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Archives for August 2019

White Sox Purchase Contract Of Matt Skole

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The White Sox announced today that they have purchased the contract of corner infielder Matt Skole. He’ll be joined on the active roster by Seby Zavala, who was called up with fellow catcher Welington Castillo going on the family medical emergency leave list.

Skole, who recently celebrated his thirtieth birthday, landed with the White Sox organization last year after running out his time with the Nationals club. Though he earned a brief chance at a MLB debut, Skole spent the bulk of the season in the upper minors — just as he had dating way back to 2013 — and lost his 40-man spot late in the season.

This year, Skole has boosted his output, though part of that reflects a rising International League offensive mean. Still, his .248/.384/.497 batting line reflects some real improvement. Skole has maintained his power (21 home runs) while improving his plate-discipline to levels he hasn’t managed since his time in the low minors (17.9% walk rate vs. 25.3% strikeout rate).

A left-handed hitter, Skole will likely function mostly as a bench bat and part-time DH. He has spent plenty of time at third base over his career, but has appeared primarily at first in recent seasons. If he appears in the field, it seems likeliest to come in occasional relief of regular first bagger Jose Abreu.

John Means Hires Wasserman Agency

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Breakout Orioles left-hander John Means has hired the Wasserman Agency to represent him, as MLBTR’s own Tim Dierkes reports on Twitter. Agent Sam Samardzija will take the lead in handling Means’s business.

[RELATED: MLBTR Agency Database]

The 26-year-old Means came into the pro ranks as an 11th-round pick. He took a steady path to the majors, never really standing out as a particularly notable organizational prospect. But he cracked the bigs in 2018 and earned a longer look with the rebuilding O’s this spring.

Giving Means a full audition proved wise for the new Baltimore front office. He has rewarded the organization with 98 frames of 3.12 ERA pitching, with 7.2 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9, while picking up a rare rookie All-Star nod. Means still has quite a bit to prove — ERA estimators are far less bullish than his results — but he has been able to induce a good bit of mediocre contact to this point. Statcast credits him with a .299 xwOBA-against that’s nearly identical to the .298 wOBA produced by opposing hitters.

Having cracked the Orioles roster to open the present season, Means will end the year with a full season of service (plus a few days from last year). That puts him on course to potentially reach arbitration in advance of the 2022 season.

Of more immediate concern, it seems Means has bounced back well from a minor recent arm issue. As Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports on Twitter, the Baltimore southpaw is expected to throw a full bullpen session in the coming days. He hopes to come off of the IL to take a start next Tuesday or Wednesday.

6 Potential Free-Agent Hitters Who Could Receive Qualifying Offers

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With this year’s trade deadline having passed, we have a better idea of which pending free agents could receive qualifying offers in the offseason. Yasiel Puig and Nicholas Castellanos were both dealt, so we know they’ll reach free agency unfettered once the season ends. But there are several other position players who are on track to have the QO weighing them down once they reach the open market in a few months. The offer was valued at $17.9MM last offseason, so teams will be judicious when doling it out. Here’s where things stand…

Catchers

  • None. The Brewers’ Yasmani Grandal is the most appealing catcher who’s heading for free agency, but because the Dodgers slapped him with a QO last winter, he’s not eligible to get one again.

First Basemen

  • None. It’s not a great class for first basemen. As explained on Thursday, the White Sox’s Jose Abreu hasn’t performed well enough this year to put himself in QO consideration.

Second Basemen

  • None. Longtime third baseman and newly minted second basemen Mike Moustakas, yet another Brewer, would be a possible candidate had the Royals not given him a QO a couple offseasons ago.

Shortstops

  • Elvis Andrus, Rangers: This is a borderline-at-best case, and it depends in part on whether Andrus decides to opt out of the remaining three years and $43MM left on his contract once the season ends. The soon-to-be 31-year-old Andrus hasn’t been much of an offensive threat dating back to last season, having hit .269/.313/.388 (80 wRC+) with 14 home runs and 27 stolen bases in 852 plate appearances. He could stick with his current deal as a result.
  • Didi Gregorius, Yankees: Although Gregorius has missed a large chunk of this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last fall, he’s a strong bet to collect a QO from the Yankees. The 29-year-old has been among the majors’ most productive shortstops in recent campaigns, though this season’s .271/.305/.465 line (98 wRC+) with seven HRs in 164 PA represents a notable step down compared to the career-best numbers Gregorius managed in 2018.

Third Basemen

  • Anthony Rendon, Nationals: This will be a no-brainer for the Nationals, as Rendon’s the premier position player without a contract for 2020. A consistently excellent producer since he broke out in 2014, the 29-year-old Rendon’s amid his top season at the perfect time. He has slashed .317/.404/.609 (155 wRC+) with 23 home runs and 4.4 fWAR in 411 trips to the plate.
  • Josh Donaldson, Braves: Because the Blue Jays traded him last summer, Donaldson was ineligible to receive a qualifying offer when he entered free agency at the conclusion of the season. He then signed a one-year, $23MM deal with the Braves, and has since raked to the tune of .256/.367/.520 (128 wRC+) with 25 HRs and 3.0 fWAR over 447 PA. Age isn’t on the side of Donaldson, who will turn 34 in December, but the Braves are sure to stick the former AL MVP with a QO.

Outfielders

  • J.D. Martinez, Red Sox: As with Andrus, whether Martinez gets a QO will depend on if he opts out of what’s left of his contract. Martinez has three years and $62.5MM remaining, and walking away from that would be quite risky for a defensively challenged soon-to-be 32-year-old. But Martinez is enjoying his sixth straight high-end season at the plate, where he has teed off on pitchers for a .297/.369/.544 line (132 wRC+) and smashed 24 dingers through 451 PA. Martinez is still far from certain to opt out, but if he does, Boston will qualify him.
  • Marcell Ozuna, Cardinals: Ozuna, who will turn 29 in November, hasn’t played in over a month because of finger injuries. Before that, the ex-Marlin was on track for his fourth straight above-average season. Ozuna has hit .259/.331/.515 (118 wRC+) with 20 homers and a personal-high .256 ISO in 326 tries. He may not be a slam dunk to earn a QO, but it’s more likely than not.

Nationals Designate Tony Sipp

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The Nationals announced today that they have designated lefty Tony Sipp for assignment. His roster spot was needed to complete the team’s addition of three new relievers at the trade deadline, each of whom has been activated for tonight’s game.

Sipp was surprisingly unable to find work this spring after turning in excellent results with solid peripherals in 2018. He ultimately landed with the Nats on a modest deal in mid-March. Sipp is owed $1MM this year with a $250K buyout on a 2020 mutual option.

You can mostly ignore his 4.71 ERA, since Sipp has been used in such short bursts (21 innings in 36 appearances). Regardless, things haven’t really gone as hoped for the 36-year-old, who has maintained a solid 12.7% swinging-strike rate but lost almost 1.5 mph on his average fastball from last season.

Sipp has allowed hard contact on 34.4% of the balls put in play against him, way up from last year’s excellent 22.3% mark. And Statcast thinks he has been fortunate to hold opposing hitters to a .284 wOBA, translating the contact measurements into a .340 xwOBA.

We’ll have to wait to see how this situation turns out. Sipp can’t be traded. But he could conceivably be claimed by a rival that’s in need of lefty relief depth. If he clears waivers and is outrighted, Sipp could elect free agency without risking his guaranteed salary, since he has well over five years of MLB service.

White Sox Release Alcides Escobar

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4:46pm: Escobar made a doozy of a statement on the matter on Twitter, writing: “I asked for my freedom they did not let me free and I did it because they lied to me they are not honest.”

2:42pm: The White Sox have released infielder Alcides Escobar, per James Fegan of The Athletic (via Twitter). Escobar had been with the org on a minors deal that he signed late in camp.

Escobar was a workhorse for the Royals during his many years with the organization, but rarely hit much at all. He finished his tenure in Kansas City with four-consecutive sub-70 wRC+ campaigns.

There has been a bit of a spark in Escobar’s bat this year at Triple-A, where he’s slashing .286/.343/.444 with ten home runs and a 7.9% walk rate. That’s about the league-average rate of production for the offensively inclined international league.

Clearly, it’s not as if Escobar appears slated for a late-career breakout. But it seems he’s in good enough form to end up with a contending team on a minors deal. With limited avenues to adding to a roster in August, an experienced and versatile infielder of Escobar’s ilk can make for important roster insurance.

Dodgers Place Hyun-Jin Ryu On 10-Day IL

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The Dodgers announced that they’ve placed southpaw Hyun-Jin Ryu on the 10-day injured list with neck soreness. His anticipated timeline to return isn’t yet known.

In other moves, the L.A. org announced the already reported arrival of exciting pitching prospect Dustin May while recalling fellow righty Tony Gonsolin. Reliever Dylan Floro was optioned out to create roster space. Southpaw Scott Alexander moves to the 60-day injured list to make 40-man space for May.

Ryu, 32, has been on an unbelievable run of success since accepting a qualifying offer to remain with the Dodgers. In 21 starts, he has run up 135 2/3 innings of 1.53 ERA pitching while maintaining 7.8 K/9 against 1.1 BB/9 along with a 51.5% groundball rate.

It’s unlikely the veteran lefty will be able to keep up quite that level of output the rest of the way, but he seems to be in top form at an important time for a Dodgers club that just placed a big bet on its existing pitching options at the trade deadline. Given his lengthy injury history and limited accumulation of innings in recent campaigns, it’s not surprising to see Ryu hit the shelf. There’s no indication of the seriousness of the injury, but it’s reasonably likely the Los Angeles organization was as concerned with finding Ryu some down time as it was worried about this particular malady.

Rockies To Remove Wade Davis From Closer’s Role

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The Rockies will remove struggling veteran Wade Davis from the closer’s role, according to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Fellow righty Scott Oberg will fill the void in the ninth inning, manager Bud Black tells reporters including Nick Groke of The Athletic (via Twitter).

This decision represents an acknowledgement of what had long been observable: Davis is struggling badly. The 33-year-old was solid enough last year and at the outset of the current campaign, but has been bombed mercilessly since returning from an oblique injury in early June.

Since his return to action, Davis has allowed twenty earned runs in 17 innings. He’s carrying a 15:10 K/BB ratio and has coughed up five home runs, exhibiting some velocity decline along the way. Over the full course of the season, Davis has shown a decline in his swinging-strike rate (to 11.2% from 15.4% in 2017).

That’s all bad news for a Rockies team that has underperformed despite running its Opening Day payroll up to $145MM. Davis occupies a big chunk of that tally, with a $18MM salary this year. His contract includes a $17MM commitment for 2020 as well as a $1MM buyout on a mutual option for the ensuing campaign.

Giants Designate Tyler Austin

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The Giants have designated outfielder/first baseman Tyler Austin for assignment, the team announced and Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area was among those to cover on Twitter. That move opens 40-man and active roster space for newly acquired second baseman Scooter Gennett.

In other roster moves that don’t implicate control rights, the Giants have added outfielder Steven Duggar to the active roster. Righty Dereck Rodriguez was optioned down to make way.

Austin, 27, hasn’t been able to take advantage of his opportunity in San Francisco, making him the latest position player to be sent packing from the MLB roster after receiving a shot. Through 147 plate appearances on the year, Austin carries a .185/.279/.400 batting line with eight home runs and 57 strikeouts.

Phillies Place Adam Morgan On 10-Day IL

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The Phillies have placed southpaw Adam Morgan on the 10-day injured list with a flexor strain. His placement, which opens a roster spot for the activation of just-acquired outfielder Corey Dickerson, is retroactive to the first of the month.

It isn’t known yet precisely how long Morgan will be down, but it seems his season is at risk, as MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki tweets. Fortunately, surgery won’t be required, but it’s disappointing news nevertheless for a club that has been racked by bullpen injuries and performance downturns. The 29-year-old hurler isn’t exactly a premium late-inning arm, but he was an important part of the relief picture for the Phils.

Since converting full-time to a bullpen role in the 2017 campaign, Morgan has produced 133 2/3 innings of 3.97 ERA ball in Philadelphia. He’s carrying 9.6 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 in that run. It has been much of the same this year, with Morgan turning in solid but hardly dominant overall work.

That characterization tends to understate Morgan’s value. He has jumped up to a 15.4% swinging-strike after a dip in 2018. And while he’s a marginal performer against right-handed hitters, he has largely dominated lefties. This year, they’re slashing a putrid .143/.150/.204. They struggled to meager .267/.350/.314 and .193/.245/.352 slashes in the prior two seasons.

In sum, Morgan is an important match-up piece for a team that will need to squeeze out close victories if it’s to reach the postseason. Without him, the club will rely upon Jose Alvarez and Ranger Suarez as lefty relief options.

Angels Designate Jonathan Lucroy

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The Angels have designated veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy for assignment, per a club announcement. His roster spot goes to just-acquired receiver Max Stassi.

Additionally, the Halos announced that southpaw Adam McCreery was outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers. McCreery was designated for assignment recently.

Lucroy. 33, was designated for assignment right on the heels of his activation from the injured list. He had suffered a concussion and broken nose in a scary collision at the plate.

While the Halos forewent a chance to swap Lucroy at the deadline, it would have been tough to swing a deal due to the quick succession of transactions. Stassi only became available after the Astros added Martin Maldonado earlier that day. And it was the first game back for Lucroy.

Now, Lucroy can’t be traded. If and when he’s placed on outright waivers, rival organizations will have a chance to claim his contract, which would mean taking on the remainder of the $3.35MM he’s guaranteed this year. (The deal also includes bonuses based upon games started as a catcher and plate appearances.) If he clears, Lucroy can reject an outright assignment and keep his guaranteed money, signing on with another club as he chooses. In that case, the Halos would stand to save a pro-rated version of the MLB minimum salary for any time Lucroy spends on the MLB roster of a different team.

While Lucroy likely won’t be seen as a difference-maker, he’s an experienced veteran who could improve some contenders — or, at least, bolster the depth at a key position. Through 268 plate appearances this year, Lucroy carries a marginal .242/.310/.371 batting line that’s only slightly better than his output from the prior season.

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