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Archives for May 2015

Hanley Ramirez Day-To-Day With Sprained Left Shoulder

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9:40pm: The club has received promising initial indications on Ramirez’s shoulder, as Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports on Twitter. Manager John Farrell called Ramirez “day to day,” saying that it is not yet clear that he’ll need a DL stint.

8:24pm: Red Sox outfielder Hanley Ramirez suffered what the team is calling a sprained left shoulder during tonight’s action. He crashed into the left field wall attempting to make a catch down the line.

It is obviously far too soon to know how severe the injury is, but the somewhat innocuous terminology (“sprain”) could potentially belie its seriousness. Shoulder sprains come in different grades, of course. And Ramirez has already undergone two procedures on his left shoulder.

The 31-year-old has hit a robust .283/.340/.609 over 103 plate appearances this year, providing the middle-of-the-order presence that Boston hoped for. While his poorly-rated work in his first season as an outfielder has held down his value, the club will certainly miss his bat for whatever time he misses.

Of course, the Red Sox are particularly loaded in the outfield, even with Shane Victorino already on the DL. Allen Craig and Daniel Nava are already on the big league roster, while Rusney Castillo and Jackie Bradley Jr. are patrolling the outfield at Triple-A Pawtucket. Then again, the Red Sox promised Ramirez $88MM over four years in hopes that he would help anchor a potent lineup, and every game counts in a tight division.

If the injury keeps Ramirez down for a significant stretch, the biggest impact, in the end, could be on Boston’s flexibility to deal over the summer. Outfield depth seemed among the more likely places from which the club could draw in adding pieces to its rotation, which has struggled to a 5.66 ERA.

Luhnow, Astros Look Ahead To Summer Trade Market

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It’s still early, of course, but with a seven-game lead in the AL West entering the evening’s action, the Astros (like the rest of the league) now look like a buyer on the summer trade market. As Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports, GM Jeff Luhnow says that the club is looking at where it might improve, with starting pitching at the top of the list.

According to Luhnow, the “only area that’s obvious [to explore acquisitions] is in the rotation.” While the unit owns a 3.64 collective ERA, that has been driven by the strong work from Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh at the top of the rotation. Roberto Hernandez and Scott Feldman have been serviceable, but hardly dominant, and the team has yet to settle on a fifth starter. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams explained earlier today, and as Tim Dierkes and I noted in last week’s MLBTR Podcast, Houston has the cash, prospects, and need to profile as an early and aggressive buyer.

The Stros’ head baseball decisionmaker did not shy away from acknowledging that situation. “[The club’s strong start] makes it more likely that we’re going to be making moves to have an immediate payback and potentially even moves that come at a cost long term,” said Luhnow. “The more we feel like we’ve got a chance to be relevant all summer and potentially be relevant in October, the more we can be focused on what we can do to bolster this team.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean that the Astros are looking to make a rare May strike for an arm, of course. “We’re constantly looking at it,” Luhnow explained. “It’s unusual for things to start this soon but we’re certainly doing our homework to get ready for it.”

If and when the time comes, though, it seems that Houston will be able to add to its still-low payroll. Luhnow said that he has spoken with owner Jim Crane about the club’s spending capacity, saying that “there are scenarios where we would continue to invest in this team as the year goes on in order to maximize our chances of not just getting to the playoffs, but being better in the playoffs.” Reading between the lines, the notion of bolstering the club’s playoff roster would suggest that an impactful starting acquisition is not out of the question.

This early look in at the Astros’ thought process should not be read as an assumption on the club’s part that it will continue to play this level of baseball. While acknowledging the rising expectations, Luhnow cautioned that a quick start is no assurance of continued success. “But, at the same time,” he said, “it’s never too early plan for the outcomes we’ve been trying to get towards.”

Jeff Karstens Announces Retirement

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Former Pirates and Yankes right-hander Jeff Karstens took to Twitter yesterday to announce that he has officially retired from the baseball.

Karstens, still just 32 years of age, hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2012, as a series of shoulder injuries that culminated in 2013 surgery to repair the labrum and rotator cuff in his right shoulder slowed and ultimately ended his career.

Originally a 19th-round selection of the Yankees in 2003 out of Texas Tech, Karstens was traded to the Pirates along with Daniel McCutchen, Jose Tabata and Ross Ohlendorf in the 2008 trade that sent Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte to New York. In 2011-12, the San Diego-born Karstens made 41 starts and eight relief appearances for the Bucs, pitching to a solid 3.59 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 253 innings of work.

Though injuries prevented Karstens from stepping onto a Major League mound following that injury-shortened 2012 season, he was still able to pocket roughly $7.8MM over the life of a career that spanned parts of seven seasons. We at MLB Trade Rumors extend our best wishes to Karstens, as well his family and friends, as he enters his post-playing days.

Mariners Designate Mike Kickham

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The Mariners have designated lefty Mike Kickham, the club announced. Seattle needed a 40-man spot for the contract of Joe Beimel, who was promoted along with shortstop Chris Taylor.

Kickham, 26, was added in a minor deal with the Cubs this January. He has seen limited MLB action with the Giants, but did not crack the Seattle roster. Through 21 innings over five starts at Triple-A Tacoma, he had worked to a 7.29 ERA with just 5.1 K/9 against a troubling 12.0 BB/9.

Meanwhile, the Mariners will give the southpaw Beimel another shot at the bigs. He was a pleasant surprise to the team last year, but couldn’t find a major league deal and only rejoined the M’s after being released by the Rangers. Likewise, Taylor was quite useful last year — he posted 1.5 WAR  in just 151 plate appearances — and figures to share time with Brad Miller.

Adam Ottavino Has Partially Torn UCL

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4:40pm: Ottavino says he is resigned to undergoing a UCL replacement, but will see Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion, Groke further reports.

4:24pm: Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino has a partially torn UCL, Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports. Ottavino is likely going to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery, per the report.

Entering the year, Ottavino was coming off of two straight seasons of quality production — over 143 1/3 innings in 2013-14, he owns a 3.08 ERA with 9.3 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9 — making him an obvious candidate to take over 9th inning duties. He earned the chance with an excellent start to the year, and had just been installed as the Colorado closer when he went down with triceps soreness.

In his 10 1/3 frames thus far in 2015, the 29-year-old righty allowed just three hits and two walks (and, unsurprisingly, no runs). On the other side of the ledger, he had already racked up 13 strikeouts.

It is unlikely that the Rockies will move to replace Ottavino with an outside addition, though perhaps a bullpen move could be made over the summer if the team is in the hunt. If Ottavino does in fact undergo the TJ procedure, Colorado will be without him until at least next summer.

The timing couldn’t be much worse for all involved. That includes, especially, Ottavino, who took home a relatively modest $1.3MM in arbitration this year. He would have stood to capture a big raise had he continued to dominate and rack up saves. For the Rockies, the loss takes away a big piece of their pen as well as a potentially significant trade chip. It also potentially sets the club up for a tough arbitration question next winter, though it seems likely that Ottavino’s price tag will be cheap enough — and his upside (including another year of control) great enough — to warrant a tender.

Angels Designate Drew Butera For Assignment

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The Angels have designated catcher Drew Butera for assignment, director of communications Eric Kay announced on Twitter. Carlos Perez will be brought up to take his spot.

Butera, 31, was installed as the team’s backup this year after the trade of Hank Conger. The journeyman has just three singles in 21 plate appearances this year. Over 754 turns at bat at the big league level, he owns a .183/.238/.266 slash. Butera has also seen time with the Twins and Dodgers.

In retrospect, at least, it seems likely that Butera was destined to keep the seat warm for Perez, a 24-year-old who came over in the Conger deal along with righty Nick Tropeano. Rated by Baseball America as the Halos’ 25th-best prospect entering the year, based largely on his quality defensive profile, Perez has come alive offensively this year. Through 79 Triple-A plate appearances, he owns a .361/.418/.556 slash with as many walks as strikeouts (seven apiece).

Dodgers Acquire Matt West From Blue Jays

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The Dodgers have acquired right-hander Matt West from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations, reports Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (on Twitter). Toronto had recently designated West for assignment.

West, 26, was the Rangers’ second-round pick in 2007 and was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays in January. The Texas native made his big league debut with the Rangers last season, allowing three runs in four innings of work. West was originally drafted as an infielder but converted to the mound full-time in 2011 and has been impressive at the Double-A level this season. In 12 1/3 innings, he’s allowed just one unearned run on nine hits and four walks with 17 strikeouts.

Padres Designate Wil Nieves For Assignment

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The Padres announced that they have designated veteran catcher Wil Nieves for assignment in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for top prospect Austin Hedges, whose previously reported promotion is now official.

Nieves, 37, won the Padres’ backup catching job out of Spring Training but rarely got into games this year, with Derek Norris shouldering an abnormally large workload behind the dish. Nieves appeared in just six games, only four of them starts, and totaled 14 plate appearances with a .077/.143/.308 batting line. His lone hit in his second go-around with the Padres was a big one, however, as it came in the form of an April 12 grand slam that fueled a 6-4 win over the division-rival Giants.

Nieves spent the 2014 season serving as the backup to Carlos Ruiz in Philadelphia, accumulating 128 plate appearances over the course of 36 games. He’s appeared in the Major Leagues in each season dating back to 2005, and the well-seasoned backstop is a career .241/.280/.317 hitter in 427 big league games.

Rangers Return Rule 5 Pick Logan Verrett To Mets

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Rule 5 Draft pick Logan Verrett, who was designated for assignment by the Rangers in late April, has cleared waivers and been returned to the Mets, according to a press release from the Mets. Texas has also confirmed the move.

The 24-year-old Verrett was originally selected by the Orioles in the most recent Rule 5 Draft. When Baltimore couldn’t find a spot for him and fellow Rule 5 pick Jason Garcia in Spring Training, it was Verrett who the O’s tried to sneak through waivers. However, Texas claimed him and placed him on its Opening Day roster as Spring Training broke.

Verrett appeared in four games for the Rangers, totaling nine innings but yielding seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits and three unintentional walks with just three strikeouts. Verrett did rack up ground-balls at an impressive 57.1 percent clip in his small sample of work, though he also displayed a fastball that averaged just 89.1 mph.

A former third-round selection by the Mets (2011), Verrett has a very strong K/BB ratio throughout his Minor League career, having averaged 7.5 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9 in 411 1/3 innings. He spent the 2014 campaign with Triple-A Las Vegas — an exceptionally hitter-friendly environment — and worked to a 4.33 ERA in 162 innings. Baseball America ranked Verrett 24th among Orioles farmhands this winter after they selected him in the Rule 5 Draft, noting that he mixes four pitches, including a solid-average slider that he is comfortable throwing in any count. Presumably, he will return to the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate and add to New York’s enviable stock of upper-level arms.

Cardinals, Dan Johnson Agree To Minors Deal

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Veteran first baseman Dan Johnson’s brush with free agency didn’t last long, as the recently released 35-year-old has agreed to a Minor League pact with the Cardinals, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet (Twitter link).

Johnson, a client of Excel Sports Management, began the season with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate, and although he collected 10 walks against nine strikeouts in 40 plate appearances, he also picked up just three hits — all singles. With Joey Votto seemingly healthy and productive in Cincinnati, there may not have been much of an opportunity for Johnson to make his way to the big league roster anyhow.

Of course, the path to the MLB roster in St. Louis may not necessarily be an easier one for Johnson. Matt Adams is hitting well at first base and, as a fellow lefty swinger, there’s no possibility of any platoon situation emerging between the two. Johnson will seemingly hope to re-emerge as a bench bat with the Cards. He’s a lifetime .236/.337/.409 hitter in 431 Major League games, and his excellent .279/.400/.505 career slash line at Triple-A makes him a nice depth piece for a club to have.

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