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Diamondbacks Designate Emmanuel Rivera For Assignment

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The Diamondbacks have designated third baseman Emmanuel Rivera for assignment, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. He’s out of minor league options and didn’t make the cut for the team’s Opening Day roster. They’ll instead turn his spot on the 26-man roster over to infield prospect Blaze Alexander, who’ll make his MLB debut the first time he gets into a game.

Rivera came to the D-backs in a 2022 trade deadline swap that sent righty Luke Weaver to the Royals — Rivera’s original organization. Kansas City selected the now-27-year-old Rivera in the 19th round of his Puerto Rico high school back in 2015. He ranked among the Royals’ top 30 prospects for several years, drawing praise for his arm strength and bat-to-ball skills, but he’s yet to provide much in the way of offense with either Kansas City or Arizona.

In 740 career plate appearances as a major leaguer, Rivera is a .247/.304/.380 hitter (88 wRC+). His 21.6% strikeout rate is a bit lower than league-average, but so is his 7.2% walk rate. He popped a dozen homers in a career-high 359 plate appearances in 2022 but hasn’t hit for power in either of his other two MLB campaigns. Rivera also has pretty notable platoon splits (.273/.327/.410 versus righties; .233/.293/.364 versus lefties), which isn’t ideal given that he’s on the short side of any platoon arrangement.

Defensively, he’s turned in sound marks at the hot corner. Defensive Runs Saved credits him at +9 in just under 1400 career innings, and Outs Above Average has him at +2. He’s only made 12 errors in his big league career at third base, and he’s also logged 94 innings at first base. The D-backs likely hoped that Rivera could emerge as an under-the-radar pickup who could help out at third base for several years, but last winter’s signing of Evan Longoria and especially this offseason’s pickup of Eugenio Suarez signaled that he wouldn’t be handed the everyday role.

The D-backs will have a week to trade Rivera, attempt to pass him through outright waivers, or release him. Since he’s out of minor league options, any team that acquires him will need to carry him on the big league roster or else attempt to pass him through waivers themselves.

Guardians Acquire Peter Strzelecki From D-backs, Zak Kent From Rangers

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The Guardians announced this morning that they’ve completed a pair of trades for pitching depth. Cleveland acquired right-hander Peter Strzelecki from the Diamondbacks in exchange for cash and acquired righty Zak Kent from the Rangers in exchange for international bonus pool space. Arizona designated Strzelecki for assignment earlier in the week. Both pitchers will be added to the Guardians’ 40-man roster, which had two vacant spots but is now at capacity.

Now 29 years old, Strzelecki broke into the majors as an unheralded 27-year-old rookie with the 2022 Brewers and quickly became a vital part of their bullpen that season. The undrafted righty made 30 appearances out of the ’pen and tossed 35 innings with a 2.83 ERA, 27% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate in 35 innings. As an extreme fly-ball pitcher (31.1% ground-ball rate) in a hitter-friendly park who’d had some good fortune in terms of home runs (0.51 HR/9, 5.3% homer-to-flyball rate) there was always some potential for regression, but Strzelecki stumbled in 2023 for what appeared to be different reasons.

While Strzelecki managed to continue yielding home runs at a much lower rate than the average pitcher, he also lost more than a mile per hour off his fastball and saw his strikeout rate drop notable, from 27% to 22.7%. He offset some of that drop in whiffs with more grounders (38.1%) and fewer walks (7.4%), but his earned run average still jumped to 4.38 in last year’s 37 frames. Metrics like FIP (2.94 in 2022, 3.93 in 2023) and SIERA (3.47 in ’22, 3.93 in ’23) felt his jump in ERA was deserved, though perhaps not quite to the extent it actually increased.

The Brewers sent Strzelecki to the D-backs in a deadline swap that brought veteran lefty Andrew Chafin back to Milwaukee. Arizona only gave him 1 1/3 innings in the big leagues following that trade, and Strzelecki was designated for assignment earlier this week when a spot on the 40-man roster was needed for backup catcher Tucker Barnhart. The right-hander still has a minor league option remaining and is controllable for five more seasons if he can get back on track in his new surroundings.

Kent, 26, was the Rangers’ ninth-round pick back in 2019 but climbed into the middle tiers of the Rangers’ top 30 prospects and was selected to the 40-man roster following the 2022 season. At the time, the move was made to protect Kent from being selected in that year’s Rule 5 Draft — which seemed quite likely to happen had he gone unprotected. Kent had just wrapped up a 2022 season that was split between Double-A and Triple-A, wherein he pitched a combined 109 2/3 innings of 3.94 ERA ball with roughly average strikeout and walk rates. Baseball America credited him with a plus heater and slider in addition to a solid-average curveball but below-average command.

Kent missed time in 2022 with back, hip and oblique injuries, and health troubles (oblique and shoulder issues) hindered his 2023 season even further. He pitched just 40 2/3 frames last year — plus another 16 2/3 in the Arizona Fall League. He showed slightly improved strikeout and walk rates when healthy, though he was still hit hard during AFL play. Kent appeared in three spring games for the Rangers but was tagged for five earned runs with more walks (three) than strikeouts (two) in 3 2/3 innings. He still has a pair of minor league option years remaining.

The Guards are opening the season with righty Gavin Williams on the injured list and will be without frequently injured pitching prospect Daniel Espino for the entire season. They also lost setup man Trevor Stephan to Tommy John surgery, while relievers James Karinchak (elbow) and Sam Hentges (finger) are on the injured list as well. Strzelecki and Kent aren’t likely to step right onto the active roster, but they’ll give Cleveland some additional depth to help navigate that slew of injuries to begin the season.

Randal Grichuk To Open Season On Injured List

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  • The Diamondbacks will begin the season without outfielder Randal Grichuk, who manager Torey Lovullo confirmed will begin the season on the injured list to reporters (including Alex Weiner of AZ Sports) earlier today. That’s hardly a surprise, as Grichuk did not make it into game action this spring while rehabbing from offseason surgery to remove bone spurs from his ankle. Upon signing with Arizona last month, Grichuk indicated that the issues wasn’t expected to cause a lengthy absence, adding that if he were to miss Opening Day due to the issue he may be ready to return as soon as a week into the regular season. The 32-year-old veteran slashed a roughly league average .267/.321/.459 in 118 trips to the plate in Colorado and Anaheim last year and is slated to act as a right-handed complement to the likes of Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas, and Joc Pederson in Arizona’s outfield mix this year.

Jordan Lawlar To Miss Several Months Due To Thumb Surgery

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Diamondbacks shortstop Jordan Lawlar will undergo surgery on his right thumb and will be out of action for eight to ten weeks, per a report from Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The young shortstop injured his thumb trying to pick up a ball during a minor league Spring Training game, suffering a ruptured UCL ligament.

Lawlar, 21, wasn’t going to be in the Opening Day plans for the Diamondbacks but is one of the top prospects in the league and made his major league debut last year. He hit just .129/.206/.129 in his first 34 major league plate appearances last year and the Snakes decided to go with Geraldo Perdomo as their primary shortstop to start the 2024 campaign, but Lawlar could have been knocking on the door if he were playing well in Triple-A. That will now be on hold for at least a few months while he is recovering from surgery instead.

The sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft, Lawlar has quickly shot up through the minor leagues. Last year, he played 105 games on the farm between Double-A and Triple-A, hitting 20 home runs and drawing walks in 11.4% of his plate appearances. His .278/.378/.496 combined batting line amounted to a wRC+ of 126, indicating he was 26% better than league average. He also stole 36 bases in 41 tries.

Since Lawlar is also considered a strong defender, his all-around contributions have him near the top of all prospect lists. He is #7 overall at Baseball America, #8 at FanGraphs, #11 at MLB Pipeline, #17 at ESPN while Keith Law of The Athletic has him in the #4 slot.

Despite all that prospect hype, Lawlar is still young and had just 30 games played above Double-A, 14 of which were his aforementioned struggles in the big leagues last year. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo announced last month that the club would open the season with Perdomo as the everyday shortstop. Perdomo had a nice season in 2023, combining roughly average offense with solid defense and 16 stolen bases.

It seems a matter of time before Lawlar pushes Perdomo for that job but this injury will kick that down the road by a few months. It’s the second hit to the shortstop depth for the Snakes today, as Kevin Newman also opted out of his minor league deal. Lawlar was optioned to the minors a couple of weeks ago, so he will be on the minor league injured list and won’t accrue major league service time.

MLBTR Podcast: A Live Reaction To The Jordan Montgomery Signing, Ohtani’s Interpreter, And J.D. Martinez Joins The Mets

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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…

  • Luis García Jr, Lance McCullers Jr, and Kendall Graveman of the Astros are likely out, at the very least, until mid-June.  How come none of these guys are on the 60-day injured list?  Do you seen the Astros moving them there and if so, when? (49:15)
  • Do you think it’s possible that the league begins to follow the Angels and Rangers footsteps and call up recent draft picks as soon as they show any signs of potential? Also, do you think it is at all possible that teams start to call up teenagers? (52:25)

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!

Paul Sewald To Begin Season On IL Due To Grade 2 Oblique Strain

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Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo revealed to reporters today that closer Paul Sewald has a Grade 2 left oblique strain and will start the season on the injured list. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and Alex Weiner of AZ Sports relayed the news.

Lovullo didn’t provide a specific timeline for Sewald’s expected absence. All players and injuries are different, but just for a frame of reference, Royce Lewis suffered a Grade 2 oblique strain last year and the Twins provided a timeline of six weeks. Lewis was on the IL from July 2 until August 15, roughly in line with that six-week estimate.

The news is obviously not good for the Snakes, as Sewald is a key member of their bullpen. Acquired from the Mariners at the deadline last year, he saved 13 games for the Diamondbacks down the stretch while posting a 3.57 earned run average. He then added another six saves in the playoffs as the D’Backs went all the way to the World Series.

He had a surprising breakout with the Mariners in 2021 at the age of 31 and has spent the past three years as one of the better relievers in baseball. Since the start of 2021, he has tossed 189 1/3 innings with a 2.95 ERA. He struck out 33.9% of batters faced in that time while walking 8.6% of them. He gradually earned more save situations over that stretch, notching 11 of them in 2021, then 20 the year after and 34 last year.

Needless to say, no club wants to lose its best reliever for any amount of time, but the D’Backs will now have to proceed without Sewald until he can work his way back to the club. In the meantime, they will have to figure out how to close down games without him. Kevin Ginkel, Scott McGough, Miguel Castro and Ryan Thompson are some of the club’s best relievers though no one in that group has more than 14 career saves.

Diamondbacks Designate Peter Strzelecki For Assignment, Select Tucker Barnhart

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The Diamondbacks announced that they have selected the contract of catcher Tucker Barnhart, with right-hander Peter Strzelecki designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

The Snakes came into spring with just two catchers on their 40-man roster in Gabriel Moreno and José Herrera. The latter was optioned over the weekend, pointing to Barnhart getting to serve as Moreno’s backup to open the season, which has now been made official by this move.

Barnhart, 33, signed a minor league deal with the D’Backs in January. The veteran has hit a tepid .217/.333/.304 here in spring, but he’s always been a glove-first backstop. In just under 3,000 major league plate appearances in his career, he has slashed .243/.319/.356 for a wRC+ of 79, indicating he’s been 21% below league average.

But he’s been worth 12 Defensive Runs Saved in his career while Statcast has looked favorably on his work both in terms of blocking and with the running game. Each of Statcast, FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus grade him as a below-average framer for his career, but all three agree that he hit a nadir in 2018 and has been above average over the past five years. He’ll give the club a solid veteran presence behind the 24-year-old Moreno.

Strzelecki, 29, came over to the Diamondbacks from the Brewers in last year’s deadline swap that sent Andrew Chafin to Milwaukee. After that deal, Strzelecki was mostly kept on optional assignment, only making one appearance in the majors for Arizona. Here in spring, Strzelecki has made four appearances, striking out four batters while allowing one walk and two earned runs.

The Diamondbacks will now have one week to trade the righty or pass him through waivers. He has 72 major league innings under his belt, mostly with the Brewers, with a 3.63 earned run average in that time. He has paired a 24.8% strikeout rate with an 8.7% walk rate. Over the past two years, he has a 4.88 ERA in 51 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level, punching out 34.8% of opponents but also walking 13.6% of them.

Strzelecki still has an option remaining and could appeal to clubs in search of bullpen depth since he wouldn’t require an active roster spot. But many clubs around the league are facing 40-man roster crunches at the moment as they finalize their decisions prior to Opening Day. If he were to sneak through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the Diamondbacks as bullpen depth but without taking up a spot on the 40-man.

D'Backs Notes: McCarthy, Banhart, Herrera

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The Diamondbacks have gotten a lot of trade interest in outfielder Jake McCarthy but Arizona isn’t yet interested in dealing the 26-year-old, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes.  This isn’t the first time McCarthy’s name has surfaced in trade rumors, though the buzz quieted after McCarthy turned in a lackluster 2023 season.  The outfielder finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, but followed up that breakout campaign by hitting only .243/.318/.326 over 312 plate appearances last season.  McCarthy’s struggles resulted in a loss of playing time and even a demotion to Triple-A, plus an oblique injury kept him from being a part of Arizona’s postseason rosters during the team’s run to the World Series.

Randal Grichuk is expected to begin the season on the injured list, so McCarthy should probably land a job as the Diamondbacks’ fourth outfielder for at least the start of the year.  He also has a minor league option remaining, so the D’Backs could stash him back at Triple-A if necessary.  It is worth noting that the D’Backs were reportedly open to moving either McCarthy or Dominic Fletcher in February’s trade with the White Sox that sent Fletcher to Chicago, though in the wake of that deal, Arizona might not be willing to further deplete their stock of young outfielders by also moving McCarthy in another trade.  Nightengale feels McCarthy might be more of a trade chip later in the season, if the Diamondbacks are having trouble finding playing time or a roster spot available for him.

  • Minor league signing Tucker Barnhart looks to have won the Diamondbacks’ backup catching job, as The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro (X link) was among those to note that the D’Backs optioned Jose Herrera to Triple-A today.  Herrera acted as Gabriel Moreno’s backup last season once Carson Kelly was let go in August, but Arizona will now turn to the veteran Barnhart as a more experienced bench option.  Barnhart has won two Gold Gloves over his 10 MLB seasons, spent mostly with the Reds before one-year stints with the Tigers and Cubs over the last two seasons.

Guardians Return Rule 5 Pick Deyvison De Los Santos To Diamondbacks

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First baseman Deyvison De Los Santos, who was selected by the Guardians in the Rule 5 Draft back in December, was returned to the Diamondbacks today, per a club announcement. Arizona is not required to add him to the 40-man roster.

De Los Santos, 20, enjoyed a breakout season in 2022 at the age of 19, slashing an impressive .306/.348/.499 in 126 games split between the Single-A, High-A, and Double-A levels that year. He mostly held his own in a return to the Double-A level last year, slashing 254/.297/.431 while crushing 20 home runs in just 481 trips to the plate. That performance was enough for De Los Santos to get plucked from the Diamondbacks organization during the Rule 5 Draft by the Guardians, where he figured to compete for playing time with top first base prospect Kyle Manzardo on a roster in desperate need of additional pop.

The news comes as something of a surprise following the club’s decision to reassign Manzardo to minor league camp earlier this week, which seemingly opened the door for De Los Santos to be the club’s Opening Day starter at first base. That hasn’t come to pass, however, as Cleveland clearly determined that De Los Santos would not make the club’s Opening Day roster and instead opted to send the 20-year-old back to his original organization.

The move seems to leave slugger Josh Naylor to take over first base duties on Opening Day. A career .270/.325/.439 hitter who posted a career-best 128 wRC+ last season, there’s little question that the 26-year-old is up to the task. With that being said, Naylor appeared poised to be slotted into the club’s DH spot on a regular basis this season. That may still end up being the case assuming Mazardo makes his way to the majors later this year, but as things stand the club instead appears likely to rely on the likes of Will Brennan and Estevan Florial at DH to open the season.

As for De Los Santos, he’ll return to the Diamondbacks organization and likely begin the season in the upper minors. With veterans Christian Walker and Joc Pederson slated for the lion’s share of playing time at first base and DH this year, it’s unclear if De Los Santos will have much of an opportunity to reach the majors this season. With that being said, both Walker and Pederson are set to hit free agency after the 2024 season, so a strong showing from De Los Santos in the upper minors this year could put him in line to impact the club as soon as 2025.

Eduardo Rodríguez Shut Down With Lat Strain

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Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told the club’s beat that left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez has been shut down from throwing due to a left lat strain, with Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic among those to relay the news. The lefty will open the season on the injured list but his timeline is unclear apart from that.

Lovullo says Rodríguez will be shut down until he’s asymptomatic, but he doesn’t seem to have an idea of how long that will take, with video courtesy of Alex Weiner of AZ Sports. “I know you guys want to know lengths of time, all the common questions that I want to know,” he said. “But we don’t know that. It’s going to depend on how he progresses and how he’s feeling day by day. We’re going to assess it daily and then build it out from there. The return will be determined by the length of time that he’s down. And I can tell you that he’s been feeling better day by day.”

Rodríguez departed his start on Tuesday after just one inning with some lat discomfort and it now seems a strain has been found. If he remains out of action for a notable amount of time, he may then need to effectively start his Spring Training ramp-up period from scratch.

It’s obviously unwelcome news for the Diamondbacks, as Rodríguez was their big offseason splash to upgrade the rotation. The Snakes managed to get all the way to the World Series last year despite a starting mix so weak that they were doing bullpen games in the playoffs.

They signed Rodríguez to a four-year, $80MM deal this winter with the hope of him stabilizing the rotation behind Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. That may come to pass eventually, but he’ll begin the season on the IL and will have a questionable timeline until more information comes to light.

In the meantime, the Diamondbacks will have to fill out the rotation with fairly unproven hurlers. Brandon Pfaadt, Ryne Nelson and Tommy Henry are the most likely pitchers to fill in behind Gallen and Kelly. Between those three, Nelson has the most regular season experience, with just 162 1/3 innings. Henry’s 4.57 ERA is the lowest of three. Pfaadt finished last year with a strong showing in the postseason but he’s allowed seven earned runs in 5 2/3 innings this spring.

Despite being the reigning National League champions, the Snakes are likely facing a tough battle this year. The Dodgers are loaded with superstars while the Giants recently had Blake Snell and Matt Chapman fall into their laps. The Padres have battled a budget crunch this winter but still have lots of talent on the roster. For the Diamondbacks, their rotation is now back to the wobbly state it was in at the start of the offseason, so they will naturally be hoping for a quick return from Rodríguez.

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