Click here to read a transcript of Tuesday’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.
Archives for May 2024
Twins Select Diego Castillo
The Twins announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Diego Castillo. The club opened a 40-man roster spot by transferring right-hander Justin Topa to the 60-day injured list. They opened an active roster spot yesterday by optioning left-hander Kody Funderburk. Going into yesterday, they were using 39 spots on their 40-man but reinstated right-hander Josh Winder from the 60-day IL and optioned him to Triple-A. Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press was among those to relay the Winder news on X.
Declan Goff of SKOR North relayed on X yesterday that Castillo was on his way to join the team but Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com relayed on X that “travel snags” were preventing Castillo from getting to the ballpark. The St. Paul Saints were playing in Buffalo and Castillo had been making his way from upstate New York. The righty didn’t make it on time and this transaction had to wait a day but is now finally official.
Castillo, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Twins back in March and has tossed 18 innings for the Saints. He has allowed 2.50 earned runs per nine innings while striking out 29.7% of batters faced, giving out walks at an 8.1% clip and getting grounders on 54.5% of balls in play.
Perhaps that gives the Twins some hope that he can back to his previous form at the big league level. The righty pitched 259 2/3 innings for the Rays and Mariners over the 2018 to 2022 period. In that time, he had a 3.12 ERA, 28.1% strikeout rate, 8.9% walk rate and 50.7% ground ball rate.
The 2023 season was a struggle for Castillo, as he had a 6.23 ERA through 8 2/3 innings when the Mariners outrighted him off their 40-man roster. He also had a 5.13 ERA in Triple-A last year and elected free agency at season’s end. He signed a minor league deal with the Rangers but didn’t make that club out of camp, which then led to his minor league deal with the Twins.
If Castillo can put that rough 2023 campaign behind him, he’ll be a nice find for the Twins and one that could theoretically help them beyond this year. He came into 2024 with four years and 150 days of service time. Since he won’t be able to get to the six-year mark this year, he could be retained for 2025 via arbitration. He also has a couple of options left and can be sent back down to Triple-A, but there’s a bit of a ticking clock there. He’s 22 days away from getting to five years of service and can’t be optioned without his consent once he hits that line.
As for Topa, his move is a mere formality. His “60 days” are backdated to his original IL placement, which was at the end of March. That means he’s already been on the IL more than 60 days and can be reinstated whenever he’s healthy, which is not imminent. Two weeks ago, he was diagnosed with a partial tear in the patellar tendon in his left knee, with a no-throw plan of six weeks.
Winder landed on the 60-day IL back in February when the Twins acquired Manuel Margot. He has been rehabbing for about a month and is now healthy enough to be reinstated, though the club will keep him in Triple-A as optionable depth until needed.
Diamondbacks Release Kolten Wong
The D-backs have released veteran infielder Kolten Wong, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. Wong had been playing with their Triple-A affiliate in Reno after signing a minor league contract. He’s now a free agent.
A two-time Gold Glove winner at second base, the now-33-year-old Wong entered the 2024 campaign in hopes of rebounding from a disastrous 2023 season that saw him bat just .183/.256/.263 in 250 plate appearances between the Mariners and Dodgers. Wong signed a minor league deal with Baltimore and spent spring training with the Orioles but opted out of that pact when he didn’t make the team. He subsequently signed with the D-backs, putting pen to paper on a second minor league deal back on April 10.
Through 31 games, Wong has turned in a .271/.339/.383 batting line that looks respectable enough relative to MLB batting lines but is about 18% worse than average (by measure of wRC+) in the supercharged offensive environment of Triple-A’s Pacific Coast League. He’s homered twice, swiped a pair of bags and collected six doubles. Wong has also shown modest improvements in his strikeout and walk rates, which sat at 21.2% and 7.2% in the big leagues last year but are at 18.2% and 8.3% in Reno.
Miserable as Wong’s 2023 season was, the veteran infielder is still just one season removed from a .251/.339/.430 performance with the 2022 Brewers — a season that saw him swipe 17 bases and club a career-best 15 home runs with a strong 9.3% walk rate and considerably lower-than-average 17.7% strikeout rate. From 2017-22, Wong was an above-average regular at second base between St. Louis and Milwaukee, hitting a combined .269/.349/.414 with 54 homers, 72 steals, a roughly average walk rate, strong bat-to-ball skills and plus defense.
The D-backs haven’t needed any help at second base with Ketel Marte logging a .275/.322/.493 slash in his first 233 trips to the plate this season, and there are other second base options on the 40-man roster ahead of Wong on the depth chart as well. But there are plenty of teams around the game — Red Sox, White Sox and Angels, to name a few — that have struggled to get much of anything out of their second basemen this season. Wong could make sense as a depth option with any of those clubs or even an immediate big league replacement in some spots, if a team wants to send a struggling young player back to Triple-A for some more seasoning.
Live Chat With Fantasy Baseball Expert Nicklaus Gaut
Fantasy baseball expert Nicklaus Gaut will be holding a live chat today at 11am central time, exclusively with Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Use the link below to ask a question in advance, participate in the live event, and read the transcript afterward.
Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription
BENEFITS
- Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
- Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
- Remove ads and support our writers.
- Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker
The Opener: Hernandez, Astros Pitchers, MLBTR Chat
Two months after Opening Day, here are three things to keep an eye on around the world of baseball this Tuesday:
1. Angel Hernandez retires:
Umpire Angel Hernandez, a controversial figure in Major League Baseball for more than 30 years, is hanging up his hat. He issued a statement via MLB on Monday evening confirming his decision. Hernandez said umpiring in the majors was a “childhood dream” come true, but cited spending “more time with my family” as the primary reason for his retirement. However, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that Hernandez “reached a settlement to leave Major League Baseball,” effective immediately. Bob Nightengale of USA Today adds that the sides had “spent the past two weeks negotiating a financial settlement before reaching a resolution over the weekend.”
Hernandez was one of the most senior umpires in the league, but he has long had a reputation for making incorrect calls and unnecessary ejections. In recent years, he has been in and out of the headlines as he attempted to sue Major League Baseball for racial discrimination. He ultimately lost the suit and his subsequent appeal.
More on Hernandez and his retirement will likely trickle out in the coming days, such as statements from his fellow umpires and the commissioner’s office, and perhaps more news about the terms of his settlement.
2. Cristian Javier, José Urquidy to undergo imaging:
Astros manager Joe Espada says his starting pitchers Cristian Javier and José Urquidy will undergo imaging today (per Chandler Rome of The Athletic). The team will likely offer an update on their respective injuries ahead of tonight’s game against the Mariners. Javier landed on the injured list on Monday (retroactive to May 24) with right forearm discomfort. Urquidy, who has been out all season with a right forearm strain he suffered in spring training, recently left a minor league rehab start with the same issue: more forearm discomfort in his pitching arm.
The Astros have had to deal with several injuries to their starting pitchers this season, though thankfully for Houston, Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander are back in the rotation, as is Ronel Blanco, who was recently suspended for 10 games for violating MLB’s foreign substances policy. Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti currently round out the big league rotation, while recent minor league signing Eric Lauer offers additional depth.
3. MLBTR chat today:
This past weekend brought the news of Ronald Acuña Jr.’s season-ending injury and a report that teams are planning for NPB star Roki Sasaki to be posted this winter. If you have any questions about how your favorite team is playing so far, or perhaps questions that look ahead to the July 30 trade deadline or the upcoming offseason, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will host a live chat with readers today at 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, and that same link will allow you to join in on the chat once it begins or read the transcript after it is completed.
A’s Outright Jordan Diaz
The Athletics announced that third/second baseman Jordan Diaz has been assigned outright to Triple-A Las Vegas after clearing waivers. Oakland had designated him for assignment last week when they called up Daz Cameron.
Diaz hasn’t played in the majors this season. The Colombian-born infielder appeared at the highest level in both 2022 and ’23. Diaz hasn’t produced much against big league pitching, hitting .227/.276/.358 over 344 plate appearances. He was productive against upper minors arms over that two-year stretch, but his Triple-A numbers have cratered over this season’s first two months.
A .204/.288/.327 batting line in 111 plate appearances is well below average, particularly in the Pacific Coast League. It’s not surprising that squeezed Diaz off the A’s roster and led the 29 other teams to decline a chance to add him. This is the first career outright for Diaz, who less than three years of MLB service. That means he doesn’t have the right to elect free agency, so he’ll remain in Vegas and look for better form at the plate.
Diaz would be eligible for minor league free agency at the end of this season if the A’s don’t reselect him onto the 40-man roster. Abraham Toro and Zack Gelof are handling the respective third and second base positions in Oakland. J.D. Davis has moved over to first base, but he’s hitting just .220/.261/.367 in 115 plate appearances.
Phillies Acquire Jonah Dipoto From Royals
The Royals announced this morning that they’ve traded minor league pitcher Jonah Dipoto to the Phillies for cash considerations. According to the MLB.com transaction log, Philadelphia assigned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
The son of former MLB pitcher and current Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, Jonah is a 27-year-old righty reliever. Kansas City selected him out of UC San Diego in the 35th round of the 2019 draft. Despite the modest draft stock, Dipoto has pitched his way to the upper minors. He turned in a 3.55 earned run average in 50 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A a year ago. Dipoto fanned an above-average 26% of opponents, though he also walked almost 15% of batters faced.
Dipoto has had a shakier start to the 2024 campaign. He has allowed 11 runs (10 earned) over 14 1/3 innings for the Royals’ top farm team in Omaha. He has given up a trio of homers with a 13:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Phils will hope that a change of scenery at least allows him to find the bat-missing promise he showed a season ago. While Dipoto has never gotten much prospect fanfare, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs credited him with a plus slider and ranked him 38th in the K.C. system last summer.
There’s no cost for Philadelphia beyond what is likely nominal cash considerations. Dipoto won’t require a spot on their 40-man because he hadn’t been on the Kansas City roster. He went unselected in last winter’s Rule 5 draft and would be eligible again next December if Philadelphia doesn’t select his contract.
Daniel Bard Planning Comeback In 2025
Daniel Bard is losing the entire 2024 season to injury. The Rockies reliever underwent arthroscopic surgery to fix a meniscus tear in his left knee in February. While rehabbing, he went down with a forearm injury and underwent a season-ending flexor tendon repair.
At the time of the arm surgery, the 38-year-old righty was noncommittal about whether he’d continue his career. Now that he’s six weeks removed from the procedure, Bard tells Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post that he plans to give it another go.
“Going into the surgery, I was probably 50-50,” Bard told Saunders over the weekend. “When you first find out you need surgery and you are going to miss 12 months, there is that moment of disappointment. You kind of get the wind knocked out of you. But having a few weeks to think about it and watch baseball, it really makes me want to see if I’ve got it next spring.”
Bard, who turns 39 in June, is in the second season of an extension he signed with the Rox. He was amidst a stellar 2022 season as Colorado’s closer when he and the team agreed on a two-year, $19MM deal covering the 2023-24 campaigns. The extension came together days before the ’22 trade deadline. Bard would have been one of the top rental relievers on the summer market, but a noncompetitive Colorado team elected to keep him around.
That decision didn’t work out at all as the Rox hoped. Bard began the 2023 season on the injured list after battling anxiety issues that had sidetracked his career in the mid-2010s. While he made it back to the mound, he had trouble finding the strike zone. Bard walked more than 21% of opposing hitters and spent the season working in the middle innings. He probably would have gotten another chance to compete for the closer role this spring, but the injuries wrecked that plan.
Saunders writes that Bard will spend his time on the injured list in Denver to serve as a mentor to Colorado’s younger bullpen mates. The Rox have had a very tough go in the late innings. Rockies relievers have allowed a league-worst 5.10 earned runs per nine. Jalen Beeks and Victor Vodnik have managed decent run prevention marks despite middling strikeout rates. The rest of Colorado’s bullpen has struggled, with particularly disappointing numbers from late-inning arms Justin Lawrence and Tyler Kinley.
Given the seemingly strong relationship between Bard and the Rockies, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Colorado keeps him around for his 2025 comeback attempt. He’ll be a free agent next offseason and will almost certainly need to take a minor league contract, but the Rox could have interest in such an arrangement.
Astros Place Cristian Javier On IL, Recall Jose Abreu
The Astros made a few transactions before tonight’s series opener in Seattle. Houston placed starter Cristian Javier on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 24, with forearm discomfort. They also recalled José Abreu and reliever Alex Speas from Triple-A Sugar Land, optioning out Joey Loperfido to clear an additional roster spot.
Javier heads to the IL for the second time this season. The right-hander missed a couple weeks between April and May with neck soreness. Forearm discomfort is naturally a more concerning development, but there’s no indication the team believes it to be a serious issue at the moment. It’s nevertheless a frustrating setback for Javier, who has been limited to seven starts this year after avoiding the IL between 2020-23.
Around the injuries, Javier has gotten off to a middling start. He has a reasonable 3.89 ERA over 34 2/3 innings, yet he’s carrying an 18% strikeout rate that would easily be a personal worst. Javier has also walked nearly 13% of opposing hitters and is averaging only 91.7 MPH on his fastball, the softest velocity of his career.
Even a diminished version of Javier has played an important role for a Houston rotation that has battled numerous injuries. He rejoins Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garcia and José Urquidy on the IL. Urquidy was expected to make his return from forearm discomfort in the coming weeks, but he felt renewed soreness during a rehab start last Friday.
Houston has tried to lean on a six-man rotation to navigate an ongoing stretch of 29 games in 30 days. That hasn’t really worked as planned, as Ronel Blanco served a 10-game foreign substance suspension before Javier’s injury. Houston has a five-man starting staff of Framber Valdez, Justin Verlander, Blanco, Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti at the moment. Recently-signed lefty Eric Lauer is at Sugar Land as an experienced non-roster depth option.
Abreu is back on the MLB roster after spending nearly a month in the minors. The former MVP is in the lineup at first base tonight, hitting eighth against Seattle right-hander Bryce Miller. Abreu has worked to rediscover his timing after hitting .099/.156/.113 over his first 77 big league plate appearances this season. Lefty-swinging Jon Singleton has been Houston’s primary first baseman since Abreu was optioned; Singleton is at designated hitter tonight.
How Abreu performs over the next two months could be a key storyline as the front office considers its deadline approach. Houston has played their way back to the fringe of the playoff picture after an atrocious start to the season. They’re 24-29, sitting in third place in the AL West at three and a half games behind Seattle. If they’re in contention by late July, the Astros would certainly try to bolster a veteran roster that has won at least one playoff round in seven straight seasons. First base would be an obvious target area unless Abreu authors a remarkable turnaround in the coming weeks.
Mariners Select Ryan Bliss
The Mariners announced they’ve selected infielder Ryan Bliss onto the MLB roster. Second baseman Jorge Polanco is headed to the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, the M’s recalled Sam Haggerty and placed him on the major league 60-day IL.
It’s the first major league call for the 24-year-old Bliss. The Diamondbacks picked the 5’7″ middle infielder in the second round of the 2021 draft out of Auburn. Bliss rebounded from a tough first full professional season with a breakout 2023 campaign. The right-handed hitter raked at a .358/.414/.594 clip with Arizona’s Double-A affiliate. He earned a call to the Futures Game last summer and was involved in a significant trade not long thereafter. The D-Backs packaged him to Seattle alongside Josh Rojas and Dominic Canzone for closer Paul Sewald.
That wasn’t the most popular trade in the M’s clubhouse at the time, and the second-guessing only got louder when Seattle narrowly missed the playoffs last season. Sewald, meanwhile, stabilized a shaky bullpen in the desert to help Arizona to a surprising World Series berth. The Mariners have gotten good work from both Rojas and Canzone through the first two months of 2024, though. Bliss now joins them on the big league roster.
Bliss finished last season with the M’s top affiliate in Tacoma, hitting .251/.356/.466 over 47 games. He has similar numbers through 50 contests with the Rainiers this year. Bliss owns a .247/.382/.445 batting line through 229 plate appearances. He has walked at a massive 17% clip against a manageable 21.8% strikeout percentage. Bliss has already stolen 28 bases in 34 tries and has reasonable power numbers (seven homers, nine doubles and three triples).
While his slight frame limits his raw power upside, Bliss offers a well-rounded profile that could make him a viable everyday player. He has split his time about evenly between the middle infield spots this year. Prospect evaluators have generally preferred him at second base rather than shortstop because of his fringe arm strength.
That’s where he’ll slot in during his first MLB look. J.P. Crawford has shortstop secure, but Polanco has played sparingly in recent days because of hamstring discomfort. Acquired as part of an overhauled Seattle offense, the longtime Twin has slumped to a .195/.293/.302 showing to begin his Mariner tenure. The M’s plugged Luis Urías into the lineup when Polanco missed a few games two weeks ago. Seattle optioned him last week and will give Bliss a look at second base instead of the more experienced Urías, another offseason pickup who has only hit .152/.264/.316 in 34 games.
The M’s essentially had an open 40-man roster spot after Haggerty suffered a season-ending Achilles tear last week. That occurred in Tacoma, so the outfielder initially went on the minor league injured list. He’ll spend the rest of the season on the MLB IL, where he’ll pick up major league service. Haggerty should narrowly cross the four-year service threshold and would likely be in line for another salary in the realm of this year’s $900K if the Mariners tender him a contract next offseason.
