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Archives for May 2017

5 Key Stories: 5/6/17 – 5/12/17

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Here are some of the biggest stories from the last week at MLBTR.

Jameson TaillonJameson Taillon has surgery for suspected testicular cancer. Young Pirates righty Jameson Taillon had surgery this week for suspected testicular cancer. Both player and team will surely be focused primarily on making sure the cancer is gone before thinking ahead, so there’s no current timetable for his return.

Jeurys Familia has surgery. Mets closer Jeurys Familia had surgery this week after being diagnosed with an arterial clot in his right shoulder. He’s likely to miss several months and could be out the rest of the year. Familia joins a lengthy injury list for the Mets, who are also missing Noah Syndergaard, Yoenis Cespedes (although Cespedes could be back soon) and others. The Mets claimed Tommy Milone from the Brewers this week to aid their ailing pitching staff. In the midst of all this, they also suspended Matt Harvey, although Harvey returned to pitch yesterday.

Zach Britton to miss six weeks or more. Orioles lefty Zach Britton has a forearm strain and is expected to miss six to eight weeks, although Britton is hopeful he can return after closer to six weeks. Brad Brach will continue to close in Britton’s place, although the Orioles will surely miss last year’s Cy Young contender for as long as he’s gone.

Andrew Toles tears ACL, will likely miss rest of season. Dodgers outfielder Andrew Toles was diagnosed with a torn right ACL that would require surgery, and it seems likely his season is done. Toles was off to a .271/.314/.458 start with five home runs in his second big-league season.

Doug Fister close to signing. Free agent righty Doug Fister is reportedly close to finally finding a new team. The Mets, despite the injury troubles described above, do not appear to be among the key contenders. The Diamondbacks, Angels and other teams are among the teams that have emerged as possibilities.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hisashi Iwakuma To Miss 4-6 Weeks

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SATURDAY: The Mariners have announced that Mariners Medical Director E. Edward Khalfayan has confirmed that Iwakuma has inflammation in his right shoulder. Iwakuma is expected to miss four to six weeks.

WEDNESDAY: The Mariners announced that they’ve placed right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma on the 10-day disabled list due to inflammation in his right shoulder. In a corresponding move, the Mariners selected the contract of right-hander Sam Gaviglio from Triple-A Tacoma, also transferring righty Evan Marshall to the 60-day DL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Gaviglio. Iwakuma, according to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (on Twitter), is headed back to Seattle for an MRI.

Iwakuma becomes the latest Mariners starter to land on the disabled list, joining Drew Smyly, James Paxton and Felix Hernandez on the shelf. With a stunning 80 percent of their Opening Day rotation on the disabled list, Seattle has turned to lefty Ariel Miranda and offseason acquisitions Chase De Jong and Dillon Overton in the rotation mix. Gaviglio may eventually join that mix, though for now right-hander Christian Bergman will step into the rotation and make a start in Toronto, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune tweets.

The 26-year-old Gaviglio, then, could initially be ticketed for long relief or could start in place of Overton next time around. Gaviglio had been pitching well in Triple-A, recording a 3.31 ERA with 4.4 K/9, 0.8 BB/9 and a 57.4 percent ground-ball rate through five starts (32 2/3 innings) with Tacoma. Originally acquired from the Cardinals back in 2014 in exchange for Ty Kelly, Gaviglio has a 4.38 ERA with 6.6 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 in parts of three Triple-A seasons (197 1/3 innings).

Iwakuma’s status is especially worth monitoring due to the fact that his health will determine whether his 2018 option vests. As noted yesterday when parsing through the vesting options around the league, Iwakuma is just 94 innings shy of locking in a $10MM salary for the 2018 season.

Quick Hits: Otani, Howard, Reds, Maness

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The pursuit of Shohei Otani could be unlike anything we’ve ever seen, but it won’t begin in earnest for some time. Given the stakes, though, teams have already begun jockeying. The Rangers, in particular, sent a contingent led by GM Jon Daniels to watch Otani work out, as Even Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Though the 22-year-old phenom isn’t even able to pitch right now, sending over the top baseball ops brass was presumably conceived of as a means of laying some groundwork and working to get on Ohtani’s radar. Texas is a particularly interesting potential suitor, given that the team has employed star Japanese hurler Yu Darvish — and that he’ll be a free agent at season’s end.

Here’s more of interest from around the game:

  • Veteran slugger Ryan Howard isn’t planning to retire, Meghan Montemurro of the News Journal reports. While the 37-year-old did not last long with the Braves organization after signing recently, he says he still has designs on playing. “By no means am I done,” Howard said. Nevertheless, the former National League MVP has also turned some attention to the future; he has become a partner with a venture capital firm called SeventySix Capital.
  • While things have been far from perfect in the Reds pitching staff, the current roster represents a major upgrade in at least one way, as Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. Despite needing to rotate through some arms, the club has only needed to clear a 40-man spot on one occasion, owing to the presence of more optionable players.
  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch takes a look at the potential impact of the return of reliever Seth Maness, the former Cardinals hurler who’s now with the Royals. The so-called “primary repair” procedure he underwent on his elbow represents a less-invasive alternative to Tommy John surgery. The question, naturally, is how (and how long)  it’ll hold up in full-speed MLB circumstances, and Maness will begin to provide some of the data needed to make that assessment.
  • If you’re looking for some other reading material heading into the weekend, you’ll definitely want to bookmark the epic account of the 1992 expansion draft put together by MLBTR contributor Chuck Wasserstrom. Once you’re through that (it’s long, but worth it), you can check out any number of interesting pieces at Fangraphs, including these on the Orioles’ unlikely successes, the possible breakout of Aaron Altherr, and how Eric Thames turned free time into mastery of the strike zone. Those interested in reading about the bump in home runs early this year should check out this post from Ben Lindbergh of The Ringer. And if you’d like to learn the latest on the prospect front, check out Baseball America’s updated top-100 prospects list and its new top-50 draft list.

Injury Notes: Hill, Ethier, AGon, Bailey, Melancon, Mariners, Kluber, Gray

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Here’s the latest on some notable health situations from around the game:

  • The Dodgers have updates on a number of players. Lefty Rich Hill is going to return as a starter, but if his blister issue recurs then the team will consider moving him into some kind of relief role, manager Dave Roberts tells MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (Twitter link). The timeline remains a ways off for outfielder Andre Ethier, meanwhile. He’s still not able to run without feeling pain in his back, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports, making it seem unlikely he’d be able to return early July. Finally, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is expected to begin a rehab assignment next week, Alanna Rizzo of Sportsnet LA tweets. He may only require two or three games before returning.
  • On the other side of the city, the Angels are sending righty Andrew Bailey for a visit with Dr. David Altchek, as Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The reliever “felt something” in his shoulder during a recent throwing session. Shoulder issues have kept him on the DL all year.
  • Further north, the Giants have cause for hope that closer Mark Melancon will require only the brief DL timeline the club had charted when he was taken off the active roster. As Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports on Twitter, Melancon is reporting reduced symptoms in his forearm. The righty will test things out by playing catch tomorrow.
  • Continuing up the coast, the Mariners also have a smattering of health updates of note, as Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports. Key young talents James Paxton and Mitch Haniger are moving in the right direction, with the hope still being that they’ll return before the month is out. Reliever Steve Cishek is also close. But Felix Hernandez is going to rest his ailing shoulder a bit more, leaving his timeline somewhat cloudy, and it’s still not clear what to expect from Hisashi Iwakuma.
  • Indians righty Corey Kluber is moving slowly in his rehab, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. Out with lower back issues, Kluber has begun throwing from flat ground but still hasn’t taken the hill. Manager Terry Francona did say that the team is seeing progress, though perhaps the biggest test is yet to come.
  • Rockies staff ace Jon Gray is also taking longer than had been hoped, as Nick Groke of the Denver Post writes. Gray is still in a walking boot while his broken left foot heals, though the hope seems to be he’ll be ready to shed that soon. While Gray has been able to continue throwing, he’ll obviously need to boost his conditioning and ensure his foot is at full health before undertaking at least some kind of rehab assignment.

Latest On Marlins Sale

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The Marlins sale situation continues to evolve behind the scenes. Charlie Gasparino and Brian Schwartz of FOX Sports have the latest update of the efforts of current owner Jeffrey Loria to cash in on his investment.

Most notably, per the report, the bidding group led by Derek Jeter and Jeb Bush is “experiencing some difficulties” arranging the needed cash. Together, those two high-profile investors are set to chip in only $50MM, a long ways shy of the total equity required here.

One issue, it seems, is that the amount of cash required may have grown. Jeter and Bush were said to be looking to compile around $900MM total to meet MLB’s debt ratio requirements. Financing was also contemplated for the reported $1.3B offer amount, though that number might also be reduced by the team’s apparent $400MM operating debt. Now, there’s said to be a preference on the league side that a new owner have “as much as $500MM more as a cash cushion” to account for “the dire financial condition of the Marlins.”

Under these circumstances, it seems there’s some room for the bidding group led by Tagg Romney (with Tom Glavine also a factor) to become a bigger factor. That group reportedly remains in the picture despite prior indications that the sale was heading toward Jeter and Bush. In particular, Romney’s team seems to have better prospects for increasing the volume of cash on hand, which could give them greater appeal to the league.

It’s still not clear, of course, just how things will turn out. A spokesperson for Bush would say only that it is “inaccurate” to suggest that his group’s bid is in jeopardy. There could yet be more back-and-forth to come; interestingly, as Doug Hanks of the Miami Herald notes on Twitter, there’s apparently some bad blood between the two groups of would-be Marlins owners.

Marlins Select Mike Aviles, Designate Yefri Perez

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The infield-needy Marlins have announced several roster moves. The team has selected the contract of veteran Mike Aviles, optioning catcher Tomas Telis to create a spot on the active roster while designating infielder Yefri Perez to create 40-man space.

[RELATED: Updated Marlins Depth Chart]

Aviles was signed only days ago to a minors pact. The 36-year-old struggled badly last year with the Tigers after declining at the plate over the course of a three-year run with the Indians. He hasn’t appeared since being released last year following a mid-season trade to the Braves.

It’s anybody’s guess what Aviles will be able to contribute after having only a little time to prepare, though he did hit well in limited action in the World Baseball Classic. But he’s a respected presence, and the need is acute given the flood of injuries to infielders that recently hit the organization.

Evidently, the club did not feel that the 26-year-old Perez was a better option. He saw brief MLB action last year — mostly as a defensive replacement or pinch-runner — and had held onto a 40-man spot, but his typically poor offensive numbers had further faded this year. Over 123 plate appearances at Double-A, Perez has slashed just .131/.283/.162. He has stolen quite a few bags in past years — including 73 in 2015 — but owns only a .251/.310/.305 batting line over nine seasons in the minors.

Marco Hernandez Weighing Shoulder Surgery

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Red Sox infielder Marco Hernandez is weighing surgery that would probably keep him out for the rest of the season, as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal was among those to report (Twitter links). While nothing has been decided, manager John Farrell suggested that the surgical route was increasingly likely.

Hernandez, 24, has played a surprisingly important role for Boston in the early going. Before hitting the DL, he had taken sixty plate appearances while helping to fill in at third base and also seeing action at short and second. Hernandez is hitting just .276/.300/.328 over that span.

While the Sox will be disappointed to lose the flexibility represented by Hernandez, if he does indeed go under the knife, the news doesn’t come at the worst possible time. Boston has welcomed back Josh Rutledge, whose early-season absence opened the door for Hernandez, with Pablo Sandoval and Brock Holt also on the way back.

Hernandez came to Boston as the player to be named later in the deal that sent Felix Doubront to the Cubs at the 2014 trade deadline. He finally gained traction after arriving with his new organization, moving into the upper minors and then reaching the majors for the first time last year.

Nationals Activate Koda Glover, Shawn Kelley

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The Nationals have activated righties Koda Glover and Shawn Kelley, per a club announcement. A.J. Cole and Matt Grace were each optioned back to Triple-A to create roster space.

The absence of Glover and Kelley had left a void at the back of the Nats’ bullpen. Washington has struggled to find an order of priority in the late innings as most of the relief unit has scuffled, but the righty pairing seemingly sits atop the closing depth chart at present.

Glover, 24, has been said at times to possess the stuff to handle the role and may be the club’s next homegrown closer. But it’s not clear he’s ready to handle the role now. Before going down with a hip impingement, Glover carried solid, though hardly dominant, numbers. He permitted four earned runs on seven hits over 8 2/3 innings, striking out six and walking one.

As for Kelley, he has landed among the league’s best in generating swinging strikes in recent years. But the 33-year-old is seen as requiring regular rest and careful handling given his history of elbow problems, so he may not be a standalone option in the ninth. Kelley has allowed five home runs in his first ten frames, but otherwise has been his typically dominant self, with 13 strikeouts against three walks.

It remains to be seen, of course, whether either of these pitchers can provide enough certainty in the ninth inning to foreclose the addition of a more-established closer at the trade deadline. If nothing else, though, their return will hopefully reduce the need to consider more drastic moves to shore up the the lead-protection unit far in advance of the summer trade period. Odds are, the Nats will be among the game’s most aggressive pursuers of quality relievers this summer.

Brewers Place Ryan Braun On DL, Select Contract Of Eric Sogard

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The Brewers announced on Friday that they’ve placed Ryan Braun on the 10-day disabled list due to a strained left calf muscle. In a corresponding move, the Brewers have selected the contract of former Athletics infielder Eric Sogard from Triple-A Colorado Springs. The Brewers had an open 40-man roster spot, so no additional move is needed to accommodate Sogard’s addition.

[Related: Updated Milwaukee Brewers Depth Chart]

The 33-year-old Braun is off to an excellent start in 2017, hitting .287/.374/.574 with seven homers, six doubles and four steals through 107 plate appearances. However, he’s also been slowed as of late by a balky calf muscle and has been dealing with a bit of forearm pain as well. His DL stint, which was made retroactive to yesterday, will theoretically give him time to rest up both of those seemingly minor maladies. The hope, per manager Craig Counsell (via MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM, on Twitter), is that Braun won’t be out long at all.

Braun has been in headlines recently due to the fact that he’s slated to gain 10-and-5 rights this weekend (10 years of MLB service time, the past five with the same team), which will afford him full veto power over any proposed trades that would send him to another team. Of course, Braun’s existing contract already came with significant no-trade protection, as it allowed him to block trades to 23 clubs. While he previously could’ve been shipped to any of the five California-based teams or the Marlins without his consent, he’ll now have a say in any potential trade.

Braun, however, has suggested that his impending 10-and-5 right don’t figure to change much about his potential trade candidacy. Braun has reportedly been most open to a deal to the Dodgers, and FanRag’s Jon Heyman wrote again yesterday that the Dodgers may be the only team to which Braun would approve a deal.

As for Sogard, he’ll return to the Majors after missing the entire 2016 season due to knee surgery. Considered a premium defender in the infield (with his best position being second base), Sogard was also off to a fast start in Colorado Springs, slashing .330/.421/.516 with three homers and a 5-for-5 showing in stolen base attempts. Of course, Colorado Springs (and the Pacific Coast League in general) is considered a very hitter-friendly atmosphere, and Sogard’s track record at the plate in the Majors is considerably more limited. In 1331 big league plate appearances, all of which have come with the A’s, the 30-year-old Sogard is a .239/.295/.313 hitter.

Jeff Francoeur Joins FOX Sports As Braves Analyst

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Veteran outfielder Jeff Francoeur has joined the FOX Sports South and FOX Sports Southeast broadcast teams and will begin serving as an analyst for Braves games, according to an announcement from FOX. Per the announcement, Francoeur has retired from his playing career. The shift in career paths brings Francoeur’s 12-year Major League career to a close.

Jeff Francoeur

Formerly the No. 23 overall pick by the Braves in the 2002 draft, Francoeur was touted as one of the game’s top 100 overall prospects for year before his debut in Atlanta. A brilliant rookie campaign in 2005 that saw Francoeur turn in a .300/.336/.549 batting line and club 14 homers in just 70 games led to a third-place finish in National League Rookie of the Year voting, and the right fielder looked poised for stardom at that point.

Francoeur belted 29 homers as a sophomore with Atlanta, but his overall production (specifically his on-base percentage) deteriorated. He hit a more pedestrian .260/.293/.449 in that followup to his rookie season, and while he rebounded a bit in his third big league season, he never fully returned to the form he displayed as a rookie.

Eventually traded to the Mets in exchange for fellow outfielder Ryan Church in 2009, Francoeur bounced around the league a bit before a resurgent campaign with the 2011 Royals in which he hit .285/.329/.476 and enjoyed the lone 20-20 season of his career. Unfortunately, he again failed to follow up on that production.

Ultimately, Francoeur would go on to settle in as a bench piece, often landing with rebuilding clubs. Nicknamed “Frenchy” and revered for his clubhouse presence, Francoeur was routinely signed and traded for due to his leadership and positive influence on young players. He drew interest from multiple clubs on minor league deals this offseason, including the Marlins and Braves, both of whom he suited up for just this past season. In the end, however, Francoeur remained unsigned and will apparently not further pursue any opportunities.

Still just 33 years of age, Francoeur will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to his new media career, to say nothing of an affable personality, an infectious smile and a natural charisma that few in the game can match. Those traits seemingly make him a natural fit for television work, though many have also wondered if he might eventually enter into a coaching capacity to continue the mentoring of young players at which he excelled later in his career.

Assuming he does not make any form of comeback attempt, Francoeur’s career will draw to a close with a .261/.303/.416 batting line. In 1481 Major League games, Francoeur hit 160 home runs, 281 doubles and 27 triples. He also scored 626 times, knocked in 698 runs (including back-to-back 100-RBI campaigns in 2006-07) and stole 54 bases. Also known for his strong arm in right field even as his range declined, Francoeur took home a Gold Glove Award for his defensive work back in 2007. Including his $2.2MM signing bonus out of the draft, Francoeur earned nearly $30MM as a player over the life of his career.

We at MLBTR wish Francoeur the best of luck in the next chapter of his career and in whatever baseball has in store for him in the years to come.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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