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Archives for June 2024

The Opener: Festa, Turnbull, Guardians, Royals

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With the 2024 season now past the halfway point, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Festa to debut:

The Twins are set to select the contract of right-hander David Festa prior to their game against the Diamondbacks this afternoon. Festa, 24, was a 13th-round pick by the Twins in the 2021 draft but has seen his stock skyrocket since he was drafted to become a top-100 prospect in the game. In 17 starts at the Triple-A level, Festa has pitched to a 3.63 ERA with an outstanding 33.8% strikeout rate in 72 innings of work.

Festa will bring that bat-missing arsenal to Arizona, where he’ll pitch opposite left-hander Jordan Montgomery (5.71 ERA) in a game set to begin at 12:40pm local time. Before that can happen, the Twins will need to make a corresponding move to clear space for Festa on the active roster. Minnesota already has a vacant spot on its 40-man roster to accommodate Festa’s promotion.

2. Turnbull to undergo testing:

Phillies right-hander Spencer Turnbull made his return to Comerica Park for the first time since leaving the Tigers yesterday, but his start was cut short after just three innings of one-run ball due to soreness in his right shoulder. Turnbull told reporters (including Matt Gelb of The Athletic) after the game that he doesn’t consider the issue to be a serious one and is hopeful that he’ll be able to make his start next week. However, the Phillies are set to send him for additional testing this morning before they make that call.

The 31-year-old Turnbull has posted an excellent 2.65 ERA split between the rotation and bullpen this year, and he’s already filling in as a starter for injured righty Taijuan Walker. If Turnbull ends up joining Walker on the injured list, the Phillies will have to tap into further into their depth to round out the rotation. Much of the starting staff in Triple-A has struggled, though righty Michael Mercado has pitched quite well and was recently called up to make his MLB debut in the bullpen. Others on the 40-man roster with MLB experience include righty Nick Nelson and lefty Kolby Allard, though neither has fared well in the minors.

3. Series Preview: Guardians @ Royals

A series between division rivals that could impact the AL playoff picture begins this evening when the Guardians head to Kauffman Stadium for a four-game set against the Royals. Both clubs have emerged as surprise contenders in the first half and spent much of the season vying for the AL Central lead. That dynamic has shifted in recent weeks, however, as Kansas City has struggled to a 9-14 record in the month of June to fall behind the Twins in the standings. The Guardians have seen their success continue with a 13-8 record.

That leaves the Royals tied with the Red Sox for the final AL Wild Card spot, while Cleveland still holds a comfortable eight-game lead in the division. A big series for Kansas City could reinforce their spot in the AL postseason picture while significantly chipping away at their deficit in the Central. Victory for the Guardians could see them pad their lead further while potentially pushing the Royals out a playoff spot headed into the second half. Tonight’s game, which is scheduled for 7:10pm local time, will pit Guardians righty Ben Lively (3.03 ERA) against Royals veteran Michael Wacha (4.07 ERA). The rest of the series will see the Royals send right-hander Alec Marsh (4.40 ERA), lefty Cole Ragans (3.03 ERA), and righty Seth Lugo (2.29 ERA) to the mound opposite Guardians hurlers Triston McKenzie (4.66 ERA), Tanner Bibee (3.50 ERA), and Logan Allen (5.72 ERA), respectively.

MLBTR Podcast: Injured Trade Candidates, The Cristopher Sánchez Extension And Blue Jays’ Woes

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • “What would it take for the Rockies to consider trading some young assets like Ryan McMahon or Brendan Rodgers?” (23:55)
  • “The Astros are clearly out of it, so why isn’t Ryan Pressly a top target of teams with bad bullpens?” (30:35)
  • “Would the Marlins or Nationals trade with the Mets, Phillies or Braves, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Lane Thomas being good fits?” (39:25)
  • “Will T.J. McFarland of the Athletics be traded to the Cubs or another contender?” (47:45)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Injury Notes: Smith, Edman, Garcia, Aranda

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The Mets placed reliever Drew Smith on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 24, before tonight’s win over the Yankees. The right-hander is dealing with an elbow sprain. It’s not yet clear how long he’ll be out or whether there’s a chance he’ll need to undergo surgery. It’s the second IL stint of the season for Smith, who missed around six weeks between late April and the start of June with shoulder soreness.

While there’s never a good time for a pitcher to battle shoulder and elbow concerns, it’s particularly poor timing in Smith’s case. The 30-year-old is a few months from his first trip to the open market. Smith misses enough bats to have a decent shot at a multi-year deal if he’s healthy. Between 2021-23, he combined for a 3.38 ERA while striking out more than a quarter of opposing hitters across 143 2/3 innings. That comes with a few more walks and home runs than ideal, but the former third-rounder has generally looked the part of a solid setup option. Smith has been effective this season when healthy, turning in a 3.06 ERA with 23 strikeouts over 17 2/3 frames.

A few more injury updates around the game:

  • The Cardinals have been without Tommy Edman all season. The versatile switch-hitter has had a longer than expected rehab after undergoing right wrist surgery last October. As he’d finally begun ramping up baseball activity, Edman hit another snag. Manager Oli Marmol told reporters this afternoon that Edman sprained an ankle while fielding a ground ball (relayed on X by Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat). While there’s nothing to suggest it’s a significant sprain, his rehab will be halted for at least a few days. Edman was slated to enter the season as the everyday center fielder. Michael Siani has taken hold of the position on the strength of his glove, but he hasn’t provided much offensively. Cardinal center fielders — mostly Siani, Victor Scott II and Dylan Carlson — entered play Wednesday with an MLB-worst .198/.241/.259 batting line through 268 plate appearances.
  • Astros starter Luis Garcia is likely to begin a rehab assignment with the team’s Florida Complex League affiliate this weekend (via the MLB.com injury tracker). He’s expected to throw two innings in what will be his first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery last May. Garcia is coming up on 14 months since the procedure. He’ll likely need upwards of a month before he’s ready for MLB action but could be an option for Houston around or shortly after the trade deadline. Getting Garcia back would be the rare piece of positive injury news for an Astro rotation that has lost Cristian Javier, José Urquidy and JP France to season-ending surgeries.
  • The Rays’ infield depth took a hit this week when Jonathan Aranda landed on the minor league injured list. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (on X) that the left-handed hitter suffered an oblique strain and will be down between four and six weeks. Aranda has appeared in 18 big league contests with Tampa Bay this season, hitting .213/.288/.319 through 52 trips to the plate. He’s hitting .189/.336/.295 with a massive 37.9% strikeout rate in Triple-A. While Aranda hasn’t hit big league pitching in scattered looks over the last three seasons, this year’s Triple-A struggles are uncharacteristic. The 26-year-old is a career .312/.411/.535 hitter in more than 1000 plate appearances at that level. He’s in his final minor league option season and could find himself on the roster bubble next winter.

Latest On Kenley Jansen

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The Red Sox have outperformed most expectations and carry a 43-37 record. They’re percentage points ahead of the Royals for the final Wild Card spot in the American League. Boston doesn’t look like a prototypical seller, yet that hasn’t completely silenced trade speculation regarding their closer.

Kenley Jansen has found his name in trade rumors going back to the offseason. It seemed like Boston wanted to offload his $16MM salary over the winter. Nothing came together before the season got underway. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote as recently as late May that the Sox were likely to trade Jansen at the deadline. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden wrote this morning that some rival executives believe the Red Sox could still look to move the four-time All-Star in a deal that nets Boston help in another area of the MLB roster.

Alex Speier of the Boston Globe spoke with Jansen about the trade chatter last night. The right-hander indicated he’s happy in Boston, though he noted that whether he’s traded is beyond his control. “Listen, I can’t control my destiny. What I can tell you is, I signed here to win championships. Yes, we are a few pieces away. But I think it’s a great ball club and I’m going to continue to be a leader,” Jansen told Speier. “If I’m not here, I hope the best for them. But I will focus every single day on coming out here and helping my young guys to be better because I want to see this organization win another championship.”

Jansen has held up his end of the bargain since signing a two-year deal over the 2022-23 offseason. The 15-year veteran turned in a 3.63 ERA across 44 2/3 innings during his first season. He has been excellent this year, working to a 2.30 earned run average through 27 1/3 frames. Jansen has locked down 15 of 16 save chances while striking out 29.1% of batters faced. He hasn’t allowed a home run all season.

While he doesn’t have the velocity or pristine command he brandished during his peak days with the Dodgers, the 36-year-old remains an effective closer. Jansen pointed to those results when Speier asked him whether he’d be willing to vacate the ninth inning if he were traded to another team with an established closer.

“My question is, what did I do that I can’t close? You know what I do the best,” he replied. “I close ballgames, man. That’s what I’ve got to tell you. I’m getting close to another milestone. I’m closing down, trying to get to 500 saves. That’s still very important to me. … At the end of the day, if the situation comes, we’ll figure it out. But I think I’ve been doing this for so long. And also, my body has been more battle-tested season-wise and playoff-wise as a closer. I don’t know how to deal with the mix-and-match situation. Like, no.”

Jansen is fifth on the all-time leaderboard with 435 saves. He’ll pass Francisco Rodríguez (437) for fourth place within the next few weeks. (Craig Kimbrel is narrowly behind him with 433 saves.) If Jansen holds down a ninth inning job for another season or two, he could finish behind only Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman when all is said and done.

For the time being, he’ll continue trying to add to that tally at Fenway Park. WEEI’s Rob Bradford tweeted last night that opposing teams find the Sox’s asking price in trade talks to be “currently unrealistic.” With more than a month until the deadline and the team still squarely in contention, that’s not all that surprising. Even if first-year chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and his staff aren’t interested in retaining Jansen beyond this season, there’s a straightforward argument for playing out the year and letting him walk in free agency.

Boston’s bullpen has been a strength. They entered play Wednesday ranked ninth in the majors with a 3.45 ERA from their relief corps. Sox relievers are seventh in innings pitched and 11th with a 23.6% strikeout rate. Rule 5 pick Justin Slaten has been a great find, while the Sox have gotten solid work from their unheralded left-handed duo of Cam Booser and Brennan Bernardino. Top setup man Chris Martin has a 3.70 ERA with 27 strikeouts and only two walks in 24 1/3 innings around a brief injured list stint for anxiety. Greg Weissert, acquired from the Yankees in the Alex Verdugo trade, has contributed a 2.65 mark with impressive strikeout and walk numbers over 34 frames of his own.

Yankees Outright Victor Gonzalez, Clayton Andrews

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7:06pm: New York also outrighted lefty reliever Clayton Andrews, per the transactions log at MLB.com. The Yankees had designated him for assignment last week when they signed Tim Hill. Andrews, 27, has only made one big league appearance this year. He has logged 24 2/3 frames in Scranton, allowing a 5.84 earned run average. The former Brewer has managed solid strikeout and grounder rates but walked more than one-fifth of batters faced.

New York has outrighted Andrews twice this season. Players with multiple outrights have the ability to elect free agency instead of heading back to Triple-A. It’s not clear whether he will do so.

2:51pm: The Yankees announced Wednesday that left-hander Victor Gonzalez passed through outright waivers unclaimed and has been assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He was designated for assignment last week. The southpaw has enough big league service time to reject the assignment but not enough to retain the remainder of his $860K salary upon electing free agency, so he’ll likely accept the assignment.

Gonzalez, 28, came to the Yankees alongside minor league infielder Jorbit Vivas in an offseason trade that sent minor league infielder Trey Sweeney back to the Dodgers. His time on the big league roster didn’t go as hoped. While Gonzalez posted a solid 3.86 earned run average in 23 1/3 frames, he did so while issuing more walks (13.4%) than strikeouts (11.3%). He continued to post terrific ground-ball numbers (55.1%), but this is the fourth straight season his strikeout rate has dropped. His 93.3 mph average velocity on his once 95-mph sinker also marked a career-low.

Debuting with the Dodgers back in 2020, Gonzalez looked like a potential bullpen powerhouse. Armed with that then-95-mph bowling ball sinker, he pitched 20 1/3 innings of 1.33 ERA ball with an excellent 28.7% strikeout rate against a microscopic 2.5% walk rate — all while inducing grounders at a mammoth 69.2% clip.

Injuries have hobbled him since that debut and sapped his repertoire, however. He’s dealt with plantar fasciitis, knee troubles and most notably a bout of elbow inflammation that eventually led to arthroscopic surgery. In three and a half seasons since that outstanding debut effort, Gonzalez has combined for a total of 136 innings (majors and minors included).

Gonzalez was out of minor league options, so the Yankees had no choice but to designate him for assignment if they wanted the chance to send him to the minors. He’ll now head to Triple-A and try to earn another look later in the season. He’d need to be re-added to the 40-man roster for that to happen, of course. Failing that, Gonzalez will have the right to become a minor league free agent at season’s end, given his status as a player with three-plus years of service who was outrighted off a 40-man roster.

Giants Designate Raymond Burgos For Assignment

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The Giants announced they’ve designated left-hander Raymond Burgos for assignment (X link via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). The move opens the necessary 40-man spot for Hayden Birdsong, who has officially been selected onto the big league roster. San Francisco optioned Mason Black to Triple-A Sacramento to clear an active roster spot for Birdsong.

Burgos only occupied a spot on the 40-man roster for two days. San Francisco selected his contract on Monday. He pitched one inning during his MLB debut, allowing a run on three hits while fanning Tomás Nido for his first strikeout. San Francisco optioned him yesterday and will take him off the roster altogether now that Birdsong is up to start tonight.

A 25-year-old southpaw, Burgos has signed minor league deals with the Giants in each of the last two seasons. He has worked in long relief for Sacramento this year. Burgos has turned in a 1.64 ERA over 22 innings across nine appearances. He has fanned 27.4% of batters faced against a tidy 2.4% walk rate while inducing ground-balls at a lofty 53.6% clip.

Burgos isn’t a hard thrower, averaging 91.2 MPH on his sinker during his big league debut. His Triple-A numbers have been strong enough that another team could give him a look on a waiver claim, though. San Francisco has five days to trade him or try to run him through waivers.

Guardians Recall Jhonkensy Noel For MLB Debut

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The Guardians recalled first base/corner outfield prospect Jhonkensy Noel from Triple-A Columbus before this evening’s game with the Orioles. Cleveland optioned outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez in a corresponding move. Noel is starting at first base tonight against Grayson Rodriguez in what’ll be his major league debut.

Noel, who turns 23 next month, has occupied a spot on Cleveland’s 40-man roster dating back to 2021. The Guardians kept him out of that winter’s Rule 5 draft even though he had yet to play above High-A. They’ve patiently allowed him to progress through the minor league ranks. Noel spent almost all of 2022 between High-A and Double-A. He played the entire 2023 season with Columbus, hitting .220/.303/.420 over 138 games.

The Guardians kept Noel on the 40-man roster through some pedestrian offensive performances. They’ve clearly anticipated a breakthrough from the 6’3″, 250-pound slugger. That indeed has come to pass this season. Noel has blasted 18 home runs across 284 trips to the plate, tying for second among International League hitters in longballs. The native of the Dominican Republic owns a robust .295/.359/.578 batting line on the year. After striking out 24.8% of the time during his first look at Triple-A pitching, he has trimmed that to a 21.1% clip this year.

Noel ranked 27th among Cleveland prospects at Baseball America entering the season. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked him 35th in the system in April. As one would expect for a player of his size, Noel draws praise for massive raw power potential. Both scouting reports question his plate discipline and note the high offensive bar to clear for a player with limited mobility who fits best at first base.

This is Noel’s final option year, so the clock is ticking for him to establish himself as a key piece of Cleveland’s roster. He’ll get that opportunity after his massive start to the season in Columbus. Top first base prospect Kyle Manzardo struggled in his first crack at MLB pitching earlier in the year and was optioned back to Triple-A last week. That leaves an opening at designated hitter alongside first baseman Josh Naylor if Noel hits his way to regular playing time on a Cleveland team that leads the American League with a 51-26 record.

Astros’ JP France To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

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Astros right-hander JP France will undergo surgery on his throwing shoulder, according to his agent Nate Heisler of Klutch Sports (X link). Details of the procedure, which will be performed by noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister, aren’t clear. France will miss the rest of the 2024 season.

It doesn’t come as a huge surprise. France last pitched in a Triple-A game on April 30 because of the shoulder injury. He’d ramped up to long toss as he tried to rehab. General manager Dana Brown said over the weekend that France had a setback and no longer had a clear timeline for a return.

This will be a nearly completely lost season for the 29-year-old. France opened the year in Houston’s big league rotation. He was tagged for a 7.46 ERA across 25 1/3 innings spanning five starts. The Astros optioned him to Triple-A Sugar Land in hopes of getting him back on track. France only made it through one outing before the injury.

It’s another hit to an Astro rotation that has been torn apart. Houston lost José Urquidy and Cristian Javier to Tommy John procedures. They’ve been without Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. as they rehab from 2023 surgeries. Justin Verlander has had a pair of injured list stints. He’s on the 15-day IL with neck discomfort. In part because of the injuries, the Astros hurried last year’s third-round pick Jake Bloss to the majors. Bloss left his MLB debut with shoulder soreness and went on the IL himself, though that’s expected to be a fairly brief absence.

France struggled during the first month of the season, but he entered the year as a key depth arm. He’d emerged as a somewhat surprising contributor as a 28-year-old rookie. France logged 136 1/3 frames with a 3.83 earned run average during his debut campaign. While he had a pedestrian 17.4% strikeout rate, he showed good control and did a solid job avoiding hard contact.

Since the injury occurred after he was optioned, France has spent the last couple months on the Triple-A injured list. He’s not entitled to a major league salary or service time while he’s on the minor league IL. The Astros could recall him and place him on the MLB 60-day injured list if they want to open a 40-man roster spot (at which point France would be paid at the major league minimum rate). The Astros would need to reinstate him onto the 40-man over the offseason or put him on waivers.

Astros, Omar Narvaez Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Astros have agreed to a minor league deal with catcher Omar Narvaez, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC-2. The ISE client was recently released by the Mets midway through the second season of a two-year, $15MM contract. New York remains on the hook for the rest of this season’s $8MM salary. Houston would only owe Narvaez the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster (which would be subtracted from the Mets’ obligations).

Narvaez was a quality regular with the White Sox, Mariners and Brewers for the bulk of the time from 2018-22 and even grabbed an All-Star nod with the ’21 Brewers. Over that five-year span, the now-32-year-old backstop slashed .254/.337/.397. His defensive grades were poor in Chicago and Seattle, but the Brewers have a knack for maximizing catcher defense (framing in particular) and helped the veteran catcher overhaul his skills behind the dish. Statcast pegged him at 19 runs above average behind the plate during his time in Milwaukee.

Unfortunately for Narvaez, his time with the Mets was a flop. He hit .211/.283/.297 during his first season, making it an easy call to exercise what was an $8MM player option for the 2024 campaign. This year has been even worse, as Narvaez batted .154/.191/.185 with a bottom-of-the-barrel 22.2% hard-hit rate in 69 trips to the plate.

The Astros just lost backup Victor Caratini to a strained hip flexor that will sideline him for at least the next three to four weeks. They called up Triple-A backstop Cesar Salazar to pair with young Yainer Diaz in Caratini’s place, but the organizational catching depth beyond that point is quite thin. Narvaez will give the Astros some experienced depth in Sugar Land and could get a look in the majors if either Diaz or Salazar incurs an injury in the next few weeks — or in the event that Salazar, a 28-year-old rookie, struggles significantly.

Brewers Select Dallas Keuchel, Eric Haase; Gary Sánchez Placed On IL

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12:20 pm: The Brewers have officially selected Dallas Keuchel’s contract, the team announced. Right-handed pitcher Joel Kuhnel has been designated for assignment to make room on the active and 40-man rosters. If he clears waivers, Kuhnel will have the option to decline an outright assignment and elect free agency, which he has already done once this season.

In additional Brewers news, the team has placed catcher/DH Gary Sánchez on the 10-day IL (retroactive to June 24) with a left calf strain. The strain is “low-grade” according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, so Sánchez likely won’t be out too long. In the meantime, however, the team has selected veteran backstop Eric Haase from Triple-A Nashville to take over as the backup catcher. The team freed up an additional spot on the 40-man roster by transferring right-hander Joe Ross from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL. Ross is now ineligible to return until July 20 at the earliest.

11:51 am: The Brewers will select the contract of Dallas Keuchel ahead of this afternoon’s game against the Rangers, reports Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. The 2015 AL Cy Young winner came over to the organization from the Mariners on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations. Milwaukee will need to open up a spot for Keuchel on the 26-man and 40-man rosters.

Keuchel’s start today will be his 2024 debut. After a highly successful seven-year tenure with the Astros from 2012-18, the southpaw signed a one-year deal with the Braves in 2019 followed by a three-year deal with the White Sox ahead of the 2020 campaign. Although he made a strong first impression in his first season on the South Side of Chicago (1.99 ERA in 11 starts), he struggled over the next two years, ultimately getting released in May 2022.

After brief stints with the Diamondbacks and Rangers during the 2022 season, Keuchel signed a minor league deal with the Twins in June 2023. He ultimately made 10 appearances (6 starts) for Minnesota, putting up a 5.97 ERA in 37 2/3 innings pitched. While his overall numbers were disappointing, his 3.04 FIP and 4.10 xFIP against lefty batters were promising evidence that the veteran can still retire same-handed hitters.

Keuchel went unsigned throughout the 2023-24 offseason before inking a minor league deal with the Mariners this past April. The 36-year-old was released in May but signed a new minor league pact with the organization three days later. Under the terms of that agreement, he will make a prorated portion of $1.5 million for the time he spends with the Brewers, with the opportunity to earn additional incentives (per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com).

Milwaukee has lost a full rotation’s worth of starting pitchers to the IL this year. DL Hall and Joe Ross are currently working their way back from their respective injuries, but Robert Gasser and Wade Miley are done for the season. Brandon Woodruff, who underwent shoulder surgery last fall, is also out for the year. Jakob Junis, who opened the year in the rotation, returned from a long stint on the IL this past weekend. However, is currently pitching out of the bullpen. Thus, it is clear to see why the Brewers could use an arm like Keuchel. While he has not had much major league success since the 2020 season, he can eat innings for Milwaukee, and he offers the team a left-handed option in the rotation. He has a 3.93 ERA but a 5.51 FIP in 13 starts at Triple-A this year.

Right-hander Colin Rea was originally scheduled to start this afternoon. Thankfully for the Brewers, there is no evidence to suggest Rea was scratched due to injury concerns, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Rather, manager Pat Murphy might simply prefer to give Rea an extra couple of days of rest. With 82 innings under his belt this season, the 33-year-old is on pace to surpass his previous professional career high in innings pitched. Given all the pitching injuries the Brewers have already suffered this year, keeping Rea strong and healthy is of paramount importance.

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