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Central Notes: Davies, Fulmer, Castellanos, Moustakas, Duffy

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The Brewers have received some poor news of late on the health of their rotation. Righty Zach Davies is slated to undergo an MRI, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy tweets, rather than embarking on a rehab assignment as had been planned. Davies hit the DL with rotator cuff inflammation nearly two months back. Now, though, he’s said to be dealing with a back issue. The Milwaukee organization certainly seems as likely as ever to pursue a rotation piece on the trade market, especially after the recent news on Brent Suter.

Here’s more chatter from the central divisions:

  • It seems the Tigers likely won’t be moving some of their most notable potential trade assets. Jayson Stark of The Athletic had tweeted that Detroit isn’t interested in structuring a deal involving starter Michael Fulmer while he’s on the DL and likely won’t be moving outfielder Nicholas Castellanos “barring a huge overpay.” He has pared down those rather definitive characterizations in a subsequent tweet, suggesting greater openness on the Tigers’ part to consider trade scenarios. There’s still no real indication that either player is particularly likely to be moved, though it seems that talks could still take place.
  • There’s wide interest in Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). Indeed, a whopping nine teams are said to be “in discussions” with the Kansas City organization on a possible agreement. That is rather a surprising figure to hear, if only because it seems to include almost every realistic contender, but perhaps quite a few teams can at least imagine a place for Moustakas on their roster. While his limits as a player are well known, Moose still delivers a useful, power-heavy bat and has returned to drawing above-average ratings at the hot corner.
  • While Moustakas is a near-certain trade piece, the same is not true of Royals teammate Danny Duffy. Nightengale tweets that the organization has “no intention” of striking a deal involving its top starter. That’s really not terribly surprising, as Duffy has not been in top form this year. On the other hand, the southpaw has been on a much better run of late. Since taking the hill on May 24th, he has allowed just twenty earned runs over 69 2/3 innings. Duffy is earning $14MM this year with $46MM guaranteed over the ensuing three campaigns.

Brewers Place Zach Davies On 10-Day DL, Recall Ji-Man Choi, Outright Jett Bandy

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The Brewers announced a slate of roster moves today. Righty Zach Davies is headed to the 10-day DL with rotator cuff inflammation. He’ll be replaced on the active roster by first baseman/outfielder Ji-Man Choi.

In other news, the Milwaukee organization has outrighted catcher Jett Bandy. He had been designated for assignment recently and will now head to Triple-A after clearing waivers.

Davies, 25, spent nearly a month on the DL already and has struggled in two starts since returning. On the year, he carries a 5.23 ERA with 6.5 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 in 43 innings over eight starts.

While he has been a solid rotation piece over the past two seasons with less-than-exciting K/BB numbers, Davies has been easier to square up so far in 2018. He has already surrendered seven home runs and has allowed opposing hitters to make hard contact at a hefty 43.8% clip. Still, measures such as fastball velocity, swinging-strike rate, and groundball rate indicate that Davies is still much the same hurler as before.

With Davies on the shelf, the Brewers will need another starter in a few days. For the time being, though, they’ll go with an extra man on the bench. Choi has impressed consistently of late with the bat. in his 154 plate appearances at Triple-A, he has posted a .290/.416/.452 slash with four home runs and 28 walks against 31 strikeouts.

Bandy, meanwhile, will remain available if a need arises behind the dish. The 28-year-old has struggled at the plate, with a .218/.282/.365 slash in his 492 career plate appearances at the game’s highest level. Still, the Milwaukee organization will be glad to retain Bandy, particularly since Stephen Vogt is already likely out for the year and the team’s current MLB duo of Manny Pina and Erik Kratz does not exactly make for an imposing unit.

NL Central Notes: Happ, Kang, Norris, Reds, Davies

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Despite Ian Happ’s alarming struggles at the plate — he’s hitting .233/.282/.384 with a mammoth 46.2 percent strikeout rate through 78 plate appearances — Cubs skipper Joe Maddon says the team is not discussing the possibility of optioning the young switch-hitter to Triple-A Iowa (link via Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times). Per Maddon, the 23-year-old is frustrated by his lack of contact but handling the struggles quite well. Maddon acknowledges that it’s difficult to get all of his young hitters into the lineup but maintains that the best place for Happ to right the ship at the plate is with the big league club for the time being.

More from the division…

  • Jung Ho Kang has reported to the Pirates’ Spring Training facility in Bradenton, Fla., writes Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Manager Clint Hurdle explains that the plan for Kang is to get him into game shape over the course of the next month — he’ll remain on the restricted list and won’t be paid or accrue service time during that period — as he prepares for in-game action. “There will be no game activity until we get his arm in shape, his legs in shape, get him swinging, get our people to look at him and evaluate him and then go from there,” says Hurdle. Kang is preparing for a return to the Pirates after sitting out the 2017 season upon being convicted of a third DUI in his native South Korea and subsequently being unable to acquire a work visa.
  • Given Greg Holland’s disastrous start to the 2018 season, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny confirmed today that Bud Norris is his closer for the time being, as Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. “It’s Bud’s game right now,” said Matheny after effusing praise for the manner in which the veteran Norris has performed in high-leverage spots while ascending to the ninth-inning role. “But we’re going to have to have other people to pitch the end of the game. There are going to be times when Bud’s down and times when we need to put Bud in a little earlier and he needs help.” There’s no indication as to when Holland might be given another try in save situations, though with Norris boasting a terrific 1.72 ERA and 22-to-2 K/BB ratio through his first 15 2/3 innings of the season, he’s likely earned himself a reasonably lengthy leash in the the ninth inning.
  • The fate of the Reds’ rebuild is in the hands of a group of starting pitchers that have yet to prove capable at the big league level or even, in some cases, in the upper minors, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. As Fay notes, the Reds have a fairly promising group of position players in the big leagues (plus an elite prospect on the cusp in Nick Senzel), but none of their pitching prospects have established themselves. As Brandon Finnegan, Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle and Sal Romano endure struggles in the Majors, alternatives such as Robert Stephenson, Cody Reed and Jackson Stephens are floundering in the minors. Fay notes that the organization’s plan had been to expand payroll next offseason and fill some holes via free agency as the nucleus of the next contending Reds team emerged, but that of course won’t have any impact if the team can’t overcome an increasingly problematic inability to develop starters.
  • The Brewers announced tonight that righty Zach Davies is going on the 10-day disabled list due to some inflammation in his right rotator cuff. However, with two off days coming in the next week, the team added that it only expects Davies to miss one start. A corresponding move will be made tomorrow. The 25-year-old Davies has started off the 2018 season with a 4.24 ERA, 6.6 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 1.32 HR/9 and a 48 percent ground-ball rate through his first 34 innings. His placement on the DL is retroactive to April 30, so he can be activated in a week’s time.

Central Notes: Royals, Liriano, Cobb, Brewers

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The Royals would still like to add help in either the rotation or the bullpen, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, but their payroll is elevated to the point where they have very little room for further additions. As such, a reunion with still-lingering free agent Greg Holland seems “extremely remote,” Nightengale adds. Over the past couple of weeks, the Royals have signed Lucas Duda ($3.5MM), Jon Jay ($3MM) and Mike Moustakas ($6.5MM) in a late trio of additions, pushing their payroll up into the $122MM range.

More from the central divisions…

  • Francisco Liriano has been vying for a job in either the Tigers’ bullpen or rotation, and Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press writes that it seems like he’s set to open the year as the team’s fifth starter. Manager Ron Gardenhire spoke confidently of Liriano’s ability to hold down one of those five spots. “As a veteran, experienced arm, I fully expect him to be in our rotation if he’s healthy and doing what he can do,” said Gardenhire. With Michael Fulmer, Jordan Zimmermann, Mike Fiers, and the out-of-options Matt Boyd all seeming likely to hold down rotation spots as well, that could very well be a signal that southpaw Daniel Norris is ticketed for Triple-A Toledo to open the season.
  • Right-hander Alex Cobb is the last of the top free-agent starters who remains unsigned, and the Brewers have long been considered a fit for the righty. But Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that he doesn’t expect Milwaukee to make a play for Cobb unless his asking price drops further. Milwaukee has been cited all winter long as a team that needs starters, but to date has only given guaranteed money to Jhoulys Chacin (two-years, $15.5MM) while also picking up Wade Miley and Yovani Gallardo on minor-league deals.
  • Given their stance on Cobb, it seems the Brewers will see how things shake out with their current rotation mix while hoping that the anticipated mid-season return of Jimmy Nelson provides a boost. That strategy will require good health for the existing starters. Fortunately, right-hander Zach Davies looks to have moved past the minor oblique strain which was plaguing him. MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy tweets that Davies pitched three innings in an intrasquad game, seemingly setting him up to ramp up in time to open the season at full strength.

Notable Roster Decisions: Friday

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As Spring Training draws to a close, the final determinations about each team’s roster will be continue to come into focus. Here are some of the day’s more notable roster decisions…

  • Prized righty Tyler Glasnow will take the final spot in the Pirates rotation, Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on Twitter. He had been competing with Trevor Williams, who’ll head to the bullpen, Adam Berry of MLB.com adds on Twitter. With southpaw Wade LeBlanc also taking a job, that seems to set the stage for Rule 5 pick Tyler Webb to hit the waiver wire.
  • The Giants have nailed down their bench and rotation, as Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. Aaron Hill and Chris Marrero will round out the bench. The veteran Hill figures to share the infield reserve duties with Conor Gillaspie, while Marrero will surprisingly open the season as a part of a left field platoon with the left-handed-hitting Jarrett Parker. Meanwhile, Matt Cain will keep a rotation spot, though Ty Blach will also make the club as a reliever — where he could often spell Cain in lengthier outings.
  • With injuries and young arms entering the picture, the Rockies’ pitching plans were interesting to watch this spring. As Nick Groke of the Denver Post tweets, the team will roll with lefty Kyle Freeland and righties Antonio Senzatela and German Marquez to fill out their starting staff. It seems likely that the former two will open the year in the rotation, with Marquez heading to the pen and staying on hand if a need arises.

Click to read earlier updates …

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NL Central Notes: Reds, Cardinals, Brewers

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Reds first baseman Joey Votto turned in yet another all-world season at the plate last year, but that accompanied an uncharacteristically poor defensive campaign. After finishing with fewer than four Defensive Runs Saved in just one season from 2008-15, Votto logged a ghastly minus-14 DRS to finish worst among first basemen last year. In regards to his most recent output in the field, Votto told Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer: “I didn’t prepare properly. I had to do a lot of catching up during the season. The unfortunate thing of hitting versus defense is I’m probably a more natural hitter than I am a defensive player. When I don’t prepare to the utmost in one aspect of my game that’s not a strength, I’m way behind everybody else.” Votto wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice, so he spent the offseason doing unspecified work to improve his defense, relays Buchanan.

More on Cincinnati and two of its division rivals:

  • Jumbo Diaz was among the few Reds relievers who prevented runs at a respectable rate in 2016, when he registered a 3.14 ERA in 43 innings (that did mask an unappealing 5.24 FIP, granted), yet he’s not a lock to make their bullpen this year, writes Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Diaz is out of options, so his four-year tenure with the Cincy organization could be in jeopardy. Having yielded six earned runs on eight hits in three spring innings, the 33-year-old is cognizant of the fact that he’s not in an ideal situation. “I know I am fighting for a spot here,” he told Sheldon. “So far in my outings, I’m not doing so well. But I think I’m throwing hard and can get on track and be ready for the season. I feel good right now. I think I will do everything I can [to get] ready for my outings every time I go to the mound.” Diaz will join the Dominican Republic team in Miami on Sunday for this year’s World Baseball Classic, and manager Bryan Price wonders if the right-hander will see enough work in the tournament. “My only concern is [that] he gets regular work in the Classic, and if they’re playing for a long time that he’s being used on a regular basis,” Price said.
  • After nearly three years as the Cardinals’ primary closer, right-hander Trevor Rosenthal is vying for a spot in the team’s rotation, though it’s unlikely he’ll end up a starter, suggests Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Redbirds “don’t really know” what Rosenthal’s role will be in 2017, per manager Mike Matheny, but given that they’re stretching him out, odds are he’ll end up as something between a starter and a closer, writes Goold. The hard-throwing 26-year-old could give the Cardinals their own version of Cleveland’s Andrew Miller – someone capable of handling high-leverage situations and tossing multiple innings in an appearance.
  • The Brewers had six starters throw at least 100 innings last season. While all of them remain with the organization, only  righties Junior Guerra and Zach Davies are locks to crack the major league rotation again this season, according to manager Craig Counsell (via Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com). The others – 2016 innings leader Jimmy Nelson (179 1/3), Matt Garza, Chase Anderson and Wily Peralta – are competing with newcomer Tommy Milone for the Brewers’ final three starting spots. “It’s the best way,” said Counsell, who’s “happy” with the rotation depth Milwaukee possesses.

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/16/16

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

  • The Rangers sent lefty reliever Andrew Faulkner to Triple-A and recalled righty Nick Martinez, according to John Henry of MLB.com. Prior to the move, Faulkner tossed 4 1/3 innings for the Rangers and allowed four earned runs, five hits and three walks while striking out just one batter. Martinez logged extensive time in the majors last season, totaling 125 innings of 3.96 ERA ball with Texas. ERA estimators like FIP (4.98) and xFIP (4.99) thought far less of his performance. He’ll serve as a long reliever and spot starter for the Rangers.
  • The Brewers have called up righty Zach Davies from Triple-A Colorado Springs to make a spot start against the Pirates on Sunday, per Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link). In a corresponding move, they sent outfielder Keon Broxton down to Colorado Springs. Davies, whom the Brewers acquired from the Orioles last year, fared respectably in his first big league action in 2015. In six starts (34 innings), he put up a 3.71 ERA to go along with a 6.35 K/9 and 3.97 BB/9. Broxton went without a hit and struck out 11 times in 18 plate appearances before the demotion.
  • The Orioles have released righty Todd Redmond, their Triple-A Norfolk Tides affiliate tweets. The 30-year-old Redmond pitched a combined 152 innings for the Blue Jays in 2013 and 2014, appearing as both a starter and as a reliever, but spent most of last season with Toronto’s Triple-A team. The O’s signed him to a minor-league deal in November, but he struggled after being sent to Norfolk, allowing 15 runs in five innings there. In his big-league career, Redmond has a 4.25 ERA, 7.9 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 171 1/3 innings.

Matt Garza Out At Least Four To Six Weeks With Lat Strain

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Brewers right-hander Matt Garza learned today that a strained lat muscle will sideline him for the next four to six weeks, he told reporters, including Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Twitter link). Garza has been dealing with some tightness in his shoulder, but based on his comments, he wasn’t anticipating anything overly serious from his medical examinations. Via MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy (Twitter link), Garza told the media: “I’m not afraid of work, it just wasn’t what I was looking forward to at the beginning.”

Garza, 32, was expected to return to the Brewers’ rotation after losing his spot late last season, but he’ll now spend the foreseeable future on the disabled list instead. Right-hander Zach Davies stands out as a likely candidate to step into the rotation alongside fellow right-handers Wily Peralta, Jimmy Nelson, Taylor Jungmann and Chase Anderson, although top prospect Jorge Lopez received some Major League experience in 2015 as well. And, as McCalvy further tweets, the Brewers won’t need a fifth starter through the first 11 games due to scheduled off days, so there’s no immediate need to promote a starter in Garza’s place. For the time being, righty Tyler Cravy will be promoted to take Garza’s roster spot.

While the rebuilding Brewers aren’t expected to contend this season, it’s nonetheless a disappointing way to begin the season. After losing potential closer Will Smith to a freak LCL tear, Garza’s injury thins out the pitching depth a bit more and also eliminates the possibility of the once-excellent veteran rebuilding some trade stock with a strong early showing. While Garza could, of course, do so upon his return in what appears to be May or June (based on the presented timetable), he already has a fairly lengthy injury history under his belt, and a recent shoulder issue won’t do his stock any favors come July even if he’s pitching well. Last season, Garza struggled to a career-worst 5.63 ERA in 148 2/3 innings.

Garza is entering the third season of a four-year, $50MM contract with Milwaukee which also contains a complex fifth-year option that is largely dependent on the health of his right arm. (The $5MM club option turns into a $13MM vesting option if Garza throws 110 games over the course of the contract’s first four seasons but also shrinks to just a $1MM option if he spends more than 130 days of a season on the disabled list.) The Brewers owe Garza a combined $25MM between the 2016 and 2017 seasons, which is spread out evenly by annual salaries of $12.5MM.

In further injury news, the Brewers have also lost bullpen candidate Yhonathan Barrios to shoulder surgery, as McCalvy tweets. The 24-year-old Barrios, acquired from the Pirates last summer in exchange for Aramis Ramirez, had his rotator cuff repaired by renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews. Barrios made his big league debut with the Brewers in 2015, firing 6 2/3 scoreless innings out of the ’pen. In that brief but dominant cameo, Barrios allowed just three hits and no walks while averaging 96.4 mph on his heater and striking out seven hitters. His minor league work wasn’t quite as impressive, however; Barrios logged a solid 2.83 ERA in 60 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, but the hard-throwing righty also averaged just 5.5 strikeouts against 3.3 walks per nine innings pitched.

Central Notes: Plouffe, Jackson, Indians, Brewers

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Trevor Plouffe’s agent (Nez Balelo at CAA) has been in Minnesota recently, but Plouffe and the Twins haven’t been discussing an extension, 1500ESPN’s Darren Wolfson tweets. Plouffe can become eligible for free agency following the 2017 season. Wolfson describes him as an extension candidate, and maybe he is, since the Twins are frequently loyal to their players. The Twins do have another potential long-term answer at third base in Miguel Sano, however, and Sano is younger and cheaper, as well as being an outstanding hitter. Trading Plouffe might ultimately make more sense. Here are more notes from the Central divisions.

  • The Twins also had interest in Edwin Jackson before Jackson signed with the Braves, Wolfson tweets. The Braves were prepared to offer a big-league deal, however, and the Twins apparently were not.
  • The Indians’ contracts for Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher didn’t turn out well, but the team would have been in even worse shape had it extended Justin Masterson, Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer writes. In Spring Training in 2014, the Indians reportedly offered Masterson about $45MM over three years, which at the time looked like a lowball offer, given Masterson’s impending free agency and excellent 2013 season. Since then, though, Masterson has struggled in Cleveland, St. Louis and Boston, ultimately being designated for assignment by the Red Sox last week.
  • The Brewers’ farm system looks significantly improved after last month’s trades and the June draft, Tom Haudricourt writes for Baseball America (subscription only). In trading Carlos Gomez, Mike Fiers, Gerardo Parra, Aramis Ramirez and Jonathan Broxton, the Brewers got a solid group of prospects that includes Brett Phillips, Domingo Santana and Zach Davies. Many of the players they acquired are in the high minors, too, which now-former Brewers GM Doug Melvin suggested might shorten the amount of time the team needed to rebuild. Davies, who is relatively small and isn’t a hard thrower, doesn’t fit the pitcher type the Brewers usually like, but Melvin says the team’s analytics department lobbied for the Brewers to acquire him in the Parra trade.

Podcast: New Brewers Righty Zach Davies

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In our third and final interview with just-traded young players, host Jeff Todd spoke with Brewers pitching prospect Zach Davies before he took the hill for his first outing with his new organization. (It went quit well: six innings, one earned run, and seven strikeouts against three walks.) Davies represents a nice, near-to-the-majors starter for Milwaukee, which added him in the Gerardo Parra trade.

Be sure to check out the previous podcast episodes featuring key deadline movers Brett Phillips of the Brewers and Daniel Norris of the Tigers.

Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and please leave a review! The podcast is also available via Stitcher at this link.

The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast runs weekly on Thursday afternoons.

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