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NL Notes: Nationals, Mets, D-backs, Cards

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The Nationals and Bryce Harper began working toward the one-year, $21.625MM extension the right fielder signed Saturday over the winter, general manager Mike Rizzo told Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com (all Twitter links). The deal could end up as a slight discount for the Nationals, who believe Harper would have pushed for $25MM in arbitration next offseason if he were to win his second National League MVP this year, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter).

Looking ahead, Rizzo revealed that there haven’t been any discussions about Harper’s status beyond next season, when he’s scheduled to become a free agent. In the meantime, by settling Harper’s salary for next year, the Nationals ensured that he’ll be “comfortable” and won’t have to worry about it this season, Rizzo added. Harper agrees, saying: “It’s huge. We’re able to go into the offseason and worry about other things.” The 24-year-old also noted that anything past the 2018 campaign is “still a long way away.”

More from the NL:

  • Both left-hander Steven Matz and right-hander Seth Lugo threw 30 pitches in an extended spring training game Saturday and could return to the Mets by late May or early June, manager Terry Collins indicated (via MetsBlog). Matz has dealt with an elbow issue that has prevented him from pitching this season, while a partially torn UCL has sidelined Lugo. The two were quality starters last year for the Mets, whose rotation has declined significantly this season for both injury- and performance-related reasons.
  • Diamondbacks catcher Chris Iannetta took a 93 mph fastball to the face from the Pirates’ Johnny Barbato on Friday, but he’s “doing OK,” according to manager Torey Lovullo (via the Associated Press). Despite suffering a couple fractured teeth and a broken nose, Iannetta is “eager to play,” per Lovullo. However, the team is understandably taking a careful approach with Iannetta and is still deciding whether to place him on the disabled list.
  • In another scary situation, Cardinals Triple-A pitching prospect Daniel Poncedeleon took a line drive off the head Tuesday and then underwent surgery Wednesday to relieve pressure around his brain. Poncedeleon has been in the intensive care unit of an Iowa hospital over the past few days, though doctors are “very encouraged by how things are progressing,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said Saturday (per Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com). “Right now, everything is going in a very positive direction,” continued Mozeliak. “You don’t want to speak in absolutes. You don’t want to draw conclusions. But we’re very encouraged with where he’s at.”

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Yankees, Mets, Bucs, Aces, Phillies

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This week in baseball blogs:

Please send submissions to ZachBBWI @gmail.com.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/13/17

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

  • A week after the Twins designated him for assignment, reliever Michael Tonkin has cleared waivers and will report to Triple-A Rochester, tweets LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune. As such, the right-hander will remain with the only major league organization he has known since going in the 30th round of the 2008 draft. Prior to his designation, Tonkin threw 11 early season innings in Minnesota and offset a 10.64 K/9 with an 8.18 BB/9, the latter of which helped lead to a 6.55 ERA.
  • The Blue Jays have outrighted reliever Neil Ramirez to Triple-A Buffalo, per a team announcement. Ramirez, whom the Jays designated Thursday, came over from San Francisco via waivers on May 4 and hasn’t yet thrown a pitch with the Toronto organization. Despite piling up 18 strikeouts against four walks as a Giant this season, the 27-year-old Ramirez managed an 8.71 ERA in 10 1/3 innings with the club.
  • The Athletics have outrighted outfielder Jaff Decker to Triple-A Nashville, where he began the season. The A’s added Decker to their 25- and 40-man rosters April 15, and he proceeded to hit .200/.322/.260 in a career-high 62 plate appearances before they designated him Tuesday. A former high-end prospect, the 27-year-old Decker owns a .269/.370/.410 line in 1,542 Triple-A PAs.
  • The Cubs have released catcher Carlos Corporan, who joined the organization on a minor league deal in January. In his most recent action, Corporan hit a paltry .197/.246/.333 in 196 combined PAs between the Marlins’ and Rays’ Triple-A affiliates last season. The 33-year-old hasn’t cracked the majors since 2015, and has batted .218/.280/.342 in 780 PAs at the game’s highest level.

Earlier updates:

  • The Marlins have announced that they’ve outrighted righty Joe Gunkel, who they designated for assignment last week when they selected Steve Lombardozzi’s contract. Gunkel has headed from the Orioles to the Dodgers (in a minor trade) and from the Dodgers to the Marlins (on a waiver claim) in the past several weeks, and he’s pitched just 17 minor-league innings so far this season as a result. The 25-year-old had a solid 2016 in the Orioles system, posting a 4.08 ERA, 6.0 K/9 and a very strong 1.1 BB/9 in 141 1/3 innings in the rotation at Triple-A Norfolk.

Jeurys Familia Undergoes Surgery, Out 3-4 Months

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SATURDAY: Familia will be able to resume throwing in six weeks and could return to competitive pitching in three to four months, the Mets announced Saturday (Twitter link via Carig).

FRIDAY: Mets closer Jeurys Familia underwent surgery this afternoon, GM Sandy Alderson told reporters including Mike Puma of the New York Post (links via Twitter) and Marc Carig of Newsday (Twitter links). The club announced yesterday that surgery was possible after Familia was diagnosed with an arterial clot in his right shoulder.

The procedure to deal with the clot is expected to cost Familia several months of action — possibly keeping him out for the rest of the season. While thoracic outlet syndrome wasn’t implicated, the procedure evidently comes with a rather lengthy recovery timeline, as had seemed to be the case when the news broke yesterday.

Obviously, the injury came as quite a surprise given that Familia pitched on Wednesday night without apparent issue (results aside). Alderson explains that the closer advised the organization for the first time before the game that he was experiencing some symptoms, but he was cleared to throw because they were not significant. Evidently, a closer look after Familia’s appearance led to the preliminary diagnosis and a quick turnaround to surgery.

With the loss of Familia, the Mets are now staring at lengthy absences from their best reliever and their best starter, Noah Syndergaard. While there’s talent on hand to step into those roles — Addison Reed is more than capable of closing, while Jacob deGrom is an ace in his own right — the bigger issues arise further down the line. In this case, the club will no longer be able to turn the ball over to the bullpen with the expectation of consecutive shut-down innings (or more, in some cases, given Familia’s multi-inning capabilities).

Marlins’ Wei-Yin Chen Out Indefinitely

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When the Marlins placed left-hander Wei-Yin Chen on the disabled list with a tired arm last Saturday, their hope was that he’d only miss one start. Now, after Chen suffered a setback during a bullpen session Saturday, the Marlins are unsure when (or if) he’ll pitch again this year, reports Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.

Chen’s arm “just doesn’t feel right,” according to manager Don Mattingly, who added: “At this point, you feel like you really can’t count on him in the near future when it happens like this. Obviously, this is turning into more than what we thought it was going to be.”

Prior to going on the DL, Chen had been pitching through a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, though an MRI didn’t reveal any serious damage. Nevertheless, he’s now all but certain to miss significant time for the second year, which is also his second season in Miami. Chen, whom the low-payroll Marlins signed to a five-year, $80MM contract two offseasons ago, sat out two months in 2016 on account of an elbow issue. When he was on the mound, the former Oriole posted strikeout (7.3 per nine innings), walk (1.75 per nine) and ground-ball rates (40.5) in line with career norms, but his ERA ballooned from a career-best 3.34 in 2015 to a personal-worst 4.96 over 123 1/3 innings. While Chen has fared a bit better at preventing runs this year across 27 frames, his improved ERA (4.33) has come with a worse K/9 (6.67), BB/9 (3.0) and grounder rate (37.2 percent).
Given his arm troubles and on-field difficulties as a Marlin, Chen looks like a shoo-in to remain with the team past this season. Chen’s contract includes the ability to opt out of the final three years of the deal next offseason, but exiting the pact would mean leaving a guaranteed $52MM on the table.
For now, the Marlins will likely recall fellow southpaw Justin Nicolino from Triple-A to fill Chen’s void in their rotation, per Spencer.

Rays Demote Blake Snell To Minors

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The Rays have optioned left-handed starter Blake Snell to Triple-A Durham, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The club will recall reliever Ryne Stanek to take Snell’s roster spot, Topkin adds (on Twitter).

Tampa Bay elected to demote Snell after he turned in arguably his worst start of the year in a 6-3 loss to the Red Sox on Saturday. The 24-year-old went 5 2/3 innings, marking the seventh time in eight starts this season that he hasn’t completed at least six frames, and yielded six earned runs on six hits and three walks, with five strikeouts. In 42 innings this year, Snell has logged a bloated 4.71 ERA with a disappointing strikeout rate (7.29 per nine innings) and a horrid walk rate (5.36).

Snell also struggled with control as a rookie last season (5.16 BB/9), but the former top prospect managed to offset that to a degree with a stellar 9.91 K/9, which helped him post a quality ERA (3.54) in 89 innings. Since then, though, Snell has lost some fastball velocity and generated fewer swinging strikes, as his rate has fallen from 10.9 percent in 2016 to 8.8 percent this year. Overall, Snell has been the weak link in a Rays rotation that has otherwise been a strength in 2017, with Chris Archer, Alex Cobb, Matt Andriese and Jake Odorizzi having recorded positive results.

With Snell returning to the minors, veteran swingman Erasmo Ramirez is likely to take his rotation spot, per Topkin, though he notes that the Rays might not need a fifth starter imminently. Snell’s demotion shouldn’t affect his long-term control, as he entered the season with 110 days of service time and is now closing in on the 172 necessary to accrue a full year. Thus, assuming Snell returns to the majors this season, he should still remain on track to reach free agency after the 2022 season.

Cafardo On Hellickson, Amaro, Quintana, Middlebrooks

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Here are a few highlights from the latest column by Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe:

  • The Phillies are willing to listen to trade offers for righty Jeremy Hellickson. That’s hardly a surprise, since Hellickson is a short-term asset pitching for a 13-19 team that’s trying to rebuild, but it was also recently reported that the Phillies could also consider extending Hellickson, who accepted their qualifying offer last winter. Hellickson has posted a 3.49 ERA, 4.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 38 2/3 innings thus far in his second season in Philadelphia.
  • Speaking of the Phillies, former GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has won praise from current team execs for his series of trades before being dismissed following the 2015 season. Those trades include an impressive haul for Cole Hamels and Jake Diekman that included Jerad Eickhoff, Jake Thompson, Jorge Alfaro, and Nick Williams; the trade of Jonathan Papelbon to the Nationals, which brought back Nick Pivetta, a starter who made his big-league debut this year; the trade of Jimmy Rollins to the Dodgers, which brought back Zach Eflin, who’s pitched well for the Phillies this season; and the deal of Marlon Byrd to the Reds, which returned Ben Lively, who’s emerging as a good depth rotation option. Amaro is currently the Red Sox’ first base coach.
  • Former White Sox teammate Chris Sale thinks oft-rumored trade target Jose Quintana should be able to thrive anywhere, Cafardo writes. “He’s not a guy who lets outside factors bother him,” says Sale. “I think his middle name was ‘No-Decision,’ and how he handled himself through those times where he went out there seven innings, gave up two runs, and had nothing to show for it, never altered his attitude or his work ethic. And seeing that was impressive.”
  • Rangers third baseman Will Middlebrooks hopes to return in mid- to late June after breaking his hand in April. It’s been awhile since the 28-year-old Middlebrooks made much of an impact in the Majors, but after signing a minor-league deal with the Rangers last winter, he was off to a hot start at Triple-A Round Rock, batting .313/.377/.625 in his first 53 plate appearances there.

East Notes: Red Sox, Volquez, Yankees, Mets

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The Red Sox have struggled at third base this year, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe writes. The team planned to have Pablo Sandoval as their main third baseman, a dicey proposition since Sandoval missed most of last season. The team has since lost Sandoval, Brock Holt and Marco Hernandez to injury, forcing Josh Rutledge into duty at the hot corner. Red Sox third baseman have struggled to the tune of a .237/.286/.320 line this season. Holt (vertigo) is on a rehab assignment in Triple-A Pawtucket, though, and could soon to the big leagues, as WEEI’s Rob Bradford tweets. Here’s more from the East divisions.

  • The Marlins have announced that they’ve reinstated righty Edinson Volquez from the 10-day DL and optioned fellow righty Brian Ellington to Triple-A New Orleans. Volquez will start tonight against the Braves. Volquez spent the minimum required time on the DL while dealing with a blister issue. He’s posted a 4.71 ERA, 10.0 K/9 and 6.9 BB/9 in 28 2/3 innings thus far this season for Miami.
  • The Yankees’ three-game losing streak at the hands of the Reds and Astros raises a number of questions about the team, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. CC Sabathia has struggled lately, Chris Carter hasn’t hit well in place of the injured Greg Bird at first base, and the team is relying heavily on young players. Of course, as Sherman points out, it was never realistic to hope that the Yankees would sustain the blistering 21-9 pace at which they began the season.
  • The injury-riddled Mets could use relief help, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News writes. Jeurys Familia’s injury is just the latest for a Mets team that has had more than its fair share, and the team doesn’t have reinforcements on the way from Triple-A. Ackert mentions White Sox closer David Robertson as a potential possibility, but notes that Robertson can block a potential trade to the Mets as part of his limited no-trade clause. Besides, as she points out, significant trades rarely happen this early in the season.

Nationals Extend Bryce Harper Through 2018

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The Nationals have announced that they’ve agreed to terms with Bryce Harper on a deal for the 2018 season. Harper will receive $21.625MM, making his 2018 salary the largest ever for a player who would have been eligible for arbitration, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag writes (Twitter links). Harper can also receive up to a maximum of $1M in bonuses, according to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (Twitter links) — he can receive the full $1M for winning the NL MVP, $500K for second, $250K for third, $150K for fourth and $100K for fifth, and he can also receive $100K each for winning an All-Star berth, a Gold Glove or a Silver Slugger. Harper was already under team control through 2018, so he can still become a free agent following the 2018 campaign.

"<strongHarper’s massive 2018 salary surely provides a bit of satisfaction for his agent Scott Boras, whose love of precedent-shattering contracts is well known. Harper is making $13.625MM in 2017, his second to last season before hitting the market. His $21.625MM salary next season gives him a big raise that’s difficult to evaluate, since so few players have come anywhere near that figure during their arbitration-eligible seasons. Jake Arrieta was the highest paid arbitration-eligible player last offseason, at $15.637MM; the year before that, Aroldis Chapman made the most, at $11.325MM. That year, Josh Donaldson agreed to a two-year extension that bought out two seasons of arbitration eligibility at $11.65MM and $17MM. In 2014-15, David Price received $19.75MM from the Tigers for his last arbitration season. The year before that, Clayton Kershaw received a salary of $4MM plus an $18MM signing bonus in agreeing to a long-term deal that bought out his last year of arbitration eligibility.

Of those, the Price and Kershaw salaries stand out as the clearest precedents for Harper’s current deal. Another is Mike Trout’s current long-term contract with the Angels. That deal is, of course, significantly different in structure and purpose than Harper’s 2018 deal, but it pays him $19.25MM for this season, which he entered with five-plus years of service time.

Harper’s $5MM 2016 salary was relatively low in part because he agreed to it following the 2014 season as part of a two-year extension that settled a grievance between with the Nats about a clause in the contract he signed upon being drafted. But Harper got a huge $8.625MM raise for 2017 (shattering MLBTR’s projection) that probably came thanks largely to his monstrous 2015 season, in which he batted .330/.460/.649 while hitting 42 home runs and winning the NL MVP award. That big 2017 salary established a baseline that led to his record-breaking deal for 2018. After somewhat of a down year in 2016 that might have been partially due to shoulder troubles, Harper has begun the 2017 season on an MVP-caliber pace yet again, hitting a ridiculous .372/.496/.717 so far.

In the past, Harper and Boras have shown intense interest in testing the free agent market rather than signing a long-term deal, and Harper’s new contract for 2018 does nothing to change that. He’ll still be eligible in the 2018-19 offseason, joining a headline-grabbing free agent class that also includes Donaldson and Manny Machado. Harper will still be just 26 at that point and could yet again set a contract record, particularly if anything resembling his current 2017 pace continues until then. Following the 2015 season, Harper suggested to a reporter that he thought he could make over $400MM on the open market.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cubs Promote Ian Happ

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12:54pm: The Cubs have optioned righty Felix Pena to Iowa to make room for Happ, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets.

12:32pm: The Cubs will, in fact, promote Happ, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune writes (Twitter links). Happ will bat second and play right field for the Cubs today. No corresponding move has yet been announced.

11:28am: The Cubs could promote top prospect Ian Happ as a short-term replacement today as a result of injuries to Addison Russell, Jon Jay and Kris Bryant, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com’s tweets. Russell is currently listed as day-to-day with shoulder soreness. Jay left yesterday’s game due to back spasms, and Bryant sat out yesterday due to illness. A promotion would give Happ his first taste of big-league action. He is not yet on their 40-man roster.

The 22-year-old Happ was the ninth overall pick in the 2015 draft out of the University of Cincinnati. He’s raced through the minors and is off to a hot start with Triple-A Iowa, batting .298/.362/.615 with nine homers in 116 plate appearances thus far in 2017. MLB.com currently rates him the No. 23 prospect in the game, with Baseball America placing him at No. 55 and ESPN’s Keith Law (Insiders only) at No. 63. MLB.com’s praises the switch-hitter’s bat speed and plate discipline, noting that he could eventually become a 20-20 player in the big leagues.

Happ has split his time between second base and the outfield as a pro, although MLB.com suggests his eventual destination is left field. The Cubs, of course, have Kyle Schwarber in left and Javier Baez and Ben Zobrist available at second, although they’re generally flexible in their lineup construction, and it doesn’t appear they’re planning to clear a permanent space for Happ right now anyway. If they were to promote him now, the move might well be temporary, as Muskat suggests — the Cubs have plenty of talent if everyone is healthy, and Happ has limited Triple-A experience and would likely become a Super Two player if he were to arrive in the big leagues and remain there.

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