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Archives for August 2019

Dustin Pedroia Undergoes Knee Surgery

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7:40pm: The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reports several details on the procedure performed on Pedroia. The 35-year-old underwent a “relatively new” surgery called a “subchondroplasty” aimed at repairing multiple hairline fractures that had formed and strengthening the bones in his knee. He also had several bone spurs removed. Speier also quotes an orthopedic surgeon (Twitter link) in calling today’s surgery a “much bigger” procedure than the previous surgeries performed on Pedroia’s knee. The Globe’s Peter Abraham tweets that this particular surgery is sometimes performed as an alternative to a knee replacement.

12:35pm: Red Sox second bagger Dustin Pedroia has undergone another procedure on his balky left knee, according to a team announcement. A “joint preservation procedure” was performed yesterday.

Pedroia’s status has remained unclear amidst ongoing knee problems. Most recently, he acknowledged the possibility that he may never return to the MLB field of play. The plans aren’t yet entirely clear, but it sounds as if Pedroia will at least give a shot at a comeback. The announcement specifies that the veteran “will begin his rehabilitation in Arizona.”

Incredibly, this marks the fifth knee operation that Pedroia has undergone since the 2016-17 offseason. He’s only been able to suit up for a total of nine games in 2018-19, and his last (mostly) healthy season in 2017 featured one of the weakest offensive showings of his career. He’s under contract through the 2021 season after signing an eight-year, $110MM extension back in July 2013.

5 Extended Players Amid Disappointing Seasons

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The staggering number of extensions teams doled out leading up to this season was among Major League Baseball’s main storylines last spring. Some of the players who inked those deals (Mike Trout and Ronald Acuna Jr., to name a couple) have picked up where they left off prior to receiving their new pacts. Others have fallen short of expectations, on the other hand. Here are several notable examples of just-extended players who have disappointed this season…

Chris Sale, LHP, Red Sox (five years, $145MM):

  • Sale’s velocity began to plummet late last year – a season limited by shoulder problems – but after the Red Sox’s latest World Series triumph in the fall, they decided to make a big-money, long-term commitment to the southpaw. Unfortunately for Boston, Sale’s velocity hasn’t really recovered (at least not to its summer 2018 levels) during what has been a less-than-ideal season for him and the reigning champions. The 30-year-old entered 2019 having never logged an ERA higher than 3.41 in a season, but the number has skyrocketed to 4.68 through 132 2/3 innings in the current campaign. Furthermore, Sale’s average exit velocity against has climbed from 84.7 mph to 88.2 since last season, while his expected weighted on-base average has soared from .238 to .292. Most pitchers would sign up for a .292 mark, though, and Sale does remain a bear to deal with despite his sudden difficulty preventing runs. His 3.55 FIP, 3.06 xFIP and 3.10 SIERA are all terrific, as his 13.09 K/9 against 2.37 BB/9. Sale is clearly still a major asset, but he hasn’t been the elite force we’ve grown accustomed to watching.

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Cardinals (five years, $130MM):

  • Set to turn 32 next month, Goldschmidt’s on track for the worst full season of his storied career, having hit .253/.333/.461 in 477 plate appearances. Although the former Diamondback has racked up 25 home runs, his offensive output has only been 8 percent better than the league-average batter, according to FanGraphs’ wRC+ metric. Goldschmidt’s walks are down, his strikeouts are up, he’s chasing more out-of-zone pitches than ever, and his expected weighted on-base average – .351, a bit better than his .342 real wOBA – is down 33 points from last year. St. Louis didn’t expect any of that this season when it inked Goldschmidt to a franchise-record accord several months ago.

Randal Grichuk, OF, Blue Jays (five years, $52MM):

  • Grichuk’s the one player on this list whose extension has already taken effect. While he is enjoying a red-hot early August, albeit one buoyed by a .533 batting average on balls in play, his season has still been a letdown compared to last year’s strong offensive showing. Never known for getting on base much throughout his career, the 27-year-old has batted .240/.296/.432 with 18 HRs across 452 PA. Grichuk’s ISO has sunk 65 points since 2018, having gone from .257 to .192. At the same time, his .286 xwOBA (compared to a .308 wOBA) only ranks in the league’s 11th percentile.

Matt Carpenter, 3B, Cardinals (two years, $39MM):

  • Carpenter, like his teammate Goldschmidt, isn’t showing encouraging signs months after landing his new contract. The 33-year-old joined Goldschmidt as one of the National League’s top players from 2013-18, but he has hit a below-average .218/.325/.368 with 10 homers in 360 trips to the plate during an injury-shortened 2019 season. Carpenter’s walk, strikeout and isolated power numbers have all gone in worrying directions, while his .320 xwOBA (superior to a .300 wOBA, granted) is merely mediocre and far below where it was in recent years. Carpenter didn’t post an xwOBA worse than .383 in any season from 2015-18.

Khris Davis, DH, Athletics (two years, $33.5MM):

  • After four straight years of hitting .247 and three straight seasons of swatting 40-plus home runs, the low-budget Athletics took a gamble by locking up Davis to a relatively big contract. He’s off to a tough start thus far. With minus-0.5 fWAR in 388 PA, Davis has been among the majors’ least valuable players this year. He’s hitting .230/.299/.398 with 17 homers and a .168 ISO, which is 134 points lower than the figure he recorded just a year ago. Davis is also barreling approximately 7 percent fewer pitches than he did from 2016-18, and his average exit velocity has fallen about 2.5 mph compared to the previous couple years. Although the 31-year-old’s .325 xwOBA does easily outdo his .299 wOBA, it still represents a significant drop-off for a player who put up a mark upward of .370 in each of the prior three seasons. In fairness to Davis, he has battled multiple injuries this year, so perhaps he’ll rebound if healthier in 2020.

Ryon Healy Undergoes Hip Surgery

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Aug. 7: Healy underwent a debridement procedure on his right hip and is expected to require four to six months to recover, Divish tweets.

Aug. 2: Mariners corner infielder Ryon Healy is slated to undergo hip surgery, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times was among those to cover on Twitter. The procedure will sideline him for the remainder of the season.

Healy was previously diagnosed with spinal stenosis. Whether the hip issue is related directly or indirectly is not entirely clear. Neither is it known just how lengthy a rehab process will be required.

The 27-year-old Healy was already facing questions on the field before the health issues arose. He turned in below-average offensive numbers for the second consecutive season, with good power (.219 ISO) but another sub-.300 OBP. In a total of 711 plate appearances with Seattle, Healy has posted a lackluster .236/.280/.423 batting line with 31 home runs. Given his lack of defensive value and baserunning abilities, that type of output is simply too tepid.

Healy entered the 2019 season with two-plus years of big league service and will cross the three-year mark in 2019, making him eligible for arbitration for the first time in his career this winter. This year’s health troubles will suppress a theoretical raise to an extent, but the power numbers that Healy has already logged in his young career will put him in line for a decent bump from this year’s $580K all the same. As such, it’s worth wondering whether the Mariners will tender him a contract at all this winter. The answer to that question could be dependent on the status of his recovery.

Diamondbacks Designate Greg Holland, Reinstate Blake Swihart

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4:30pm: Arizona has announced Holland’s DFA and reinstated Blake Swihart from the 60-day injured list, thus filling his spot on the 25-man and 40-man rosters.

10:07am: The Diamondbacks will designate veteran reliever Greg Holland for assignment, according to Robert Murray of The Athletic (via Twitter). Holland cannot be traded out of DFA limbo but can be claimed by a rival organization.

It’s somewhat difficult, but not impossible, to imagine another club stepping into the shoes of the Holland contract. He’s due the remainder of a $3.25MM guarantee and is also in line to pick up some added bonuses. Having already finished 27 games over forty appearances, Holland is already owed an additional $650K by the Snakes. He can still earn another $100K upon throwing in his 45th and 50th games along with $200K apiece if he reaches 55 and 60. There are also additional potential earnings for further games finished — not that a contender would be likely to utilize Holland in the ninth inning.

If he clears waivers, the 33-year-old Holland will either be released or have the right to elect free agency by virtue of his service time. Regardless, the D-Backs would remain on the hook for all that’s still owed to Holland — except for a pro-rated portion of the league-minimum salary for any time the veteran spends pitching for another team.

Holland seemed to be humming along nicely through June, at which point he had secured a dozen saves and thrown 27 innings of 2.33 ERA ball. As we explained when the struggles began, there were plenty of warning signs of good old-fashioned regression but no particular indications that Holland would completely fall apart.

The situation has simply not improved since. Over his 8 2/3 frames of work since the calendar flipped to July, Holland has dished out eleven free passes to go with nine strikeouts. Opposing batters have plated eleven earned runs. And though he posted a run of five consecutive saves in the midst of that stretch, Holland was removed from the ninth after a pair of brutal late-July appearances against the Marlins.

Even as the results have suffered, Holland has seen his velocity embark upon a steady downturn — with a corresponding decline in the swings and misses against his four-seamer. That fact will surely weigh heavily in the minds of organization’s considering a move for the once-great closer, who has had some stretches of good work in recent years while struggling to maintain consistency.

Cubs Sign Jonathan Lucroy

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4:23pm: The Cubs announced the signing. Davis has been optioned to Triple-A to open a roster spot, and Lucroy will join the team tomorrow.

2:25pm: The Cubs are set to sign catcher Jonathan Lucroy following his release by the Angels, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter). Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reported earlier this week that Chicago had interest in Lucroy after he’d been designated for assignment by the Halos.

Jonathan Lucroy | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Cubs dealt away Martin Maldonado prior to the trade deadline but suddenly found themselves with a unexpected need for help behind the plate when Willson Contreras went down with a hamstring injury that is expected to cost him four weeks of action. Lucroy will step in and share catching duties with Victor Caratini in Contreras’ absence.

Lucroy, now 33, was a thorn in the side of the Cubs and their fanbase for when he was one of the best all-around catchers and a two-time All-Star for the division-rival Brewers. Those days are a distant memory at this point, however, as Lucroy has seen both his bat and his defensive skills erode in recent seasons. Dating back to 2017, he’s authored a well below-average .250/.317/.353 batting line despite spending ample time in hitter-friendly settings in Colorado and Texas (78 OPS+).

Defensively speaking, Lucroy was among the game’s best at preventing steals in 2016 (39 percent), but he’s been league average in the three subsequent seasons. His once-elite framing numbers now check in below the league average, and Baseball Prospectus rates Lucroy as the game’s weakest pitch blocker.

It’s not a terribly appealing profile, especially relative to Lucroy’s peak years, but he’s an experienced backstop who can at the very least be considered an upgrade over current backup Taylor Davis. Caratini was also spiked in the hand in last night’s game, though he didn’t come out of the game and the Cubs have given no reason to be concerned about a trip to the injured list for the young switch-hitter.

Lucroy will only cost the Cubs the prorated portion of the league minimum — about $158K between now and season’s end. The Angels will be spared that sum but remain on the hook for the remaining $797K or so of Lucroy’s $3.35MM base salary this season. Lucroy will be a free agent once again this offseason.

Tigers Designate Trevor Rosenthal For Assignment

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The Tigers announced following today’s game that they’ve designated right-hander Trevor Rosenthal for assignment and optioned righty Eduardo Paredes to Triple-A Toledo. They’ll make a pair of corresponding moves before tomorrow’s game.

Rosenthal’s brief stint with the Tigers went a bit better than his ugly tenure with the Nationals, but a 22.74 ERA and 15 walks in 6 1/3 innings is the lowest of low bars to clear. With the Tigers, Rosenthal yielded seven runs and issued 11 walks against 12 strikeouts. He also hit a batter and uncorked four wild pitches, further exemplifying the disappearance of his ability to locate the ball in his first season back from 2017 Tommy John surgery.

With the Tigers, Rosenthal improved his swinging-strike rate and maintained an outstanding 98 mph average fastball velocity. However, his lack of ability to throw strikes on anything resembling a consistent basis handily outweighed his marginal improvements in Detroit. He’s only allowed 11 hits in his 15 1/3 innings this season and hasn’t surrendered a home run, but Rosenthal’s 2019 season is catastrophic on any level. He’ll surely clear waivers and become a free agent again, at which point he’ll be free to sign on with another organization in hopes of another run at righting the ship.

Orioles Release Nate Karns, Outright Jose Rondon

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The Orioles announced Wednesday that they’ve released right-hander Nate Karns and outrighted infielder Jose Rondon to Triple-A Norfolk. Both players cleared waivers; Karns, however, has the requisite service time to elect free agency.

Karns will head back to free agency after missing the bulk of the 2019 season due to forearm issues. He’d made it back to the mound prior to his DFA, pitching in three rehab appearances between July 12 and July 23. The 31-year-old Karns tossed 5 1/3 innings with the O’s and yielded only one unearned run early in the season, but he was tagged for 10 runs in 10 1/3 innings of work across two rehab stints this season (the first of which was halted after a late-April setback). Injuries, most notably thoracic outlet surgery, have largely wiped out the past four seasons for Karns, making 2015’s 147 innings of 3.67 ERA ball for the Rays feel like a distant memory.

Rondon, 25, received just one plate appearance with the O’s after being claimed off waivers out of the White Sox organization. He’d previously batted .197/.265/.282 in Chicago before being designated for assignment. Rondon is a versatile infield defender but hasn’t received strong grades for his small sample of innings at shortstop. He’s a lifetime .264/.300/.463 in 508 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.

Blue Jays Designate David Paulino For Assignment

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The Blue Jays announced that they’ve designated right-hander David Paulino for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to right-hander Zack Godley, who has been claimed off outright waivers from the Diamondbacks (as previously reported by Nick Piecoro).

Paulino, 25, was once considered to be among baseball’s 100 best prospects but has seen his star dim in recent seasons — beginning with an 80-game PED suspension issued back in July 2017. Since that half-season ban, Paulino has also undergone surgery to remove bone spurs from his pitching elbow and generally performed at diminished levels. Toronto acquired him alongside Ken Giles in the 2018 trade that sent Roberto Osuna to Houston.

Paulino pitched 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball with the Jays late in the 2018 season but has been limited to 28 2/3 innings in Triple-A Buffalo in 2019. He’s currently on the minor league injured list, meaning that Toronto’s only course of action with Paulino will be to release him. Clubs can no longer trade players who’ve been on 40-man rosters under the league’s new August trade restrictions, and teams are also unable to pass injured players through outright waivers. Another club could claim Paulino off release waivers, and he’ll have the opportunity to sign with a new organization if he clears. However, it’s also fairly common in these situations for the released player to sign a new minor league deal with his former club.

Alex Reyes Headed For Additional Testing, May Not Pitch Again In 2019

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It appears that Cardinals righty Alex Reyes is once again threatened by the potential of a season-ending injury. Mark Saxon of The Athletic tweets that Reyes is heading to St. Louis for another round of imaging and examinations on his ailing right pectoral muscle, adding that it “appears as if his 2019 season is over.”

Reyes, 25 later this month, has been limited to just 40 1/3 innings in 2019 — only three of which came at the MLB level. He hasn’t pitched in a game since a June 23 outing and hasn’t appeared in the Majors since April 5. At the time of the injury, it was announced as a pectoral strain that was only expected to cost Reyes two to three starts, but manager Mike Shildt said Wednesday that Reyes’ arm didn’t respond well to a bullpen session this week (Twitter link via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

If Reyes is indeed shut down for the season, it’ll mark a third straight season for Reyes that has been virtually wiped out by injury. He didn’t pitch at all in 2017 due to Tommy John surgery, was limited to 26 innings last year thanks largely to surgery to repair a tendon in his lat muscle and has now only totaled 40 1/3 frames in 2019. Reyes is among the most highly touted pitching prospects in recent memory and was at one point hailed as a potential ace in the making, but he’s never even reached a total of 115 innings in a season between the Majors and minors combined.

The latest setback for Reyes comes at a poor time, as St. Louis has dropped four consecutive games after choosing not to add to its rotation at the trade deadline. Michael Wacha is currently holding the fifth spot in the rotation, but he’s lost that job twice already in 2019 and pitched poorly in his return to a starting role in his last outing.

Among internal alternatives, lefty Genesis Cabrera has struggled in the upper minors and in a pair of MLB starts. Right-hander Daniel Ponce de Leon made a handful of solid outings earlier this season but didn’t complete four innings in any of his three most recent starts. Lefty Austin Gomber, also on the 40-man roster, has been sidelined since mid-May. Adding depth in August is harder than ever before, and the Cardinals’ record is better than that of fellow postseason hopefuls in Milwaukee, New York, Arizona, San Francisco and Cincinnati, which lessens the likelihood of a palatable option making it to St. Louis on outright waivers.

Jonathan Lucroy Clears Release Waivers

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Aug. 7: Lucroy has cleared release waivers, the Angels announced. He’s now a free agent and can sign with any team for the prorated league minimum.

Aug. 5: The Angels announced today that they have requested release waivers on veteran backstop Jonathan Lucroy. He had been designated for assignment recently.

Any team can place a claim on the veteran backstop, stepping into his contract rights if awarded. The order of priority is based upon inverse record, without reference to league.

Lucroy, 33, is guaranteed $3.35MM this season, so it’s far from certainly any team will choose to take on the remainder of what’s owed. But that’s the surest way to gain control over a player during the month of August. If Lucroy clears waivers, interested orgs will be competing for his services based upon opportunity and any other considerations he values (location, for instance).

While Lucroy struggled badly at the plate with the Halos, sporting an ugly .242/.310/.371 batting line, he remains a trustworthy veteran receiver. For a team that needs depth, an improved backup situation, or a temporary replacement, there may not be a better option.

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