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AL Central Notes: Sano, Miggy, Castellanos, Covey

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The Twins’ demotion of Miguel Sano to the minors yesterday came as a surprise to many, but the slugger seems to be taking the move in stride, as Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes. “It’s the decision they take and I take too,” said Sano of the demotion. “I’m not mad. They gave me an opportunity. No reason I can get mad. … I’m going to take pride of going down there and working hard so I can come back and be better.” Sano said he didn’t want to blame his struggles on his recent injury history, though it’s worth noting that he required offseason surgery to repair a stress reaction in his shin and has also missed time in 2018 due to a hamstring injury. Chief baseball officer Derek Falvey said that improving Sano’s conditioning, specifically in his lower half, is part of the move, though the organization’s greater hope is to try to give Sano a fresh start in an environment where he can focus in on some areas for improvement identified by hitting coach James Rowson and others.

Here’s more from the AL Central…

  • The Tigers have no plans to move Nicholas Castellanos in the wake of Miguel Cabrera’s season-ending injury, manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters this week (Twitter link via Jason Beck of MLB.com). Castellanos ranks among the game’s worst defenders in the outfield according to each of Defensive Runs Saved (-11), Ultimate Zone Rating (-2) and Statcast’s Outs Above Average (-10). However, the Tigers organization remains committed to improving Castellanos’ work in right, it seems. “Castellanos is our right fielder,” Gardenhire said. “We’re trying to make him a right fielder and he’s still working at it, and he’s working really hard.”
  • Looking further at Cabrera’s injury, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports that the future Hall of Famer is expected to be able to return to baseball activities in about six months, which should leave him with ample time to prepare for Spring Training. He’ll begin his rehab work in Detroit, rather than at the team’s spring complex in Florida, which will allow him to be closer to his teammates. Cabrera is taking the injury as well as can be expected, Tigers trainer Doug Teter tells Woodbery. In a second column, however, Woodbery writes that the organization and its fans may need to concede that their former iron man, who averaged 155 games per season and made 11 All-Star teams from 2004-16, is beginning to break down and enter a decline over the final few years of his career. There’s no escaping his albatross contract, though Woodbery rightly notes that it’s also not likely to serve as a major hindrance to the club anytime soon. The Tigers are well south of the luxury tax, and given their rebuilding status, they’re not likely to spend aggressively in the next couple of winters anyhow.
  • Right-hander Dylan Covey has emerged as a surprise contributor in the rotation for the White Sox just months after clearing waivers and being outrighted, writes James Fegan of The Athletic (subscription required). Covey has had unsustainable good fortune in terms of home runs, as he’s yet to allow one this season after being perhaps the most homer-prone pitcher in the Majors last season. But he’s also working with an improved ground-ball rate, better control and more strikeouts as he’s significantly upped the usage of his two-seamer to great effect. Covey has only made six starts at the big league level thus far, but he’s impressed to the point that he’ll be afforded a long leash in proving that he is capable of holding down a long-term spot in the rotation. Considering the fact that the ChiSox acquired Covey in the 2016 Rule 5 Draft (out of the Athletics organization), even if he settles in as a useful back-of-the-rotation starter it’d be a nice bonus.

Jason Motte Joins University Of Memphis Staff

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Long-time MLB hurler Jason Motte has joined the staff of the University of Memphis baseball team, per an announcement. In his new gig, he’ll serve as the director of player development.

While there has been no formal acknowledgement, it seems reasonable to presume that this represents the end of Motte’s playing career. He had spent time in camp this year with the Cardinals but did not join an organization after being released in late March.

Motte, 35, turned himself from a minor-league catcher into a big-league closer. He ended up throwing 397 2/3 MLB frames over nine seasons, working to a 3.30 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 along the way.

The bulk of Motte’s success came with the Cardinals. He was a standout reliever from 2010 through 2012, over which time he maintained a 2.43 ERA through 192 1/3 innings. Motte capped off that run with a 42-save campaign. He also was a key postseason contributor, throwing 21 2/3 total innings of 2.08 ERA ball in October for St. Louis.

Tommy John surgery eliminated Motte’s 2013 season and he really was never the same upon his return. After operating at over 97 mph with his average fastball in the years preceding the TJ procedure, Motte never averaged more than 95.8 after rehabbing. That number trailed off further over the years, which mattered quite a bit for a pitcher who relied almost exclusively on hard-thrown balls. His swinging-strike rate, which had been over 12% before going under the knife, more or less fell off a cliff.

Motte still battled through four more seasons in the majors, turning in some productive innings along the way. He was a solid arm for the Cubs in 2015, earning himself a two-year deal with the Rockies. While things didn’t work out in Colorado, Motte gave the Braves 40 2/3 innings of 3.54 ERA ball last year, overcoming peripheral numbers that suggested much worse results.

MLBTR congratulates Motte on his playing career and wishes him the best of luck in his new endeavors — including his ongoing efforts to strike out cancer with The Jason Motte Foundation.

MLB Daily Roster Roundup: Cabrera, Cahill, Maeda, Ottavino, Soroka

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ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM
(June 13th-June 14th)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

  • ATLANTA BRAVES | Depth Chart
    • Activated from 10-Day DL: SP Mike Soroka
      • Soroka pitched 6.1 shutout innings on Wednesday.
    • Designated for assignment: RP Luke Jackson
      • Jackson cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A on Tuesday.

—

AMERICAN LEAGUE

  • BALTIMORE ORIOLES | Depth Chart
    • Promoted: SP Yefry Ramirez
      • Ramirez started versus the Red Sox on Wednesday in his MLB debut (4.1 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 K)
    • Optioned: RP Donnie Hart
  • CLEVELAND INDIANS | Depth Chart
    • Activated from 10-Day DL: OF Brandon Guyer
      • Guyer played RF and batted 5th on Thursday versus a left-handed starting pitcher.
    • Designated for assignment: OF Melky Cabrera
      • Cabrera was 12-for-58 with 5 2B, 0 HR in 17 games.

—

FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES

Amateur Draft Signings: 6/14/18

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Here are the day’s deals of note from the top few rounds of the draft (rankings referenced are courtesy of Baseball America, MLB.com, Fangraphs and ESPN’s Keith Law — with the scouting reports from MLB and Fangraphs both coming free to the general public) …

  • Athletics second-round pick Jeremy Eierman will receive a $1,232,000 bonus, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). That’s well over the $872,400 slot value that came with the 70th pick. The Missouri State produce drew big grades from BA (#26) and MLB.com (#29) as the top collegiate shortstop, with both a history of productivity and an intriguing power/speed offensive profile for a player who could potentially stick at shortstop. Analysts also note that an offensive downturn in the just-completed season introduced new questions about his long-term outlook.
  • The Cubs are in agreement with second-round pick Brennen Davis on a $1.1MM bonus, Callis reports on Twitter. That checks in just north of the 62nd pick’s $1,060,900 allocation. Davis ranked 81st on the Fangraphs board, with physical tools and projection driving the outfielder’s draft standing. He had been committed to the University of Miami.

Earlier Updates

  • The Padres will pay out $2.6MM to land supplemental first-round choice Xavier Edwards, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis (Twitter link). A consensus first-round talent, Edwards went 38th overall ($1,878,300 allocation) and required a well-over-slot bonus to give up his commitment to Vanderbilt. Fangraphs was the highest outlet on the Florida high-schooler, ranking him 17th among all eligible players based upon his outstanding speed, quality bat, and promising outlook as an up-the-middle defender.
  • The Rays have deals in place with compensation selection Nick Schnell and competitive balance Round B choice Tanner Dodson, according to reports from Callis (Twitter links) and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (also on Twitter). Schnell will receive $2.3MM; the high-school outfielder was chosen with the 32nd overall pick, which comes with a $2,171,700 slot value. He’s credited with a quality tool set and what MLB.com calls an “extremely projectable frame.” Tampa Bay will save some money on Dodson, whose $997,500 bonus falls shy of the $1,228,000 slot value at #71. He’s valued most as a power pitcher but is also said to have legitimate talent as a switch-hitting outfielder, which could give the Rays another multi-functional prospect to work with.
  • Second-round choice Nick Sandlin will go to the Indians for $750K, Callis tweets, which will leave some savings against the $939,700 pick allocation. With the signing, the Cleveland organization will add a highly effective collegiate hurler who is known less for his pure stuff than for his wide pitch mix and use of varied arm angles. Sandlin cracked the top 100 list of the Fangraphs team and landed within the top 200 draft prospects as graded by Baseball America and MLB.com. It certainly seems he’ll be an interesting player to follow as a professional.

Latest On Pirates’ Deadline Planning

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The Pirates appear to be preparing to deal away some veteran assets this summer, according to reporting from MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. While the Bucs have obviously not yet committed to a path, Morosi tweets that the organization is “likely” to offer up some of its shorter-term players at the trade deadline.

It’s not surprising to hear that the Pittsburgh organization has begun to think about selling this summer. After a strong opening run, the club has faded fast and now sits two games under .500 and eight games back in a tough NL Central division. With three quality teams stacked ahead in the standings, it’s a bit difficult to see the Pirates staying in the hunt all season long.

Under the circumstances, says Morosi, the club plans to open the door to trades barring a sudden reversal of fortunes. Given the caveats sprinkled through the report, it’s clearly too soon to declare the Pirates a deadline “seller.” But the trend lines are all pointing in that direction, as Fangraphs’ playoff odds tracker illustrates.

We held off on including any Bucs players in our recent ranking of the top fifty trade deadline candidates. As we noted there, however, the club has a solid list of assets that it could put on the market. It’s worth checking through some of the top names to consider here, as some will likely appear on the next iteration of our top-fifty list.

There aren’t many pure rental pieces. Shortstop Jordy Mercer would be an appealing infield addition for the right contending team. Sean Rodriguez has struggled but could still turn himself into an asset given his versatility. Though his deal includes an option for 2019, corner infielder David Freese will mostly be viewed as a rental piece and could draw some interest as an experienced bench bat.

The Bucs are much more interesting when you expand the search to players that are under contract for future seasons. Veteran backstop Francisco Cervelli, a respected defender who is on fire with the bat, would make for an interesting entrant onto the trade market. He’s under contract for 2019, which increases his appeal but also his value to Pittsburgh. Similarly, righty Ivan Nova has another year to go on his deal. He isn’t thriving in the results department, but his peripherals remain quite strong and he’d be a nice addition for a team looking to add good innings to a rotation. Utilityman Josh Harrison remains a quality, versatile player who’d fit just about anywhere. His remaining two years of contract control aren’t cheap, but they come via option. And Corey Dickerson could still be of interest with another arb season left, though he has cooled of late.

There are yet more controllable pieces worth considering, too. While the Pirates would surely be hesitant to blow up their core, they’ll surely also listen if the market comes to them. Closer Felipe Vazquez is playing under an amply affordable extension, while Jameson Taillon continues to be a quality rotation piece. In both cases, the Pittsburgh front office will no doubt hold out for exceedingly high returns, if they’re really all that willing to talk at all. The same would hold true of star outfielder Starling Marte or other controllable position players, in all likelihood.

For the time being, then, it’s all guesswork as to which of those players might turn up in another uniform. Any chatter on deadline moves is surely still in the preliminary stages, if it’s really even taking place at all for a team that is still straddling the fence with ten weeks of the season in the books.

Mariners Designate Mike Morin

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The Mariners have designated reliever Mike Morin for assignment, per a club announcement. The club also optioned out first baseman Dan Vogelbach while adding righties Nick Rumbelow and Rob Whalen to the active roster.

Morin, 27, had appeared twice this year for the M’s at the MLB level but spent most of his time in the Seattle organization at Triple-A. Over 25 total frames, he allowed nine earned runs and carried a strong 28:6 K/BB ratio.

Over parts of five seasons in the majors, Morin has worked to a 4.60 ERA over 172 innings. Claimed off waivers over the winter, he was removed from the 40-man late in camp and then added back just a few days ago. Given his prior outright, Morin can refuse an assignment to Triple-A if he clears waivers.

Twins Option Miguel Sano

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The Twins have optioned struggling third baseman Miguel Sano, the club announced and Phil Miller of the Star Tribune was among those to report on Twitter. Outfielder Jake Cave will also go down on optional assignment with the team preparing to activate Joe Mauer.

Sano, 25, has long been seen as a premium talent and had been a high-quality big-league hitter through his first three seasons in the majors. Despite ongoing questions about his propensity to strike out and generally subpar work in the field and on the bases, Sano entered the year as an important part of the Twins lineup.

Unfortunately, the results have been brutal thus far in 2018, particularly since Sano returned from a DL stint. In 73 plate appearances since being activated, Sano has racked up thirty strikeouts while recording only a pair of walks and a .191/.247/.353 overall batting line.

Given the severity of his struggles, Sano isn’t just going to be heading to the team’s top affiliate. Rather, he’ll report to High-A Fort Myers. Chief baseball officer Derek Falvey explains, via Miller (on Twitter), that the organization “wanted to take a step back and blank-canvas this” and saw the team’s Spring Training home as “the most supportive environment” for Sano.

Sano surely still holds a place in the team’s future plans at the moment. After all, he was coming off of an All-Star appearance in 2017 and at times has looked like one of the game’s more fearsome power hitters. He has not expressed any intransigence in the wake of the move, instead telling reporters (again, via Miller on Twitter) that he’s “happy” to go down and rebuild himself at the plate.

There are several interesting dimensions to this move, of course, but it doesn’t seem that Sano’s contractual status will be a source of any real intrigue for the time being. He entered the year with 2.095 years of service to his credit, leaving 77 to go before he’d top three full years of service and thus qualify for arbitration. Sano recently cleared that bar, so there won’t be any question as to whether the Twins ought to hold him down and keep him from reaching the arb process.

 

Follow The NBA Draft, Offseason With Hoops Rumors

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Now that the 2018 NBA Finals are in the books, the offseason fun is set to begin. The draft is just one week away, with free agency to follow 10 days later, and it should be a wild summer for the NBA.

The Cavaliers, Lakers, Sixers, Rockets, and a handful of other teams remain viable destinations for LeBron James, while other top free agents like Paul George and DeMarcus Cousins may change teams, too. The trade market is also expected to be active, as it represents the best path for many cap-strapped teams to upgrade their rosters. The latest whispers suggest we could see plenty of movement on draft night next Thursday.

To keep tabs on all of the latest NBA offseason news and rumors, head over to Hoops Rumors, follow @HoopsRumors on Twitter and set up your notifications on the Trade Rumors app for iOS and Android. We’ll have you covered every step of the way as teams tweak — or, in some cases, overhaul — their rosters.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/14/18

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Here are Thursday’s minor moves from around the game…

  • The Twins announced that infielder Gregorio Petit has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Rochester after being designated for assignment earlier this week. The 33-year-old stuck with the Twins for a few weeks as a seldom-used bench piece but lost his roster spot when Minnesota brought right-hander Matt Belisle back to the organization on a big league contract Tuesday. Petit appeared in a dozen games for Minnesota but made just 30 plate appearances, hitting .308/.400/.308. He’s a career .253/.298/.350 hitter in 483 MLB plate appearances and a .267/.317/.370 hitter in parts of 11 Triple-A seasons.

Earlier Moves

  • Catcher Jose Lobaton cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Mets and has been sent outright to Triple-A Las Vegas, as noted on the team’s transactions page. It’s the second time that the veteran Lobaton has been designated and subsequently outrighted by the Mets in 2018. While he has the option of rejecting the option of rejecting the assignment in favor of free agency, he accepted his previous assignment and is already once again listed on the team’s roster in Triple-A. Lobaton, 33, has hit just .152/.264/.239 in 53 plate appearances for the Mets thus far in 2018, continuing his struggles from the 2017 season with the Nats. The switch-hitter is a career .271/.352/.419 hitter in Triple-A, however.
  • Right-hander Jairo Diaz was released by the Rockies following his recent DFA, as reflected on the team’s transactions page. The 27-year-old Diaz hasn’t pitched much since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2016, struggling through 25 innings between MLB and the minors last season and through just 3 2/3 innings in Triple-A so far in 2018. Diaz has averaged better than 97 mph on his fastball (including in a short MLB stint last year, post-surgery) and did notch a 2.37 ERA and an 18-to-6 K/BB ratio with a 56.6 percent ground-ball rate in 19 innings with the Rox back in 2015. He’d been on the DL due to forearm tightness since mid-April at the time of his DFA, per Nick Groke of The Athletic (Twitter link).

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