5 Key Stories

Here are the top stories from the past week at MLBTR…

Mets, Tigers ready to discuss selling veterans at the deadline.  With 2017 increasingly looking like a lost season for both teams, both Detroit and New York are reportedly open to moving some established stars to free up payroll space and acquire some young talent.  Given some of the big names on both rosters, either team could definitely create some major noise at the deadline.  For a longer look at who the Tigers might put on the block, Connor Byrne recently featured the team as part of MLBTR’s Taking Inventory series.

Marlins may be on the verge of trading Adeiny Hechavarria.  The Marlins are one team that has seemingly already turned towards selling, with trade rumors swirling around several relief pitchers and Hechavarria, the longtime Miami shortstop.  A Hechavarria deal could be imminent, according to reports, with the Padres, Rays and possibly at least one mystery team in the mix.

Setbacks for young stars.  Three of baseball’s most promising young players saw their development halted in different ways this past week.  The least-serious but still surprising item of the three was the news that the Cubs demoted Kyle Schwarber to Triple-A, in an attempt to get the young slugger on track in the midst of a disappointing season.  Of larger concern, 20-year-old Dodgers lefty Julio Urias will miss the next 12-to-14 months after undergoing anterior capsule surgery on his throwing shoulder, a major enough procedure that Urias’ future career status now faces a bit of doubt.  Yankees infield prospect Gleyber Torres also saw his year end due to injury, as Torres will miss the rest of the 2017 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.  Torres’ status ends speculation that he would be promoted at some point this year to supplant the struggling Chase Headley as the Yankees’ third baseman.

Freddie Freeman will attempt a move to third base.  In a development that would’ve seemed wholly unlikely just a month ago, the Braves first base cornerstone is planning to return to the field at the hot corner to create room for Matt Adams to stick at first.  Freeman has never played third in his entire pro career and, more pressingly, is still recovering from a fractured wrist.  The Braves acquired Adams in Freeman’s absence and Adams has been on fire ever since, entering play today with a stunning .991 OPS and 12 homers in 143 PA in an Atlanta uniform.  There has been some trade buzz around Adams, though it appears the Braves and Freeman will first try this third base experiment.

Teams part ways with notable veterans.  Several clubs are clearing room on their rosters for younger talent by letting go of underperforming veterans.  The Tigers released former closer Francisco Rodriguez, the Phillies designated and then released Michael Saunders and Jeanmar Gomez, the Royals released veteran righty Chris Young, the Brewers released Neftali Feliz and the A’s designated catcher Stephen Vogt for assignment.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see any of these names pop up on other rosters soon as clubs look for midseason help — already, Vogt was claimed by the Brewers and Feliz was signed by the Royals.

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Here are the week’s top stories from throughout MLBTR.

Twins take Royce Lewis first overall in 2017 draft. The 2017 MLB Draft came and went this week, with the Twins selecting California high school shortstop Royce Lewis first overall. Here are the results for the first round, and here are the results for the other picks preceding the second round. The Braves have already signed fifth overall pick Kyle Wright to a $7MM bonus, and there have been a number of other significant deals as well.

Athletics designate Trevor Plouffe. The A’s designated veteran third baseman Trevor Plouffe for assignment on Thursday after he got off to a .214/.276/.357 start to his season. The move cleared the way for top prospect Matt Chapman, who the Athletics promoted after he hit .259/.350/.592 with 16 homers in 203 plate appearances for Triple-A Nashville.

Brewers designate Neftali Feliz. Plouffe wasn’t the only veteran to wind up in DFA limbo this week — the Brewers designated reliever Neftali Feliz for assignment after he posted a 6.00 ERA and walked 15 batters in his 27 innings with the club.

Lewis Brinson, Derek Fisher get the call. Two other top prospects joined Chapman in the big leagues this week. Brewers outfield prospect Lewis Brinson earned a promotion after hitting .312/.397/.503 in 204 plate appearances for Triple-A Colorado Springs, taking the roster spot of Jonathan Villar, who headed to the DL. And Astros outfield prospect Derek Fisher arrived in the big leagues as well after hitting .335/.401/.608 in 275 trips to the plate for Triple-A Fresno.

Tyler Thornburg to have surgery, miss rest of season. After arriving in Boston via a high-profile trade last offseason, Red Sox reliever Tyler Thornburg won’t make a single official pitch this year after starting the season with shoulder trouble and having surgery to relieve thoracic outlet syndrome this week.

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Here are the key stories from this week at MLBTR.

Mariners extend Jean Segura. The Mariners signed shortstop Jean Segura to a five-year, $70MM deal that includes a team option for 2023 and, for Segura, a full no-trade clause. “Over the past two seasons, Jean has been one of the premier offensive players in baseball,” said Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto of Segura, who is batting .341/.391/.462 in his first season in Seattle after arriving in a trade with Arizona over the offseason.

MLB investigating abuse accusations against Derek Norris, “looking into” abuse accusations against Addison Russell. Major League Baseball has confirmed it is investigating allegations of “physical and emotional abuse” against Rays catcher Derek Norris. The league is also “looking into” allegations of “mental and physical” abuse against Cubs shortstop Addison Russell, although there is no formal investigation at this point. Both players deny the allegations.

Cardinals designate Jhonny Peralta; Giants acquire Sam Dyson. Two teams made moves to part with key veterans this week, with one heading to the waiver wire and the other finding a new team. The struggling Cardinals designated infielder Jhonny Peralta for assignment, moving on despite Peralta’s strong contributions to their 2014 and 2015 clubs. Peralta was batting a meager .204/.259/.204 in the last season of a four-year, $53MM contract. Last week, the Rangers designated struggling former closer Sam Dyson, and this week, they found him a new home, shipping Dyson and cash for at least a portion of his 2017 salary to the Giants for a player to be named later. Dyson has a 10.80 ERA, 3.8 K/9 and 6.5 BB/9 in 16 2/3 innings this season but pitched well for the Rangers in both 2015 and 2016, accumulating 40 saves in that span.

Kevin Kiermaier to miss two months. It emerged this week that Rays defensive wizard Kevin Kiermaier will miss at least two months due to a hairline fracture in his hip. The two-time Gold Glove winner was batting .258/.329/.408 this season. In his place, the Rays will turn to Mallex Smith, who has fared well in both Triple-A and the Majors thus far in 2017.

Sean Newcomb, Francis Martes and Josh Hader reach Majors. A number of top pitching prospects received their first callups this week, or will soon. The Braves are set to promote lefty Sean Newcomb to start Saturday. The Astros promoted Francis Martes to join their bullpen, despite less-than-stellar numbers with Triple-A Fresno. The Brewers called up lefty Josh Hader to help their relief corps as well, despite his struggles with Triple-A Colorado Springs.

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Here are the week’s biggest stories here at MLBTR…

Mike Trout undergoes thumb surgery.  The Angels superstar will miss six-to-eight weeks due to a torn UCL in his left thumb, an injury suffered while making a headfirst slide into second base.  It’s a devastating loss for both the Halos and for baseball fans in general, as Trout was putting together a season (.337/.461/.742 with 16 homers in 206 plate appearances) for the ages, even by his high standards.  With Trout gone until mid-July at the earliest, the absence of their best player could push the Angels towards being sellers at the trade deadline.

Danny Duffy to the DL with an oblique strain.  Speaking of teams that could be shopping their players at the deadline, the Royals took a blow with the news that Duffy will miss six-to-eight weeks with a strained oblique.  Without Duffy (and his 3.54 ERA, 7.1 K/9 and 2.16 K/BB rate), it will be even harder for K.C. to make up ground in the AL Central.

Rangers designate, look to trade Sam Dyson.  With the former closer suffering through a horrendous season, the Rangers designated Dyson for assignment with an eye towards trading the right-hander.  Texas has already received interest in Dyson from multiple teams, with the Twins and Rays linked in reports.  Since Dyson is earning $3.52MM this season, however, clubs could wait for him to pass waivers and then look to sign him, leaving Texas on the hook for the large majority of that salary.  Dyson has an ungainly 10.80 ERA through 16 2/3 IP this year, with more non-intentional walks (nine) than strikeouts (seven).

Jeb Bush no longer looking to buy the Marlins.  The former Florida governor had joined forces with Derek Jeter to put together an ownership group, but Bush left the bidding this week amidst reports that he and Jeter clashed over the Yankees legend’s desire to be in control of the bid.  Jeter is reportedly still hoping to find other investors to continue his pursuit of the team.

Cardinals release Jonathan Broxton.  A little over six months after signing the veteran reliever to a two-year, $7.5MM contract, St. Louis parted ways with Broxton after he posted a 6.89 ERA through his first 15 2/3 innings of 2017.

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Here are the biggest stories from this week at MLBTR.

Braves acquire Matt Adams from Cardinals. The Braves made a trade to add a first baseman this week, getting Matt Adams and cash from St. Louis for minor-league infielder Juan Yepez. The move gives Atlanta a slugger (albeit one with limitations, since Adams needs to be platooned) to help compensate for the loss of Freddie Freeman, who’s expected to miss more than two months with a fractured wrist. In the wake of the trade, the Braves also parted ways with veteran first baseman James Loney, who they’d signed only days before.

White Sox sign Luis Robert. The White Sox struck a deal this week with top Cuban outfield prospect Luis Robert, agreeing to a minor-league contract that will earn him $26MM. The Cardinals also contended for Robert’s services, but Robert picked Chicago, perhaps in part because of a video presentation that featured fellow countrymen Jose Abreu and Yoan Moncada, as well as Spanish-speaking manager Rick Renteria.

Padres marketing Brad Hand. It is perhaps little surprise that the Padres would consider trading a veteran reliever, but the news this week suggests that lefty Brad Hand could be headed out of San Diego sooner rather than later. Several teams have reportedly had preliminary talks with the Padres about Hand, and interest appears strong. Hand has quietly pieced together an excellent resume in San Diego, where he whiffed a remarkable 111 batters while pitching purely in relief last season and is off to another strong start in 2017.

Anibal Sanchez, C.J. Cron head to minors. Two struggling veterans headed to Triple-A this week, as the Tigers sent righty Anibal Sanchez to Toledo and the Angels shipped first baseman C.J. Cron to Salt Lake. Sanchez was off to a poor beginning to the season while pitching in the bullpen, with 26 runs allowed in 21 innings, and wanted to reestablish himself as a starter. Cron, meanwhile, was batting just .232/.281/.305 after returning from a foot injury.

David Price to make 2017 debut. After missing nearly two months with an elbow injury, David Price is set to make his first start of the 2017 season this coming Monday. That’s good news for a Red Sox team that has struggled to find consistent starting pitching beyond Chris Sale, Eduardo Rodriguez and Rick Porcello. The team promoted lefty Brian Johnson to start today.

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Here are some of the biggest stories from the last week at MLBTR.

Jameson Taillon has surgery for suspected testicular cancer. Young Pirates righty Jameson Taillon had surgery this week for suspected testicular cancer. Both player and team will surely be focused primarily on making sure the cancer is gone before thinking ahead, so there’s no current timetable for his return.

Jeurys Familia has surgery. Mets closer Jeurys Familia had surgery this week after being diagnosed with an arterial clot in his right shoulder. He’s likely to miss several months and could be out the rest of the year. Familia joins a lengthy injury list for the Mets, who are also missing Noah Syndergaard, Yoenis Cespedes (although Cespedes could be back soon) and others. The Mets claimed Tommy Milone from the Brewers this week to aid their ailing pitching staff. In the midst of all this, they also suspended Matt Harvey, although Harvey returned to pitch yesterday.

Zach Britton to miss six weeks or more. Orioles lefty Zach Britton has a forearm strain and is expected to miss six to eight weeks, although Britton is hopeful he can return after closer to six weeks. Brad Brach will continue to close in Britton’s place, although the Orioles will surely miss last year’s Cy Young contender for as long as he’s gone.

Andrew Toles tears ACL, will likely miss rest of season. Dodgers outfielder Andrew Toles was diagnosed with a torn right ACL that would require surgery, and it seems likely his season is done. Toles was off to a .271/.314/.458 start with five home runs in his second big-league season.

Doug Fister close to signing. Free agent righty Doug Fister is reportedly close to finally finding a new team. The Mets, despite the injury troubles described above, do not appear to be among the key contenders. The Diamondbacks, Angels and other teams are among the teams that have emerged as possibilities.

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Here are five key stories from the past week on MLBTR…

Adam Eaton to miss rest of the season.  The Nationals will be without their biggest offseason acquisition in the wake of the news that Eaton suffered a torn left ACL, torn meniscus and high ankle sprain taking an awkward step on first base while beating out an infield single.  Eaton was off to a fantastic start in his first season in D.C., hitting .297/.393/.462 with 24 runs scored in 107 plate appearances.  Michael Taylor will take Eaton’s place in center field, though don’t be surprised to see the Nats mentioned in outfielder trade rumors as we approach the deadline.

Noah Syndergaard to the DL with partially torn lat muscle.  The unusual case of Syndergaard refusing an MRI last week reached its breaking point after the Mets ace struggled through an abbreviated start on Sunday and then hit the disabled list on Monday.  Early estimates have “Thor” out of action for at least three months, though Syndergaard is receiving a second opinion.  This is the largest blow yet to an injury-riddled Mets rotation that is already without Steven Matz and Seth Lugo, not to mention the multiple currently-healthy starters who nonetheless have checkered injury histories.

Cole Hamels to miss eight weeks due to oblique strain.  Already dealing with a rotation that seems primed for some regression, the Rangers will now be without one of their two aces for much of the first half.  Hamels was off to something of a slow start by his high standards, with a 3.03 ERA in 32 2/3 innings but some ominous peripheral numbers.

Steven Wright to undergo season-ending knee surgery.  The Red Sox knuckleballer struggled through just 24 innings of 8.25 ERA ball before going under the knife for a cartilage restoration procedure.  Wright had already been dealing with shoulder problems dating back to the latter part of the 2016 season, an overall strong campaign that saw Wright break out with a 3.33 ERA over 156 2/3 innings for the Sox.

Injuries, injuries and more injuries.  These are just four of the most notable DL situations among many in baseball, as teams continue to be plagued by significant roster losses.  Adrian Gonzalez, Brandon Crawford, Tyler Skaggs, Wei-Yin Chen, Sean Doolittle, and C.J. Cron all hit the disabled list during the past week.

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Here are five key stories from MLBTR’s coverage this week.

Shelby Miller considering Tommy John surgery. Shelby Miller’s seemingly ill-fated tenure with the Diamondbacks continues to go poorly, as he told reporters this week he was considering Tommy John surgery after being diagnosed with a flexor strain and a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament.

Dodgers promote Cody Bellinger. The Dodgers promoted top hitting prospect Cody Bellinger this week, and he’s already played his first four games in the big leagues. He could head back to the minors, though, as other position players get healthy.

Jeb Bush, Derek Jeter make progress in buying Marlins. Talks between the Marlins and an ownership group headed by Jeb Bush and former Yankees superstar Derek Jeter continued to move forward this week as the two sides reportedly reached a preliminary agreement on a $1.3B purchase price. The situation still seems rather fluid, however, with a group headed by Tagg Romney still involved in the bidding.

Cespedes, Hernandez, Eaton hit DL. A number of key players headed to the DL this week, including Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (link), Mariners starter Felix Hernandez and outfielder Mitch Haniger (link), Nationals outfielder Adam Eaton (link), Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (link), Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson (link), Red Sox infielder Pablo Sandoval (link), Angels closer Cam Bedrosian (link) and Giants outfielder Denard Span (link).

Mariners outright Leonys Martin. The Mariners designated their former starting center fielder for assignment this week, then outrighted him to Triple-A. Martin was off to a terrible .111/.172/.230 start in Seattle, continuing a slump that began late last season.

Here are the key stories from this week of coverage here at MLBTR.

Madison Bumgarner out six weeks or more after dirt bike accident. Madison Bumgarner recently injured his ribs and shoulder while riding a dirt bike, further dampening the hopes of the Giants, who were already off to a 6-11 start. It’s unclear when Bumgarner will be able to return, but estimates range from six weeks to more than two months.

Starling Marte receives 80-game suspension for positive PED test. Another struggling NL team received bad news this week as the league suspended star Pirates outfielder Starling Marte for 80 games for a positive test for an anabolic steroid. The Bucs have shifted Andrew McCutchen back to center field after previously bumping him to right in favor of Marte.

Injuries, injuries everywhere. Bumgarner’s injury was hardly the only consequential one this week. The lengthy list of players who made injury news this week includes Clay Buchholz (who could miss most or all of the remainder of the season after having flexor tendon surgery), Logan Forsythe (fractured toe), Rich Hill (blister), Aaron Sanchez (blister), J.A. Happ (elbow inflammation), Zach Britton (forearm strain), Marcus Semien (fractured wrist), Brandon Finnegan (trapezius strain), Jarrett Parker (broken clavicle), Melvin Upton Jr. (who will miss at least about two months after having surgery on a torn thumb ligament), and Josh Hamilton (who was released by the Rangers and will undergo knee surgery).

Kris Bryant, Francisco Lindor not nearing extensions. This week, it emerged (via a report from Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci) that the Cubs had tried to sign Kris Bryant to a long-term deal last winter but made no progress. It appears Bryant and another young star from last year’s World Series are in the same boat — Francisco Lindor reportedly turned down an extension offer of around $100MM from the Indians last winter, and there are no active extension talks between the two sides at this time.

Angel Pagan to sit out 2017. Longtime Met and Giant Angel Pagan remains a free agent after a reasonably productive 2016 season and has been the object of speculation for fans of a number of teams with questionable outfield depth. Pagan has reportedly turned down Major League offers, however, and says he plans to spend the 2017 season at home with his family. The 35-year-old is not ruling out a return at some point in the future, however.

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Here are five key stories from this week at MLBTR.

Yankees struggle with injuries. It was a bad week for the health of young Yankees players. Righty pitching prospect James Kaprielian will undergo Tommy John surgery next week, while catcher Gary Sanchez recently headed to the DL with a biceps strain. In happier Yankees news, lefty Jordan Montgomery made his big-league debut this week after winning a spot in the team’s rotation.

Giants sign Melvin Upton Jr. The Giants agreed to a minor-league deal with Melvin Upton Jr., who eventually could bolster their struggling outfield. The Rays, meanwhile, did not pursue Upton, preferring to give opportunities to another veteran, Peter Bourjos.

Orioles add relief help, deal international bonus spending rights. The Orioles made a series of small deals this week, bolstering their core of potential relief arms but inviting criticism for their approach to the international amateur market. First, they acquired Damien Magnifico from the Brewers for the rights to $885,300 in international bonus spending. They made a separate trade with the Brewers, sending another reliever, righty Oliver Drake, to Milwaukee for a player to be named or cash. They then nabbed lefty Paul Fry from the Mariners, but gave up another $198K in international bonus spending rights in the process. The moves continued the Orioles’ recent trend of acquiring potentially helpful pitching in minor transactions, but also continued a recent trend of seeming neglect of the international amateur free-agent market.

Carlos Correa lays out conditions for extension. Astros phenom Carlos Correa’s agent said he would not consider a pre-free-agency extension, although Correa himself offered a somewhat different view, saying he would consider a deal if it was favorable financially. Correa also said he would no longer consider a deal once he hit arbitration, which he is set to do following the 2018 season.

More minor moves. Other key minor transactions from this week: The Tigers signed first baseman James Loney to a minor-league deal; the Orioles re-signed outfielder Michael Bourn to a minor-league deal; the Dodgers acquired righty Joe Gunkel from Baltimore for a player to be named or cash; the Nationals re-signed righty Joe Nathan to a minor-league deal and designated veteran starter Jeremy Guthrie for assignment; the Braves signed righty Jason Motte to a minor-league deal; and the Blue Jays claimed infielder Ty Kelly from the Mets. Outfielder Brennan Boesch also appeared set to retire.