Archives for March 2016

Pirates Release Jesse Biddle

By Steve Adams | March 17, 2016 at 7:45am CDT

The Pirates have released left-hander Jesse Biddle, who was designated for assignment upon the team’s signing of third baseman David Freese. The MLB.com Transaction page first noted Biddle’s release, though Tim Williams of PiratesProspects.com wrote this morning that he spoke to GM Neal Huntington, who said he hopes to re-sign Biddle to a minor league deal despite vacating his 40-man spot.

Pittsburgh initially acquired Biddle from the Phillies in exchange for right-hander Yoervis Medina. Biddle, a former first-round pick and top 100 prospect will miss the entire 2016 campaign due to Tommy John surgery. His walk rate increased notably upon reaching the Double-A level, though, and while he was considerably younger than his average competition in that first exposure in 2013, his overall numbers took a dive when he repeated the level in 2014. Biddle’s most recent season saw him pitch to a combined 4.95 ERA between his third Double-A stint and his first work at the Triple-A level, and news of his Tommy John surgery broke shortly after the 2015 season ended. Though he’s hit some adversity in recent seasons, Biddle won’t turn 25 until next October, so youth remains on his side as he seeks to get back on a professional mound and eventually crack a big league roster.

NL Central Notes: Dunnington, Brewers, Contreras, Nicasio

By Steve Adams | March 16, 2016 at 10:49pm CDT

Former Cardinals minor leaguer Tyler Dunnington, who retired from the game during Spring Training 2015, tells Cyd Zeigler of Outsports.com that he chose to leave the game due to homophobic comments and clubhouse culture that made him “miserable in a sport that used to give him life.” Dunnington, who kept his sexual orientation private throughout his baseball career but has come out since retiring, explained that a college coach made a detestable joke about the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, and such talk didn’t dissipate upon his arrival in pro ball. A minor league teammate mentioned having a gay brother, and a pair of teammates questioned, in earnest, how anyone could have a homosexual friend, let alone brother. Some went so far as to discuss killing homosexuals, Zeigler writes. The inexcusable behavior isn’t lost on GM John Mozeliak, who told the Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold and Ben Frederickson: “This is very disappointing and our hope is that every player, staff member, and employee feels they are treated equally and fairly. Given the nature of these allegations I will certainly look into this further as well as speak with [MLB Ambassador for Inclusion Billy Bean] for further assistance on this matter…we will take this very seriously.”

Dunnington hopes to return to the game in a front office role, where he could help to take measures to prevent this type of culture and behavior. “After gaining acceptance from my friends and family I realized I didn’t have to quit baseball to find happiness,” Dunnington said. “I not only wanted to share my story but also apologize for not using the stage I had to help change the game.” Indeed, disturbing as Dunnington’s stories are, the sad reality is that the appalling comments he encountered are almost certainly not unique to the clubhouse he was in nor to the Cardinals organization.

Looking elsewhere in the division…

Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that the Brewers won’t name a closer before Opening Day. Manager Craig Counsell asserted that there’s “no such position as Opening Day closer” and said that left-hander Will Smith and right-hander Jeremy Jeffress will both get cracks at closing games early in the season. Counsell feels that it will behoove the Brewers to take advantage of having two quality late-inning relievers — one right-handed (Jeffress) and one left-handed (Smith) — to create the most advantageous matchups possible in attempting to lock down close victories. Counsell said the ninth inning could “eventually” belong to one pitcher, but he sees no reason to place any sort of restriction on either reliever right now.
Cubs prospect Willson Contreras looks more and more like the team’s long-term answer behind the plate with every passing day, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Wittenmyer spoke to catching coach Mike Borzello, manager Joe Maddon and infielder Javier Baez, each of whom raved about some combination of Contreras’ throwing, handling of the pitching staff and above-average bat. Borzello noted that Contreras would probably break camp with a club that had less catching depth than Chicago currently has with Miguel Montero, David Ross and Kyle Schwarber. Contreras’ emergence further calls into question Schwarber’s future behind the plate, as if Contreras is the two-way backstop that many in the organization believe him to be, there’s less of a reason to continue to try to develop Schwarber as a catcher, where many scouts believe he is inadequate from a defensive standpoint.
While Spring Training stats are always taken with a grain of salt, a dominant outing from Pirates right-hander Juan Nicasio turned some heads today, writes ESPN’s Jayson Stark. “Dominant,” in fact, is selling the appearance short; Nicasio faced 14 hitters and allowed just one hit and recorded an incredible 10 strikeouts on Wednesday. Despite facing a strikeout-prone Orioles lineup, Nicasio caught the eye of manager Clint Hurdle, who says that his own experience managing at Coors Field made it easy to look past Nicasio’s lackluster career numbers when the Pirates added him on a one-year, $3MM deal this winter. Nicasio was originally signed to be a multi-inning reliever, but in light of his spring dominance, Hurdle wouldn’t rule out a rotation spot. Nicasio tells Stark that’s his ultimate goal: “I’m working hard for the rotation, but I can’t control all that.” As Stark writes, a well-known Pirates success story, Francisco Liriano, called Nicasio this offseason to sell him on the benefit of pitching coach Ray Searage. “Everybody talks about, ’You go here, you get better,'” Nicasio says to Stark. “I know why now.”

AL Central Notes: Royals, Wang, Twins, Brantley

By Steve Adams and Jeff Todd | March 16, 2016 at 8:22pm CDT

It’s undeniably been a special couple of seasons for the Royals, and many of the team’s core players tell Bob Nightengale of USA Today that they are enjoying the time they have together for at least the next couple of seasons. To a man, they expressed an interest in sticking around long-term, though of course it would be hard to predict how many will ultimately do so. Meanwhile, GM Dayton Moore suggested that the organization is taking much the same approach. “You can’t be so consumed with what players are going to be here for just this period of time,” he said. “There’s urgency every day. We’re not going to focus on next year, two years, or three years from now. I can’t predict the future. We’re just going to go out there and do the best we can.”

Reds Release Carlos Contreras

By Steve Adams | March 16, 2016 at 5:20pm CDT

The Reds have released right-handed reliever Carlos Contreras, tweets Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Buchanan further notes that Contreras had been placed on waivers upon being optioned to the minors earlier in the week, and he subsequently cleared, paving the way for his release. The team’s 40-man roster now stands at 38 players.

Contreras, 25, has spent parts of the past two seasons in the Cincinnati ’pen, compiling a 5.51 ERA with 7.2 K/9 against a more troublesome 7.0 BB/9 across 47 1/3 innings. The 5’11”, 215-pound right-hander has averaged nearly 93 mph on his heater in that time, and he missed plenty of bats at the Triple-A level last season, albeit with the same lack of control he’s displayed in the Majors. In 39 2/3 innings with Triple-A Louisville in 2015, Contreras posted a 55-to-30 K/BB ratio to complement a strong 2.95 ERA.

Baseball America previously ranked Contreras as highly as seventh among Reds farmhands. Their scouting report that year, prior to the 2014 campaign, praised his plus fastball and changeup, also noting an improved slider that gave him a chance to remain in the rotation. However, BA also noted that Cabrera’s arm action led to control problems that could impact his future, and clearly those concerns have diminished his contributions to this point.

It’s unclear at this time what prompted the Reds to release Contreras rather than keep him in the minor leagues. It seems possible that an overseas club had some interest in Contreras, given his quality ERA and strikeout marks in the upper minors. If that’s not the case, Contreras will look to latch on with another organization. Having just turned 25 in January, Contreras would figure to pique the interest of other teams on a minors contract.

MLB Will Not Suspend Yasiel Puig

By Steve Adams | March 16, 2016 at 3:51pm CDT

Major League Baseball will not suspend Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig in connection to domestic violence allegations earlier this winter, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. Per Shaikin, the league found no evidence to substantiate allegations that Puig hit his sister in an incident at a Miami bar in November. Notably, no charges were filed against Puig and no arrests were made at the time. Shaikin notes that under the newly implemented domestic violence policy, players can receive discipline other than suspensions (e.g. mandatory counseling), but such discipline is not disclosed to the public. Earlier this month, ESPN’s Pedro Gomez reported that Puig was not expected to receive a suspension. Major League Baseball has since issued the following statement:

“The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball has concluded its investigation into an alleged incident involving Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig and his sister in a Miami-area nightclub on November 26, 2015. The investigation included interviews of witnesses, including Puig and his sister, as well as a review of video footage from inside the nightclub at the time of the alleged incident. The Office of the Commissioner’s investigation did not uncover any witness who supported the assault allegation; both Puig and his sister denied that an assault occurred; and the available video evidence did not support the allegation. Thus, barring the receipt of any new information or evidence, no discipline will be imposed on Puig in connection with the alleged incident.”

TMZ reported in late November that Puig had shoved his sister at the bar, prompting a fight between Puig and the bouncer. However, a police spokesperson said at the time that it appeared the only physical contact came between Puig and the bouncer, and TMZ ultimately retracted its report, Shaikin notes.

The ruling from commissioner Rob Manfred comes not long after Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman was suspended for 30 games under the domestic violence policy. While Chapman, like Puig, was not arrested and did not face charges, the left-hander did acknowledge that after being shoved to the ground by his girlfriend’s brother, he discharged a firearm in his garage multiple times out of frustration. That Chapman acted in such a manner undoubtedly contributed to the league’s decision to give him a 30-game ban despite a clear lack of evidence that he physically harmed his girlfriend.

Puig and Chapman represent two of the three offseason cases for Manfred and the new domestic violence policy. Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes, accused of assaulting his wife at a Hawaii hotel in October, is the last remaining case. He has been placed on administrative leave and is set to head to trial on Opening Day. The league will not make a decision on Reyes’ discipline until after his criminal proceedings have drawn to a close.

Latest On White Sox, Adam LaRoche

By Jeff Todd | March 16, 2016 at 3:26pm CDT

At least some of the impetus behind Adam LaRoche’s decision to retire appears to be the White Sox’ request that he bring his son into the clubhouse less frequently, Dejan Kovacevic of DKPittsburghSports.com reports (Twitter links). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted that LaRoche retired because his son wouldn’t be allowed in the clubhouse at all, but club president Kenny Williams clarified to Rosenthal that he only requested LaRoche reduce the frequency of the practice.

Meanwhile, Williams also spoke to MLB.com’s Scott Merkin (Twitter links), leaving Merkin with the impression that LaRoche has signed his retirement papers but that they’ve yet to be filed with the league. Indeed, we heard yesterday that the veteran first baseman/DH was going to wait at least a few days before formalizing the decision.

In his comments to Merkin, Williams made clear that the request was “not even close to being personal,” noting that he respects LaRoche as a man and as a father. The executive also emphasized in his statement to Rosenthal that his request was not due to any direct concerns about LaRoche’s son. He explained that “there has been no policy change with regards to allowance of kids in the clubhouse, on the field, the back fields during spring training.”

Instead, per Williams, he told LaRoche: “Listen, our focus, our interest, our desire this year is to make sure we give ourselves every opportunity to focus on a daily basis on getting better. All I’m asking you to do with regard to bringing your kid to the ballpark is dial it back.” Williams went on to tell Rosenthal: “We all think his kid is a great young man. I just felt it should not be every day, that’s all. You tell me, where in this country can you bring your child to work every day?”

Needless to say, the subject is a difficult one, and it is certainly possible to see both the team’s viewpoint and to understand LaRoche’s own decision. He has long enjoyed the chance to spend time with his son at the park, especially during Spring Training, dating back to his time with the Nationals. Notably, of course, LaRoche has not yet commented on the matter himself, and it would be wise to withhold judgment until the full story is told.

Things get more complicated when weighing the nuanced interests at play for the White Sox. LaRoche struggled mightily last year and has been limited by back issues this spring. And he’s due to earn $13MM — more than a tenth of the club’s overall payroll. While there’s still reason to believe that LaRoche can contribute at the major league level, he also doesn’t represent an appealing value at that price tag.

Speculation has already turned to what the club might do to replace the left-handed lineup production, and how it might re-allocate the dollars that were destined for LaRoche. Williams touched upon the topic in his comments to Merkin (Twitter link), saying: “We think internally we’ve got an interesting opportunity to rotate the DH position.” Among the internal options, presumably, are defensively-limited outfielders Melky Cabrera and Avisail Garcia. The club will look at its own players first, per Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago (via Twitter), but has also begun to consider external replacements.

Mets Release Ruben Tejada

By Jeff Todd | March 16, 2016 at 1:21pm CDT

The Mets have released shortstop Ruben Tejada after he cleared waivers, per a club announcement (via Mike Puma of the New York Post, on Twitter). New York will remain obligated for just under $500K of obligations to Tejada for the coming season, having previously avoided arbitration with him for a non-guaranteed $3MM.

Thus concludes an eventful tenure with the Mets for the 26-year-old, who never lived up to the club’s hopes when given a chance at regular playing time but ended up being a useful player and sympathetic figure. After starting the 2015 season as a utility option, Tejada solidified the shortstop position while playing quite a bit down the stretch. His season ended, unfortunately, when he suffered a broken leg during the postseason.

Speculation will immediately turn to his eventual landing spot. The Cardinals are the team with the most obvious need at shortstop, but there will surely be others with interest, too. Tejada isn’t an exciting player, but he has shown the ability to provide sturdy defense with a decent bat. That history, his age, and the fact that New York has already paid down a chunk of the tab make him a fairly intriguing option for clubs in need of a utility piece or fill-in up the middle.

Injury Notes: Ryu, McCullers, Lorenzen, Arroyo, Weaver, Wieters

By Jeff Todd | March 16, 2016 at 12:59pm CDT

Dodgers lefty Hyun-jin Ryu will likely not be able to get up to speed in time to participate in any spring action, manager Dave Roberts tells reporters, including Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). Ryu had hoped to make his way back to big league action by May, but the skipper says that timetable is now “unrealistic.” Needless to say, the Dodgers were hoping that Ryu’s shoulder would respond better, and he represents one of several notable question marks for the big-budget club.

Here are some more notes on some injury situations around the game:

Exciting young Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. will open the year on the DL, manager A.J. Hinch said today, as Richard Justice of MLB.com was among those to tweet. He, too, has dealt with shoulder issues, though hopefully not as severe as those that drove Ryu to surgery. Houston has options to step in, including Doug Fister, Scott Feldman, and Mike Fiers, and will surely be cautious in handling the 22-year-old, who upped his career-high annual innings tally by over fifty frames last season.
The Reds are hopeful that one of their young hurlers, Michael Lorenzen, can stave off Tommy John surgery after an MRI revealed a mild UCL sprain, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Lorenzen will need to rest and almost certainly won’t open the season in the rotation, but it seems that he was rather fortunate not to find a more significant injury after experiencing soreness for some time this spring.
Nationals right-hander Bronson Arroyo was scratched from his start today with shoulder soreness, as James Wagner of the Washington Post reports. For now, the 39-year-old will rest and see how it responds, but any absence certainly puts a dent in his hopes of beating out Tanner Roark and Joe Ross for a rotation gig. Arroyo, who signed a minor-league deal full of incentives if he makes the majors, had some work done in his shoulder when he was out for Tommy John surgery, according to skipper Dusty Baker.
Meanwhile, Angels righty Jered Weaver dismissed any thought that he wouldn’t be prepared to open the year, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports. Recent medical evaluations don’t seem to offer many clues as to the reason for his precipitous velocity decline. Manager Mike Scioscia wasn’t quite as conclusive as the righty as to his availability out of camp, stressing that the organization was taking things one step at a time, but did suggest that Weaver will have every opportunity to try to perform on the hill.
Orioles catcher Matt Wieters seems to be clear of any structural concerns in his right elbow, as MLB.com’s Britt Ghiroli reports. In an update to that story, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com notes that Dr. James Andrews concurred with the organization’s doctors. For now, then, Wieters will work on eliminating any discomfort before getting back to work behind the dish.

Mariners Release Justin De Fratus

By Jeff Todd | March 16, 2016 at 12:15pm CDT

The Mariners have released righty Justin De Fratus, the team announced (via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, on Twitter). The out-of-options reliever had signed on to a major league deal worth a reported $750K, though it’s certainly possible that not all of that was guaranteed if he didn’t break camp with the club.

De Fratus had thrown six frames this spring, allowing four earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out four. Divish notes that he was working in the 89 to 90 mph range, and obviously wasn’t showing what Seattle hoped to see when it gave him a 40-man spot.

The news constitutes the latest setback for De Fratus, who had a nice 2014 season in which he threw 52 2/3 innings of 2.39 ERA ball with 8.4 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9. But last year was a letdown, and he found himself outrighted by the Phillies after working to a 5.51 ERA over 80 innings.

Seattle’s rebuilt bullpen is showing some cracks this spring, as potential options such as Ryan Cook, Charlie Furbush, and Evan Scribner are all dealing with injury issues. As MLB.com’s Greg Johns notes on Twitter, the M’s could be looking to add pen depth over the coming weeks.

NL Central Notes: Figueroa, Ngoepe, Tejada, Brewers

By Jeff Todd | March 16, 2016 at 10:45am CDT

There are many analytically-savvy players out there these days, but few are probably as dedicated and capable as Pirates utilityman Cole Figueroa. As Travis Sawchick of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes in an interesting profile, the son of an old-school former big leaguer incorporates math and coding into his personal regimen — and isn’t afraid to share his knowledge with his teammates. It’s a great piece and well worth a read.

Here’s more from the game’s central divisions:

Pirates shortstop Gift Ngoepe is impressing in camp thus far and has a realistic hope of becoming the first black South African to crack the majors after being added to the 40-man over the winter, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. The defensive specialist has moved from switch-hitting to focusing on hitting from his natural right side, with improved results. He’s in competition, along with Figueroa and others, to win a utility job.
ESPN.com’s Mark Saxon looks at the Cardinals’ decision on shortstop Ruben Tejada, whom the Mets just placed on waivers. It appears that St. Louis is more likely to make a play for Tejada if he clears waivers than it is to claim him, though, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.
The Brewers’ offseason of change was a product of “trying to aggregate as much young talent as we possibly can,” GM David Stearns tells Tom Haudricourt in a piece for Baseball America. “A lot of them were minor moves that didn’t make headlines, but the end result was that half of our 40-man roster will look different from the last day of the season,” said Stearns. “It’s a byproduct of the cycle we’re going through.” The newly-minted head Milwaukee baseball man suggested that such turnover may or may not continue moving forward, explaining that, “sometimes it takes a jump-start like this to get younger and more flexible on your roster.”

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Headlines

Archives for March 2016

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect