regarding the Nationals’ handling of Harper (ESPN Insider required and recommended). Law feels that Williams singled Harper out with his public reprimand, pointing to the fact that veteran Jayson Werth gave a similarly half-hearted effort on a check-swing grounder a day after Harper’s benching and received no public criticism. Law writes that the Nats made a mistake in hiring a manager with zero experience.
  • Fangraphs’ Jeff Sullivan analyzes the curious way that pitchers are pitching to Anthony Rendon and wonders why the league hasn’t adjusted to him yet. Rendon, Sullivan writes, has seen more in-zone fastballs than all but two hitters over the past year, and he’s tattooed those pitches accordingly, yet the rate of in-zone fastballs he’s seeing is actually increasing. Sullivan points out that players who see a comparable amount of fastballs are names like Jeff Keppinger and Jamey Carroll, but Rendon possesses significantly more power than either, leading to his great success thus far in 2014.
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