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Archives for June 2016

Yankees Activate Mark Teixeira, Designate Ike Davis

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The Yankees have activated Mark Teixeira, per several media reports. They’ve also designated Ike Davis for assignment in a corresponding move, as Sweeny Murti of Sportsradio 66 WFAN tweets.

Teixeira is making a quick return after hitting the DL earlier this month with a cartilage tear in his knee. It was initially believed that the injury could require surgery, but Teixeira returns to the Yankees after just three weeks.

The quick return is fortuitous for the Yanks, too, even though Teixeira has struggled this season, batting just .180/.271/.263 so far. The Yankees struggled to find first base help after a series of injuries to Teixeira, Greg Bird, Dustin Ackley and Chris Parmelee, leading them to sign Davis two weeks ago. The veteran played sparingly, batting 3-for-14. As Murti notes, a key to the decision to let Davis go was the play of Rob Refsnyder, who has now appeared in 16 games at first and has batted .286/.339/.393 in 63 plate appearances this season. Via Newsday’s Erik Boland (on Twitter), Davis indicates he might be willing to accept an assignment to Triple-A if he clears waivers.

 

Mets Expected To Sign Jose Reyes

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SATURDAY: The Mets will sign Reyes once he officially becomes a free agent at noon Central time, as various reporters, including ESPN’s Adam Rubin, have noted.

FRIDAY 10:18pm: New York expects to sign Reyes as soon as tomorrow, sources tell MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo.

4:08pm: Jose Reyes isn’t yet a free agent, but he’ll formally clear release waivers tomorrow afternoon, and according to David Lennon and Marc Carig of Newsday, all signs point to a reunion with the Mets once his release from the Rockies becomes official. According to the Newsday duo, the Mets haven’t made a final decision, but a deal could come together this weekend. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports hears similar chatter, writing that a reunion between the two sides is “very likely” to come to fruition.

Indeed, manager Terry Collins certainly spoke about Reyes today as if the signing is quite likely, as SNY’s Kerith Burke notes on Twitter. The skipper said that he has not only chatted with the coaching staff about how Reyes could be used, but that those discusses have included the idea of deploying him as an outfielder. (Twitter links via MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo.) As Newsday noted earlier this week, a move to third base would seem to make the most sense, though New York has also discussed sliding Neil Walker over there and playing Reyes at second base.

The idea has evidently picked up steam in the past week after initially being floated in the media while Reyes was in DFA limbo. The team is said to be intrigued by his speed and history of on-base skills — two traits the roster currently lacks. Reyes currently resides in Long Island and would love to return to the team with which he began his career, per Lennon and Carig.

The Mets have seen their infield depth compromised this season due to neck surgery for David Wright and a stress fracture in Lucas Duda’s back. The team cut bait with one infield option in Spring Training when it released Ruben Tejada, as well, and the current depth chart is much different than New York probably expected coming into the year. Reyes would make reasonable sense as a depth option at either second base or third base — there’s been no mention of shortstop, and defensive metrics/scouts alike have questioned his ability to play shortstop for some time now — and he’ll of course come cheaply. After his release is official, the Mets would be on the hook for the pro-rated portion of the league minimum through season’s end — a total of $277,322. (That money would be subtracted from what the Rockies owe Reyes.)

Week In Review: 6/18/16 – 6/24/16

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Key Moves

  • Teams continued signing draft picks this week, with highlights including fifth overall pick Corey Ray (Brewers – link) and tenth overall pick Zack Collins (White Sox – link). To track other top draft signings, click here.
  • The Red Sox outrighted outfielder Rusney Castillo.
  • The Royals released veteran second baseman Omar Infante.

Signings

Trades

Top Prospect Promotions

Claims

Designated For Assignment

Outrighted

Cleared Optional Waivers

Returned

Released

Retired

Key Minor League Signings

Brewers Sign Fifth Overall Pick Corey Ray

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The Brewers have announced that they’ve signed fifth overall draft pick Corey Ray, an outfielder from Louisville. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports tweets that Ray will receive $4.125MM, giving the Brewers a modest savings against the $4,382,200 slot value of the fifth overall pick.

MLB.com ranked Ray the sixth-best talent available in this year’s draft, with Baseball America rating him seventh. MLB.com noted that he provided the “best combination of hitting and athletic ability” available in this year’s draft, praising his combination of power and speed, which resulted in 15 homers and 44 steals in a .310/.388/.545 junior season at Louisville. He mostly played right field in college, although he seems likely to get a shot at center field as a pro.

In April, MLBTR’s Chuck Wasserstrom spoke to Ray, who said he imagined himself as a future leadoff hitter. He also described being selected by the Mariners in the 33rd round in 2013 and ultimately deciding to go to college. “That dream was knocking on my door, and those were some pretty tough conversations with my father. He told me I wasn’t ready. All I was seeing was the dollar amount and not the big picture,” Ray said. As it turns out, it looks like he made a good decision, as he’ll now get a multimillion-dollar bonus and an immediate spot near the top of the Brewers’ list of top prospects.

MLBTR Roundtable: Trading Drew Pomeranz

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Drew Pomeranz has seen his name creep up in trade rumors over the past week, with various reports connecting him to the Marlins and the Orioles. As I recently did with Julio Teheran (see here and here) — another controllable pitcher that is drawing trade interest but needn’t necessarily be aggressively shopped by his team — I explored the cases for an against a Pomeranz trade yesterday. There’s no right or wrong answer to the debate, of course, and we at MLBTR apparently aren’t able to come to a consensus on the matter. Here’s the second edition of our MLBTR Roundtable series, in which I’ve asked everyone from our staff to weigh in on whether the Padres should hang onto Pomeranz or look to sell high on him this summer…

Tim Dierkes: The Padres should trade Drew Pomeranz this summer. Despite a 3.00 ERA at present, there are concerns. First, he’s walked 11.3% of batters faced this year. No qualified pitcher reached that level in 2015. Pomeranz has still been able to succeed because of a .254 batting average on balls in play, meaning hits aren’t dropping in. Assuming Pomeranz is not the next Chris Young, he can’t maintain that BABIP. Pomeranz’s current skill set will lead to high traffic on the bases and early hooks. Pomeranz is also a 27-year-old who has never reached 150 pro innings in his career and only reached 120 once, in 2012. He’ll be in uncharted waters in late August, and has two career DL stints for shoulder injuries. By trading Pomeranz now, the Padres have a chance to cash in an unreliable asset, however tantalizing this year’s strikeout rate may be. Verdict: Shop him.

Steve Adams: Pomeranz has been terrific this season, but he’s already approaching his innings total from the 2015 season and has never delivered a full season with a starter’s workload. I can’t say with any confidence that I expect him to throw even 170 innings this season, so I can certainly see the argument to sell high at this juncture. However, big league teams likely have similar concerns about his ability to hold up over the life of a full season, and as such he’s probably not going to command an otherworldly return. With such a weak crop of starters on the open market this winter, the Padres would be better off hanging onto Pomeranz and hoping his previous shoulder and biceps issues don’t resurface. Marketing him coming off a full season of strong innings would yield a significantly better return than trading him after 80-100 innings, and if the offers still aren’t great, there’s always next summer, when he’ll have one and a half years of control. I typically advocate for teams in the Padres’ shoes to be willing to part with virtually any player on the roster, but Pomeranz’s value is still rising. Selling too soon in this case is a larger risk to me than the risk of an arm injury or a rapid decline in performance. Verdict: Retain him.

Jeff Todd: I voted in favor of the Braves trading Julio Teheran, but I’m going to edge in the other direction here. It goes without saying that there’s a point at which the Pads should be willing to cut a deal, but I’m generally predisposed to holding here. That opinion is due in no small part to the fact that I expect other organizations to be conservative in valuing Pomeranz — both as a rental and as a long-term asset. ERA estimators take a more conservative view of his good work to date than his bottom-line results would suggest. Indeed, Pomeranz is delivering a mediocre walk rate while benefiting from some good fortune in the BABIP department. And it’s no secret that he lacks a track record as a quality and durable starter. Given that uncertainty, I’d like to see San Diego chase the upside here. While many have noted that Pomeranz relies heavily on his curve, which is true, he’s also increasingly using a change-up that gives him a new weapon against righties. Thus far, he has limited opposite-handed hitters to a .193/.277/.338 slash, which is significantly better than he has fared historically. If he can prove that he’s a mid-3 ERA starter and stay healthy for a full year, he’ll be a sparkling trade piece over the winter — when the rest of the league will be picking over a barren market of starters. (Or, if contention feels within reach, the Pads can hold onto him as a cheap, quality rotation piece of their own.) There’s risk, to be sure, but I think the chance at big-time surplus value is worth it. This just isn’t the same thing as holding onto a hurler who has already full established himself. Verdict: Retain him.

Mark Polishuk: The Padres’ big moves of the 2014-15 offseason have proven to be such a misfire that part of me feels that the club should just totally start over and trade everyone of value (Pomeranz included) for young talent.  Overall, however, I’m in the “keep Pomeranz” camp.  It wasn’t too long ago that he was considered a top prospect, and it’s probably no surprise that he’s gotten better and better the further he’s gotten from Coors Field (a.k.a. the worst possible place for a young pitcher to break into the majors).  Pomeranz has turned into an unexpected find for San Diego, and he comes at a bargain price for now and with substantial team control….unless another team goes overboard with an offer, the Padres should stand pat with him. Verdict: Retain him.

Charlie Wilmoth: I’d certainly consider trading Pomeranz if I were in A.J. Preller’s shoes, but would ultimately lean toward keeping him. Pomeranz isn’t eligible for free agency until after 2018, so there’s no rush to trade him. And while his performance thus far this season has been a bit better than his peripherals suggest, it hasn’t been wildly out of line either, and he should continue to perform well, health permitting. Next year’s crop of free agent starting pitchers is poor, so as long as Pomeranz stays healthy, the Padres should have further chances to reevaluate their situation and deal him later. Keeping him for now would also allow the Padres to prepare for the impending departures of Andrew Cashner (who can depart this winter) and Tyson Ross (who can leave after 2017). One could make some similar arguments about Julio Teheran, who I recently suggested the Braves should strongly consider trading, partially on the grounds that it’s risky for non-contending teams to hold on to established pitchers, who are at perpetual risk of injury. But Pomeranz is not as well established as a starter as Teheran, and therefore not as likely to net a big return. All things considered, then, the Padres should probably keep him for now. Verdict: Retain him.

Connor Byrne: The Padres are bottom dwellers now and they’re highly unlikely to contend before Pomeranz is scheduled for free agency at the end of the 2018 season, so it seems like a no-brainer to shop him this summer. Taking Pomeranz’s cheap 2016 price tag, remaining team control, performance and the paucity of front-end starters expected to go on the block over the next month into account, the Padres should be able to cash him in for a quality return. Plenty of playoff contenders need starters, so an inexpensive 27-year-old who’s top 25 in the majors in K/9, ERA, FIP, xFIP and infield fly rate (and gets an average amount of ground balls) should appeal to multiple clubs with rotation issues. There are questions with Pomeranz – durability, control problems and the fact that he’s succeeding with a knuckle curve as his primary pitch spring to mind – but it’s hard to believe those would scare off every starter-needy team from making a solid offer. If they do, then the Padres could retain Pomeranz and hope he continues increasing his value. There’s no harm in putting Pomeranz on the market prior to Aug. 1, though, and if rebuilding San Diego ultimately nets a package that helps augment its farm system, it would be a major win for the franchise. After acquiring Pomeranz for a pittance over the winter, the fact that the Padres are now in position to auction him off for a potentially appealing return is a boon for A.J. Preller – whose GM tenure is desperately in need of some positive results. Verdict: Shop him.

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With all of that said, let’s turn this one over to everyone else. Let the debate begin! (Link to poll for Trade Rumors app users)

West Notes: Gurriel, Pagan, Giants, Montas, Friedman, Powell

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Astros GM Jeff Luhnow didn’t make clear whether or not his team has interest in Cuban infielder Yulieski Gurriel, but did say that the organization has taken a good look at him, as Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports. “We’ve done our homework and we’re very well aware of the player and what we believe he’s capable of doing,” he said. It’s still anybody’s guess whether Houston will stick with its internal options at third base — including Luis Valbuena, utilityman Marwin Gonzalez, and prospects Colin Moran and Alex Bregman — or instead pursue outside help.

Here’s more from out west:

  • The Giants are open to bringing back outfielder Angel Pagan on a short-term arrangement when his current contract is up after the season, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Twitter links). That could change depending upon what the team does on the trade market, he adds. San Francisco has been rumored to be looking at outfielders, infielders, and both starters and relievers. Needless to say, it’s shaping up to be an interesting deadline for the NL West leaders.
  • As for possible outfield additions, the Giants have put in a call to the Reds on Jay Bruce, Schulman reported earlier today, though it seems that the Cincinnati brass has yet to respond on the inquiry. He notes that the preference may well be for a right-handed bat, but with good options potentially scarce the club won’t rule out a left-handed hitter.
  • Young Dodgers righty Frankie Montas has been diagnosed with a broken rib, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). He already had rib issues earlier in the year, and Rosenthal suggests the new problem is related. The highly-regarded prospect had been set to receive a big league call-up before the injury cropped up, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
  • Dodgers GM Andrew Friedman discussed his club’s uneven start to the season with McCullough. He says that the club still “feels good about where we are looking forward,” particularly given the need to weather some early injuries. Friedman suggested that the impressive stock of younger talent in the system could still be used to bolster the big league roster, though it remains unclear whether and when that’ll happen. “Our mindset since I’ve gotten here has been to focus on elite-level players,” Friedman explained. “That being said, we also had to focus on rounding our roster. With where our roster is, where our depth is, and with the quality of our upper-level prospects, it allows us to focus more intently on that.”
  • Mariners outfield prospect Boog Powell has been hit with an eighty-game PED suspension, as MLB.com’s Greg Johns was among those to tweet. That’s obviously disappointing for a player who was generally regarded as one of the organization’s best upper-level youngsters. The 23-year-old was struggling at the plate at Triple-A this year, but has put up strong numbers over most of his minor league career. Powell was part of the deal that also brought Nate Karns to the M’s.

White Sox Sign First-Rounder Zack Collins

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The White Sox have signed first-round draft pick Zack Collins, the club announced today. He’ll receive an at-slot bonus of $3,380,600, per Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago (via Twitter).

Collins was taken with the 10th overall selection out of the University of Miami, based largely upon his top-quality bat and outstanding results against strong competition in college. He is coming off of a season in which he not only took 69 walks while striking out just 48 times, but slashed .358/.534/.631 and swatted 13 long balls in 176 turns at bat.

That kind of hitting can play anywhere on the field, but it’s all the more impressive for a catcher. That said, many question whether Collins can stick behind the dish as a professional. The assessments vary somewhat, but it seems safe to say that it’s far from certain that he’ll end up donning the gear at the major league level — let alone that he’ll be a quality receiver.

Collins himself believes in his ability behind the plate, though, as he told MLBTR contributor Chuck Wasserstrom a few months back. “Obviously, I’m an offensive catcher,” he said, “but I’m working on my defense a lot lately. I think I’ve gotten a lot better defensively … I’ve worked a lot on my blocking and receiving and throwing and footwork – all that kind of stuff. We actually have a new catching coach down here in Miami (Norberto Lopez), and he’s helped me a ton.” 

Despite the defensive questions, Collins’ bat was good enough to draw top grades from prospect hounds. He ranked as high as 14th among draft-eligible prospects, in the eyes of MLB.com. And he also landed within the top twenty names listed by Baseball America and ESPN.com.

The 5 Most Important Transactions Of The Week

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MLB rosters are ever-changing, mostly due to the fragility of players—there are currently over 170 players on the disabled list. Baseball players also go through ups and downs and a coaching staff/front office must decide at which point to shake things up and make a change.

This keeps me very busy over at Roster Resource, where I spend my day moving roster pieces around as news is reported. This past week was no exception, although there were more big names than usual in the transactions. Here are the five most important moves from the past seven days …

1. Blue Jays RF Jose Bautista (Turf Toe) Placed On 15-Day DL 

Despite a nagging quad injury, the 35-year-old Bautista was settling in nicely as Toronto’s leadoff man when he injured his toe on June 16th. The Jays were also playing their best baseball of the season, about to win for the 15th time in 22 games to push their record to 37-31.

Without their superstar right fielder, who was placed on the disabled the list the following day and expected to be in a walking boot for two weeks, the Jays have now lost 3 of 5. Bautista’s replacement in the starting lineup is veteran journeyman Ezequiel Carrera, who is having a terrific season (.827 OPS in 114 plate appearances), but only 3-for-14 with a homer in his absence.

While he’s earned the opportunity with his performance as a part-time player this season, the 29-year-old Carrera would likely have a short leash if Dalton Pompey was having a more eye-popping season down in Triple-A.

Although Pompey does have a .280 batting average and .351 on-base percentage, the former top prospect has shown very little power and doesn’t appear to be an upgrade at this moment. But if Carrera and the Jays are struggling 7-10 days from now and Pompey has heated up, this scenario could change.

2. Tigers RF J.D. Martinez (Non-Displaced Elbow Fracture) Placed On 15-Day DL

Like fellow slugger Bautista, Martinez suffered his injury while playing in the outfield last Thursday. The 2015 All-Star, who was on a similar pace to last season (.879 OPS, 38 HR in 158 games ’15; .878 OPS, 12 HR in 65 games in ’16), is expected to miss at least 4-6 weeks and possibly much more. And yet, the Tigers’ lineup hasn’t missed a beat.

Not only did Justin Upton pick a good time to finally get going at the plate—8-for-27 with four homers since Martinez’s injury—Steven Moya has 9 hits in 24 at-bats, including three homers and two doubles, since replacing Martinez on the 25-man roster and in the starting lineup.

The 24-year-old rookie has huge power potential, but has been strikeout prone throughout his minor league career. So maybe this is a case of small sample size success before teams figure out the best way to attack the young hitter. Until then, he’s giving the Tigers some much-needed lefty power to help balance out a right-handed heavy lineup.

3. Dodgers OF Yasiel Puig Activated From Disabled List

Puig is having a terrible season. On the day he was placed on the disabled list in early June, he had a .643 OPS with nine walks, 43 strikeouts and only 11 extra-base hits. Trayce Thompson, who had already worked his way into the outfield mix, had an .872 OPS with eight homers at the time. No Puig. No problem.

Fast forward almost three weeks and the Dodgers have a slight dilemma. Puig is ready to return. Howie Kendrick is getting most of his at-bats in left field and, coincidentally, hit over .300 during Puig’s absence. Thompson wasn’t bad, but his production had fallen with Puig on the disabled list (.740 OPS).

So who sits? The answer is “not the guy who became a star after posting an .888 OPS in his first two big league seasons.” Since returning from the disabled list on Tuesday, the 25-year-old Puig has started both games in right field and collected three singled in seven at-bats, while Thompson and Kendrick have each started one game in left field.

Of course, Kendrick’s versatility makes this much less complicated—he’s made starts at first base, second base, third base and left field—as does Thompson’s ability to play all three outfield spots. There are plenty of at-bats for all three, at least until Andre Ethier returns later in the season. But if Puig reverts to his poor pre-injury form, the Dodgers could have a “starting right field controversy” on their hands.

4. Angels SP Tim Lincecum Recalled From Triple-A

It’s probably a case of “too little, too late” for the Angels, who haven’t had much of a chance to compete since losing staff ace Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney to elbow injuries. But the signing and subsequent call-up of former Giants ace Lincecum was supposed to give the team a shot in the arm.

But between the time Lincecum agreed to the deal on May 20th and the day of his call-up on June 18th, the Angels went from 19-23 and 5.5 games out in the AL West to 29-38 and 13.5 games out.

The 32-year-old Lincecum is now likely auditioning for those playoff contenders looking to bolster their starting rotation next month. The results are mixed, thus far, with a solid debut against Oakland (6 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K) and a clunker against the same A’s team yesterday (3 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 2 K).

5. Blue Jays SS Troy Tulowitzki Activated From 15-Day Disabled List

When Tulowitzki was placed on the disabled list in late May, he was hitting just over the Mendoza Line and the Blue Jays were a .500 ball club. When he returned three weeks later on June 18th, they were eight games over .500 and Darwin Barney was headed back to the bench after an impressive stint as Tulo’s replacement (.309/.356/.397 in 73 plate appearances).

Not that there was any question whether the 31-year-old Tulowitzki should be playing over the light-hitting Barney. We learned, however, that the Jays are still a good team without him. If he can ever return to his pre-trade form when he starred with the Rockies—he has a career OPS of .809 outside of Coors Field so this is unlikely to be the cause of his mediocre numbers—the Jays can be a great team.

So far, so good. In four games since returning, Tulowitzki is 5-for-14 with a double and two homers. If he’s hitting like this when Bautista returns, likely sometime next month, this Jays offense will be as scary as we all thought it would be.

Astros To Promote A.J. Reed

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The Astros are set to promote highly-regarded first base prospect A.J. Reed, according to 1250 Sports Talk Radio. Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle confirmed the move via Twitter.

Reed, 23, is one of the game’s best-regarded first base prospects. A second round pick out of the University of Kentucky, he has steadily increased his stock with consistently excellent results as he’s climbed the ranks. He has reached base at a steady clip by combining a solid walk rate with a high-average bat that also delivers plenty of pop.

Things started slowly this year for Reed, who reached the Triple-A level for the first time. But he has turned it up of late and now owns a .261/.343/.495 batting line with ten long balls over 248 plate appearances. Reed doesn’t add value on the basepaths or with the glove, but MLB.com’s prospect team notes that his athleticism and big arm should help make him a sturdy option at first.

Entering the year, MLB.com rated Reed the 35th-best prospect in the game, while ESPN.com’s Keith Law placed him 44th. Baseball America, though, was even more optimistic, ranking him just outside the top ten. BA graded his hit tool at 60 and his power at 65, both well above average on the 20-80 scouting chart.

As Jason Martinez of MLBTR and MLBDepthCharts.com recently wrote in his “Knocking Down The Door” series, Reed could provide a boost to a streaking Astros club that has been trotting out utility infielder Marwin Gonzalez at first base. As useful as Gonzalez is, he doesn’t carry the kind of offensive upside that resides in Reed’s bat.

Mariners Option Nori Aoki

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The Mariners have optioned outfielder Nori Aoki to Triple-A, the club announced. His service time means that he had to clear revocable option waivers first, but couldn’t elect free agency without sacrificing his guaranteed salary.

[Related: Updated Mariners Depth Chart]

Seattle is in need of pitching reinforcements and the roster space to fit them, but the decision was also tied to Aoki’s struggles — especially against lefties, per MLB.com’s Greg Johns (Twitter links). Aoki says he is on board with the move and is prepared to work his way back.

It’s an especially notable move given that Aoki, 34, has never spent time in the minors except on rehab assignments. He went straight to the big leagues after signing from Japan back in 2012. Aoki was also a fairly significant free agent acquisition for the M’s, who guaranteed him $5.5MM over the winter.

At the time, it seemed like a nice value on a sturdy veteran. After posting league-average or better batting lines over each of the past four seasons, though, Aoki has scuffled to a .245/.323/.313 slash over his 284 plate appearances thus far. Aoki has also been gunned down on seven of eleven steal attempts.

The struggles go fairly deep for Aoki. He has been dreadful against opposing southpaws, with a .434 OPS. He’s hitting more groundballs and less line drives than ever, and his infield pop rate has skied to an ugly 17.1%, so the contact profile looks quite a bit different than usual.

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