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Archives for June 2017

Koda Glover Dealing With Inflammation, Two Strains In Shoulder

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Nationals closer Koda Glover has been on the disabled list for nearly three weeks due to back issues, but via Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com, he also revealed today that he’s dealing with “severe” inflammation in his rotator cuff as well as two separate strains in his right shoulder.

[Related: Washington Nationals depth chart]

Glover told the D.C. media that he began to feel pain in his shoulder well before the pain in his back, and he believes that the back injury actually stemmed from overcompensating for the shoulder discomfort he was pitching through. “I didn’t really know what was sore, what was hurt,” said Glover. “Nothing was really hurt, I thought, so I just kept pitching. Over time, I guess it just broke down, so my body broke down with it, the overcompensation.”

At the injury’s worst, Glover said that he wasn’t even able to lift his right arm, though he’s already been through an MRI exam which revealed the inflammation and strains but no significant structural damage. Nonetheless, a shoulder injury for Glover only further complicates the bullpen picture for a Washington relief corps that already figured to be a primary focus for GM Mike Rizzo on the trade market. There’s currently no timetable for Glover’s return, but it doesn’t sound as if he’ll be back all that soon, as they’re currently waiting for the inflammation to subside before he’s even cleared to resume throwing. On the plus side, the back pain that was plaguing Glover has subsided.

Glover, Shawn Kelley and Sammy Solis are all presently on the disabled list, which has led the Nats to entrust save opportunities to righty Matt Albers and lefty Enny Romero. In addition to that pair, Blake Treinen, Joe Blanton, Oliver Perez, Matt Grace and Jacob Turner presently comprise the remainder of the bullpen. As such, the Nationals will likely be linked to not only the bigger-name closers that become available in trade talks this summer, but also to setup men and middle relievers to fortify their entire relief unit. They’ve long been linked to David Robertson on the rumor circuit, and they also reportedly have at least some degree of interest in division rival Pat Neshek. Rizzo has already brought Francisco Rodriguez in on a minor league deal, but further moves over the next month seem like a virtual certainty.

Giants Place Mark Melancon On 10-Day DL

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The Giants have placed closer Mark Melancon on the 10-day DL, per a club announcement. He is dealing with the same pronator issue that forced him out earlier this year. Dan Slania will take the open roster spot.

Melancon, 32, has not quite looked himself since joining the Giants on a four-year, $62MM deal over the winter. Through 20 2/3 innings on the year, he has allowed ten earned runs on 25 hits. Though he still maintains typically strong strikeout and walk numbers — 8.3 K/9 against 1.3 BB/9 — the veteran has also coughed up three long balls and seen his groundball rate drop to 50.8% with his swinging-strike rate falling to 9.7% (both far lower than in recent seasons).

Despite enduring a bit of a rough stretch, Melancon could still feature as a trade candidate over the summer. That all depends upon just how interested the Giants are in shedding from future salary — while also embarking upon another search for a closer. (Interestingly, recently acquired righty Sam Dyson will take over closing duties for the time being after washing out of that role with the Rangers.) Though San Francisco is buried in the standings, the organization still has an extensive array of high-priced veteran players and seems likely to attempt to contend again in 2018.

The injury, though, functions as a major bit of uncertainty. It’s still possible that he could be dealt if he’s able to return and pitch effectively before the deadline. And Melancon’s contract is big enough that he could also be moved in August. But the forearm certainly enhances the risk in the hefty remaining value on the deal, particularly in the case of an older relief pitcher.

Yankees Place Holliday On DL, Outright Carter, Promote Andujar

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The Yankees have announced a series of roster moves. Veteran DH Matt Holliday will go on the 10-day DL with an illness, with the club seemingly still working to determine how to treat it, while veteran first baseman Chris Carter has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A.

New York has also announced that it selected the contract of third baseman Miguel Andujar. (That move was first reported by Craig Mish of Sirius XM, on Twitter.) The 22-year-old had just earned a promotion to the highest level of the minors after hitting a robust .312/.342/.494 to open the year at Double-A.

The 37-year-old Holliday has had a resurgence at the plate with the Yankees thus far, batting a terrific .262/.366/.511 with 15 homers through 276 plate appearances. That puts the longtime Rockies/Cardinals slugger just five homers shy of his total from the 2016 season and just nine shy of the combined 24 homers he swatted with the Cards in 703 PAs from 2015-16.

The opposite held true for the much younger Carter, who signed a one-year deal to spend his age-30 season with the Yankees this past offseason. Though Carter led the National League in homers last year, he was non-tendered by the Brewers and found just a $3.5MM guarantee from the Yankees. Carter never recovered from a slow start to the year and ultimately was hitting just .204/.286/.383 with eight homers but a sky-high 70 strikeouts in 189 plate appearances (37 percent strikeout rate).

Andujar, just 22 years of age, will be making his big league debut for the Yanks and, in many regards, also auditioning for a longer-term role with the club. After tearing through Double-A pitching at a .312/.342/.494 pace to open the season, Andujar didn’t miss a beat during a quick Triple-A stop, where he slashed .308/.379/.462 in seven games prior to this promotion. He currently ranks ninth among Yankees farmhands, per Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. ESPN’s Keith Law pegged him 10th headed into the year, while Baseball America rated him 12th and Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen had him 11th. Andujar draws praise for above-average defense at the hot corner and strong contact skills.

Mariners Outright Pat Light

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The Mariners have outrighted right-handed pitcher Pat Light, per a club announcement. That opens a 40-man roster spot, though it’s not immediately clear whether the team has plans for how to use it.

Seattle claimed the 26-year-old Light off waivers from the Pirates just under two weeks ago, though his stay on the 40-man was brief. Light has gone from the Red Sox to the Twins (in exchange for Fernando Abad) to the Pirates (for cash) to the Mariners all in a span of roughly 11 months.

It’s not hard to see the appeal of Light, who runs his fastball up to the upper 90s and averages nearly 95 mph on the pitch. He’s had no trouble missing bats in the minors and turned in a tantalizing 2.37 ERA with 9.9 K/9 against 4.5 BB/9 in 38 Triple-A frames last season. However, control problems have plagued the hard-throwing Light throughout his career (63 walks in 99 Triple-A innings), and he’s posted particularly unremarkable numbers in Triple-A this season. Through 28 innings between the Triple-A affiliates for the Pirates and Mariners, Light has a 4.82 ERA with a greatly diminished 6.4 K/9 rate and a still-problematic 5.8 BB/9 rate.

Trade Rumblings: A’s, Prado, Marlins, Verlander, Hand

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Here’s the latest trade chatter from around the league:

  • The Athletics do not feel a need to wait until the deadline to begin moving veterans, sources tell MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. That may be true even (or especially) in the case of Sonny Gray. While he’s controllable, and doesn’t have to be traded, a rival exec says he thinks Oakland will be interested in dealing him early to avoid a month of injury risk. Possible rentals Yonder Alonso and Jed Lowrie are both said to be on the block as well, unsurprisingly.
  • Other teams beginning to explore sell-side moves, per Feinsand, are the Braves, Marlins, Mets, and Reds. Those clubs are all obvious suspects given their placement in the standings. Atlanta could be an interesting team, though, since the organization seems to be prioritizing improvement in the on-field results and doesn’t have a lot of clearly valuable trade pieces.
  • The Yankees and Red Sox are both looking over the Marlins roster and have asked about a few players, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Both New York and Boston have inquired on veteran third baseman Martin Prado, who is not terribly cheap and has spent a good chunk of the year on the DL. The Yanks are also expressing some interest in Miami first baseman Justin Bour, per the report; he’d offer a quality left-handed bat, though his affordable control will likely come with a fairly high asking price. The Fish are also said to have indicated an openness to dealing “anyone with a multi-year contract,” Nightengale adds. That would obviously free up quite a few intriguing potential trade candidates, including the club’s three quality young outfielders.
  • Rival executives feel that the Tigers will market veteran righty Justin Verlander, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports writes, though Detroit’s intentions (and asking price) remain unclear. He’d be an easy product to pitch were this 2016, when Verlander was in vintage form. But he hasn’t followed that up with any degree of consistency thus far in 2017. Still, the $56MM he’s owed in 2018 and 2019 seems fairly reasonable, and it’s hard to ignore the top-line upside that still seems to reside in Verlander’s powerful right arm.
  • The Padres, meanwhile, are apparently setting their sights high in talks involving southpaw Brad Hand, with one source telling Passan that GM AJ Preller hopes to achieve a return commensurate with that achieved last year by the Yankees for Aroldis Chapman. As Passan notes, that does seem steep — despite the fact that Hand does come with two more years of cheap arb control — but it likely won’t hurt to aim big at this stage of the proceedings.
  • There, are, of course, some other talented relievers available. Two Marlins hurlers are also drawing interest from “multiple teams,” per Passan. AJ Ramos and David Phelps appear to be solid (albeit hardly perfect) late-inning pen options for contenders; indeed, MLBTR ranked them in a tie for 11th in the most recent list of the top fifty trade targets leaguewide. Both hurlers are reasonably expensive ($6.55MM and $4.6MM, respectively), so the salary-conscious Fish may see an opportunity to avoid some obligations. They each also can be controlled for an additional season via arbitration.

Blue Jays Sign Michael Saunders

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The Blue Jays have signed outfielder Michael Saunders to a minor-league deal, per a club announcement. He had been released recently by the Phillies, who’ll pay all but a pro-rated portion of his $8MM salary for the rest of the season.

Saunders, 30, struggled badly after landing in Philadelphia over the winter. He ended his tenure there with 214 plate appearances of .205/.257/.360 hitting and six home runs. The Phils will also owe Saunders a $1MM payment to buy out his $11MM club option for 2018.

Toronto is obviously quite familiar with the veteran outfielder, as he posted a strong year therein 2016. Finally healthy for a full season, Saunders turned in a .253/.338/.478 batting line with 24 long balls over 558 plate appearances. Of course, he also fell off quite a bit in the second half after earning his first All-Star Game berth.

For the time being, Saunders will head to Triple-A. But it’s not hard to imagine him arriving back in the majors before too long. The Jays currently feature a corner outfield mix consisting of right-handed hitters Jose Bautista and Steve Pearce along with the lefty bats of Ezequiel Carrera and Ian Parmley. Adding Saunders to the mix could potentially allow the Jays to utilize Pearce at second base on occasion as well.

Giants Promote Jae-Gyun Hwang, Place Conor Gillaspie On DL

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TODAY: Conor Gillaspie will hit the DL in a corresponding move, with the team announcing the purchase of Hwang’s contract. It seem a 40-man move will also be needed, though that hasn’t been announced (and could conceivably involve shifting a player to the 60-day DL.)

YESTERDAY: The Giants are promoting infielder Jae-gyun Hwang from Triple-A Sacramento, reports Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (via Twitter). The former Korea Baseball Organization star signed a minor league deal with San Francisco this offseason and was likely to exercise a July 1 opt-out clause if he was not brought up to the Majors in the next few days.

Through 279 Triple-A plate appearances, Hwang was hitting at a strong .287/.333/.476 clip with seven homers, 19 doubles, four triples and five steals (in five attempts). While that’s a fair ways off the eye-popping .335/.394/.570 batting line that Hwang posted in his final season in Korea, the 29-year-old’s very solid Triple-A performance certainly seems to merit a look at the big league level.

Eduardo Nunez has handled the majority of the Giants’ third base responsibilities in 2017, but he’s currently on the DL with a minor hamstring issue. Third base has been Hwang’s primary position, but he’s also played first base in the minors and seen a couple of games in left field. With veteran Aaron Hill recently being cut loose, there’s a bench opportunity for Hwang to claim, at the very least, and it’s possible that he could be entrusted with a larger role if the Giants ultimately trade Nunez.

Drew Smyly To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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The Mariners have announced that lefty Drew Smyly will undergo Tommy John surgery for a torn ulnar collateral ligament. He is expected to miss the standard twelve to fifteen months in recovery.

That’s obviously devastating news for the 28-year-old southpaw, who had been hoping to work back from elbow issues that have put him on the shelf all year. He had shown quite well in the World Baseball Classic, with enhanced velocity, leading to hopes for a big first season in Seattle.

Instead, it now seems possible that Smyly won’t ever make an appearance for the M’s, who traded Mallex Smith and others to acquire his rights over the winter. Smith had been added earlier that day in a clearly related swap that sent pitching prospect Luiz Gohara to the Braves.

Smyly is earning $6.85MM this year and would command the same through arbitration in 2018 — his final trip through the process. It’s still possible that Seattle could attempt to work out some kind of arrangement to keep him in the organization for the future, but it obviously makes little sense for the team to pay him a significant salary for a year that will be spent rehabbing.

Last year was a rough one for the southpaw, who scuffled to a 4.88 ERA over 175 1/3 innings, though it also represented his first thirty-start campaign in the big leagues. He also still managed a healthy 8.6 K/9 against 2.5 B/9, with 32 home runs and a below-average 67.7% strand rate contributing to the ugly results.

Given his age, Smyly still has a shot at returning for many more years of pitching. Of course, he’ll need not only to work back from the UCL replacement, but also to find a way to avoid future elbow problems. (He had been among the highest-risk players identified by MLBTR contributor Bradley Woodrum in a 2016 study, and the risks for another will only increase.)

For the Mariners, the news confirms what the club surely already feared: there won’t be a reinforcement coming to the team in 2017. With Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma showing their age, and James Paxton coming back down to earth of late, there are questions at the front of the staff.

There are depth concerns, too. While Sam Gaviglio owns a 3.38 ERA through 45 1/3 innings, the metrics don’t like his chances to maintain that performance. Similarly, Ariel Miranda has been solid but is benefiting from a likely-unsustainable .226 BABIP. It’s anyone’s guess what the team can hope to receive from Andrew Moore and others.

The fact that there’s a potential need doesn’t mean that the M’s can afford to go out and add a top-line starter, of course. Several quality arms could be available, of course, but there’ll be competition and steep asking prices. While Seattle has positioned itself as a win-now organization, it’s also a notable consideration that the AL West seems out of reach, meaning any present-focused moves come with the likely upside of earning a Wild Card berth.

Cubs To Designate Miguel Montero, Promote Victor Caratini

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The Cubs have decided to designate veteran catcher Miguel Montero for assignment, according to ESPNChicago.com’s Jesse Rogers (via Twitter). Chicago is set to promote young receive Victor Caratini in his place, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets.

Chicago is making the move the morning after Montero allowed the Nationals to run wild on the basepaths — and then blamed it on starter Jake Arrieta. While both surely have their share of the blame for the seven swiped bags, Montero’s public comments were clearly not taken well by the organization.

Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo didn’t mince words on the topic. This morning, in an interview on ESPN 1000 (Twitter link), he described the situation like this: “When you point fingers you’re a selfish player. We have another catcher that throws everyone out.”

With the Cubs trying to right the ship after a middling start to the year, the organization will now part with a player who was performing at a high level with the bat — despite the ongoing questions about his abilities behind the dish. Through 112 plate appearances, he carries a .286/.366/.439 batting line with four home runs.

As a left-handed-hitting backstop with a history of strong power production, Montero ought to draw interest. But he’s also earning a hefty $14MM salary in the final year of his deal, so the 33-year-old isn’t going to be claimed. Instead, it seems reasonable to expect he’ll either be traded (with the Cubs holding onto a big chunk of change) or allowed to test the open market.

Chicago will now sport a youthful and talented backstop pairing, with the 23-year-old Caratini joining 25-year-old Willson Contreras. The switch-hitting Caratini has enjoyed a breakout year thus far at Triple-A Iowa, slashing a robust .343/.384/.539 with eight home runs over 271 trips to the plate.

Though Caratini is certainly an interesting player who could hold down the reserve role the rest of the way, today’s move also opens at least some possibility that the Cubs will explore the trade market this summer (or look at an option such as current free agent Derek Norris). Even if a significant addition isn’t pursued, Chicago might look into adding another veteran. Perhaps it’s even possible that Kyle Schwarber could return to more regular duties behind the dish once he’s called back up, though undoubtedly the Cubs will also want to continue protecting his knee and allow him to focus on getting right at the plate.

2018 Vesting Options Update

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We already took a preliminary look at the vesting option scenarios playing out around the game, but we’ve now gained quite a bit of clarity over the last six weeks. Generally, vesting options are club options that can become guaranteed based on the player’s health and/or performance. Typically, achieving contractually defined thresholds (such as for plate appearances or games finished) takes the decision out of the team’s hand, with some clauses also requiring certain health standards to be triggered.

Here’s where things stand at present:

Already Vested

  • Greg Holland: That was fast! Holland has already racked up thirty games finished, meaning that what was a $10MM mutual option for 2018 has been converted into a $15MM player option. With a league-leading 25 saves in the bank, along with 29 1/3 innings of 1.53 ERA pitching, it seems unlikely that Holland will take that cash rather than testing the open market — though he could also have to turn down a qualifying offer and hit free agency weighed down a bit by draft compensation. (Notably, too, Holland is cracking into some hefty contract incentives. He is on track to earn most or all of the $11MM in available bonus money.)

On Track To Vest

  • Gio Gonzalez: While Gonzalez is pitching well enough to make it a foregone conclusion that the Nationals would pick up his 2018 option at $12MM, that step won’t be necessary if he ends the regular season with 180 innings on his ledger. Working deep into games has been an issue for Gonzalez in recent years, but he has already topped 100 frames through just 16 starts thus far in 2017. Barring an injury, this one looks quite likely to vest.

Unlikely To Vest

  • Ricky Nolasco: The 34-year-old faces an uphill battle, but he’s at least keeping it interesting. Nolasco can turn a $13MM club option ($1MM buyout) into a player option if he gives the Halos 202 1/3 frames this year. That’s a big number, but Nolasco has managed to log 90 2/3 innings through 16 outings, leaving 111 2/3 left to achieve. Even if he takes the ball another 16 times the rest of the way, he’d need to go seven innings per start — a pace typically achievable only by a few top aces around the game. (Currently, Max Scherzer and Chris Sale top the leaderboard with 113 2/3 frames.)
  • Matt Cain: The Giants are sure to pay Cain a $7.5MM buyout rather than picking up his $21.5MM option for the 2018 campaign. But the veteran righty could take that decision out of the team’s hands if he’s able to reach 200 innings this year and stay off of the DL at season’s end. Cain has made all 16 of his starts so far, but he has accumulated only 84 innings. While it’s a theoretical possibility, then, it’s all but certain that this option won’t vest — and the Giants have every incentive to see that it doesn’t.
  • Hisashi Iwakuma: When the season started, it seemed reasonably likely that Iwakuma would trigger his second vesting season — as he did last year with the first. After compiling 199 innings in 2016, he needed to accumulate only 125 more (and avoid an unspecified injury) to lock up a $15MM payday. But Iwakuma is currently parked on the DL with just 31 frames in the bank; even if he is able to work deep in most of his remaining starts, he almost certainly won’t have enough to accumulate the 94 additional innings he needs. If he doesn’t get there, then Seattle will decide between a $10MM salary and a $1MM buyout.

Will Not Vest

  • Andre Ethier: Ethier’s $17.5MM club option vests upon 550 plate appearances in 2017. He has been shelved for the entire first half of the season, so he’ll have to take home a $2.5MM buyout as a consolation prize.
  • Matt Garza: This one is complicated, but here’s the bottom line: Garza cannot possible make enough starts to reach 110 in total from 2014-17 (he’s currently at 82), so his option cannot vest at $13MM. At the same time, it’s no longer possible for him to miss 130 or more days of action to the DL this year, so the club won’t get a shot at a $1MM option for his 2018 rights. Instead, the deal reverts to a club option at $5MM. See? It’s simple.
  • J.J. Hardy: The extension that Hardy signed with the O’s a few years back includes a $14MM club option (or a $2MM buyout), but that would vest if Hardy ended the 2017 campaign with 600 plate appearances on his stat sheet. That always seemed a stretch, but with his recent DL placement it’s no longer even possible.

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