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Archives for May 2015

AL Notes: Griffin, Parker, Smyly, Cabrera, Willis, Rodon

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We touched on injuries earlier this evening, but two significant situations have popped up since — both regarding rehabbing Athletics pitchers. First, righty A.J. Griffin was forced out early from his simulated game with shoulder soreness, as John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group reports. Griffin’s injury was to his elbow, of course, and the club is hopeful that the shoulder pain only constitutes a minor setback. More troublingly, fellow Tommy John patient Jarrod Parker left his Triple-A rehab start in a scene that left observers seriously concerned about his arm, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Parker, who is said to have been overcome by pain after throwing a very wild pitch, walked off with assistance while clutching his surgically repaired right elbow — which is now on its third UCL. The Athletics’ summer trade plans are virtually impossible to gauge anyway, but the inability of either of those pitchers to return to the rotation would certainly have an impact. Lefty Scott Kazmir has been talked about quite a bit as a possible trade candidate, though moving him could prove tough if the team is in contention and does not have replacements lined up.

  • Another new arm issue cropped up for the Rays, too, who have placed lefty Drew Smyly on the 15-day DL with shoulder soreness, per Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter link). Smyly, the key piece in last summer’s David Price trade, had already missed time early this year with a shoulder issue, which enhances the level of concern.
  • Injured Orioles shortstop Everth Cabrera, who has struggled for Baltimore, is no longer capable of being optioned without consent as he has reached five years of service, Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun notes (Twitter link). With J.J. Hardy returning to action, Cabrera may not have an active roster spot when he returns, and his new service time status could well complicate the club’s decisionmaking.
  • The Red Sox have hired away Carl Willis from the Indians to become their new pitching coach, Jim Massie of the Columbus Dispatch reports (h/t to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe). Willis had been the Triple-A pitching coach for Cleveland. He’ll be tasked with getting better production out of a starting staff that has struggled in the first five weeks of the season.
  • Prized White Sox lefty Carlos Rodon is expected to receive only a spot start tomorrow, Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com reports. Manager Robin Ventura did leave some room open for Rodon to earn another start, however, saying: “the way it sits right now, he would still be back in the bullpen and getting us some innings there.” Regardless of how things progress in the near term, it seems that Chicago’s plan is to use Rodon in the pen to manage his innings, perhaps with the hope of having him as a starter down the stretch — assuming, at least, that the club can stay in the postseason picture.

Injury Notes: Bailey, Cobb, Moore, Holland, Wieters, Iwakuma, Hanley

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As expected, Reds starter Homer Bailey underwent Tommy John surgery today, as MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reports. Though his previously-repaired flexor mass tendon apepared in good shape, Bailey’s UCL was determined to be completely torn, leaving little in the way of options to avoid surgery.

  • Likewise, Rays righty Alex Cobb was found to have a fully torn UCL, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports, meaning he too was virtually assured to require a TJ procedure. Cobb says the best-case scenario would have him return late in 2016. Fellow Tampa hurler Matt Moore has continued to build his way back from his own UCL replacement, with MLB.com’s Bill Chastain reporting that Moore was able to throw all of his pitches in a live BP session. Moore says he is targeting a mid-June return to the big league bump.
  • Though his shoulder has shown some evidence of progress, Rangers lefty Derek Holland will wait an additional two weeks before he begins throwing, as Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. Though Texas has enjoyed a somewhat surprising contribution from its starting staff (3.71 ERA, 9th in baseball), peripherals suggest that some regression is forthcoming. Regardless, Holland’s health is critical to the club, both this year and — perhaps even more so — in the future.
  • Orioles catcher Matt Wieters is set to catch seven innings tomorrow as he continues to work fully back from Tommy John surgery, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. Wieters’ ability to return to health and productivity will go a long way toward determining his free agent earning power next winter, of course. It will also tell on Baltimore’s ability to compete for a postseason slot, though replacement Caleb Joseph has been a revelation.
  • The Mariners appear unlikely to see righty Hisashi Iwakuma return until early June, at the soonest, per Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. Manager Lloyd McClendon says that Iwakuma is “probably still two to three weeks from going out [on a rehab assignment]” and will then need to throw a few outings before making it back to the big leagues. As with Wieters, Iwakuma needs to get healthy and show that he can continue to be effective in order to bolster his open market case. The scuffling Mariners, meanwhile, are not only firmly in need of his services, but also must assess whether they will be in the market for rotation help over the summer.
  • Red Sox outfielder Hanley Ramirez is not likely to need a DL stint for his left shoulder sprain, manager John Farrell tells Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). Boston seems to have dodged a bullet with the injury situation, as the club can ill afford an extended absence from the player who has paced the club in hitting thus far.

Angels Acquire Chad Smith From Athletics

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The Angels have acquired righty Chad Smith from the Athletics for cash considerations, Oakland announced. Smith had been designated for assignment.

The 25-year-old had a rough go in a short stint this year at the big league level for the A’s, who claimed him off waivers from the Tigers this winter. All said, he owns a 8.31 ERA in his 13 big league frames, with 11 strikeouts and eight walks. He was better in his 11 2/3 innings at Triple-A this season, however, permitting just three earned runs while striking out seven and issuing five walks.

For the Angels, the move was about building bullpen depth. As Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets, Smith will be optioned to Triple-A.

Mets To Promote Noah Syndergaard

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The Mets will promote top pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard to start on Tuesday, GM Sandy Alderson told reporters today, including ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin (Twitter link). Righty Dillon Gee is headed to the DL with a groin strain, though the injury does not appear to be serious.

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Syndergaard, 22, is widely regarded as one of the very best prospects in all of baseball. The towering righty came to New York along with backstop Travis d’Arnaud in the deal that sent R.A. Dickey to the Blue Jays.

Since that trade, Syndergaard has shot up prospect boards by continuing to show a huge fastball, solid control, and quality secondary offerings, as Baseball America explained in rating him New York’s best minor league arm coming into the year. There is a clear industry consensus that Syndergaard is ready and able to be a quality big league pitcher: BA rated him the 11th best prospect in the game, with MLB.com (#10) and Baseball Prospectus (#9) concurring in the general assessment. Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs is somewhat less bullish, but only slightly, as he rated Syndergaard just inside the top 20 while expressing some concern with the consistency of the youngster’s offspeed offerings.

Syndergaard has done nothing to tamper expectations so far in 2015. Over 29 2/3 frames at Triple-A Las Vegas, a tough place to pitch, he has a 1.82 ERA with 10.3 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9. That start to the year seems to answer any questions that might have cropped up after Syndergaard proved somewhat easier to score against than expected last year (4.60 ERA) in his first run at the highest level of the minors.

It remains to be seen, of course, whether Syndergaard will hold down a big league job this year. Certainly, the opportunity is there. While Gee has been as solid as usual, and the Mets have ample rotation depth even after losing Zack Wheeler for the year, the club’s strong 18-10 opening to the year only raises expectations and increases the importance of putting the best product possible on the field.

If Syndergaard is able to hold onto an active roster slot all season, he would set himself up for future Super Two qualification. But by keeping him down to start the year, the Mets would retain control over their prized young arm through 2021. Regardless of roster status, it is not likely that Syndergaard will spend the entire year putting up long outings at the big league level; he has yet to exceed 133 frames in a professional season, meaning the club will likely look to manage his innings.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Marlins Designate Reid Brignac

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The Marlins have designated infielder Reid Brignac for assignment, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald tweets. Miami will reinstate Christian Yelich from the DL, necessitating the move.

Brignac, 29, had just one hit and three walks over 17 plate appearances this year for Miami. He signed a minor league deal over the winter with the Fish to serve as a depth piece.

Over eight years of big league action, Brignac owns a .219/.266/.310 slash in 922 plate appearances. His appeal, of course, lies not in his abilities at the plate, but in his defensive versatility. Defensive metrics valued Brignac’s work up the middle quite highly back when he had a more regular role with the Rays, and he has spent time at short, second, and third over his time as a professional.

Athletics Acquire Matt Carson From Dodgers

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The Athletics have traded for outfielder Matt Carson from the Dodgers, Melissa Lockard of Oakland Clubhouse reports on Twitter. Los Angeles will receive cash in the deal, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles News Group tweets.

Carson, 33, has seen short big league stints with the A’s, Twins, and Indians, compiling a .237/.257/.356 slash in 187 turns at bat. That included, most recently, an impressive swing through Cleveland back in 2013, when he produced about half a win of value with seven hits, a home run, and three steals in just 13 plate appearances over 20 games.

Carson has spent much of his time at Triple-A over the years, taking just under 3,000 plate appearances at the highest level of the minors. All said, he has put up a strong .272/.338/.471 batting line with 110 home runs at Triple-A, though he was off to a slow start this year in Oklahoma City.

Chris Nelson To Sign Minors Deal After Release By Phillies

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5:28pm: Nelson is indeed pursuing an opportunity with another team, but it is with a major league organization rather than a KBO club, MLBTR has learned. Nelson has agreed to a minor league pact with an unknown team after being released by the Phillies for that reason.

3:25pm: Nelson was indeed released to pursue an opportunity in Korea, MLBTR has learned (Twitter link). It’s unclear at this point which team is interested in Nelson or if he’s received interest from multiple clubs.

10:39am: The Phillies announced that they’ve released infielder Chris Nelson from his Minor League contract. It’s unclear whether the utility infielder requested his release due to an opt-out clause, but he’ll now be free to pursue other opportunities.

Nelson, 29, was the ninth overall draft pick by the Rockies in 2004. He’s seen a fair share of Major League action in each of the past four seasons, averaging 218 plate appearances per year between the Rox, Angels, Yankees and Padres. In that time Nelson has batted .265/.311/.391, with much of his success coming in 2012 when he hit .301/.352/.458 with Colorado. A good deal of that success was driven by his batting average on balls in play and the positive effects of Coors Field, however, and he’s yet to recreate that level of productivity since.

Nelson has experience at second base, third base and shortstop in the Major Leagues, though defensive metrics aren’t particularly high on his work at any of the three. Nonetheless, there’s value in that versatility, and he’s a career .307/.362/.473 hitter in Triple-A that had relatively solid marks in a small sample this season, so one would imagine that he could draw interest from another big league team or, perhaps, a club in Japan or Korea.

Indians Sign Carlos Marmol To Minors Deal

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The Indians have announced the signing of right-hander Carlos Marmol to a minor league contract. Marmol, a client of the Kinzer Management Group, was reportedly throwing in the mid-90’s from a new arm slot during a scouting showcase in the Dominican Republic.

Velocity has never really been an issue for Marmol over his career, as control (a career 6.2 BB/9) has always plagued his ability to be a reliable bullpen arm.  In his prime, Marmol posted a 2.54 ERA and a whopping 441 strikeouts over 308 1/3 innings out of the Cubs bullpen from 2007-10.  Even during that impressive stretch, however, he still averaged 5.6 walks per nine innings.

Marmol only managed an 8.10 ERA, 9.5 K/9 and 6.8 BB/9 over 13 1/3 innings with Miami last season.  After being released by the Marlins, Marmol signed a minor league deal with the Reds, though he never pitched for Cincinnati on the MLB level and had an overall controversial tenure with the organization.

Cleveland’s bullpen has generally posted middle-of-the-pack bullpen numbers this season, though Marmol is probably seen as more of a project at this point than as someone who could provide immediate help to the Tribe’s relief corps.  Marmol’s natural stuff is still so intriguing that there’s no harm for the Indians (once this deal is finalized) in seeing what he has in Triple-A.

FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported that a deal was close (Twitter link). SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reported (via Twitter) that the deal was done.

Rays To Sign Cuban Outfielder Dayron Varona

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The Rays have signed Cuban outfielder Dayron Varona to a Minor League contract, reports Baseball America’s Ben Badler. The signing bonus on the deal for the 27-year-old isn’t known at this time, though ESPN’s Keith Law recently wrote in a scouting report that he expected Varona to receive an eight-figure bonus when he eventually signed. Badler notes that Varona’s bonus isn’t believed to be a “high-level investment.”

Varona has been working out for clubs since January, and Badler shares Law’s view that his best tools are his defensive capabilities. Badler notes that Varona has above-average speed and enough arm strength to play all three outfield spots. In the above report from Law, he notes that while he didn’t personally see Varona cover enough ground to definitively say that he could handle center field, his speed seems to indicate that he can do just that. Law says that Varona’s arm is strong with a quick release, grading it at least a 60, if not a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale.

As Badler notes, Varona does not yet have his visa, so he must first obtain that before jumping into the Rays’ Minor League ranks. Some scouts have pegged him as Triple-A depth, per Badler, while others feel that he can be a viable fourth outfielder at the Major League level. One would assume the Rays, of course, fall into the latter camp. In seven seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, Varona is a .312/.376/.470 hitter that has averaged a homer ever 39.5 plate appearances.

The Rays have already exceeded their 2014-15 international signing pool, so this move continues an aggressive push on the international market. While Tampa is already in the maximum penalty bracket, they will not owe any penalties on Varona because he is exempt from the international spending limits.

Braves Outright Donnie Veal

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

  • Left-hander Donnie Veal has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett by the Braves, the pitcher himself announced (Instagram link). Veal had the ability to reject the outright assignment in favor of free agency, but he elected to return to Triple-A Gwinnett. He notes in the above link that it’s disheartening to be added to the roster and removed in the same week, but he’s grateful that he doesn’t have to move his family around the country and can remain in the organization. Veal allowed four runs in 3 1/3 innings with the Braves this week and has a lifetime 5.16 ERA with 72 strikeouts against 49 walks in 68 big league innings. At the Triple-A level, Veal owns a 3.95 ERA with more than a strikeout per inning pitched.

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