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NPB Pitcher Kodai Senga Expected To Explore MLB Opportunities This Offseason

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Kodai Senga has been one of the better pitchers in Japan over the past decade, and the right-hander could make for an intriguing entrant onto next offseason’s MLB free agent market. Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported last night (Twitter link) that Senga is likely to consider contract offers from major league teams over the winter. That’s not especially surprising, as he’s reportedly sought to make the jump to MLB in the past but been denied that opportunity by his NPB team, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

Senga is a career-long member of the Hawks, with whom he has spent parts of 11 seasons. He’s tallied a bit more than 1000 innings at Japan’s highest level, pitching to a 2.62 ERA with a very strong 28.3% strikeout rate. The right-hander has a sub-3.00 ERA in each of the past four seasons, including a sterling 2.05 mark across 105 1/3 innings this year. Senga has fanned 28.1% of opponents in 2022 against a fine 8.1% walk rate. Among qualified NPB hurlers, he ranks third in ERA.

Last offseason, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs wrote that Senga has a quality four-pitch mix headlined by his fastball and split. Longehagen indicated neither of his breaking pitches (cutter or slider) were likely to be impactful offerings, but he suggested his two top pitches combined with solid control could give him a chance to start in the majors. At the time, Longenhagen placed Senga as his #4 international prospect who might be available in 2023 and beyond (and the #3 player in Japan, behind righties Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki).

Unlike Yamamoto and Sasaki, both of whom are in their early 20’s, Senga turns 30 years old in January. The 6’0″ hurler won’t be subject to the MLB – NPB posting system by virtue of his exceeding nine years of NPB service time. That allows him to explore international free agency without requiring any form of compensation on the part of major league teams to his NPB employer.

Senga has a fair bit of financial security to fall back upon. He signed a five-year contract with the Hawks last winter that reportedly guaranteed him a $5.3MM salary this season. That pact afforded Senga an opt-out opportunity after 2022 to allow him to explore MLB free agency, but it also means he can stay in a familiar setting on a multi-year deal if he doesn’t believe there’ll be MLB offers to his liking.

Humberto Castellanos To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Diamondbacks right-hander Humberto Castellanos will undergo Tommy John surgery, manager Torey Lovullo announced (via Steve Gilbert of MLB.com). The 24-year-old is already on the 60-day injured list, having missed the past couple months with an elbow strain.

Castellanos’ efforts to avoid going under the knife will prove unsuccessful, and he’ll likely miss all of next season recovering. It’s a hit to the club’s rotation depth, as the Mexican-born hurler has started 16 of his 25 outings for Arizona over the past two years. Castellanos, who also made eight relief appearances with the Astros during the shortened 2020 season, was a January 2021 waiver claim.

The 5’11” hurler has tossed 100 2/3 innings at the major league level, working to a 5.45 ERA. He doesn’t throw hard, with his fastball typically clocking in the 89-90 MPH range. That has translated to a lack of missed bats, with Castellanos generating swinging strikes at a meager 7.2% clip. He’s a plus strike-thrower, though, walking only 7.3% of batters faced in the big leagues.

Castellanos will be paid at the MLB minimum rate and collect big league service time for the remainder of the season. He’ll have to be reinstated from the injured list at the start of the offseason. He won’t be arbitration-eligible until the end of next year, so the D-Backs could affordably keep him around if they’re willing to devote him a 40-man roster spot over the winter.

Pirates Claim Jose Godoy, Designate Taylor Davis

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The Pirates have claimed catcher José Godoy off waivers from the Twins, according to announcements from both teams. Pittsburgh designated backstop Taylor Davis for assignment in a corresponding move.

Godoy, 27, appeared in two games with Minnesota this season. The lefty-hitting backstop has otherwise the year at Triple-A St. Paul, hitting .197/.272/.299 through 151 plate appearances. That’s obviously not great output, but he’s a well-regarded receiver. A former Cardinals and Mariners farmhand, he owns a .271/.351/.361 line through parts of ten minor league seasons.

He’ll replace Davis as the #2 catcher behind Jason Delay. The journeyman was selected onto the Bucs’ roster yesterday when Tyler Heineman went on the injured list. Davis, 32, has appeared in parts of four major league seasons but has only 22 games under his belt. He’s spent the season with Triple-A Indianapolis, hitting .282/.358/.320 in 35 games.

Guardians Designate Alex Call For Assignment

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The Guardians designated outfielder Alex Call for assignment this afternoon. The move cleared the necessary 40-man roster spot for Hunter Gaddis, who was promoted to make his major league debut against the Astros.

Call made it to the majors for the first time a few weeks ago. The 27-year-old outfielder was brought up in mid-July, ultimately appearing in his first 12 big league games. He collected two hits (both singles) with four walks and strikeouts apiece before being optioned back to Triple-A Columbus. The former White Sox’s third-round pick has spent the bulk of the season with the Clippers, posting excellent numbers. Through 301 trips to the plate, Call owns a .281/.420/.498 line with 11 home runs and matching 16.3% strikeout and walk rates.

He’s split his time fairly evenly between all three outfield spots and still has all three minor league option years remaining. That could draw him some attention from opposing clubs once he hits the waiver wire in the next few days.

Mariners Designate Travis Jankowski For Assignment

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The Mariners announced they’ve designated outfielder Travis Jankowski for assignment. The move opens an active roster spot for corner infielder/outfielder Jake Lamb, who has reported to the club. Seattle acquired Lamb from the Dodgers in the hours leading up to the trade deadline. The M’s 40-man roster count falls to 39.

Jankowski was just claimed off waivers from the Mets on Monday. He made a lone appearance as a Mariner, striking out in his one at-bat. The left-handed hitter worked primarily as a defensive specialist and pinch runner in Queens, seeing action in 43 games but only walking up to the plate on 63 occasions. He didn’t produce much offensively, hitting .167/.286/.167 without an extra-base hit.

The 31-year-old has appeared in parts of eight big league seasons, also spending time with the Padres, Reds and Phillies. He’s a career .236/.319/.310 hitter, showing solid plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills but very little power. Jankowski’s an elite runner who’s capable of playing all three outfield positions, leading clubs to give him opportunities as a fourth or fifth outfielder.

Lamb was already on the 40-man roster, but the Mariners had to designate Jankowski for assignment if they wished to take him off the big league club. As a player with more than five years of major league service time, he’d have the right to refuse any optional assignment to Triple-A Tacoma in favor of a trip to free agency. Seattle will now place him on waivers over the next few days, where another team could bring him aboard if they’re willing to assume the remainder of his $1.25MM salary (approximately $426K) and keep him in the majors.

Big Hype Prospects: Hassell, Wood, Marte, Arroyo, Waldichuk

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Today on Big Hype Prospects, we’ll consider the most important prospects dealt at the trade deadline. For a full recap, check out Mark Polishuk’s review of the American League and James Hicks’ rundown of the National League. C.J. Abrams has used up his rookie eligibility, so we’ll skip him.

Five Big Hype Prospects

Robert Hassell, 20, OF, WSH (A+)
346 PA, 10 HR, 20 SB, .299/.379/.467

James Wood, 19, OF, WSH (A)
236 PA, 10 HR, 15 SB, .337/.453/.601

The Nationals said they wanted a mix of Major and Minor League talent in return for Juan Soto, and the Padres obliged. Hassell typically finds his way into conversations about the Top 10 prospects in the league although most list-makers have him ranked around 25th-best. He’s young for his level and could get a taste of Double-A in the waning months of the season. Hassell combines discipline and an advanced feel for contact. He’s a high-probability future big leaguer, but he might not be an especially exciting one. Each promotion will be a test – can he continue to post an over-10 percent walk rate, sub-20 percent strikeout rate, while showing 20 home run power? Trent Grisham – prior to his absentee 2022 season – serves as a loose comp.

By production, Wood has played like a Hassell clone one-year back on the development curve. However, Wood is an absolute mammoth. Most young players of his size either have a sizable strikeout issue, or they’ve sold out for contact. Wood has looked comfortable in Low-A, hitting for power while demonstrating both discipline and a high rate of contact. One can dream on the size, athleticism, and precocious ability. There’s potential for a truly elite player here – one who might eventually justify dealing away Soto. Of course, with all of the challenging levels of the minors awaiting him, Wood is more concept than proven commodity. He should get a late-season trial in High-A.

Noelvi Marte, 20, SS, CIN (A+)
394 PA, 15 HR, 13 SB, .275/.363/.462

Edwin Arroyo, 18, SS, CIN (A)
410 PA, 13 HR, 21 SB, .316/.385/.514

Many analysts believe Marte was the best prospect traded at the deadline (excluding Abrams) while others wondered aloud if the Mariners know something we don’t. You may recall some earlier debate within this column. To summarize, the folks at Baseball America have cooled on Marte, bumping him down to 46 on their midseason Top 100. Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Keith Law favors Marte with the 12th rank. FanGraphs lists Marte as one of their 13 60-grade (on the 20/80 scale) prospects. MLB Pipeline has him ranked 17.

On the face of it, Marte was quite a high price to pay for a season-and-a-half of Luis Castillo if the majority opinion turns out to be correct. Especially when considering the Mariners also sent well-regarded 18-year-old Arroyo (more on him below) and a pair of pitching prospects. Even if the more pessimistic Baseball America ranking is accurate, the Reds made out well in this trade.

Baseball America actually has Arroyo ranked one spot behind Marte. Other outlets are less enthusiastic about Arroyo. With Elly De La Cruz ranked in their Top 20, it’s a good time for shortstops in the Cincy system.

Interestingly, Arroyo is a switch-hitter and a switch-thrower. He throws right-handed as a fielder but pitched left-handed in high school. That latter element will only come into play if he has to convert back to the mound in the future, or if he injures his right arm and moves to the outfield. As a hitter, reports indicate Arroyo sells out for power but has a sufficiently compact swing to do so without painful strikeout rates. His swing from the left side has a classic lefty-loop to it. His bat path is flatter from the right side, though he still produces plenty of fly ball contact.

Ken Waldichuk, 24, SP, (AAA)
47.2 IP, 13.22 K/9, 4.34 BB/9, 3.59 ERA

Waldichuk emerged from the lost COVID season to post one of the most effective pitching lines in the minors last season. After he replicated his success early this season, he found himself landing on Top 100 prospect lists. Many premium pitching prospects have excellent stuff but need to learn more about the craft of pitching. Waldichuk, a southpaw, sort of comes from the other perspective. He’s polished and deceptive which allows him to outperform his stuff, although that’s not to knock his repertoire which is both deep and effective. His delivery has a reliever-ish look to it, but he has the weapons to thrive as a mid-tier starter. In particular, he has an excellent slider and changeup, both of which help his mid-90s fastball to play up. Sent to Oakland in the Frankie Montas trade, Waldichuk should get a taste of big league action in the waning months of the season.

Five More

Logan O’Hoppe, PHI (22): O’Hoppe was one of the most glaringly obvious trade chips. The Phillies have no apparent role for a quality catching prospect (though such things can change suddenly). O’Hoppe is well-regarded as both a defensive and offensive catcher who should one day be a league average starter. He’s benefitted from more time at Double-A than he needed in a particularly friendly offensive environment. The discipline and contact skills he showed this season exceeded anything he teased in the past. We’ll see if they withstand a move to the Angels system and subsequent steps up the ladder.

Jordan Groshans, MIA (22): After hitting just one home runs in 279 Triple-A plate appearances, Groshans is trending towards a super utility role. Once a well-regarded prospect, evaluators started grumbling about something missing – impactful power – shortly after he debuted in 2019. He continued to hit well enough for list-makers to conservatively continue including him in the Top 100, but that’s evaporated as he’s reached the upper levels of the minors.

Seth Johnson, BAL (23): A promising pitcher from the Rays system, Johnson will miss the remainder of this season and most of 2023 due to Tommy John surgery. He’s an interesting case for the Orioles. He’ll be Rule 5 eligible this winter, can be stashed on the injured list, and might hold his own in the bullpen when he returns in 2024. Will the Orioles roster him or try to pass him through the Rule 5 gauntlet?

Esteury Ruiz, MIL (23): Presumably, the Brewers acquired Ruiz to help complement Tyrone Taylor in center field. Taylor has played near replacement level, and Ruiz has impactful skills which could help win ball games. For now, he’ll build upon his legend in the minors. He has 60 steals in 379 minor league plate appearances. His 27 plate appearances in the Majors yielded little – a .222/.222/.333 line and one steal in three attempts.

Spencer Steer, CIN, (24): While not exactly a top prospect, Steer will soon grace a Major League roster and could lay claim to a regular role. He has a short, impactful swing and enough discipline to hold his head above water. Great American Ballpark is the ideal venue for him. He doesn’t have big raw power but hits a ton of fly balls. He might wind up as Eugenio Suarez redux.

Mariners Claim Derek Hill, Designate Kevin Padlo

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The Mariners have claimed outfielder Derek Hill off waivers from the Tigers, per announcements from both teams. He’d been designated for assignment earlier in the week. The Mariners announced they’ve designated infielder Kevin Padlo for assignment in a corresponding move.

Hill changes organizations for the first time in his pro career. The California native was a first-round pick by the Tigers back in 2014, and he’s spent the past eight years climbing the minor league ladder. He reached the majors for a cup of coffee in 2020, and he’s reappeared at the MLB level in each of the following two seasons. The righty-hitting outfielder hasn’t produced much at the plate thus far, compiling a .240/.291/.339 line with four home runs and an elevated 29.9% strikeout rate across 254 big league plate appearances.

The 26-year-old’s greater appeal lies in his speed and defensive profile. He’s a fleet-footed center fielder whom evaluators have long suggested could be a plus or better outfielder. He’s swiped nine bases in 12 attempts at the major league level, and he’s routinely pushed or exceeded 30 steals per year in the minors. That’s led to some hope he could stick as a fourth or fifth outfielder even as he’s struggled against upper level pitching, but the Tigers moved on amidst a rough offensive showing in Triple-A. He’s hitting .217/.269/.325 in 30 contests at that level this season, a disappointing follow-up to a .320/.377/.504 performance over a similar amount of action a season ago.

Hill is in his final minor league option year. The Mariners can keep him at Triple-A Tacoma for the remainder of 2022, but he’ll have to break camp with the team next season or be exposed to waivers if he sticks on the 40-man roster until then.

Padlo, also 26, has changed hands a few times over the past 12 months. Seattle originally nabbed him off waivers from the Rays last August, but they designated him for assignment in April. He was traded to the Giants, again DFA and reclaimed by the Mariners. The righty-hitting corner infielder has only appeared in 10 MLB games this season between the two clubs, instead spending most of the year in Triple-A.

Through 248 minor league plate appearances this season, the former fifth-round draftee owns a .246/.327/.455 line. That’s below-average production in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but Padlo has hit very well up through Double-A in his career. His combination of power and plate discipline has caught the attention of a few teams, and rival clubs will get another opportunity to add him over the coming days. With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, the M’s have no choice but to place Padlo on waivers now that he’s been taken off the 40-man roster.

A’s Claim David MacKinnon, Designate Wandisson Charles

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The Athletics announced Friday that they’ve claimed first baseman David MacKinnon off waivers from the Angels. Right-hander Wandisson Charles was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

MacKinnon, 27, is a former 32nd-round draft pick who made his big league debut this season after a huge showing in Triple-A Salt Lake. He went just 7-for-37 at the MLB level without an extra-base hit at the Major League level, but the righty-swinging MacKinnon mashed at a .324/.429/.631 clip in 273 plate appearances with Salt Lake (156 wRC+). In just 273 plate appearances in Triple-A, MacKinnon belted 14 homers and connected on 19 doubles and four triples — all while walking nearly as often as he struck out (15.4% to 18.7%).

Because MacKinnon was only selected to the Major League roster for the first time this season, he’s in the first of three minor league option years. And while he’s never quite produced at this level in the minors in the past, MacKinnon still slashed .285/.380/.474 (139 wRC+) with 13 dingers and 30 doubles through 426 plate appearances in a pitcher-friendly Double-A setting a year ago.

Following the offseason trade of Matt Olson, the A’s have given most of the playing time at first base to lefty-swinging Seth Brown and the since-traded, right-handed-hitting Christian Bethancourt. Brown has batted .249/.310/.494 when facing right-handed pitching but just .170/.200/.283 in 55 plate appearances against lefties. MacKinnon, hitting .294/.390/.588 against lefties this season (big leagues and Triple-A combined), will give Brown a natural platoon partner at first.

Charles, 25, is a hard-throwing righty who has battled command issues throughout his time in the minors and struggled considerably this season in his second stint at the Double-A level. He’s yielded 36 earned runs in just 32 innings, thanks to a through-the-roof 19.4% walk rate and a career-worst 1.13 HR/9 mark. Charles can run his fastball into the upper 90s and has had multiple seasons where he’s fanned more than 30% of his opponents, but this year’s 19.4% walk rate is right in line with the career 19.3% mark he’s posted across parts of six minor league seasons. The A’s can put Charles on waivers at any point in the next week.

Yankees Claim Luke Bard

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1:30pm: The Yankees announced the move, adding that Bard has been assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

1:12pm: The Yankees have claimed right-hander Luke Bard off waivers from the Rays, reports Lindsey Adler of The Athletic (Twitter link). Tampa Bay designated Bard for assignment earlier in the week. The Yankees opened a spot on the 40-man roster this morning when they outrighted right-hander Carlos Espinal, so there’s a 40-man vacancy for the newly claimed Bard.

Bard, 31, possesses a tidy 1.93 ERA in 14 frames with Tampa Bay this season, though his small sample of work is a good example of how misleading earned run average can be. Bard has fanned only eight of the 56 batters he’s faced (14.3%) and walked seven of them (12.5%) in addition to plunking another pair. He’s been knocked around for a 4.88 ERA in 24 Triple-A innings so far in 2022 and came into the current season with a career 5.05 ERA and 5.32 FIP in 66 big league innings.

That said, Bard has long been able to spin his four-seamer at a higher rate than just about anyone in the game, and that’s again been the case in 2022, when his four-seamer’s spin rate sits in the 99th percentile among big league hurlers, per Statcast. He’s averaging 94.1 mph on the pitch and carries a solid enough 11.8% swinging-strike rate in his career (on all pitches combined). Bard is in his final minor league option year, so he can be sent back and forth between the Bronx and Triple-A Scranton without needing to pass through waivers for the remainder of this year at least.

Cardinals Claim Kramer Robertson

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The Cardinals announced Friday that they’ve claimed infielder Kramer Robertson off waivers from the Mets, who’d designated him for assignment earlier in the week. Right-hander Drew VerHagen, who had season-ending hip surgery this week, has been moved to the 60-day IL to open a spot on the roster. Robertson was optioned to Triple-A Memphis.

Being claimed by the Cardinals completes a circuitous year for Robertson, whom St. Louis selected in the fourth round of the 2017 draft. Robertson made his big league debut with the Cards earlier this season but appeared in just two games and tallied just one plate appearance (an RBI groundout). Since that time, he’s gone from the Cardinals, to the Braves, to the Mets, and now, back to the Cardinals on waivers.

It’s easy enough to see why teams would be intrigued by Robertson, a versatile defender with impressive on-base skills, above-average speed and multiple minor league option years remaining. So far in 2022, he’s appeared with each of those three organizations’ Triple-A affiliates and posted a combined .241/.400/.362 batting line with 20 steals (in 26 tries) while logging time at second base, third base and shortstop. With Edmundo Sosa traded to the Phillies prior to the deadline, Robertson will give the Cards some additional organizational depth in the infield.

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