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Archives for January 2017

Pitching Notes: Diekman, Imhof, Mets, Jays, Reds/Arroyo, Marquis, Urias, Nats, Harris

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Rangers lefty Jake Diekman underwent successful surgery to remove his colon, with several more procedures to come as he battles ulcerative colitis. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News has the latest, including video diary entries from Diekman himself. It’s well worth a watch to learn more about the unfortunate affliction and Diekman’s fight. We hope to see him back on the mound as soon as possible.

There won’t be a return in the offing for Phillies lefty Matt Imhof, who lost his eye in a terrible accident involving exercise bands. As Imhof himself writes in a moving piece for ESPN.com, he’s returning to finish his degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and will retire from the sport. He says it’s not just due to the injury, though; as he writes, “the truth is I need a change of pace after 20 years of doing the same thing.” You’ll want to give a full read to the southpaw’s powerful story of coming to grips with — and not being defined by — his injury.

As we wish the best to Diekman and Imhof, here’s the latest on the market for pitching:

  • As the Mets look to bolster their bullpen, the team is still weighing a variety of free agents, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). In addition to keeping open the possibility of a reunion with lefty Jerry Blevins, the Mets are also considering righties Sergio Romo and Joe Smith.
  • The Blue Jays are also keeping in touch with Blevins, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca. Toronto’s search for a southpaw reliever has also led it to consider Craig Breslow, per the report. The team was among those to check out his new mechanics recently.
  • The Reds are exploring a reunion with former starter Bronson Arroyo, as Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). Unsurprisingly, the team is not interested in guaranteeing him a roster spot, as Arroyo is two full years removed from appearing in the majors and has dealt with significant arm issues of late. GM Dick Williams confirms that the team has watched Arroyo throw and is weighing a signing, per MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon (Twitter links). Beyond a move on Arroyo or other candidates for minor-league deals, Cincinnati is done with its free-agent signings, Williams adds.
  • Speaking of longstanding veterans weighing returns, righty Jason Marquis suggested in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (Twitter link) that he’s open to reviving his career. The 38-year-old last appeared in a nine-start stint with Cincy in 2015, but he’s set to pitch for Team Israel in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
  • While Dodgers lefty Julio Urias showed plenty in 2016 to warrant a rotation spot in the coming season, innings considerations may hold him back to start the year. As Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times tweets, skipper Dave Roberts says that the organization may keep him in extended Spring Training at the beginning of the 2017 campaign. Such an approach would not only ensure that Urias is available for good once he does make it up, but would afford more opportunities for the organization to see what it has in its variety of interesting, injury-plagued arms. Over at Fangraphs, Craig Edwards takes a look at what’s shaping up to be a fascinating staff.
  • There’s an argument to be made that the Nationals not only need to address their closer situation, but also ought to bolster their rotation depth, as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post writes. While the team’s five-man starting unit is likely set, which perhaps limits their ability to promise opportunities to free agents, a swingman could make sense. Janes mentions Travis Wood as at least a hypothetical match, and he would indeed seem to make a sensible fit.
  • 31-year-old Cardinals reliever Mitch Harris is hoping to join former teammate Seth Maness in bouncing back from a “primary repair” procedure to his right elbow, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Harris last pitched competitively in 2015, but will be ramping up for a full spring after undergoing the surgery last summer. Because his surgeon was able to attempt that less-invasive approach, as opposed to a full UCL replacement, there’s a possibility of a much swifter return to the hill — though Harris will first need to earn his way into MLB camp after failing to receive an invite.

Hyun-Jin Ryu Says He’s Pain-Free, Ready For Camp

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Dodgers lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu says he’s confident that he can finally return to health in 2017, Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency reports. The Korean hurler has been beset by injuries over the past two years, most recently going under the knife for an elbow debridement.

“Right now, I’d say I am in better shape than I normally would be at the start of spring training,” said Ryu. “I threw four bullpen sessions while training in Japan. I have no pain at the moment.”

With a long list of rotation options on the depth chart, the Dodgers aren’t necessarily relying on a return for Ryu. But a return to form this spring might pose a welcome problem, and Ryu says he’s set to compete from the start. “I think I have to start throwing on the mound from the very beginning of the camp,” he said. “And I think I am physically ready to do that.”

Though he carries an excellent 3.28 lifetime ERA over his 348 2/3 innings, Ryu has made just one MLB start since the beginning of the 2015 season. (On the bright side, he showed nearly his typical fastball velocity in that one outing and did throw 27 2/3 rehab innings last year, allowing just one walk.) Given his struggles to stay on the mound, Ryu seemingly recognizes that he’s no longer guaranteed a starting role. He noted that he’ll enter the spring “try[ing] to win a spot in the rotation.” The hope, says Ryu, is first to do that and then stay healthy for all of 2017.

There are longer-term implications here, too, for both player and team. Ryu is owed $7MM apiece in each of the next two seasons, and Los Angeles will surely hope to receive a contribution from the talented southpaw. And Ryu will be looking to get his career back on track before hitting the open market after 2018. (Though he could theoretically earn opt-out rights after this coming season, there is no realistic way he can reach the 750 total innings needed for that clause to vest.)

Bullpen Rumors: Badenhop, Lefties, Indians, Breslow, Colome, Twins

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Former big league reliever Burke Badenhop is joining the Diamondbacks in an interesting new baseball operations position, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets. In his new role, Piecoro writes, Badenhop will perform “acquisition-based pitching analysis/sports science work.” That sounds like a great way to start a new career path for the veteran hurler, though unfortunately it’ll mean sacrificing the fame and riches associated with his gig as an MLBTR contributor.

In all seriousness, MLBTR wishes Burke the very best in his new pursuit; be sure to check out his excellent work in the Player’s Perspective Series. Here’s the latest from the relief market:

  • In his latest MLB Roundup column, ESPN’s Buster Olney writes that a game of musical chairs appears poised to begin in the next couple of days as the market for left-handed relievers begins to sort itself out (ESPN Insider subscription required). Per Olney, the Indians, Mets, Blue Jays, Phillies, Giants and Marlins are the teams most aggressively seeking left-handed bullpen help. FOX’s Ken Rosenthal also tweeted this morning that the Mets are still seeking bullpen help, though Olney notes that the team doesn’t have the payroll capacity to retain Jerry Blevins at his current asking price. There are a number of free-agent southpaws remaining on the market, including Blevins, Travis Wood, Boone Logan, J.P. Howell, Charlie Furbush (recovering from August shoulder surgery), Chris Capuano, Javier Lopez and Craig Breslow. Olney notes that Wood’s deteriorating swinging-strike rate has been a cause of concern for some teams.
  • While the Indians are indeed most interested in a southpaw, the club is not limiting itself to left-handed relief options, Rosenthal notes (Twitter links). Among other possibilities, Cleveland is said to be “doing background work” on veteran righty Joe Blanton, though Rosenthal notes that it’s far from clear whether the organization will even give out any more MLB deals (which Blanton surely will require).
  • Following a workout that was reportedly attended by about half the league, Breslow is drawing some level of interest from the Indians, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Rockies, Mets, Cubs, Twins and Reds, according to WEEI’s Rob Bradford (Twitter links). The 36-year-old’s altered arm angle has piqued the interest of teams to the point where some consider him a viable fallback to Jerry Blevins and Boone Logan.
  • The Rays are still receiving trade interest in closer Alex Colome, tweets Rosenthal, but they’re not in any rush to move him. The 28-year-old Colome dominated opponents after taking over the ninth inning for the injured Brad Boxberger, tossing 56 2/3 innings of 1.91 ERA ball with 11.3 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 47.1 percent ground-ball rate. Colome, though, is controllable for another four years and won’t even be arbitration-eligible until next winter, so the asking price on him would presumably be exceptionally high. While the Rays may not feel compelled to shop Colome, the team typically is willing to listen on nearly any player. I’d imagine any offer would need to include MLB-ready lineup help in addition to some prospect capital.
  • The Twins are interested in Joe Smith, reports 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson in his latest podcast (audio link, with bullpen talk beginning around 1:02:55). (Wolfson also noted interest in Greg Holland, but he’s now heading elsewhere.) Minnesota is “slow-playing” its search on the free-agent market as it attempts to wait out the market to secure a late value pickup or two, and with plenty of quality names left on the market, they’re probably not the only ones employing that approach. The Twins have previously been connected to both relievers, though that interest was first reported months ago, so it wasn’t exactly clear if they’d changed course at all. New Twins chief baseball office Derek Falvey knows Smith quite well, as the side-armer spent the 2009-13 seasons with the Indians, where Falvey was previously an assistant general manager.

Dodgers To Sign Brandon Morrow

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8:23pm: Morrow will earn at a $1.25MM annual rate for any time spent in the majors, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).

8:12pm: The Dodgers have agreed to a minor-league deal with righty Brandon Morrow, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). He is expected to be given a shot at earning a roster spot as a reliever, per the report.

Morrow, 32, had long served as a starter, but made the full-time transition to the pen last year after years of health problems. He didn’t make it up to the majors until late in the season, but provided the Padres with 16 innings of 1.69 ERA ball while posting 4.5 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9. Though the short-sample K rate isn’t exciting, Morrow posted a solid 10.3% swinging-strike rate and showed an average fastball of over 94 mph.

While there’s plenty of risk in relying too heavily on the righty, given his shoulder woes, it’s just a minor-league deal. And Los Angeles has clearly charted a strategy of taking chances on pitchers with questionable medicals of late, trusting the team’s depth pieces and ability to make mid-season moves to cover for any gaps that arise.

Outrighted: Anthony Gose, Zach Neal, Jabari Blash

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • The Tigers announced that center fielder Anthony Gose has been outrighted after clearing waivers, per a team announcement. He won’t have an opportunity to reject the assignment, as it’s his first time being outrighted and he hasn’t yet reached three years of major league service. Still just 26, Gose lost his role on the Tigers last year and struggled upon his demotion to the upper minors (in addition to being suspended after a dugout spat with then-Triple-A skipper Lloyd McClendon). He could yet play a role in Detroit’s outfield mix, but will surely need to earn his way back. In 1,252 plate appearances over parts of five seasons in the majors, Gose owns a .240/.309/.348 batting line with 57 steals.
  • Also outrighted following a DFA was Athletics righty Zach Neal. The 28-year-old appeared in the majors for the first time in 2016, posting a 4.24 ERA over 70 innings. Reflecting his long history as a low-strikeout, low-walk hurler, Neal retired just 27 opposing batters via strikes but also put only six on base via the free pass. Having cleared waivers, and lacking the ability to reject an assignment, he’ll provide the A’s with some upper-level pitching depth in 2017.
  • The same fate awaits outfielder Jabari Blash, who’ll stay with the Padres after clearing outright waivers. The 27-year-old didn’t produce at the MLB level and faced a tough path to playing time with numerous others deserving of opportunities in San Diego. But he has been awfully impressive at Triple-A over the last few years, posting a cumulative .246/.364/.550 slash with 45 long balls over 646 total plate appearances.

Indians Sign Austin Jackson To Minor League Deal

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4:31pm: The deal has been announced by Cleveland.

2:31pm: Jackson and the Indians are in agreement on a minor league deal that comes with a $1.5MM base salary, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). He can earn up to $4MM worth of incentives in addition to that base, and Heyman also tweets that Jackson has an opt-out clause in his deal that comes at the end of Spring Training.

2:17pm: The Indians and free-agent outfielder Austin Jackson are closing in on an agreement, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney (on Twitter). Cleveland has been seeking a right-handed complement for Tyler Naquin in center field, and Jackson could fill that role at what’s likely to be an affordable rate. Jackson, who turns 30 next month, is represented by Octagon.

[Related: Updated Cleveland Indians Depth Chart]

Jackson spent the 2016 season with the White Sox after signing a one-year, $5MM deal in free agency last February, but he struggled at the plate for two months before ultimately suffering a knee injury that ended his season. In 203 plate appearances with the South Siders, Jackson hit .254/.318/.343 with 12 doubles, two triples and no home runs.

Back in 2010, Jackson finished runner-up to Neftali Feliz in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, and through the first four seasons of his career the former top prospect looked to be a star on the rise. Jackson batted .278/.344/.416 while playing exceptional center field defense and providing strong value on the basepaths as well. However, a 2014 trade to the Mariners marked the beginning of a rapid offensive decline for Jackson, who has produced a rather dismal .255/.302/.345 batting line in 966 plate appearances since first leaving Detroit.

From a defensive standpoint, Jackson’s skills have become more questionable as well. Both Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved felt his work in center was roughly average, in the aggregate, from 2014-15. But both metrics soured on his glove in 2016, agreeing that he cost the White Sox about five runs in just 465 innings as a center fielder. With a notable knee surgery now in his recent history as well, it’s certainly fair to wonder if Jackson’s days as even an average center fielder are behind him, although the Indians aren’t taking on much financial risk in order to find out.

And, in a platoon setting, Jackson could still prove productive at the plate. Despite the lackluster nature of his overall batting line since that trade to Seattle, he’s handled lefties at a .287/.329/.452 clip since first being shipped out of Detroit. That output, paired with even passable glovework, would make him a valuable role player in Cleveland this season.

Phillies Sign Ryan Hanigan

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The Phillies have signed catcher Ryan Hanigan to a minor-league deal, per a club announcement. Included in the deal is an invitation to MLB camp this spring. He can earn $1.25MM if he makes the major league roster, with $375K in available incentives, per SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (via Twitter). He’ll also receive a March 28th opt-out date, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets.

Hanigan hit the open market when the Red Sox declined a $3.75MM club option after the 2016 campaign. Long valued for his high-contact approach at the plate and solid defensive skills, Hanigan deteriorated in both regards in 2016 while battling injuries.

Now 36, Hanigan posted an anemic .171/.230/.238 batting line over his 113 plate appearances last year. Though he typically draws free passes as much or more than he strikes out, Hanigan uncharacteristically took just seven walks while going down on strikes 27 times. And in the field, Baseball Prospectus and StatCorner both panned his pitch framing.

[RELATED: Updated Phillies Depth Chart]

Still, it’s an easy gamble for the Phils to take. The organization is expected to utilize Cameron Rupp as the starter after his strong 2016 effort, and has several young receivers in the upper levels of the minors. Rather than rush them along, though, it can compete the reserve job between Hanigan and fellow minor-league signee Bryan Holaday.

Red Sox, Drew Pomeranz Avoid Arbitration

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The Red Sox and Drew Pomeranz have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $4.45MM, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The two sides had the largest gulf between their filing figures (as shown in MLBTR’s 2017 Arbitration Tracker), with Pomeranz filing at $5.7MM and the Sox filing at $3.6MM.

Ultimately, player and team largely met in the middle. They’ll settle a bit south of the $4.65MM midpoint between those two sums. Pomeranz had been projected by MLBTR and contributor Matt Swartz to earn $4.7MM after taking home $1.35MM in 2016.

Pomeranz broke out during the first half of last year, racking up 102 innings of 2.47 ERA ball for the Padres, who eventually shipped him to the Red Sox for top pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza. A dispute over the medical information made available did not end up impacting the trade, but did lead to a suspension of San Diego GM A.J. Preller.

Though he made 13 starts for Boston, Pomeranz managed only a 4.59 ERA over 68 2/3 innings. Though he largely maintained his K/BB numbers, finishing with 9.8 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 on the year, he coughed up 14 home runs with Boston. Though it had no real impact on his arb salary, it’s worth noting too that Pomeranz ended up dealing with some arm issues late in the year.

Rays Sign Shawn Tolleson

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JAN. 25: Topkin has the breakdown of Tolleson’s incentives package as well. Tolleson will earn $50K upon appearing in his 35th game, $75K for his 40th and 45th appearances, $100K for his 50th appearance, $150K for his 55th, $200K for his 60th and $250K for appearances 65 and 70.

JAN. 23: The deal, which has now been announced, will pay Tolleson $1MM, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). It also comes with up to $1.15MM in incentives, per Topkin (via Twitter).

JAN.17, 6:30pm: The deal, if completed, will be a Major League contract, Topkin tweets.

5:30pm: The Rays are close to an agreement with former Rangers closer Shawn Tolleson, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.

The soon-to-be 29-year-old right-hander was non-tendered by Texas last month after a poor 2016 campaign but was excellent as recently as 2014-15. In that two-year run of success, Tolleson logged a 2.88 ERA with 9.1 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 across 144 innings of relief. Tolleson’s strong performance earned him a ninth-inning role with the Rangers for most of the 2015 campaign, and he racked up 35 saves that season as the primary closer in Texas.

However, the 2016 campaign was disastrous for Tolleson, who saw his ERA spike to an outlandish 7.68 mark over the life of 36 1/3 innings. Tolleson did pick up 11 saves, but he eventually ceded his ninth-inning job to teammate Sam Dyson, who enters the season as the projected closer in Texas once again. Tolleson was eventually outrighted by the Rangers and elected free agency in search of a better opportunity. Topkin notes that while Tolleson missed time with a back injury in 2016, he’s now said to be healthy, which one would think gives him a decent shot at cracking the Rays’ big league bullpen, even if the deal proves to be of the minor league variety.

Should Tolleson return to form in his new surroundings, the Rays will have the added bonus of being able to control him for another season. Tolleson finished the year four years, 109 days of big league service time, so he’ll be eligible for arbitration again next winter and wouldn’t reach free agency until after the 2018 season (unless the Rays elect to cut ties with him sooner).

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