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Archives for August 2017

White Sox To Promote Reynaldo Lopez

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The White Sox announced today that touted pitching prospect Reynaldo Lopez will make his 2017 debut on Friday. The 23-year-old right-hander will step into the rotation spot of veteran righty Mike Pelfrey, who is being moved to the bullpen.

[Related: Updated Chicago White Sox depth chart]

Chicago acquired Lopez alongside right-handers Lucas Giolito and Dane Dunning in the offseason trade that sent center fielder Adam Eaton and his highly favorable contract to the Nationals. Of the three righties acquired in that swap, Lopez has separated himself from the pack as the most impressive of the bunch thus far.

In 121 innings with Triple-A Charlotte this season, he’s averaged 9.7 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 with a 36.3 percent ground-ball rate en route to a 3.79 ERA. However, Lopez has been utterly dominant as of late, working to a collective 2.70 ERA with a 63-to-15 K/BB ratio in his past 46 2/3 innings (12.2 K/9, 2.9 BB/9). Both Baseball America and MLB.com listed Lopez as the game’s No. 59 overall prospect on their midseason rankings of baseball’s top 100 prospects.

Friday won’t mark the MLB debut for Lopez, as he first surfaced in the Majors as a 22-year-old with the Nats last season. However, in six starts, he struggled to a 4.91 ERA, issuing 22 walks and reeling off five wild pitches in his 44 innings of work. Lopez picked up 44 days of service time last year, and he’ll have the opportunity to accrue another 52 days of service in 2017 if he sticks on Chicago’s roster. That best-case scenario of 96 days of MLB service will leave him shy of Super Two projection, so Lopez presently would not be eligible for arbitration until after the 2020 season. As it stands now, the earliest he could become a free agent would be upon completion of the 2023 season.

Mariners Place David Phelps On DL; Felix Hernandez Diagnosed With Bursitis

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The Mariners have placed righty David Phelps on the 10-day DL, per a club announcement. He’s dealing with what the team is calling an elbow impingement and is expected to be sidelined for two or three weeks. Meanwhile, the club further announced that starter Felix Hernandez has been diagnosed with shoulder bursitis that will keep him out for three to four weeks.

With the DL placement of Phelps, Seattle has cleared way for the activation of just-acquired first baseman Yonder Alonso. He’ll suit up against his former team, the Athletics, in tonight’s action.

Of course, the M’s had only just acquired Phelps, too. It certainly hurts to see the organization’s top deadline acquisition head out of action so soon after he had joined the team. That said, it seems promising that he was not deemed to have a more serious elbow issue. Since coming to Seattle, Phelps has made seven appearances, allowing two earned runs over six innings while racking up 11 strikeouts and just one walk.

Hernandez had already gone on the DL a few days ago, with the team stating at the time that he was dealing with biceps tendinitis. With the new diagnosis — a repeat of an injury that drove King Felix to the DL for about two months earlier this year — it seems a lengthier absence is to be expected. That comes at an inopportune moment, as Hernandez had picked up his output over July, working to a 3.86 ERA with 36 strikeouts and 14 walks in 35 innings.

As Seattle welcomes Alonso to the fold, it sits just one game out of Wild Card position. But the club’s pitching health and depth have continued to be a problem. Hernandez returns to a disabled list that already includes Hisashi Iwakuma and Drew Smyly. Just-added southpaw Marco Gonzales took a spot start for Hernandez, but he was knocked around. Other 40-man members who have taken starts in the majors this yearinclude Andrew Moore, Sam Gaviglio, and Chase De Jong.

Kelvin Herrera, Gregory Polanco, Alex Colome & Francisco Cervelli Move To Wasserman

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Six players have elected to change their agencies, following agent Rafa Nieves in his recent move from Beverly Hills Sports Council to the Wasserman Media Group, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter links).

Among the veterans making the change are a pair of closers — the Royals’ Kelvin Herrera and Alex Colome of the Rays — as well as two Pirates players, outfielder Gregory Polanco and catcher Francisco Cervelli. Two less-experienced players — each of whom has a 40-man spot but is currently at Triple-A — will also move: Athletics righty Frankie Montas and Nationals catcher Pedro Severino.

Of these players, it seems that Herrera’s situation is most interesting. The 27-year-old will be eligible for free agency one final time over the winter. He’s earning $5.325MM currently and will look to build upon that figure before hitting the open market.

Herrera’s case will be an interesting one to track, as he has slipped to a 4.19 ERA this year but has also already posted 43 strikeouts and has served as Kansas City’s full-time closer. With 24 saves in the bank — double last year’s tally — Herrera should be well-positioned to argue for a hefty raise, especially if he can drive down the earned run average before the end of the season.

Also slated for arbitration is Colome, who’ll go through the process for the first time. He, too, hasn’t been quite as dominant this year as he was last. But he’ll bring a loaded resume to the table with 37 saves in the bank from last year and a league-leading 33 added already in 2017. As things stand, Colome has a career 3.16 ERA and has also accumulated more innings than a typical closer (256 2/3) since he also has 19 MLB starts on his ledger.

As for the two Bucs regulars, they’re playing under long-term contracts. Polanco is under team control all the way through 2023, while Cervelli is locked up through 2019 under the extension he signed last year. Both Montas and Severino have seen the majors on multiple occasions, but neither has accumulated significant service time to date. The pair of 24-year-old Dominicans are still a fair ways away from possible arbitration eligibility.

As always, you can find the most up-to-date agency information in MLBTR’s database.

Updates On 2018 Club Options Over Pitchers

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We checked in last night on the status of some position players whose teams will be deciding on club options at the end of the year. This morning, we’ll do the same with regard to hurlers. As before, we aren’t considering player options/opt-outs (like Johnny Cueto and the Giants) or mutual options (as with Mike Minor and the Royals).

  • Tony Barnette, RP, Rangers — $4MM option, $250K buyout: Barnette produced great results last year with less-than-exciting peripherals. In 2017, he’s got double-digit strikeouts per nine but also owns a 5.55 ERA — owing to a high BABIP, low strand rate, and double the rate of homers allowed. With a healthy 14.2% swinging-strike rate to support the strikeout numbers, Barnette may actually still represent a nice value for Texas.
  • Jerry Blevins, RP, Mets — $7MM option, $1MM buyout: There have been a few ups and downs, but on the whole Blevins has been a quality member of the Mets’ pen once again. He’s carrying 12.4 K/9 on a 14.1% swinging-strike rate that’s easily a career best. New York would be hard pressed to find a similar power lefty in free agency for a more appealing price.
  • Madison Bumgarner, SP, Giants — $12MM option, $1.5MM buyout: There was never any question of this option being picked up, even when MadBum suffered a significant injury earlier in the year. He’s back and has been plenty effective, so any slight doubt is completely gone; whether the sides will attempt a new extension this winter, though, remains to be seen.
  • Matt Cain, SP/RP, Giants — $21MM option, $7.5MM buyout: Despite the high buyout tag, this one has long seemed mostly a foregone conclusion to be declined. Cain has just never rediscovered his pre-injury form and was finally bumped to the pen. He is carrying an abysmal 4.7% swinging-strike rate on the year — nearly half his career average and the lowest in the game among pitchers with at least 20 innings.
  • R.A. Dickey, SP, Braves — $8MM option, $500K buyout: Dickey is beffuddling hitters with his knuckler about as much as he has in the prior four seasons, with a solid 4.03 ERA over 134 frames. Atlanta still needs to fill out the rotation for 2018, so this seems like a pretty easy “yes.”
  • Nathan Eovaldi, SP, Rays — $2MM option: We haven’t heard much of Eovaldi’s progress as he works back from elbow surgery, but that’s not all that surprising given the expected timetable for his procedure — a second Tommy John that also included a flexor tendon repair. The Rays still have some time to decide whether to continue their investment in the talented hurler, who could be an interesting asset if he’s able to get back to the mound.
  • Yovani Gallardo, SP, Mariners — $13MM option, $2MM buyout: It’s hard to see the M’s taking on the $11MM difference here. Gallardo has allowed over five earned runs per nine for the second consecutive year and ERA estimators (4.96 FIP; 5.02 xFIP; 5.16 SIERA) see the results as a roughly accurate reflection of his performance. It is worth noting, though, that Gallardo has gained about two miles per hour on his average fastball, which may increase his appeal as a turnaround option in free agency.
  • Matt Garza, SP, Brewers — $5MM option: Garza has posted solid results, with a 3.68 ERA over 88 frames, though the peripherals (6.1 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 42.4% groundball rate) don’t excite and ERA estimators are a bit skeptical. Assuming he remains healthy and generally effective the rest of the way, there’s little reason for the Brewers to pass on such a reasonably priced rotation piece.
  • Gio Gonzalez, SP, Nationals — $12MM option, $500K buyout: The veteran lefty has long underperformed ERA estimators, but now it’s just the opposite as he carries a career-low 2.66 ERA through 142 1/3 innings. He’s no longer suppressing home runs like he once did, has lost another 1.5 mph on his average fastball, and has benefited from a 85.1% strand rate and .241 BABIP. Still, this is an easy pick-up as things stand … and likely won’t be a choice anyway, as the option will vest once Gio reaches 180 frames — which he’s all but assured of doing for the first time since 2013.
  • Craig Kimbrel, RP, Red Sox — $13MM option, $1MM buyout: Last year’s 5.1 BB/9 walk rate is firmly in the rearview mirror and Kimbrel is back as perhaps the game’s most dominant reliever. His 44.6% K%-BB% is a career high, as is his league-leading 20.6% swinging-strike rate. Which is to say, there’s really nothing more to discuss; he’s coming back to Boston barring a catastrophic injury.
  • Boone Logan, RP, Indians — $7MM option, $1MM buyout: A lat strain will force Logan out for a lengthy stretch, perhaps the rest of the season. That certainly changes the picture somewhat on the option. Logan has remained a somewhat frustrating pitcher: his strand rate has hovered around 60% over the past two years even as he continues to post compelling swinging-strike, strikeout, and groundball numbers. Cleveland had handled him very deliberately early on, giving him just 21 frames over 38 appearances, and that relatively narrow role could reduce his utility to the team in the future. This one could conceivably go either way, and may yet be impacted by Logan’s recovery efforts between now and decision time (five days after the World Series).
  • Wade Miley, SP, Orioles — $12MM option, $500K buyout: Even looking beyond the ugly results — a second consecutive year with a 5+ ERA — this has been a rough season for the lefty. He has allowed 5.2 BB/9, nearly double his career average, while coughing up home runs on nearly one-fifth of the flies put in play against him. Baltimore needs arms, but it seems reasonable to anticipate that the club will find more appealing ways to spend the $11.5MM gap between the option price and buyout.
  • Matt Moore, SP, Giants — $9MM option, $1MM buyout: It’s tough to know what to make of the 28-year-old, who just hasn’t been all that effective this year after seeming to show improved form in 2016. San Francisco made a rather significant investment in trade assets to get him at last year’s deadline, and will value the chance to control Moore at a reasonable rate for 2019, but the results are surely troubling. Odds are the Giants will decide the upside outweighs the risk here.
  • Ricky Nolasco, SP, Angels — $13MM option, $1MM buyout: Home runs have beena big problem for Nolasco this year, as he has allowed nearly two per nine on an 18.1% HR/FB rate. Otherwise, he looks like much the same pitcher as ever and even sports a career-high 11.1% swinging-strike rate. He has also worked out of the zone more than ever before, but hasn’t seen a major jump in walk rate. It’s a pretty hefty price tag, but perhaps it’s not totally inconceivable that the injury-riddled Halos would value the chance to retain the typically durable veteran.
  • Martin Perez, SP, Rangers — $6MM option, $2.45MM buyout: The first of three option years, this provision was obviously intended to be exercised unless things really turned south. Perez has not been very good, with a 5.46 ERA and just 5.9 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 with a lower-than-usual 45.8% groundball rate, but he’s young and evidently healthy. The Rangers need the innings and the price is right.
  • Glen Perkins, RP, Twins — $6.5MM option, $700K buyout: Major shoulder surgery has drastically altered his career path, but the former Twins closer is finally nearing a return. It’s still possible the club could find appeal in this price tag for the respected veteran, though he’ll have to show it on the mound over the next seven weeks.
  • Anibal Sanchez, SP/RP, Tigers — $16MM option, $5MM buyout: There were some intriguing peaks at one point over the summer, but the 33-year-old’s overall body of work does not inspire confidence — particularly, the fact that he has been torched for nearly two-and-a-half dingers per nine. There’s no realistic chance that Detroit will take on the extra $11MM to keep Sanchez.
  • Chris Sale, SP, Red Sox — $12.5MM option, $1MM buyout: He’s been even better than advertised. As with Kimbrel, it’s an easy call for the Sox.
  • Huston Street, RP, Angels — $10MM option, $1MM buyout: The 34-year-old has turned in four scoreless appearances since finally returning to the bump, which is somewhat promising but also far too little to serve as the basis for an assessment. Odds are this’ll remain too steep a price for the Halos to pay, though, especially given the backdrop of multiple injuries, age, and a forgettable 2016 campaign.
  • Josh Tomlin, SP, Indians — $3MM option, $750K buyout: The sticker price is just so reasonable here that it’s hard to see Cleveland passing. Tomlin has been mostly himself despite a 5.38 ERA. He’s averaging less than one walk and just over seven strikeouts per nine innings. As ever, he’s susceptible to the long ball. The difference between this year’s iffy results and his solid work over the prior two seasons? A .328 BABIP and 65.6% strand rate. Tomlin still looks like a solid back-end starter and remains a bargain.

Central Notes: Cubs, Candelario, Gonsalves, Sano

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Have the Cubs emptied their farm in a worrying way? It’s not quite that simple, Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago writes. With a youthful and controllable core of position players, GM Jed Hoyer says, “we’re an incredibly healthy organization from a young-talent standpoint.” While the front office will still need to replenish the ranks in the long run, despite lower draft positions and new limitations on international spending, it does indeed seem reasonable not to focus too much on the fact that the club has lost so much from the top of its system (much of it to graduation, not trade).

  • One player that just moved out of the Chicago system — new Tigers corner infielder Jeimer Candelario — is heading right up to the majors, as Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press writes. While GM Al Avila says he hopes Candelario will push for a regular role next year, it seems he won’t shoulder that burden in his first MLB stint with his new club. Indeed, he may just function as a bench piece for the time being, manager Brad Ausmus suggests and Evan Woodberry of MLive.com tweets.
  • The Twins have moved lefty Stephen Gonsalves up to Triple-A, per an announcement from the team’s top affiliate. The 23-year-old southpaw entered the season as a consensus top-100 prospect leaguewide, and has responded by continuing to dominate the opposition at Double-A — as he did in a half-season there last year. Given the pitching struggles at the MLB level in Minnesota, it’s fair to wonder whether Gonsalves could become an option down the stretch, either to boost the staff if the team stays in the Wild Card hunt or merely to give him a look to see if he’s an option for 2018.
  • Meanwhile, the Twins can breathe easy after seeing Miguel Sano worryingly take a pitch off his hand. As Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reported yesterday, the young slugger received a clean bill of health after undergoing an MRI and CT scan. Sano has missed the last three games but will presumably be able to return once the pain and swelling subside.

Updates On 2018 Club Options Over Position Players

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With about two-thirds of the season in the books, elements of the coming offseason player market are coming into focus. Before we know the full slate of players on the open market, though, teams will first have a chance to determine the fates of some veterans who can be controlled through contract options. We’ll assess those here. Note that we are only looking at situations where the team will make the call exclusively. So we are not looking at player options/opt-outs (as with the Tigers and Justin Upton) or mutual options (e.g., Adam Lind and the Nationals).

Here are the position players whose contracts include club options for 2018:

  • Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros — $6MM option: Altuve is turning in an MVP-caliber campaign, making this perhaps the easiest offseason decision in the game. The bigger question here is whether Houston will look to try for an extension with Altuve controlled only through 2019.
  • Alexi Amarista, INF, Rockies — $2.5MM option, $150K buyout: Amarista carries a 46 wRC+ on the year. While he offers defensive versatility, like most utility types, he continues to grade as a sub-replacement-level player. Odds are he’ll go back to the open market.
  • Michael Brantley, OF, Indians — $11MM option, $1MM buyout: The 30-year-old isn’t playing to his prior standard and will perhaps always carry some health questions, but he has produced at a solidly above-average rate with the bat. This figures to be a fairly easy pick-up for Cleveland unless a new shoulder problem crops up over the coming months.
  • Asdrubal Cabrera, INF, Mets — $8.5MM option, $2MM buyout: Reports on the Mets’ intentions with regard to Cabrera have varied, and it seems an open question whether the team will commit the extra $6.5MM to keep Cabrera. The switch-hitter could provide options at second and third, while also giving the team an insurance policy at short, and he’s still hitting near the league-average rate. What really stands out when looking at his stat line, though, is his abysmal baserunning grade: by measure of Fangraphs’ BsR, Cabrera has detracted more value on the basepaths than any player in the league has contributed.
  • Andre Ethier, OF, Dodgers — $17.5MM option, $2.5MM buyout: While Ethier could still be ready to return late in the year after failing to suit up to this point, it’s tough to imagine a scenario where the Dodgers take on that salary.
  • Tyler Flowers, C, Braves — $4MM option, $300K buyout: Even if you don’t believe the 31-year-old can keep up his prodigious efforts at the plate — he carries a .368 BABIP after checking in at .366 last year — he’s an easy choice to stay in Atlanta. There’s little chance the club could find a more appealing solution on the open market at this rate of pay.
  • Logan Forsythe, 2B, Dodgers — $8.5MM option, $1MM buyout: When the Dodgers shipped out Jose De Leon to get Forsythe, the assumption was this contract would stay on the books. That’s no longer clear, as the veteran has posted a tepid .238/.365/.318 slash — somewhat oddly exhibiting a near-doubling of his career walk rate (to 16.0%) combined with a total collapse of power (.079 isolated slugging, three home runs).
  • J.J. Hardy, SS, Orioles — $14MM option, $2MM buyout: Long an outstanding defender with an all-or-nothing approach at the plate, Hardy has seen his glovework grades slip even as his batting line has fallen to a career-worst .211/.248/.308 level. With a lengthy DL stint added to the mix, he’s clearly heading to free agency — though perhaps he can still boost his market standing if he can make it back and show more down the stretch.
  • Ian Kinsler, 2B, Tigers — $10MM option, $5MM buyout: The bat hasn’t kept pace with its output from 2016, but Kinsler still earns excellent grades in the field. With only a $5MM gap between the option and the buyout, it’s all but certain he’ll be retained. What isn’t yet known is whether and where the Tigers will trade him.
  • Jed Lowrie, 2B, Athletics — $6MM option, $1MM buyout: It remains surprising that Lowrie wasn’t dealt at the deadline, as he has turned in a quality all-around year. While he has fallen off a bit at the plate of late, he seems a useful piece and the 2018 salary is easily justified. Oakland could keep him to aid the transition to a younger roster, or clear him out to make way. A deal could come this August or at any point over the winter.
  • Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pirates — $14.75MM option, $1MM buyout: Yeah, Cutch is back. The Bucs won’t face any questions about the option, but there’ll be plenty of speculation — once again — about a trade.
  • Chris Stewart, C, Pirates — $1.5MM option, $250K buyout: The 35-year-old has rarely been all that productive offensively, but he has struggled worse than ever before in 2017. It’s a cheap contract, to be sure, but Pittsburgh will need to consider whether it’s better served finding another option to back up Francisco Cervelli.

Outrighted: Ramon Flores, Danny Ortiz

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The following players have been outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers:

  • Angels outfielder Ramon Flores is en route back to Salt Lake, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (via Twitter). He has been outrighted previously, during his time with the Brewers, and thus had the right to choose free agency. But he’s listed on the organization’s Triple-A roster, so it seems he has elected to remain in the organization. He’ll have the right to do so instead at the end of the year. Flores, who’s still just 25, appeared in only three games with the Halos this year and struggled in an extended run last season with Milwaukee. He is hitting a robust .311/405/.417, though, in 373 trips to the plate at Salt Lake this year.
  • The Pirates announced that outfielder Danny Ortiz is returning to Indianapolis. He had earned his first MLB call-up after sporting a .259/.291/.450 slash over 342 Triple-A plate appearances to open the year. But Ortiz saw only limited action over nine games in the bigs and lost his roster spot when the Bucs acquired old friend Sean Rodriguez over the weekend.

Angels Designate Shane Robinson, Activate Cameron Maybin

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The Angels have designated outfielder Shane Robinson for assignment, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. He’ll make way for the activation of Cameron Maybin, who is back atop the Halos’ lineup tonight.

Robinson, 32, saw 14 games of action this year for Los Angeles, representing his eighth season in the majors. Overall, he carries a .227/.295/.298 batting line through 789 trips to the plate.

The veteran had spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he posted a productive .338/.397/.436 slash with his typically excellent plate discipline and a dozen steals. Assuming he ultimately clears outright waivers, Robinson could accept an assignment back to Salt Lake or take that record of recent performance onto the open market.

As for Maybin, he ultimately missed 16 games with a knee sprain. The 30-year-old has not continued the offensive output he showed last year with the Tigers, but has swiped 25 bags on the year while posting average or better metrics in center (while filling in for Mike Trout) and left field. Maybin will hit the open market for the first time at the conclusion of the season.

Padres Promote Carter Capps

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The Padres have called up reliever Carter Capps, per a club announcement. Southpaw Buddy Baumann was optioned to create active roster space; Capps had previously been activated from the DL and optioned to Triple-A.

It has been a long road back for the big righty, who last pitched in a major league game on August 2nd of 2015. At the time, he was authoring a remarkable breakout season in which he had thrown 31 innings of 1.16 ERA ball with a ridiculous 16.8 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9.

Capps left his most recent MLB appearance with an elbow problem that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. The procedure took place in March of last year, so the rehab process has been somewhat more grueling than most — though to some degree the duration was tied to Capps’s famously funky mechanics, as MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell notes.

The Pads took a shot on Capps by acquiring him as part of the 2016 swap that sent Andrew Cashner and (temporarily) Colin Rea to the Marlins. San Diego ultimately avoided arbitration with Capps for just under $1MM in the hopes that he’d return to action for a decent portion of the current season.

Things may not have gone quite as smoothly as hoped, but there’s still some cause for optimism for both player and team. Capps will have nearly two months to showcase his health and reputedly streamlined delivery, with the Pads watching to assess whether to offer him arbitration again this fall. While his initial attempt at a rehab stint wasn’t very successful, Capps has shown better of late. Through 25 2/3 total innings at Triple-A this year, he carries a 2.81 ERA with 28 strikeouts and nine walks.

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