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Diamondbacks Notes: Moreno, Gurriel, Thomas, Lawlar

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After a shocking run to the World Series last October, the Diamondbacks once again find themselves inching towards the playoffs with a 1.5-game lead over the Braves and Mets in the AL Wild Card race. Arizona is in the second of three spots, leaving Atlanta and New York in a tie for the third spot. While there’s still room for things to change, Fangraphs gives the Snakes a strong 86.4% chance of making the postseason for the second consecutive year when all is said and done. Even with those solid odds, the club will surely want all the help it can get to secure its positioning and head into the playoffs strong.

Fortunately, reinforcements are on the way as manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Alex Weiner of AZSports) that both catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. are “very close” to being activated from the injured list. The duo were scheduled to play in a game at the club’s Spring Training complex today where Moreno was set to both hit and catch while Gurriel would hit without playing the field. That leaves Moreno, who has been out for six weeks due to a groin strain, a bit closer to playing in the majors than Gurriel, who’s been out two weeks now with a strained calf.

Moreno, 24, is in his second season with the Diamondbacks after being acquired from the Blue Jays alongside Gurriel in the Daulton Varsho trade prior to the 2023 campaign. Moreno has established himself well as a solid two-way catcher and has posted a .262/.344/.385 slash line with a 105 wRC+ while playing excellent defense behind the plate. That two-way talent has left the Snakes missing Moreno dearly, as they’ve utilized a combination of the light-hitting but defensively gifted Jose Herrera alongside youngster Adrian Del Castillo, who sports a 138 wRC+ but questionable defense behind the plate.

As for Gurriel, the 30-year-old has hit .274/.316/.428 with a 105 wRC+ that’s identical to not only Moreno’s own figure from this year but also the production Gurriel posted in his first season with Arizona last year. Fortunately for Arizona, however, Gurriel’s absence hasn’t been felt as much as may have been initially expected due to an offensive explosion on the part of Pavin Smith, who has slashed an incredible .286/.385/.905 with four home runs in nine games since taking over for Gurriel in left field alongside Randal Grichuk. While Smith’s 72-homer pace is obviously not sustainable long-term, his hot streak has allowed the club to post MLB’s best offense by wRC+ (138) in September despite losing a key cog in their lineup for whom they didn’t have an obvious replacement at the ready.

Gurriel and Moreno aren’t the only two players who could be called upon to help the Diamondbacks headed into the postseason, however. According to a conversation between GM Mike Hazen and MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert, outfielder Alek Thomas and top infield prospect Jordan Lawlar are both regarded as “possible” contributors down the stretch and into the postseason. Thomas was optioned to the minors back in August and subsequently suffered an oblique strain at Triple-A but, per Gilbert, is nearly ready to return to action. Thomas has had another disappointing season offensively with a .191/.248/.362 slash line in 32 games at the big league level, but he offers excellent defense in all three outfield spots that could make him an asset in a bench role.

Lawlar, meanwhile, made it into just 13 games before the calendar flipped to September this year between thumb surgery and a hamstring strain but finally made it back into Triple-A earlier this week. Per Gilbert, Lawlar is expected to play winter ball this offseason to make up for the reps he lost to injury this year, but it’s not hard to imagine the club preferring the 22-year-old to their other bench infield options like Luis Guillorme and Kevin Newman headed into the postseason. Lawlar was similarly included on the club’s postseason roster last year, when he appeared in three games and went 0-for-1 with a walk and a run scored.

Diamondbacks DFA Andrew Knizner, Place Ryne Nelson On 15-Day IL

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The Diamondbacks announced this afternoon that they’ve placed right-hander Ryne Nelson on the 15-day IL due to shoulder inflammation, retroactive to September 11. Left-hander Brandon Hughes was selected to the roster from Triple-A Reno to replace Nelson, and catcher Andrew Knizner was designated for assignment to make room for Hughes on the 40-man roster.

Nelson, 26, entered the season seemingly squeezed out of the club’s rotation mix by the club’s signings of lefties Eduardo Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery over the offseason. That was hardly surprising after a pedestrian 2023 season where he pitched to a below-average 5.31 ERA and 5.07 FIP across 29 appearances (27 starts) for Arizona last year. That said, injuries throughout the club’s rotation have kept Nelson in the club’s rotation almost all year. He’s made the most of the unexpected opportunity and pitched quite well, with a 4.33 ERA that’s roughly league average (96 ERA+) and a strong 3.77 FIP in 147 2/3 innings of work. While that hasn’t necessarily been enough to give him a leg up over fellow youngster Brandon Pfaadt (4.42 ERA, 3.54 FIP) at the back-of-the-rotation, injuries and ineffectiveness have hampered both Rodriguez and especially Montgomery this year, leading the Diamondbacks to kick the latter to the bullpen late last month.

With Nelson now headed to the IL, Montgomery appears ticketed for a return to the rotation as noted by Alex Weiner of AZ Sports. It’s been a disastrous year for the 31-year-old lefty as he pitched to a 6.44 ERA and 4.57 FIP in 19 starts before getting kicked from the rotation, though he’s looked a bit better with a slightly more palatable 4.85 ERA and 4.40 FIP since moving to a multi-inning relief role. For the time being, the Diamondbacks will have to hope that the brief sojourn to the bullpen has helped Montgomery figure things out enough to pitch effectively as a starter for the time being. Fortunately, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic) that the club is optimistic regarding Nelson’s injury and hopes he’ll be able to return after a minimum stay on the shelf, which could allow him to make one more start before the regular season comes to an end.

Montgomery’s impending move back into the rotation leaves the club down a lefty in the bullpen, and that’s a call that Hughes now figures to answer. Drafted as an outfielder by the Cubs in the 16th round of the 2017 draft, Hughes converted to pitching back in 2019 and worked his way through Chicago’s minor league system to make it to Wrigley Field in 2022. The southpaw impressed with a 3.12 ERA and 4.64 FIP with a 28.5% strikeout rate in 57 2/3 innings of work for the rebuilding Cubs and even picked up eight saves after taking over the closer role in Chicago following the departures of David Robertson and Chris Martin at that year’s trade deadline.

Unfortunately, Hughes was hampered by knee surgery that cost him the majority of the 2023 season and found himself non-tendered by the Cubs last fall. That led him to sign with the Snakes on a minor league deal, but he’s struggled badly in limited opportunities in the majors with the club this year as he’s posted a 10.29 ERA and 9.96 FIP in 14 innings of work. That being said, his numbers with Triple-A Reno this year have been nothing short of excellent as he’s posted a 2.03 ERA and struck out 24.9% of opponents in 48 2/3 innings of work. Now he’ll get another opportunity in the Arizona bullpen alongside fellow lefties Joe Mantiply and A.J. Puk.

Hughes will take the 40-man roster spot of Knizner, who the Diamondbacks claimed off waivers from the Rangers just over a month ago. The 29-year-old backstop didn’t make it to the big leagues with Arizona, instead slashing a decent .274/.357/.397 in 20 games with the club’s affiliate in Reno, but appeared in 35 games in the majors with Texas earlier this year after spending half a decade as an up-and-down catcher for the Cardinals. His time with the Rangers did not go particularly well, as he hit just .167/.183/.211 in 93 trips to the plate. That paltry offensive production was particularly disappointing following the best offensive season of Knizner’s career last year, when he pitched to a .241/.288/.424 slash line with ten homers in just 241 trips to the plate. Should Knizner go unclaimed on waivers, the club would have the opportunity to outright him to the minor leagues but he’d be poised to head into minor league free agency this November.

Diamondbacks Reinstate Ketel Marte From Injured List

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The Diamondbacks that second baseman Ketel Marte has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Outfielder Jorge Barrosa has been optioned to Triple-A Reno as the corresponding move.

Marte was having an elite season prior to landing on the IL with a sprained left ankle. In 116 games this year, he has hit 30 home runs and drawn walks at a 10.4% clip. His .298/.370/.560 batting line translates to a wRC+ of 150, indicating he’s been 50% better than the league average hitter. He has also stolen six bases and been given strong grades for his second base defense, leading to a tally of 5.3 wins above replacement in 116 games, per FanGraphs.

The ankle injury put that on pause, but not for long. He landed on the IL August 19, so he’s now back after just a little more than a minimum IL stint. That’s a tremendous development for the Snakes, though it could lead to some challenging lineup decisions for manager Torey Lovullo.

It’s possible that Marte will need some time as the designated hitter before retaking his second base job on an everyday basis. If that’s the case, the DH slot could get a little crowded. Joc Pederson has been the regular in that spot, at least against righties, as he’s usually shielded from lefties. The club acquired first baseman Josh Bell while Christian Walker was on the IL but Walker is now back as well.

The Diamondbacks haven’t shown any inclination to put Pederson in the field this year, so he seems to be DH only. Bell nor Walker aren’t realistic options anywhere other than first base, so one of them needs to be the DH if both are in the lineup.

Perhaps that will simply allow the skipper to rotate some down time to those veteran players as the club pushes towards the stretch run, but the games they are playing are plenty meaningful. The Diamondbacks are 79-62, putting them in the second Wild Card position. They are only half a game behind the Padres, who have the top spot, though Atlanta and the Mets are just 2.5 games back of the Snakes. Luis Guillorme and Kevin Newman have been platooning at the keystone lately but figure to lose out on playing time whenever Marte takes over that position.

Diamondbacks Place Lourdes Gurriel Jr. On Injured List, Reinstate Christian Walker

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The Diamondbacks announced that first baseman Christian Walker has been reinstated from the injured list. He has been out since the end of July due to a strained left oblique. He’ll take the roster spot of outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who is heading the other way. Gurriel has been placed on the 10-day IL due to a strained left calf, retroactive to September 2.

The Snakes get one of their lineup regulars back but lose another. Walker hit 23 home runs and produced a batting line of .254/.338/.476 before landing on the IL, production that translated to a 122 wRC+. He also routinely gets strong grades for his defense at first base, so he’s been worth 2.7 wins above replacement on the year despite his absence, per the calculations of FanGraphs.

Gurriel departed Sunday game due to some tightness in his calf and was sent for an MRI. It’s unclear exactly how much time the club expects him to miss, but the IL placement suggests he needs at least a week or so to rest up. He has 17 home runs and a line of .274/.316/.428 this year, leading to a 104 wRC+. He has strong defensive grades in the outfield as well, leading to a 1.8 fWAR tally on the year.

Subbing in Walker for Gurriel is a slight upgrade for the club in a vacuum, but it will be an interesting roster fit for manager Torey Lovullo to work out. The Snakes acquired Josh Bell to help cover first base in Walker’s absence and he has played well since that trade, with a .283/.356/.453 line and 125 wRC+. The designated hitter slot is usually taken by Joc Pederson, who is hitting .280/.400/.533 for a 157 wRC+ this year.

Pederson is faring well in his limited looks against southpaws this year but has notable career splits and has generally been shielded from opposing lefties. Bell is a switch-hitter and should at least be able to take the short side of a platoon with Pederson, but it’s unclear if he’ll be able to get more playing time beyond that. Pederson is a poor defender and hasn’t been put out into the field at all this year. He got 204 innings in the field with the Giants last year but produced -5 Defensive Runs Saved and -4 Outs Above Average in that limited time.

With Gurriel out, the Snakes have an opportunity to move Pederson out there while opening the DH slot for Bell/Walker, but they will have to weigh the defensive hit against the offensive gain. Randal Grichuk has strong numbers against lefty pitchers this year, 128 wRC+ against them compared to a 96 wRC+ without the platoon advantage. Theoretically, he could take the field against southpaws with Bell as the DH, then Pederson could take the field against righties. Though perhaps they might simply prefer to have Grichuk out there since he’s a stronger defender than Pederson, perhaps factoring in the pitcher and opposing lineup, calculating whether they think the left fielder will see a lot of action on a given day.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. To Undergo MRI On Left Calf

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The Diamondbacks’ 14-3 rout of the Dodgers today wasn’t an entirely smooth ride for Arizona, as left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. left the game after suffering some tightness in his left calf.  The injury occurred when Gurriel was trying to beat out a grounder in the bottom of the sixth, and he was replaced in left field when the seventh inning began.  Manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro) that Gurriel is day-to-day for now and will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.

Gurriel is hitting .274/.316/.428 with 17 home runs over 522 plate appearances this season, while posting solid defensive metrics across the board as the Diamondbacks’ everyday left fielder.  The glovework is a bit less impressive than it was in 2023, but Gurriel’s 104 wRC+ is just a shade beneath his 105 wRC+ in 592 PA a year ago.  That successful first season in Arizona and his continued hitting in the playoffs inspired the D’Backs to re-sign Gurriel in free agency last winter, bringing him back on a three-year, $42MM deal that includes a club option for 2027.

While Gurriel has been prone to pretty extreme hot-and-cold stretches at the plate, his streakiness has evened out to a pretty stable career track record.  Over the last five 162-game Major League seasons, Gurriel has averaged no less than 1.6 fWAR and no more than 2.0 fWAR, though his 1.9 fWAR through 125 games this year could get a new highwater mark.

Of course, that’s assuming this calf problem doesn’t require a stint on the 10-day injured list.  Calf injuries can be tricky to manage and anything more than minor cafe issues can tend to linger, so there will be some measure of concern in the Diamondbacks’ camp until the MRI comes back clean.

Arizona can hardly afford to lose another regular during the playoff hunt.  Today’s victory put the Snakes five games back of the Dodgers in the NL West race, and just percentage points ahead of the Padres for the top NL wild card berth.  While the D’Backs have built a little breathing room in their pursuit of at least a wild card, the team has hung in even though Ketel Marte, Christian Walker, and Gabriel Moreno are all on the 10-day IL.

The good news on the injury front is that Walker is “real close” to a return, Lovullo told Piecoro and company today.  Walker could be back at some point during the Diamondbacks’ six-game road trip that begins Tuesday in San Francisco, as the first baseman has progressed to facing live pitching in workouts at the team’s Spring Training camp.  It doesn’t appear as though Walker will need a minor league rehab assignment, even though he has been sidelined for over a month due to a left oblique strain.

Moreno’s IL stint (due to a groin strain) is also nearing the one-month mark, as Moreno hasn’t played since August 5.  Lovullo said Moreno is hitting and has resumed catching drills.  Marte is also taking live at-bats but isn’t yet running out of the batters’ box, as he continues to recover from an ankle sprain that sent him to the IL on August 18.

Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery Discuss Relationship With Scott Boras

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The most recent offseason was undoubtedly disappointing for the players on the whole. Many of them signed deals well south of expectations, with the most high-profile examples being the so-called “Boras Four”. Each of Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Matt Chapman and Cody Bellinger, who are all represented by the Boras Corporation, lingered on the market deep into the offseason and ultimately signed deals below industry forecasts, though with opt-outs that will allow them to retest free agency in the future.

The two pitchers in that foursome evidently have different feelings about how this played out, based both on their actions and their words. Montgomery landed a one-year, $25MM deal with the Diamondbacks that didn’t become official until March 29. The deal also contained a $20MM vesting player option that Montgomery could unlock with at least ten starts in 2024, with his 18th and 23rd starts also adding $2.5MM to the option. On April 11, less than two weeks after that deal was signed, it was reported that Montgomery had switched his representation from Scott Boras to Joel Wolfe and Nick Chanock of Wasserman.

“I don’t know, obviously Boras kind of butchered it,” Montgomery said last week, per Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald, “so I’m just trying to move on from the offseason and try to forget it.” Montgomery adds that, to his knowledge, he didn’t receive an offer from the Red Sox in the winter.

“Yeah, for sure. Me and my wife loved it here. She was at Beth Israel for a year, love the area, love the fans,” Montgomery said when asked whether he would have considered an offer from the Sox. “It would have been awesome if it had worked out that way, but it didn’t.”

The Herald also received a comment from Boras himself in response. “I saw what Jordan said. I know what it is to be frustrated with this game. As a former player I feel for him. But I’m also a lawyer with obligations to my clients, including former ones. So I cannot discuss what happened or the decisions Jordan made unless he gives me permission,” Boras said. “If he gives me the green light I’ll be happy to talk about it. I’ve been doing this for over 35 years. I relay all offers and relevant information to all my clients and act at their direction. They make all decisions. We wish Jordan well.”

Montgomery was frequently connected to the Red Sox both because the club was in need of starting pitching and because his wife was working in the area, as he mentioned. Most reporting throughout the offseason suggested that the two sides weren’t close to agreeing on a deal. In early March, Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported that the two sides were in contact but that Montgomery was looking for a seven-year deal that the Sox didn’t want to give out.

We can’t know for sure what sorts of discussions were taking place between Boras and the Red Sox, or any other teams, but Montgomery is clearly not thrilled with the way it played out. Not everyone places the blame on Boras though, as Blake Snell is still a Boras guy and defended him when asked about the Montgomery comments.

“My experience with Scott has been great,” Snell said yesterday, per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. “He told me everything that was happening, all the offers I got. So for him to just get bashed for what I believe is false, that’s not fair at all. I really strongly believe that.”

When asked about Montgomery’s tough time, Snell responded thusly: “He signed the deal that he ultimately wanted to sign,” Snell said. “He has the choice. I don’t know what other deals he was offered, but I know everything that was offered to me. It’s just sad that he thinks that way when I see Scott as a very honorable man.”

Boras has a lengthy track record of securing huge deals for his clients but it’s possible that he still could have whiffed on the recent offseason, which Snell was asked about. “Yeah, or it could just be a free agency where no one was really pushing to get anybody,” said Snell. “It sucks because that was … our year to get our deals that we worked so hard to get. But ultimately the market’s the market. You can’t control it. You can’t get upset about it the way it is. Just pitch better, find a way to do better, continue to compete. Whatever you believe you deserve, you go earn it.”

There is some logic to Snell’s framing of the winter, which was mostly defined by a lack of spending. Only four free agents got nine-figure deals in the winter, as shown on MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, compared to nine in the previous offseason. Of the four from the most recent winter, three of them were fairly unique cases. One of those was the mega deal for Shohei Ohtani, who is an unprecedented talent. Two others were for 25-year-olds coming over from Asia: Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Jung Hoo Lee. The fourth was for Aaron Nola. The rest of the market was modest, with solid regulars like Amed Rosario, Jurickson Profar, Randal Grichuk, Michael A. Taylor and others getting $4MM or less. It would appear that Montgomery believes Boras could have handled that environment better while Snell simply views it as something that was beyond his control.

In addition to their differing opinions about the past, both players now appear to have divergent future. Montgomery has struggled badly with the Snakes this year and was recently moved to the bullpen. As of today, he has a 6.44 earned run average through 95 innings and 19 starts. Unless he turns things around dramatically in the coming weeks, it would appear his best course of action is to take his player option and hope for better results in 2025. By making at least 18 starts this year, he has unlocked that option and raised the value to $22.5MM.

Snell, on the other hand, has been on fire after a slow start. By the end of June, he had two stints on the injured list, six starts and a 9.51 ERA. But he came off the IL in early July and has posted a 1.30 ERA in his nine most recent starts, including a no-hitter against the Reds earlier in August. The lefty signed a two-year, $62MM deal with the Giants that allows him to opt-out at season’s end. He could trigger a $30MM player option for 2025 but could also walk away with $32MM banked and then take another shot at free agency.

If he keeps putting up good numbers for the next few weeks, it’s highly likely that another trip to the open market is in the cards. Speaking of the rest of the season, Snell says that “I’ll enjoy those starts and make the most of them and we’ll figure out what happens after that later,” before adding that he has high confidence in Boras to handle whatever comes next. “Of course,” Snell said. “High confidence. Really high.”

Boras tends to be a polarizing figure in baseball circles, so the struggles of the “Boras Four” led to a lot of schadenfreude and declarations that he was “washed” or over the hill. However, Boras is well set up to be a key player in free agency again this winter. Snell, Chapman and Bellinger will all have chances to return to the open market, while Boras also represents big-name players slated for free agency this winter such as Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso, Yusei Kikuchi, Sean Manaea, Tyler O’Neill, J.D. Martinez and many others. What those players will be entering another frosty market or not remains to be seen.

D-Backs Move Jordan Montgomery To Bullpen

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The Diamondbacks are kicking Jordan Montgomery to the bullpen. Manager Torey Lovullo announced the decision on The Burns & Gambo Show this afternoon (link via Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports).

Lovullo said he informed Montgomery of the decision today. Righty Ryne Nelson has outpitched Montgomery in recent weeks, earning the fifth starter job in the process. Nelson, who is on the mound tonight at Fenway Park, carried an ERA approaching 5.00 into the All-Star Break. He has completely flipped the script over the past month, turning in a 2.89 mark while striking out 29% of opposing hitters in 37 1/3 frames. Nelson remains behind Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt in the starting five.

On the other hand, Montgomery has struggled for essentially the entire season. He owns a 6.44 ERA with a well below-average 15.5% strikeout rate over 19 starts. Montgomery got a late start to the year after not signing until Opening Day. Unlike Blake Snell, who had an atrocious start as a late signee before recapturing his Cy Young form, Montgomery has not found any success as the year has gone on. He’s allowing 6.44 earned runs per nine in both the first and second half. Opponents are hitting over .300 while slugging north of .500.

Montgomery has averaged around 92 MPH on his sinker and four-seam fastball. Both pitches sat above 93 a year ago. Aside from a decent 11.9% swinging strike rate that is in line with his career average, there’s little in this year’s statistical profile that offers much hope for a turnaround. Montgomery had an excellent track record coming into this season, but the D-Backs have five starters who are performing better as they battle for a playoff spot. They’re four games back of the Dodgers in the NL West and hold a five-game edge on a Wild Card berth.

This will be Montgomery’s first bullpen work in his career. He has started 159 of his 160 MLB games. The relief appearance was in September 2019 when he’d returned from Tommy John surgery without the benefit of a lengthy minor league rehab assignment. He’ll presumably work as a multi-inning reliever. If the D-Backs make the playoffs, Lovullo and his staff might have a difficult decision on whether to carry him on the postseason roster at all.

That’d have been hard to fathom just a few months ago. Arizona signed Montgomery as an expected high-floor rotation pickup when Rodriguez suffered a lat strain in camp. He’s playing on a $25MM salary. He started 10 games and unlocked an accompanying $20MM player option for next year. That escalated to $22.5MM when he made his 18th start; he’d have pushed it to $25MM if he reached 23 starts, though that no longer seems likely. In any case, he’ll almost certainly exercise the option rather than returning to free agency next winter.

Cubs Claim Gavin Hollowell, Designate David Bote

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The Cubs have claimed right-hander Gavin Hollowell off waivers from the Diamondbacks and optioned him to Triple-A Iowa. The Snakes had designated him for assignment a few days ago. To open a 40-man roster spot, the Cubs have designated infielder David Bote for assignment. Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune was among those to relay the news on X.

Hollowell, 26, was drafted by the Rockies and was with that organization until recently. The Diamondbacks claimed him off waivers in June and now he moves via another waiver claim, this time landing with the Cubs.

The interest from clubs likely stems from his big strikeout numbers in the minors, though he has also given out a large number of walks and hasn’t yet transferred those punchouts to the major league level.

The Rockies put him into 30 games over the 2022 and 2023 seasons and he pitched 40 2/3 innings with a 6.20 earned run average. He struck out 21.5% of batters faced in that time and gave out walks at an 11.8% rate. But since the start of 2023, he has thrown 47 minor league innings and struck out 27.9% of batters faced. That’s come with an elevated 13% walk rate and a 4.60 ERA, but clubs are always interested in missing bats.

He still has one option year after this one, so the Cubs could give him a lot of rope in the minors to see if he can rein in his stuff. If he does so, he has less than a year of service time and therefore comes with many years of club control and is still far away from qualifying for arbitration.

Bote, 31, signed an extension with the Cubs in April of 2019, a five-year pact that guaranteed him over $15MM. He served in a multi-positional role for a while but his results eventually tailed off, at least partially due to some injury troubles.

He was outrighted off the roster at the end of 2022 with two guaranteed years still left on his deal. Since he had more than three years of service time, he could have elected free agency, but doing so would have meant walking away from the remaining money on his contract since he was shy of the five-year service mark. Naturally, he stayed with the club and has been with them in a non-roster capacity until they selected his contract again in June.

He has a solid .304/.333/.391 batting line in his 48 plate appearances this year but that’s being held up by an unsustainable .424 batting average on balls in play. He has no home runs in that time and a 4.2% walk rate.

With the trade deadline now passed, the Cubs will have to put Bote on waivers in the coming days. It’s unlikely that any club would claim him and take on the remainder of his contract. He’s making $5.5MM this year with still roughly $1.1MM left to be paid out. There’s also a $1MM buyout on a $7MM club option for 2025.

Bote is still shy of five years of service time, meaning he still doesn’t have the right to reject an outright assignment and keep all of his money. Assuming he passes through waivers unclaimed, he will presumably accept another outright assignment and provide the Cubs with depth in a non-roster capacity.

Diamondbacks Designate Gavin Hollowell For Assignment

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The Diamondbacks officially announced their signing of infielder Luis Guillorme, which was reported earlier today. In corresponding moves, they optioned infielder Blaze Alexander and designated right-hander Gavin Hollowell for assignment.

Hollowell, 26, has never pitched for the D’backs at the big league level. He had spent his entire career with the Rockies until they put him on waivers in June. The Snakes claimed him at that time but mostly have kept him on optional assignment since then. He was briefly recalled at the start of July but was optioned back down to Triple-A Reno a day later without getting into a game.

The Snakes were likely intrigued by his big strikeout numbers in the minors. Those have sometimes come with plenty of walks, which was certainly the case after switching organizations. In 17 1/3 Triple-A innings since coming to the Diamondbacks, he has a 3.63 earned run average and 30.4% strikeout rate but a huge walk rate of 16.5%. Combined with his time in the Rockies’ system earlier this year, his 2024 season consists of 23 2/3 minor league innings with a 5.70 ERA, 29.5% strikeout rate and 16.1% walk rate.

Those control issues weren’t as bad in previous seasons. He tossed 96 minor league innings over the 2021 to 2023 period with an even 3.00 ERA, 32% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate. He also tossed 40 2/3 major league innings for the Rockies with a 6.20 ERA, 21.5% strikeout rate and 11.8% walk rate.

He’s now been squeezed off Arizona’s roster. With the trade deadline in the rear-view mirror, they will have to put him on waivers in the coming days. Though the control hasn’t been there this year, his strikeout stuff could intrigue some clubs around the league. If he is claimed, he will still have an option year remaining after this campaign, giving him some future roster flexibility. He also has less than a year of major league service time, meaning a claiming team could control him well into the future.

Diamondbacks To Sign Luis Guillorme

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The Diamondbacks are signing infielder Luis Guillorme, reports Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase on X. It appears to be a major league deal, as Álvarez-Montes adds that the infielder is already at LoanDepot Park in Miami for tonight’s game against the Marlins. The Snakes will need to make a corresponding move or moves to add the veteran to their active and 40-man rosters.

Once Guillorme officially becomes a Diamondback, it will be his third club of the year. He began the season with Atlanta but was traded to the Angels in May. The Halos had most of their infield either banged up or on the injured list at that time, with each of Anthony Rendon, Michael Stefanic, Brandon Drury, Luis Rengifo and Miguel Sanó dealing with injuries. He played a part-time role with the Angels until he was released last week.

Between the two clubs, Guillorme has hit .218/.285/.290 this year, a line that translates to a wRC+ of 63. That’s roughly in line with last year’s production, when he hit .224/.288/.327 with the Mets for a wRC+ of 70. He was non-tendered after 2023 and became a free agent, which led to his deal with Atlanta.

Prior to the lackluster performance that began last year, Guillorme had a some solid years in Queens. He got into 201 games for the Mets over the 2020 to 2022 period, slashing .278/.367/.344 for a wRC+ of 107. He did that while bouncing between the three infield positions to the left of first base, getting average-ish grades at all three in that time.

The Diamondbacks recently lost a big piece of their infield with Ketel Marte landing on the injured list due to a left ankle sprain. That has led to Kevin Newman moving from a bench role into the club’s regular at the keystone, next to Geraldo Perdomo at shortstop and Eugenio Suárez at third base.

The club has Blaze Alexander on hand as infield depth but he’s fairly lacking in experience, with just 61 big league games under his belt to this point. He’s also right-handed, whereas Guillorme hits from the left side, so having both on the bench could give manager Torey Lovullo a bit more flexibility in optimizing his non-Marte lineups. Guillorme has a 98 wRC+ against righties in his career, compared to a 63 wRC+ against southpaws. Newman, a righty, has a 98 RC+ with the platoon advantage but a 69 without.

It’s a fairly low-cost pickup for the Snakes, as the Angels are on the hook for most of Guillorme’s $1.1MM salary. Arizona will only have to pay him the prorated version of the $740K league minimum salary for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Angels pay.

Guillorme hasn’t been in amazing form of late but has a decent track record, which could perhaps allow him to help the Diamondbacks get through this period of time without Marte, which they hope will be short. If Guillorme bounces back and holds his roster spot through the end of the year, he can be retained for 2025 via arbitration.

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