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Mariners Place Mitch Haniger On 10-Day Injured List

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10:34PM: Haniger suffered a Grade 2 sprain, manager Scott Servais told MLB.com’s George Richards and other reporters.  There isn’t yet a timeline on Haniger’s recovery, as Servais said “we’ll have to wait to see how he responds to treatments and get the swelling down, get range of motion back and see where it takes us.”

3:52PM: Just a day after being reinstated from the COVID-related injured list, Mitch Haniger has been again placed back onto the 10-day IL.  This time, Haniger has been sidelined by a right high ankle sprain.  In the corresponding roster move, outfielder Stuart Fairchild has been called up from Triple-A.

Haniger suffered the injury in his first at-bat last night, rolling his ankle after fouling a pitch.  After hitting a single, Haniger had to be replaced on the basepaths by pinch-runner Abraham Toro.  An MRI was scheduled for today on Haniger’s ankle, but an IL stint seemed likely even if the injury was relatively mild.

If the MRI reveals a more serious injury, Haniger could miss quite a bit of time, which would be a serious setback for both the outfielder and the Mariners as a whole.  Between this ankle sprain and two missed weeks recovering from COVID-19, Haniger has only 36 plate appearances thus far in 2022, so the Mariners have largely been without one of their best hitters.

Another lengthy injury absence also wouldn’t help Haniger’s future market value, as he is slated to hit free agency after the season.  Haniger has been at times mentioned as a possible extension or trade candidate for the M’s, though the possibility of a trade would seemingly diminish if this high ankle sprain keeps him sidelined for most or all of the pre-deadline period.  Haniger is unfortunately no stranger to the IL, having missed over half of the 2019 season due to a ruptured testicle, and then all of the 2020 season due to surgeries related to a torn adductor muscle.

The Mariners have Jesse Winker, Julio Rodriguez, and Jarred Kelenic lined up as the starting outfield, but all three have struggled badly to begin the 2022 season.  Kyle Lewis is still working his way back from knee surgery, and was expected to see mostly DH duty until his knee is fully back up to strength.  Between Lewis’ health and the fact that neither Rodriguez or Kelenic have done much of anything at the MLB level, Haniger’s veteran bat was seen as a big stabilizing force in Seattle’s outfield.

Utilityman Dylan Moore figures to get more playing time with Haniger out, plus the Mariners could use Adam Frazier in left field rather than at second base.  Billy Hamilton and Steven Souza Jr. are two familiar veteran names at Triple-A, but most immediately, Fairchild will now get another look at the big league level.  Fairchild made his Major League debut by playing 12 games with the Diamondbacks in 2021, and the Mariners acquired Fairchild earlier this week after the D’Backs designated Fairchild for assignment.

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/30/22

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Today’s minor moves from around baseball…

  • Alex Dickerson cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate.  Dickerson was designated for assignment on Thursday, and as a veteran with more than five years of Major League service time, he had the right to reject an outright assignment to the minors.  Instead, Dickerson has opted to remain in Atlanta’s organization and try to get on track in Gwinnett after a dismal start to the season — the outfielder has only four hits and a .407 OPS over his first 36 plate appearances.  In making the big league roster, Dickerson locked in a $1MM guaranteed salary on the minor league contract he signed with Atlanta in March.

Padres To Start Mike Clevinger On Tuesday

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Mike Clevinger is set to pitch for the first time since the 2020 season, as Padres manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell) that Clevinger is scheduled to start on Tuesday.  Ironically, San Diego is playing the Guardians, Clevinger’s team for the first four-plus years of his Major League career.

Cleveland dealt Clevinger to the Padres in August 2020 as part of a huge nine-player trade, and Clevinger proceeded to post a 2.84 ERA in four starts down the stretch for San Diego.  However, an elbow impingement limited Clevinger to just a single postseason inning, and that elbow problem soon proved to be dire, as Clevinger had to undergo Tommy John surgery in November 2020.  After missing all of last season recovering, Clevinger then had some knee soreness during Spring Training that further delayed his return to the mound.

One of the many success stories out of the Guardians’ pitching development system in recent years, Clevinger had a 2.96 ERA, 28% strikeout rate, and nine percent walk rate over 489 1/3 innings with Cleveland from 2017-20.  His emergence as a front-of-the-rotation arm made him a major get for the Padres, even if the TJ surgery wiped out one of the two full seasons of team control that remained at the time of the trade.

It appears as though Clevinger’s return won’t result in an odd man out for San Diego’s rotation, as Melvin said that MacKenzie Gore and Nick Martinez was still lined up for Wednesday and Thursday.  That would imply the Padres are going to deploy a six-man rotation for the time being, though that plan could soon be shaken up since Blake Snell is also nearing readiness after a groin strain sent him to the IL on April 10.

Since Yu Darvish, Sean Manaea, and Joe Musgrove aren’t going anywhere in the rotation, the Padres could continue to use a six-man rotation once Snell is back, and then either end Gore to the minors or move Martinez into a relief role.  While all of the injury concerns created plenty of uncertainty, this glut of pitching gave San Diego some flexibility with their pitching depth, as evidenced by their trade of Chris Paddack to the Twins and their willingness to discuss Dinelson Lamet in trade talks with other clubs.

Giants Acquire Isan Diaz From Marlins

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The Giants have acquired infielder Isan Diaz from the Marlins in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later, The Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson reports (Twitter link).  The Fish designated Diaz for assignment last week.

This is the third time Diaz has been dealt in his career, though this particular trade is far and away the lowest-profile of the three swaps.  Originally selected by the Diamondbacks in the second round of the 2014 draft, Diaz was part of the five-player deal between the D’Backs and Brewers in January 2016 that brought Jean Segura to Arizona.  In January 2018, Milwaukee then included Diaz as one of the four prospects sent to Miami in the Christian Yelich blockbuster.

Diaz drew some top-100 prospect attention during his time in the minors, so it wasn’t surprising that multiple teams were interested in his services.  However, Diaz wasn’t able to translate his minor league production into success in the majors, as he has hit only .185/.275/.287 over 501 career plate appearances over the 2019-21 seasons (he also opted out of much of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns).  Diaz hasn’t seen any big league action this year, or even much action at all due to injuries — he has thus far appeared in two rehab games at A-ball, and two Triple-A games.

Originally drafted as a shortstop, Diaz was moved off the position but then surpassed by Jazz Chisholm as the Marlins’ second baseman of the future.  Defensive metrics aren’t impressed with Diaz’s work at second base or third base, though as technically a multi-position capable player, he does fit the versatile profile that the Giants often covet.  Diaz also doesn’t turn 26 until next month, so the Giants may feel he might be a late bloomer who could break out in a new environment.  Considering San Francisco’s success at reclamation projects in recent years, it might not be surprising if Diaz should blossom with his new club.

Royals Place Jake Brentz On 10-Day Injured List

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Prior to tonight’s game, the Royals placed left-hander Jake Brentz on the 10-day injured list due to a left flexor strain.  Righty Matt Peacock was called up from Triple-A Omaha to take Brentz’s spot on the active roster.

The injury adds to what has been a thoroughly disastrous start to Brentz’s 2022 season.  The southpaw has allowed multiple runs in four of his eight outings, and he has been charged with a whopping 10 runs over his last 1 1/3 innings.  Brentz’s most recent appearance on Friday saw him pitch to six Yankees batters without recording an out, leaving the game after allowing five runs (four earned).  For the year, Brentz has a ghastly 23.63 ERA in 5 1/3 total frames.

As per MLB.com, Brentz underwent an MRI Friday that didn’t reveal any structural damage.  Royals manager Mike Matheny told reporters that Brentz had been dealing with the sore arm for some time, which would explain Brentz’s lack of success.

Pitching in his second Major League season, Brentz was looking to build on a successful rookie year that saw him post a 3.66 ERA, 49% grounder rate, and 27.3% strikeout rate in 64 innings out of the Kansas City bullpen.  This was despite some middling hard-contact numbers, and a 13.3% walk rate that ranked among the worst in the league.  Brentz was ticketed for a setup role or possibly even some save opportunities heading into the season, but he’ll likely now be put into low-leverage situations once he returns from the IL and re-establishes his effectiveness.

Peacock joins the Royals just six days after being acquired in a trade from the Diamondbacks, who designated the right-hander last week.  Peacock is also in his second MLB season, debuting with a 4.90 ERA over 86 1/3 innings (starting eight of 35 games) in 2021.  This year, Peacock had only a 6.75 ERA in 2 2/3 frames of work out of Arizona’s relief corps.  As a low-strikeout grounder specialist, Peacock represents an interesting contrast to Brentz’s hard-throwing repertoire, and his past starting experience could allow Kansas City to use him in something of a swingman role.

Dodgers Select Carson Fulmer, Place Mitch White On COVID-IL

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The Dodgers have some roster moves prior to tonight’s game, including the selection of Carson Fulmer’s minor league contract.  Los Angeles also called up utilityman Zach McKinstry from Triple-A.  In corresponding moves, right-hander Mitch White was placed on the COVID-related injury list, and righty Andre Jackson was sent down to Triple-A.

Assuming he makes an appearance for the Dodgers, Fulmer will pitch for his fifth different team in the last four seasons.  All told, Fulmer has a 6.41 ERA over 130 2/3 career big league innings from 2016-21, pitching most recently with the Reds last season.  Cincinnati claimed Fulmer off waivers from the Pirates during Spring Training, and the righty had a 6.66 ERA in 25 2/3 frames of work before the Reds outrighted him off their 40-man roster in May.

The eighth overall pick of the 2015 draft, Fulmer has yet to live up to the promise of his high selection, struggling in both the majors and at Triple-A.  Fulmer has looked generally good with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate this year, posting a 2.31 ERA with a 25% strikeout rate over 11 2/3 relief innings.  However, Fulmer also has a 16.7% walk rate, continuing to display the control problems that have plagued much of his pro career.

Several Veterans On Minor League Deals Have Sunday Opt-Outs

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The latest collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association is rife with contractual intricacies, as one would expect. MLBTR has confirmed that one of the new wrinkles set forth in this latest agreement stipulates that any Article XX(B) free agent — that is, a player with at least six years of service time who finished the prior season on a big league roster or injured list — who signs a minor league contract will have three uniform opt-out dates in his contract, so long as that minor league deal is signed 10 days prior to Opening Day. Those opt-out dates are five days before the start of the regular season, May 1 and June 1.

As the MLBPA announced at the onset of the most recent offseason, there were 188 players who became Article XX(B) free agents. The majority of those players signed Major League contracts. A handful retired, and some have yet to sign a contract at all. There were still more than two dozen players who signed minor league contracts, however, which makes them subject to the new uniform opt-out dates. Several of those players — Marwin Gonzalez, Matt Moore and Wily Peralta, to name a few — have already had their contracts selected to the Major League roster. Others signed their minor league deal after March 28, meaning they’re not covered under the uniform opt-out provision.

By my count, there are a dozen players who qualified as Article XX(B) free agents, signed minor league deals on or before March 28, and remain with those organizations but not on the 40-man roster. Each of the following veterans, then, will have the opportunity to become a free agent Sunday if they’re not called up to the current organization’s big league roster:

  • Tyler Clippard, RHP, Nationals: The 37-year-old Clippard had a strong 2019 season in Cleveland and pitched brilliantly with Minnesota in 2020. His 2021 campaign with the D-backs was solid but truncated by a strained capsule in his right shoulder. He missed nearly four months to begin the year but pitched to a 3.20 ERA in 25 1/3 innings upon activation — albeit with subpar strikeout and walk rates (19.8% and 9.9%, respectively). He’s had a rough go in Triple-A Rochester so far, yielding seven runs on six hits and a whopping 11 walks in 8 1/3 innings. He’s also picked up a dozen strikeouts.
  • Austin Romine, C, Angels: Romine is 2-for-15 with a pair of singles so far in Triple-A Salt Lake. He’s never provided much with the bat, but the longtime Yankees backup is regarded as a quality defender and receiver. He spent the 2021 season with the Cubs but only logged 62 plate appearances thanks to a sprained left wrist that landed him on the 60-day injured list for a significant portion of the season. Romine hit .217/.242/.300 when healthy last year and is a lifetime .238/.277/.358 hitter in 1313 Major League plate appearances.
  • Billy Hamilton, CF, Mariners: At 31 years old, the former top prospect is what he is now: an elite defender and baserunner who’s never been able to get on base consistently enough to capitalize on his 80-grade speed. Hamilton slashed .220/.242/.378 in 135 plate appearances with the White Sox last season and is out to a 7-for-32 start with one walk and 11 strikeouts so far with the Mariners’ top affiliate. Hamilton has four seasons of 55-plus stolen bases under his belt, but he also has a career .293 OBP  that’s gotten even worse (.269) over the past three seasons (524 plaste appearances).
  • Blake Parker, RHP, Cardinals: Parker, 36, has yielded three runs in 7 1/3 Triple-A frames but is brandishing a far more impressive 11-to-1 K/BB ratio. He split the past two seasons between Philadelphia and Cleveland, pitching to a combined 3.02 ERA with a 24.4% strikeout rate against a 9.1% walk rate. Parker has had an up-and-down career since debuting with the Cubs as a 27-year-old rookie in 2012, but the cumulative results are solid. He carries a career 3.47 ERA with 34 saves and 47 holds. When Parker’s splitter is working well, he can be a very effective late-inning option.
  • Derek Holland, LHP, Red Sox: The veteran southpaw has provided innings, but not necessarily at quality since transitioning into a bullpen role in 2019. Last season he appeared in 39 games for the Tigers, tossing 49 2/3 innings with a 5.07 ERA/3.96 FIP. Holland’s time with Triple-A Worcester hasn’t been smooth, as he has a 5.79 ERA and six walks over 9 1/3 innings.
  • Steven Souza Jr., OF, Mariners: Due to an ugly knee injury and some struggles at the plate, Souza hasn’t been a truly productive big leaguer since 2017. Looking to revive his career with the Mariners, Souza has hit .200/.383/.333 over 60 PA with Triple-A Tacoma.
  • Kevin Pillar, OF, Dodgers: This season marks Pillar’s first taste of Triple-A ball since 2014, and the veteran outfielder is overmatching pitchers to the tune of a .313/.415/.627 slash line over 82 plate appearances. One would imagine this performance will earn Pillar a look in Los Angeles or perhaps another team if the Dodgers don’t select his contract. Pillar’s minor league deal guarantees him a $2.5MM salary if he receives a big league call-up, which could be a factor for a Dodgers club that may be trying to stay under the third tier ($270MM) of the luxury tax threshold.
  • Cam Bedrosian, RHP, Phillies: After signing a minor league deal with Philadelphia last July, Bedrosian posted a 4.35 ERA over 10 1/3 innings with the club despite recording almost as many walks (seven) as strikeouts (eight). The righty inked a new minors deal with the Phillies over the winter but has yet to pitch this season due to injury.
  • Shelby Miller, RHP, Yankees: The former All-Star pitched well with the Cubs’ and Pirates’ Triple-A affiliates in 2021, and he has kept up that strong Triple-A performance now working as a full-time reliever.  Over eight innings for Scranton/Wilkes-Barres, Miller has a 2.25 ERA with outstanding strikeout (31.3%) and walk (3.1%) rates. He also hasn’t allowed any homers, a notable stat for a pitcher who has had great trouble containing the long ball over the last few seasons.
  • Matt Carpenter, INF, Rangers: Carpenter got a late start to Spring Training, and upon Opening Day, he expressed a desire to take the necessary time to get himself up to speed. Through 52 plate appearances in Triple-A, Carpenter has slashed an improved .239/.327/.457 with a pair of home runs. While not standout numbers, they are an improvement over the .203/.235/.346 slash line Carpenter posted in 901 PA from 2019-21 with the Cardinals.
  • Carlos Martinez, RHP, Giants: Another former Cardinal looking for a fresh start, Martinez has yet to pitch for Triple-A Sacramento, as he is still rehabbing from the thumb surgery he underwent last July. With injuries and a nasty bout of COVID-19 factoring into matters, Martinez has only a 6.95 ERA over 102 1/3 big league innings since the start of the 2020 season.
  • Keone Kela, RHP, Diamondbacks: Kela has also been ravaged by injuries over the last two seasons, including Tommy John surgery last May. Given the usual TJ recovery timeline, Kela isn’t likely to be a factor for the D’Backs until at least midseason.

Of course, players remain free to negotiate additional out clauses into their minor league contracts. Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports, for instance, that lefty Adam Morgan has an opt-out provision in his contract with the Astros today. Morgan doesn’t have enough service time to qualify as an Article XX(B) free agent, but he’ll nevertheless have the opportunity to become a free agent Sunday if he doesn’t like his chances of eventually being added to Houston’s roster.

Bonus Pools, Slot Prices Set For 2022 Draft

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Major League Baseball has established the bonus pools for all 30 teams and the slot values for every pick in the first 10 rounds of the 2022 amateur draft, MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis reports.  This year’s draft is set to take place July 17-19, coinciding with All-Star week in Los Angeles.

While the new collective bargaining agreement made some changes to the draft’s operations (most notably the lottery that begins in 2023), the basic structure of the bonus pools and slotting system remains intact.  As a refresher, each team receives a bonus pool to cover selections from the draft’s first 10 rounds, and each draft placement within those ten rounds has an assigned price attached to it.  Teams are free to sign players for above or below those assigned slot prices, as long as the total price tag of those signings doesn’t exceed the value of their bonus pool.

The bonus pool limit isn’t a hard cap, as teams are allowed to exceed their bonus pool, but with increasingly punitive costs.  A club must pay a 75 percent tax on any overage of between 0-5 percent of a draft pool, and many teams routinely pay this relatively minor penalty.  However, since the institution of the bonus pool system, no team has overspent its pool by more than five percent, as doing so would require a 100 percent overage tax and (of far more import) the loss of a future first-round pick.  Spending beyond the 10 and 15 percent thresholds lead to the loss of multiple picks, and it seems hard to fathom any club would ever absorb such a steep penalty.

The 2022 draft marks the first time in three years that slot prices have risen, as due to the pandemic, the league and the MLB Players Association agreed to freeze slot prices for the 2020 and 2021 drafts.  The first overall spot of this year’s draft (held by the Orioles) has an $8,842,200 slot price, a bump above the $8,415,300 assigned price for the first pick in the 2021 draft.

Here are the bonus pools for all 30 teams…

  • Orioles: $16,924,000
  • Diamondbacks: $15,112,100
  • Mets: $13,955,700
  • Pirates: $13,733,900
  • Rockies: $13,660,700
  • Royals: $11,668,300
  • Nationals: $11,007,900
  • Reds: $10,794,100
  • Marlins: $10.486MM
  • Cubs: $10,092,700
  • Padres: $10,088,900
  • Twins: $10.036MM
  • Guardians: $9,980,900
  • Rangers: $9,640,700
  • Blue Jays: $8,367,700
  • Athletics: $8,315,800
  • Red Sox: $8,078,300
  • Tigers: $8,024,900
  • Braves: $8,022,200
  • Rays: $7,795,100
  • Mariners: $7,254,400
  • Brewers: $7,070,900
  • Angels: $7,024,300
  • Cardinals: $6,842,300
  • Astros: $6.837MM
  • Yankees: $6,425,100
  • Phillies: $6.307MM
  • White Sox: $6,289,100
  • Giants: $5,793,200
  • Dodgers: $4,221,400

Padres Discussing Dinelson Lamet In Trade Talks

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Dinelson Lamet’s name has been part of trade talks between the Padres and other teams, The Athletic’s Dennis Lin reports (Twitter link).  Lin notes that payroll is a consideration, as moving Lamet’s $4.775MM salary would create some room for the Padres to pursue other needs, such as more hitting.

Much has been written about San Diego’s efforts to move at least one of Eric Hosmer or Wil Myers, but with nothing happening on either of those two trade fronts, the Padres have continued to explore other methods of reducing enough salary to get under the $230MM luxury tax threshold.  As per Roster Resource, the Padres’ tax number is approximately $228.83MM, leaving the front office without much room to maneuver as they look to avoid a second consecutive year of tax overages.

Lamet presents an interesting trade chip, as it wasn’t long ago that the right-hander was seen as one of the Padres’ most impressive young up-and-coming arms during his time in the minors.  Unfortunately, a variety of injuries (most notably a Tommy John surgery in 2018, a UCL strain in 2020, and forearm tightness last year) have limited Lamet to just 310 Major League innings since the start of the 2017 season.

While these injuries have kept Lamet from being a consistent contributor, he has shown flashes of very impressive potential.  The highlight was Lamet’s 2020 season, as he finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting by posting a 2.09 ERA over 69 innings during the shortened campaign.  However, the UCL strain prevented Lamet from participating in San Diego’s playoff run.

Lamet was moved to the bullpen last season, and he has pitched exclusively as a reliever so far in 2022.  Over the small sample size of 6 2/3 innings this year, the results have been shaky, as Lamet has a 5.40 ERA, two home runs allowed, and a 13.8% walk rate.  On the plus side, Lamet does have a 31% strikeout rate, lending to the idea that Lamet’s arsenal could eventually translate well to a relief role.

As a Super Two player, Lamet is in the third of four arbitration-eligible years, so any interested trade partners would also have him for the 2023 campaign.  A new team could further explore Lamet as a reliever, or perhaps see if he could still stay healthy enough to contribute as a starting pitcher.  Lamet turns 30 in July, so while he isn’t exactly young, other clubs could see him as a classic change-of-scenery candidate, as the righty has spent his entire pro career in San Diego’s organization.

Reds Designate Aristides Aquino, Select Connor Overton

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The Reds announced that outfielder Aristides Aquino has been designated for assignment.  The move opens up roster space for right-hander Connor Overton, whose contract was officially selected in time to start tonight’s game.

Aquino was off to a miserable start, with only two hits and a .215 OPS over his first 43 plate appearances.  Since Aquino is out of options, the Reds had no choice but to DFA the outfielder, and they now risk losing him on the waiver wire.  It remains to be seen if Aquino might generate any interest, considering he has batted only .164/.271/.347 over 303 PA since the start of the 2020 season.

Then again, a team might take a flier on Aquino to see if a change of scenery might help him rediscover any of his amazing 2019 form.  Aquino made his big league debut with one game in the 2018 season, and then returned to the majors after being called up by Cincinnati on August 1, 2019.  Aquino then went on one of the more memorable out-of-nowhere tears in recent memory, as he hit 15 homers and slashed .313/.379/.750 over his first 124 PA.  Even after that Ruthian month, however, Aquino significantly cooled off during September.

Playing mostly as a right fielder during his career, Aquino has experience in both left and center, so he at least offers three-position depth even if he isn’t a defensive standout anywhere on the grass.  Nick Senzel, Tommy Pham, Tyler Naquin, and Jake Fraley make up the Reds’ top outfield choices on the current roster, with Matt Reynolds and Brandon Drury able to play some outfield in a pinch.

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