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Francisco Liriano Opts Out Of 2020 Season

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Free-agent LHP Francisco Liriano has opted out of the 2020 season, according to MLB insider Robert Murray. Per Murray, the 36-year-old left “multiple guaranteed offers” on the table.

Liriano is the 19th player (not including Nick Markakis, who chose to return to play after initially opting out) to spend this season on the sidelines. He is one of several players to have made such a decision in the immediate aftermath of COVID-19 outbreaks within the Marlins and Cardinals organizations.

Liriano, of course, wasn’t on an MLB roster and so won’t change his current status, but as stated by Murray, the veteran southpaw may have been poised to ink a deal with a team in the near future.

Instead, he’ll have to wait until the winter to do so, assuming there’s still interest when a new crop of free agents hit the market. Notably, teams won’t be able to deploy Liriano as a typical lefty specialist given new MLB rules. However, that shouldn’t hurt Liriano too much, owing to his background as a starter; he average more than an inning per appearance last year.

His 2019 season, spent with the Pirates, was the first time in Liriano’s 14-year career he was deployed exclusively as a reliever, and it was a relatively successful transition for the former All-Star. In 69 games for Pittsburgh, he worked 70 innings and finished with a 3.47 ERA, striking out 63 batters. As has long been the case for the southpaw, he was prone to walking batters, surrendering a base on balls every two innings, on average.

He still boasts two deadly offerings, with a stellar slider and a changeup that allows him to compete with right-handed batters. Contrary to what you might expect of a 36-year-old veteran, his velocity hasn’t declined significantly from his Twins days, though the changeup-slider combination is still the bread and butter of his repertoire. He threw the changeup more often than ever last year, and the pitch yielded a swing-and-miss on 43.4% of offerings, which, coupled with a slider with a comparable 42.1% whiff rate, should make Liriano a viable lefty for plenty of teams next year.

Pirates Acquire Tyler Bashlor From Mets

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The Pirates have acquired right-handed pitcher Tyler Bashlor from the Mets in exchange for cash considerations, reports Tim Healey of Newsday. The Pirates have designated LHP Robbie Erlin for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

Bashlor, 27, tossed 54 relief innings for the Mets between 2018-19. They were generally uninspiring, as he managed just a 5.33 ERA/6.18 FIP in that span. However, Bashlor averaged a strong 95.6 MPH on his four-seam fastball last season with top-of-the-scale spin. The Bucs will take a low-cost flier to see if they can translate those promising traits into a few more whiffs.

Erlin, meanwhile, managed only two relief appearances in Pittsburgh after breaking camp with the club. The Pirates will have a week to trade, release or outright the former Padre starter.

Marlins To Resume Season On Tuesday; Updates on Cardinals, Phillies

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9:42AM: Yesterday’s testing of Phillies personnel revealed no new positive cases, according to a team press release.

TODAY, 9:04AM: For the second straight day, the group of Marlins players currently in Philadelphia haven’t had any positive COVID-19 test results, the Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson reports (Twitter link).  The team is planning to head to Baltimore today in advance of Tuesday’s series opener.

AUGUST 1: Major League Baseball released a statement this afternoon providing updates on a number of clubs, including the Marlins, who have been out of action for the last week after a COVID-19 outbreak within the organization. As of now, Miami is set to resume its season on Tuesday with a four-game series against the Orioles in Baltimore, which will take place over three days and include a doubleheader. The Marlins will be the designated “home” team for two of those games.

MLB’s announcements, which also include the latest on the Cardinals and Phillies, can be found in their entirety here, courtesy of MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.

For a second consecutive day, the scheduled Brewers-Cardinals matchup has been postponed. The decision comes after this morning yielded news that the Cardinals have several more positive tests on their hands. As of now, there’s no word on when the Cardinals can be expected to take the field again.

Meanwhile, the Phillies and Yankees will begin a four-game home-and-home series on Monday. The Phils were also sidelined this week after potential exposure to the coronavirus during last weekend’s series against the Marlins. However, it appears that Philadelphia has avoided the worst-case scenario, with MLB revealing that two of the three positive tests in the Phillies organization appear to have been false positives. No players have tested positive for COVID-19 since the team’s last contact with the Marlins on Sunday.

The proliferation of the virus within the Marlins organization has posed an early threat to MLB’s plans to conduct a baseball season amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and the developing outbreak within the Cardinals could be similarly crucial to the outlook for the remaining two months of play.

These intra-team infections mean that the MLB schedule is fluid and evolving, with postponements forcing on-the-fly adjustments to the schedule. This can have a ripple effect throughout the league, as several other teams in MLB’s East division have been forced into schedule alterations despite maintaining comparatively good health. Health concerns notwithstanding, teams like the Phillies and Marlins might be faced with especially demanding schedules as they attempt to squeeze more games into a shorter time period for the remainder of the season.

Additionally, extended “break” periods like those endured by the Phillies and Marlins over the last week could interrupt players’ mojo during an already irregular season; whereas daily games allow players to establish a rhythm, a “stop-and-start” schedule means that players will be expected to jump right back into competitive games after several days off, perhaps akin to a team awaiting an opponent after handily winning a playoff series. We’ll have to see whether that produces any noticeable effects, and even then it will be an imprecise science, but it’s one of many difficult circumstances unique to the 2020 season.

Eduardo Rodriguez Out For Season

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Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez has been shut down for the 2020 season as a result of the myocarditis he has experienced following a bout with COVID-19, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. While the Red Sox are confident that Rodriguez will make a full recovery in the long term, his heart issues have persisted and will prevent him from pitching this season.

Since going on the injured list in early July due to COVID-19, Rodriguez has dealt with mild heart inflammation that developed as a result of the illness. Thankfully, the condition hasn’t negatively affected the function of Rodriguez’s heart, though it has not subsided to the point where he’s expected to recover in time to pitch this year.

Needless to say, the outlook for the Red Sox rotation sans Rodriguez is a rather bleak one. Even with the 27-year-old southpaw in the mix, the rotation looked like a thin unit, but it was certainly a bit more inspiring than the patchwork unit Ron Roenicke will henceforth have to count on. With Chris Sale on the shelf for the year, Rodriguez was expected to shoulder a bigger load atop the Red Sox rotation, which currently consists of Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez, Ryan Weber, and Zack Godley.

Rodriguez emerged as one of the hottest pitchers in baseball late last year, authoring a career-best season on virtually every measurable front. He posted his best marks yet in wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, and ERA. And if that wasn’t enough reason to be excited for another year of progress, he was at his best in the final month of the season, averaging 12.7 K/9 over his last six starts—his highest rate in a single month of his five-year career (minimum three starts).

Of course, the focus right now shouldn’t be on the on-field consequences of Rodriguez’s absence, but on his long-term health and recovery. We hope to see E-Rod make a swift return to full health and back on the mound in 2021. For now, his situation is a reminder that even young, world-class athletes are not immune to complications from COVID-19.

White Sox Place Tim Anderson On IL, Promote Yermin Mercedes

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The White Sox have placed shortstop Tim Anderson on the 10-day injured list with a strained right groin, according to James Fegan of The Athletic. In turn, they’ve recalled catcher Yermin Mercedes to fill Anderson’s roster spot. It will be Mercedes’s first foray in the Majors after nearly a decade in pro ball.

Anderson, 27, is the reigning American League batting champion, and he picked up where he left off. Through the young season’s first seven games, Anderson has slashed .333/.355/.567 with seven runs scored. The White Sox leadoff man is a big part of their offensive attack, but his effectiveness would be severely limited with a strained groin. Considering the role speed plays in Anderson’s game both with the bat and in the field, Chicago will want to do their best to get him fully up to speed before returning to the diamond.

In his absence, Leury Garcia can slide over to shortstop from the keystone. It’s a small bit of serendipity that the White Sox only just purchased the contract of highly-regarded prospect Nick Madrigal to take over at second base. Garcia has been the primary second baseman thus far while also appearing in right field and at shortstop. He doesn’t bring much to the dish, however, as a career .256/.291/.359 hitter. Danny Mendick, 26, could also help fill the void at shortstop. Garcia and Madrigal make up the middle infield in tonight’s ballgame against the Royals.

Mercedes, 27, started in professional baseball as a catcher with the Nationals back in 2011. After a pitstop with the Baltimore Orioles, Mercedes has spent the last two seasons in the White Sox organization. He can play anywhere on the four corners, finishing last season in Triple-A with a triple slash of .310/.386/.647 with 17 home runs in just 220 plate appearances. He brings some potential with the stick but finding him a position has been much of the struggle in recent seasons. He’s not likely to get a lot of playing time in Chicago, not with designated hitter options like Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Abreu, James McCann, Yasmani Grandal, Zack Collins, and Eloy Jimenez already vying for at-bats.

Yankees Activate Masahiro Tanaka, Designate Chris Iannetta

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The Yankees announced today that they have reinstated pitcher Masahiro Tanaka from the injured list and designated catcher Chris Iannetta for assignment. Tanaka is set to make his season debut after a scary injury suffered in early July, when he suffered a mild concussion after a Giancarlo Stanton line drive struck him in the head.

Tanaka will be thrust into the middle of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, wasting no time getting into the swing of the season. It’s encouraging to see the 31-year-old ready to return to action after a frightening incident during Yankees summer training forced Tanaka to be hospitalized on July 4. Fortunately, he suffered only a mild concussion and recovered quickly. With the Yankees sitting at 5-1, he’ll have missed just one start, which seems like the best-case scenario given the alarming nature of his injury.

In the meantime, the Yankees fared pretty well without their longest-tenured starting pitcher, relying on the foursome of Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery, J.A. Happ, and James Paxton (along with a cameo from Jonathan Loaisiga) to start games. It’ll be a welcome sight to have Tanaka back on the mound, with his track record of consistency and playoff success making him a fan favorite in New York.

Last season was in fact one of Tanaka’s worst statistically since joining the Yankees in 2014. Despite garnering his second All-Star selection, he posted the second-worst ERA of his career (4.45) and struck out batters at a career-low rate (7.4 K/9).

The removal of Iannetta from the Yanks’ 40-man roster leaves just two catchers, Gary Sanchez and Kyle Higashioka. Beyond that duo, Erik Kratz, Josh Thole, and Max McDowell are members of the 60-man player pool. The other 29 teams will now have the opportunity to acquire Iannetta via trade or waivers. If no one bites, the 37-year-old will likely hit the open market and have a chance to latch on with a new club.

Dodgers Option Tony Gonsolin, Recall Mitch White

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The Dodgers have made a change to their pitching staff, optioning right-hander Tony Gonsolin and recalling Mitch White from the team’s alternate training site, as reported by J.P. Hoornstra of the Orange County Register. White is poised to make his Major League debut.

White, a 25-year-old right-hander and former second-round selection, will likely get his first crack at the Major Leagues as a reliever after being brought up primarily as a starting pitcher. The California product was regarded by multiple outlets as a top-100 prospect in baseball prior to the 2018 season. Since then, he’s produced mixed results in the upper minors. After a down year in 2018, he spent last season between Double- and Triple-A, posting a cumulative 5.09 ERA. In 93 2/3 minor-league innings last year, he struck out 105 batters. In Triple-A, he appeared in 3 games as a reliever, a role in which he continued during the Arizona Fall League.

Gonsolin is yet another young, bright arm in the Dodgers organization. He started last night’s game against the Diamondbacks, tossing four scoreless innings and allowing just one hit. He’ll likely be given plenty of chances to pitch for Los Angeles this year, but the current roster was simply short one in the bullpen after Josh Sborz was optioned yesterday. Gonsolin was impressive as a rookie last year, posting a 2.93 ERA in his first 40 innings as a big leaguer. He’s been deployed both as a starter and reliever for the Dodgers.

Justin Verlander Shut Down With Forearm Strain

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Astros ace and reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander has been diagnosed with a forearm strain and has been shut down, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today. An MRI yesterday revealed the strain. Manager Dusty Baker told reporters that Verlander will be shut down “for a couple of weeks” before he is re-evaluated.

Verlander started the Astros’ season opener on Friday and notched his first win of 2020, throwing six innings of two-run baseball, allowing just three hits and striking out seven. In that start against the Mariners, Verlander’s fastball averaged 94.9 mph and reached as high as 96.7, according to Statcast. Last year, his average fastball velocity was 94.6 mph. He threw 73 pitches, but there weren’t any outward signs that the 37-year-old suffered an injury. Per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle, Verlander later told the Astros that his right arm was “tender” during Friday’s game.

He was scheduled to make his next start on Wednesday against the Dodgers. As of now, Baker and the Astros haven’t decided who will replace Verlander on the bump.

Verlander had already encountered his fair share of health troubles during the spring, with a lat strain and right groin surgery forcing him to rehab during the season’s coronavirus-necessitated delay, but he recovered well and was a full go in Spring Training 2.0.

Needless to say, any injury to the staff ace is a crippling blow to one of this year’s World Series favorites. Even with Verlander anchoring the staff, there were doubts about the Astros rotation after the departure of co-ace Gerrit Cole in the winter. With Lance McCullers Jr. coming off Tommy John surgery and Josh James and Jose Urquidy yet to prove themselves capable of shouldering a bigger workload, it was no secret that the Astros rotation would be unable to replicate last year’s historic success.

Of course, Baker’s phrasing means there’s hope that Verlander will be back on the field in a matter of weeks, and if that’s the case, the Astros’ depth would likely allow them to patch together a rotation in the meantime. But if the forearm strain necessitates a long-term IL stint, as we know any arm injury can, the Astros will face much greater problems.

In light of Verlander’s injury, the likes of Zack Greinke, McCullers, James, and Jose Urquidy will step into bigger roles in the Houston pitching staff. That’s not a bad unit, and Greinke has the track record of an ace, but Houston’s depth will undoubtedly be challenged by Verlander’s absence, however long it may be.

An earlier version of this story stated that Verlander would miss the remainder of the season, as per this report. As of now, that is not correct; the only timetable given by the Astros is that Verlander’s forearm strain will be re-evaluated in a couple of weeks.

Blue Jays’ Buffalo Opener Set For August 11

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The Blue Jays’ first home game in Buffalo will be played on August 11 against the Marlins, reports Hazel Mae of Sportsnet. Their first “home” games were set to take place July 29-August 2, but those two series will in fact take place in Nationals Park and Citizens Bank Park.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Blue Jays won’t be able to instantly move into their temporary home, as Buffalo’s Sahlen Field will require some modifications in order to accommodate Major League Baseball.

As a result, the Blue Jays will take on the unique circumstance of playing “home” games in their opponent’s ballpark, at least for a few days. This week, the Nationals and Phillies will be designated as visitors in their native ballparks, so expect the cardboard cutouts in Philly to take no prisoners while Bryce Harper’s at bat.

One would imagine the Blue Jays’ early-season schedule becomes that much tougher without a real homestand to fall back on—to say nothing of tough opponents like the Rays and defending champion Nats to open the season, plus the rest of MLB’s East division.

At the very least, Sahlen field should represent some familiarity for many of the team’s young players, who would’ve passed through Triple-A Buffalo while climbing the Jays’ minor-league ranks. Still, there might be some challenges in that its facilities aren’t intended for MLB play, though of course work is being done to meet those standards as best as possible.

Teams won’t benefit from the support of fans in the seats, but there’s something to be said for the luxury of waking up in one’s own bed as opposed to a hotel room. Regardless, it will be interesting to watch the Blue Jays’ season play out in their new, temporary home.

Reds Claim Robel Garcia

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The Reds have claimed infielder Robel García off waivers from the Cubs, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. García had been designated for assignment by the Cubs on Thursday. He has been optioned and assigned to the Reds’ alternate training site

The 27-year-old made a name for himself with his hot hitting in the upper levels of the Cubs’ minor-league system. In 98 games between Double- and Triple-A last year, García hit .284/.369/.586 and slugged 27 home runs. He forced his way into the Cubs’ Major League plans, appearing in 31 games and making 80 plate appearances.

His hitting slowed down some at the MLB level, and he struck out in a whopping 43.75% of plate appearances. Nonetheless, he managed a respectable .775 OPS, thanks to his 5 home runs and a passable 8.75% walk rate. Primarily a second baseman, García also played both corner outfield positions during his rookie season.

With an already crowded outfield mix in Cincinnati, he figures to see most of his playing time at second base, which is currently something of a toss-up with Mike Moustakas hitting the injured list; Josh VanMeter occupied that spot this afternoon. VanMeter, a left-handed hitter, could form a platoon with the switch-hitting García, though the latter fared considerably better as a lefty in his first taste of big-league action (to be fair, he got just 20 plate appearances against southpaws).

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