Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for August 2022

Angels Claim Rob Zastryzny From Mets

By | at

The Angels have claimed Rob Zastryzny off waivers from the Mets, and the left-hander has been optioned to Triple-A.  New York designated Zastryzny for assignment earlier this week.

The Mets signed Zastryzny to a minors contract in May, and he made a single appearance for the Mets (tossing one inning in the Mets’ 4-1 loss to the Phillies last Sunday) before being designated for assignment.  While a brief stint, it was surely a welcome return to the bigs for Zastryzny, whose last MLB appearance came with the Cubs back in 2018.  The left-hander tossed 34 2/3 innings for Chicago in 2016-18 before bouncing around to multiple teams and eventually landing his next chance at the Show.

Zastryzny spent 2019 in the Dodgers farm system, and he’ll now head back to SoCal for an opportunity with Los Angeles’ other team.  He’ll provide the Halos with some relief depth in the minors, and with Jose Quijada increasingly getting some save chances, there could be room for the Angels to call up Zastryzny for more of a traditional lefty relief role.

Angels Place Jared Walsh On 60-Day Injured List

By | at

1:16PM: Walsh has been placed on the 60-day IL, the Angels announced.  This officially ends the first baseman’s 2022 season.

10:06AM: The Angels announced a series of roster moves prior to today’s game with the Rays, including the news that Jared Walsh has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to thoracic outlet syndrome.  Infielder Phil Gosselin was also designated for assignment.  Filling the two roster spots are catcher Matt Thaiss (called up from Triple-A), and first baseman Mike Ford, whose contract was selected from Triple-A.

Thoracic outlet syndrome is a condition much more commonly seen in pitchers, making Walsh something of an outlier as a position player.  While Walsh drew some attention as a two-way player early in his career and during his time in the Angels farm system, he has only 26 2/3 professional innings pitched, and none since 2019.  Most pitchers who undergo surgery to correct TOS aren’t the same performance-wise after returning to the mound, but it remains to see if Walsh will indeed need surgery, or how such a procedure could impact his future production given that he isn’t pitching.

Even if Walsh opts for treatment without going under the knife, it would seem like the remainder of his 2022 season could be in jeopardy.  With the Angels out of contention, they would seemingly not have any reason to rush Walsh back into action.

Walsh hit .280/.338/.531 over 693 PA with the Angels in 2020-21, earning a seventh-place finish in 2020’s Rookie of the Year balloting and a slot on the 2021 AL All-Star team.  However, 2022 has been much more of a struggle, as the 29-year-old has contributed only 15 home runs and a .215/.269/.374 slash line.  Despite some decent defense at first base, this poor offensive production has resulted in an overall sub-replacement level performance for Walsh, who has -0.5 fWAR and -0.6 bWAR.

Even in 2020-21, Walsh has below-average walk and strikeout rates, but those numbers have sunk further downward in 2022 — Walsh’s 30.4% strikeout rate puts him in only the sixth percentile of batters.  He is also hitting with far less power, with an Isolated Power metric of only .158 (down from .354 in 2020 and .232 in 2021).  This decline has robbed the Angels of a key bat in their lineup, as Los Angeles has gotten very little from any players besides Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Taylor Ward, and the emerging Luis Rengifo.

Gosselin had enough MLB service time that he can reject an outright assignment to Triple-A, assuming that he clears waivers and the Angels don’t release him.  The Angels claimed Gosselin off waivers from the Braves in mid-July, and the veteran utilityman ended up playing 22 games with Anaheim, mostly as a third baseman.  Unfortunately, Gosselin provided very little offense, with only a .269 OPS over 51 plate appearances.

Gosselin has only sporadically delivered at the plate over his 10 Major League seasons, with a career .254/.305/.349 slash line over 1199 PA.  The 33-year-old has suited up for seven different big league teams, and this is his second stint with the Angels, after playing 104 games with the Halos in 2021.

Ford is in today’s starting lineup as the cleanup hitter, putting Ford on pace to see action for a fourth different Major League team this season.  The first baseman has appeared in 22 games combined with the Giants, Mariners, and Braves, with San Francisco and Seattle ping-ponging him back and forth between their rosters a few times earlier in the season and Atlanta releasing Ford earlier this month.  He signed a new minor league contract with Los Angeles in mid-August, and might now in line for some consistent playing time if Walsh does miss most or all of the remainder of the season.

In 2019, Ford burst onto the scene with 12 home runs and a .909 OPS over 163 PA as a rookie with the Yankees.  Since that initial breakout, however, he has scuffled to a .138/.267/.253 slash line in 206 PA since the start of the 2020 season, and the Yankees dealt him to the Rays in June 2021.  Ford also ended up heading to the Nationals on a waiver claim later in the 2021 season, making it quite a whirlwind of organizational change for the Princeton product in just 14 months’ time.

Nationals Claim Tommy Romero From Rays

By | at

The Nationals have claimed right-hander Tommy Romero off waivers from the Rays, and assigned Romero to Triple-A.  Both Romero and Kevin Herget were designated for assignment by Tampa Bay on Tuesday, and the Rays announced that Herget been outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers.

Romero has a 7.71 ERA over three appearances and 4 2/3 innings for the Rays this season, marking the 24-year-old’s first bit of Major League experience.  A 15th-round pick for the Mariners in the 2017 draft, Romero has been in the Rays organization since 2018, and posted some quality numbers down on the farm.  He has a 2.66 ERA and 25.91% strikeout rate over 473 2/3 career innings in the minor leagues, with some variance both well above and well below that K%.

Romero has started 80 of his 108 games in the minors, though some of those were rather abbreviated outings, as the Rays experimented with some opener/piggyback starter scenarios.  Most recently, Romero has been working only as a reliever, with Tampa eyeing him as bullpen depth rather than rotation help if he got another call later in the season.

The waiver claim now makes that a moot point, and it seems likely the Nationals will stretch Romero out again as a starting pitcher.  The Nats have been aggressive on the waiver wire (as noted by the Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty) in recent months, as the team has used the high waiver priority afforded to Washington’s low position in the standings to audition and check out several players.  There isn’t much risk for the rebuilding Nats in seeing if they can find a hidden gem amongst these waiver claims, and in Romero’s case, his age (25), solid minor league track record and his full set of minor league options make him an interesting candidate.

Yankees To Place Nestor Cortes On 15-Day Injured List

By | at

The Yankees will place left-hander Nestor Cortes on the 15-day injured list prior to tomorrow’s game, according to The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler.  Cortes is suffering from a groin injury.  As reported earlier today, New York was preparing to place a then-unknown pitcher on the IL to make room for the promotion of minor league right-hander Greg Weissert.

While any pitching injury would’ve been a setback, losing Cortes for any amount of time is a tough blow to the Bronx Bombers.  “Nasty Nestor” has been arguably the Yankees’ best starter this season, and one of the better pitchers in all of baseball.  After surprisingly emerging as a rotation stalwart in 2021, Cortes has kept on rolling, posting a 2.68 ERA and above-average strikeout (25.9%) and walk (5.8%) rates over 131 innings of work.  Despite a low-velocity four-seamer, Cortes’ fastball has been extremely effective, and his cutter isn’t far behind in terms of sheer effectiveness.

Though Cortes’ 131 innings is a new career high for the 27-year old over any pro season, there hasn’t been much sign that Cortes is slowing down, and he was expected to be a big weapon for the Yankees in October.  This 15-day IL stint could perhaps serve as a bit of break in terms of keeping Cortes’ arm fresh, though naturally his groin issue is now a new concern.  The severity of the injury or a possible timeline for Cortes’ return isn’t yet known.

New York enjoyed a great run of pitching health over the first half of the season, but several injuries have cropped up in recent weeks.  The bullpen has taken the brunt of the injury woes, but the rotation hasn’t been immune, with Luis Severino out until mid-September due to a lat strain and now Cortes’ injury.  The Yankees acquired Frankie Montas from the A’s at the deadline but also moved Jordan Montgomery to the Cardinals in another trade, plus Domingo German has been a little inconsistent (if generally solid) since making his season debut in July, after shoulder problems kept him on the sidelines.

Clarke Schmidt was recently called back up to the active roster, and the former first-rounder seems like the probable candidate to step into Cortes’ rotation spot.  Over 22 games and 45 2/3 career innings at the MLB level in 2020-22, Schmidt has only made three starts, but the Yankees have mostly been using him in long relief this season and were stretching him out at Triple-A.

Rockies Designate Robert Stephenson, Reinstate Chad Kuhl From 15-Day IL

By | at

The Rockies have reinstated right-hander Chad Kuhl from the 15-day injured list.  To create roster space, the team also announced that righty Robert Stephenson has been designated for assignment.

Stephenson is in his second season in Colorado, after being acquired from the Reds back in November 2020.  After being a top prospect during his time in the Cincinnati farm system, Stephenson never caught on as a starting pitcher but showed promise as a reliever in 2019.  He built on that production in 2021, when he posted a 3.13 ERA, 26.4% strikeout rate, and 9.1% walk rate over 46 innings out of Colorado’s bullpen.

The 2022 season has been a different story, as Stephenson has struggled to a 6.04 ERA over 44 2/3 frames.  While his 97mph average fastball velocity still puts him among the game’s hardest throwers, opposing batters have been crushing Stephenson’s four-seamer to the tune of a .379 batting average.  With only average secondary pitches and a lot of hard contact being allowed, Stephenson’s production has fallen off, especially in the last few weeks.  The righty has allowed at least one earned run in seven of his last nine appearances, with an ugly 10.24 ERA over his last 9 2/3 innings.

Since Stephenson is out of minor league options, the Rockies had no choice but designate him for assignment in order to move him down to Triple-A.  Since Colorado already had an open 40-man roster spot to accommodate Kuhl’s return, the club didn’t strictly have to DFA Stephenson, so it is possible the Rox might be parting ways with him altogether.  A waiver claim from a rival team is a distinct possibility, as Stephenson’s velocity and fastball spin rate could interest other clubs.

For Kuhl, he hasn’t pitched since August 3 due to a hip strain.  The right-hander pitched well over the first three months of the season, but had a 10.17 ERA in the 25 2/3 innings and six starts prior to his IL placement.

NL Central Notes: Matz, Perez, Pirates, Reds Deadline

By | at

Steven Matz suffered a torn left MCL in late July, leading to fear that the left-hander’s season would possibly be over, even if surgery wasn’t required.  However, Matz is now making increased progress towards a return, with Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol telling reporters (including MLB.com’s John Denton) that Matz’s knee was pain-free while fielding some grounders on Wednesday.  Matz also threw 30 pitches off the mound during the warm-up session.  It could mean that Matz is nearing a minor league rehab assignment, though the Cardinals will continue to closely monitor his status considering his lack of workload.

Matz has pitched just once since May 22, as a shoulder impingement kept him on the injured list for almost two months, and he then suffered his MCL injury in his first start back off the IL.  St. Louis has Miles Mikolas, Adam Wainwright, and trade deadline acquisitions Jordan Montgomery and Jose Quintana all thriving in the rotation, so if Matz is able to return, he could be used in a bullpen role or competing with Dakota Hudson, Jake Woodford, or another rehabbing starter in Jack Flaherty for that final spot in the rotation.  The Cardinals could potentially also explore using a six-man rotation down the stretch, or perhaps just give some of their regulars some rest if the Cards can clinch the NL Central title relatively early.  With a 17-5 record thus far in August, the Cards have opened up a 5.5-game lead over the struggling Brewers in the division race.

Some other items from around the Central…

  • Roberto Perez believes “there’s interest from both parties” in a new deal between the Pirates and the veteran catcher, Perez told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link).  Perez inked a one-year, $5MMM free agent contract with the Pirates last winter, but played in only 21 games before undergoing season-ending surgery on his left hamstring.  The catcher confirmed that his season is indeed over, as he had been hoping to make enough rehab progress to return for the final few games of the schedule.  Re-signing Perez would add a seasoned backstop to a Pittsburgh catching mix that doesn’t include a lot of big league experience, though the Bucs are hoping that if all goes well, former first overall pick Henry Davis might be able to make his MLB debut before the 2023 season is up.
  • The Reds dealt away Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle, and Brandon Drury at the trade deadline, in a flurry of rebuilding moves that added a lot of depth and quality to Cincinnati’s farm system.  Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer explores the front office’s approach to the deadline, which first included some last-minute contract extension talks with Castillo and Drury’s representatives.  When those talks didn’t result in much progress, the Reds shifted focus to the trade market, with GM Nick Krall noting that the interest in Castillo allowed them to make high initial asks.  If other clubs weren’t open to that first ask, “then we can just move on….It was a pretty good way to trim the number (of teams) down from the very beginning,” Krall said.  Cincinnati had always targeted Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo when speaking with the Mariners, and both of those highly-regarded infield prospects ended up included in the package the Reds received for Castillo.  The Reds also had several offers on the table for Mahle and Drury, with the front office ultimately deciding that the offers from the Twins (for Mahle) and Padres (for Drury) were the best of the group.

Chase Anderson To Opt Out Of Rays Contract

By | at

Right-hander Chase Anderson signed a minor league deal with the Rays a month ago, and is now going to exercise an opt-out clause in that contract, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports (Twitter link).  Anderson came to Tampa Bay after opting out of another minors pact with the Tigers.

A veteran of the last eight MLB seasons, Anderson has yet to see any big league time in 2022, instead tossing a combined 80 innings at Triple-A.  His work with the Rays’ affiliate in Durham (3.60 ERA in 10 innings) has been better than his 70 frames (4.63 ERA) with the Tigers’ top affiliate in Toledo, with Anderson delivering improved strikeout and walk rates over his short time in the Rays organization.

However, it would seem as if this performance didn’t put Anderson on Tampa Bay’s radar for a call-up to the majors, and so Anderson will hit the open market again in search of another opportunity.  Anderson’s track record as a starting pitcher would theoretically provide some use to a team in need of rotation depth.  In hindsight, it’s a little surprising that Detroit (crushed by pitching injuries all season long) didn’t call Anderson up to fill any of its many rotation vacancies.

Of course, recent results haven’t favored the 34-year-old, who posted a 6.94 ERA over 81 2/3 innings in the majors with the Blue Jays and Phillies in 2020-21.  Hitters mashed 21 homers off Anderson in those 81 2/3 frames, and he has continued to have trouble with the long ball at the Triple-A level this year.  Anderson has surrendered 16 homers in his 80 innings with Durham and Toledo.

Nationals To Promote Cade Cavalli

By | at

The Nationals are calling up top pitching prospect Cade Cavalli for his Major League debut on Friday, per a club announcement. Grant Paulsen of 106.7 FM The Fan first reported Cavalli would be getting the call to the big leagues. The 2020 first-rounder will need to have his contract formally selected to the Major League roster before Friday’s game.

Cade Cavalli

Cavalli, 24, was the No. 22 overall selection in 2020. The Oklahoma native and former Sooner star has enjoyed a solid season in Triple-A Rochester, where he’s notched a 3.71 ERA with a 25.9% strikeout rate, a 9.7% walk rate and a 43.1% grounder rate. Cavalli has gotten more comfortable in Triple-A and gotten stronger as the season wears on; after some rocky outings throughout his first 13 trips to the hill, he’s now rattled off a 1.47 ERA with a 43-to-12 K/BB ratio (29.7 K%, 8.7% BB%) in his past seven starts — a total of 36 1/3 innings.

The 6’4″, 240-pound Cavalli, in addition to his lofty draft status, currently ranks as one of the sport’s top pitching prospects. He checks in at No. 20 on FanGraphs’ most recent prospect rankings and is also featured prominently on the latest leaguewide lists from Baseball Prospectus (No. 29), Baseball America (No. 52) and MLB.com (No. 58).

Cavalli made the Futures Game roster in each of the past two seasons, though he was a late scratch from this year’s game due to a blister issue on his pitching hand. Fans who tuned into the 2021 game saw Cavalli touch 102 mph on the radar gun with a powerful heater that generally draws 70 grades on the 20-80 scale. Command issues, stemming in part from a violent delivery that gives some scouts concerns he’ll ultimately move to the bullpen, have been the big knock on Cavalli. He also works with a slider, curveball and changeup, each drawing praise as anywhere from an above-average to potentially plus pitch. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs writes in his scouting report that while there’s relief risk, “…if things click, Cavalli is going to be a monster.”

For the Nats, the hope is that Cavalli can achieve that top-of-the-rotation ceiling and join left-hander MacKenzie Gore and righty Josiah Gray as the nucleus of the team’s rotation for years to come. Because he’s being called up this late in the season, Cavalli can’t earn a full year of Major League service time and is also well past the point at which Super Two status is attainable. That means he’ll be controllable for six more seasons beyond this one — all the way through 2028 — and won’t be eligible to reach arbitration until after 2025 season. Of course, future demotions back to the minors could push back either of those trajectories.

Rich Hill Discusses Possible 2023 Plans

By | at

Rich Hill is currently amidst his 18th big league season, with the long-tenured southpaw set to reach his 43rd birthday before next Opening Day. Among active players, only Albert Pujols — who has already announced 2022 as his final season — is older than the Red Sox’s hurler. Hill, however, tells Rob Bradford of WEEI he feels physically able to continue his playing career beyond this year. He nevertheless also expressed a desire to spend more time with his wife and son, pointing to the amount of time players spend away from their families over the course of a 162-game schedule.

With that in mind, Hill tells Bradford he could consider an atypical approach to next season — sitting out the first few months with an eye towards joining a contender midseason. Hill, who will be a free agent again at the end of this year, suggested he could stay in shape and continue to throw independently for the first few months of next season before pursuing an opportunity with a club around July. “If we look at the trade deadline, even for this year, everybody needs more pitching,” the pitcher noted. “Whether that be out of the bullpen and/or starting, it’s that opportunity to be able to help a team that’s going to be able to go into the postseason and make some things happen, especially with the experience I have in the postseason.”

To be clear, Hill didn’t definitively state he was committed to the half-season approach. He expressed confidence in his ability to hold up physically if he went the traditional route and signed with a team over the offseason and played a full schedule. It seems he’ll wait until the offseason for he and his family to officially settle upon their plans, but Hill pointed to some benefits that could be associated with a hypothetical half-season approach. Waiting until midseason would give him and his representatives at ACES a clearer picture of the standings to target a playoff contender. He also indicated a preemptive rest period could have performance benefits for the stretch run.

“You’ll be 43, but there’s obviously some more to give inside, where you can take those extra couple months to rejuvenate and put the work in and the time in the gym. It could be beneficial for that second half,” he opined. “You’re trying to come back and be as productive and fresh as possible. … I’m not saying I wouldn’t be for an entire season. It just might not be ideal for my family. (It might be better) to spend half the year with my son and my wife, where we can enjoy each other, and start to move in that direction.”

Hill, who has suited up for a whopping 11 teams in his big league career, signed a $5MM guarantee to return for a third MLB stint with the Red Sox last December. He lost most of July to a left knee sprain but has been a useful back-of-the-rotation contributor when healthy. Hill has given the Sox 82 2/3 innings of 4.68 ERA ball. While his 18% strikeout rate and 8.4% swinging strike percentage are each below-average, he remains a capable strike-thrower and has held left-handed opponents to a meager .220/.278/.320 line in 54 plate appearances on the year.

Between that production and Hill’s wealth of major league experience, he should still find interest from teams during the upcoming offseason. Whether he elects to pursue a job during the winter or holds off until the middle of next season remains to be seen, but his comments to Bradford indicate he’s eyeing a 19th MLB campaign in some capacity.

Latest On Potential Sale Of Nationals

By | at

Ted Leonsis has emerged as a potential suitor in the ongoing sales process involving the Nationals, according to a report from Barry Svrluga, Ben Strauss and Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. Leonsis’ Monumental Sports & Entertainment is already a major factor in the D.C. sports scene, owning the NBA’s Wizards, the NHL’s Capitals and the WNBA’s Mystics.

According to the Post, Leonsis is one of a few potential buyers granted access to the Nationals financial data. He’s not making a run at sole ownership, however; Drew Hansen of the Washington Business Journal reports that David Rubenstein, a private equity businessman, is part of the group with Leonsis. It isn’t clear who else is involved with Leonsis and Rubenstein.

The Leonsis group becomes the third known potential suitors for the Nationals. Since the Lerner family announced in April they were exploring the possibility of a sale, the Post has reported that South Korean equity mogul Michael B. Kim and mortgage executive Stanley Middleman have each met with Nationals personnel. Whether Leonsis and Rubenstein have also formally met with Nationals executives yet isn’t known. The Post has reported that at least five potential bidders have met with the Lerners in recent weeks, so it’s not a given that any of the three publicly-known suitors will wind up submitting the winning bid.

The Lerner family has stopped short of making a firm declaration it’d pull the trigger on a sale, although it’s generally expected they’ll do so. The Post writes that the process could be finalized shortly after the conclusion of the season, with potential ratification of a sale taking place at the owners meetings in November. The Nationals are one of two franchises that could soon change hands, as Angels owner Arte Moreno announced yesterday he was looking into the possibility of selling the Anaheim organization as well.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows FOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top