- Jurickson Profar suffered what the Rockies described as a twisted left knee in today’s game, which forced Profar to make an early exit. Profar had to collide with the left field ball to make a running catch on a Mookie Betts fly ball, and Profar was in obvious discomfort afterwards. Colorado manager Bud Black told reporters (including Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post) that Profar had already been dealing with a sore left knee even prior to today’s injury, and the outfielder will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the problem.
Rockies Rumors
Rockies Select Cole Tucker
The Rockies announced Monday that they’ve selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Cole Tucker from Triple-A Albuquerque. Infielder Coco Montes was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Colorado had a vacancy on its 40-man roster prior to today’s moves, so the team is now at capacity in that regard.
Tucker, 27, returns to the majors for the fifth straight year. The former first-round draftee had played parts of four seasons with the Pittsburgh club that drafted him. Tucker didn’t find much big league success with the Bucs, combining for a .211/.259/.314 line over 469 big league plate appearances.
Last June, the Bucs lost Tucker on waivers to the D-Backs. He struggled offensively with Arizona’s top minor league club, resulting in an outright that paved the way for him to elect free agency at season’s end. Tucker hooked on with the Rockies on an offseason minor league pact and has spent 2023 in Albuquerque.
Tucker has had a strong offensive showing there, even in the context of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He’s hitting .311/.419/.459 over 267 trips. Tucker only has five homers but is walking at a huge 15.7% clip against a modest 19.1% strikeout rate. Of the 92 PCL hitters with 200+ plate appearances, Tucker ranks 13th in on-base percentage.
While Tucker has plenty of shortstop experience, he has split his time with the Isotopes between the outfield and second base. He brings some defensive flexibility to Bud Black’s bench. Tucker is out of minor league option years, so the Rox have to keep him in the bigs or designate him for assignment now that he earned an MLB call. If he plays well enough to hold a roster spot all season, he won’t be eligible for arbitration until the end of next year.
Marlins Had Interest In Turner, Lynn, Cron Prior To Trade Deadline
The Marlins were one of the league’s busier teams in advance of the trade deadline, as Miami made several moves to bolster its lineup and bullpen for the wild card race. Such names as Josh Bell, David Robertson, Jake Burger, Jorge Lopez, and Ryan Weathers joined the organization, but there were plenty of interesting players on Miami’s radar, including a few who weren’t previously mentioned in pre-deadline buzz. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Levi Weaver report that the Marlins had “extensive discussions” with the Red Sox about Justin Turner, while Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald report that the Marlins were also interested in Lance Lynn and C.J. Cron.
Reports surfaced on July 28 that the Sox weren’t moving Turner, which is probably when (as Rosenthal and Weaver write) the Marlins turned their attention to other position players. Miami’s talks with the White Sox about Lynn also developed into the eventual Burger trade, as the Fish landed Burger for left-hander Jake Eder in a one-for-one swap. Burger was also something of a fallback once the Marlins balked at the Nationals’ asking price for Jeimer Candelario, and Miami was more comfortable trading a controllable pitcher like Eder for another younger player with multiple years of control, whereas Candelario is a free agent after the season.
Lynn and Cron were seen as likely trade candidates since the White Sox and Rockies are both out of contention, and indeed both players were moved in pre-deadline deals. (Chicago sent Lynn and Joe Kelly to the Dodgers as part of a five-player trade, while the Rockies dealt Cron and Randal Grichuk to the Angels for two pitching prospects.) There would certainly have been more eyebrows raised over a Turner deal given that the Red Sox are fighting for a wild card berth in the American League, yet even such a trade wouldn’t have been a total shock considering how Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom both moved and acquired veterans at the 2022 deadline when Boston was also on the periphery of the playoff chase.
This year’s deadline season was comparatively quieter at Fenway Park, as the Sox only acquired Luis Urias from the Brewers and sent Enrique Hernandez to the Dodgers. The Red Sox were known to be looking for controllable pitching, and Rosenthal/Weaver theorize that the Marlins’ deep crop of arms might have gotten Bloom to at least consider the idea of moving Turner.
Speculatively, it is also worth wondering if Edward Cabrera might have been part of the Marlins/Red Sox talks. Jackson and Mish write that several teams called about Cabrera, to the point that the Marlins had Devin Smeltzer on hand in case Cabrera was moved prior to his scheduled start on Monday. Cabrera only lasted three innings in that start, and he was optioned to Triple-A on Wednesday and Smeltzer’s contract was officially selected from Triple-A a day later.
As much as the Red Sox needed pitching, it is safe to guess that trading Turner for almost anyone wouldn’t have gone over well with Boston fans, or even within the clubhouse. Turner has hit .286/.356/.481 with 17 homers over 441 plate appearances, with his offense steadily increasing over the course of the season. Though Turner will be 39 in November, he is still playing well enough that it’s possible he could opt out of the final season of his two-year contract with the Sox and again enter free agency this winter, looking to land a more lucrative multi-year commitment. If that scenario occurs, one would imagine the Marlins would come calling, considering their interest in Turner dates back at last winter.
Minor 40-Man Moves: Adams, Ortega, Capra
With the trade deadline behind us, a few smaller 40-man transactions from throughout the day that weren’t previously covered:
- The Angels selected outfielder Jordyn Adams onto the big league roster while transferring Jo Adell and Sam Bachman to the 60-day injured list. The 17th overall pick in the 2018 draft, Adams is set for his major league debut. The 23-year-old outfielder is hitting .264/.351/.466 through 389 plate appearances with Triple-A Salt Lake. Strikeout issues have knocked down his former top prospect stock, but he’s capable of playing center field and has stolen 37 bases in 42 attempts this year.
- The Pirates selected infielder Vinny Capra. Pittsburgh acquired the 27-year-old for catcher Tyler Heineman in a minor swap with the Blue Jays at the end of April. His big league experience consists of eight games with Toronto last season. The right-handed hitter owns a massive .350/.457/.485 showing with more walks than strikeouts over 34 games at Triple-A Indianapolis for the Bucs.
- The Mets selected Rafael Ortega. Signed to a minor league deal in mid-June, the lefty-hitting outfielder returns to the big leagues for a seventh season. Ortega hit .265/.344/.408 for the Cubs between 2021-22. He owns a .228/.352/.388 line between two Triple-A affiliates this season. The 32-year-old will be eligible for arbitration after the season if he finished the year on the MLB roster.
Injured List Transactions
- Rockies reinstated Tyler Kinley from 60-day IL
- Yankees transferred Jose Trevino to 60-day IL
- Blue Jays reinstated Hyun Jin Ryu from 60-day IL, transferred Otto Lopez to 60-day IL
Rockies Acquire Justin Bruihl
The Rockies have acquired left-hander Justin Bruihl from the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
Bruihl was designated for assignment late last week alongside infielder Eddys Leonard to make room for right-handers Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly. The 26-year-old lefty made his debut for the Dodgers in 2021 with a solid 2.89 ERA and 3.97 FIP in 18 2/3 innings of work. While he’s taken a step back in subsequent years, a career 3.65 ERA in 66 2/3 innings of work indicates he can be a solid middle relief option from the left-hand side. That being said, his 4.48 FIP and well below-average 15.6% career strikeout rate indicate he’s unlikely to be much more than that,
In Colorado, Bruihl figures to slot into a bullpen that already lost Brad Hand earlier today and could still see Brent Suter traded before the deadline as well. Should Suter follow hand out the door, Bruihl will be the sole lefty in the Rockies bullpen and could play his way into higher leverage work alongside the likes of Justin Lawrence and Daniel Bard. As for the Dodgers, the move officially ends Bruihl’s time with the club, though LA still has plenty of left-handed options for their bullpen, including Alex Vesia, Caleb Ferguson, and Victor Gonzalez.
Braves Acquire Brad Hand
The Braves have acquired reliever Brad Hand from the Rockies, the clubs announced. Minor league reliever Alec Barger goes to Colorado in a one-for-one swap. Atlanta already had an opening on their 40-man roster.
Hand was one of the more obvious trade candidates this summer. The veteran reliever signed a buy-low deal with the Rockies late last offseason. He received a $1MM bonus for making the roster and is playing the year on a $1.5MM salary. Less than $500K remains to be paid out, though he’s also guaranteed a $500K buyout on a $7MM option at season’s end. That provision was a club option for Colorado but converts to a mutual pact now that Hand has been traded.
It’s largely immaterial, as Colorado never seemed likely to exercise the option. Hand has been a solid but unexceptional middle innings arm for the Rox. He’s tallied 35 2/3 innings through 40 appearances, working to a 4.54 ERA. That’s his worst ERA since moving to the bullpen seven years ago, though pitching half his games in Coors Field hasn’t done him any favors.
Despite the diminished run prevention, Hand has gotten an uptick in swing-and-miss. His 26.1% strikeout rate is his best mark in three seasons. His 9.7% swinging strike percentage is still a fair bit below-average but a little better than those of his prior two years. While he’s gotten tattooed by right-handed hitters, Hand has stifled lefties to a .143/.276/.204 batting line with 20 strikeouts in 59 plate appearances.
He’ll add a veteran specialist to a relief corps which Atlanta has sought to deepen over the past week. The Braves also acquired Pierce Johnson from Colorado and recently claimed Yonny Chirinos from Tampa Bay. They’re not impact additions, but Atlanta’s bullpen is already strong. The Braves enter play Tuesday with a 3.67 relief ERA that ranks fifth in the majors. It had been righty-heavy with Dylan Lee on the injured list; Hand adds a second option behind A.J. Minter, likely for more situational work.
In return, Colorado picks up some upper minors relief depth. Barger, 25, is a former 17th round selection out of North Carolina State. He’s spent the season at Double-A Mississippi, working to a 3.29 ERA with a quality 29.3% strikeout rate. Barger’s 12.8% walk percentage is elevated, but the Rockies are clearly intrigued by the bat-missing potential and the bottom line results. He’d be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter if not added to the 40-man roster, though the trades of Johnson and Hand (and likely a forthcoming deal of Brent Suter) could open an opportunity for him to get a late-season debut.
Robert Murray of FanSided first reported the Rockies were trading Hand for Barger.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Rockies Activate Brendan Rodgers From 60-Day IL
The Rockies announced Monday that they’ve reinstated infielder Brendan Rodgers from the 60-day injured list. Rodgers has yet to play in a game this season after suffering a shoulder injury during spring training. Colorado also recalled infielder Coco Montes from Triple-A Albuquerque. That pair of moves will fill the roster spots vacated by last night’s trades of Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron (both to the Angels in the same deal). Rodgers also fills one of what had been three vacancies on the 40-man roster.
Originally, there was concern that Rodgers’ injury would prove to be season-ending in nature. Ultimately, it’ll still end up costing him about two-thirds of the 2023 campaign, though that’s surely a preferable result for the 26-year-old, as opposed to an entirely lost season. Rodgers has been on a minor league rehab assignment for a couple weeks now and has hit particularly well (7-for-20 with a homer and two doubles) since moving up from Class-A to Triple-A. He appeared in 10 minor league games and tallied 38 plate appearances before being deemed ready to go.
Rodgers, the third overall pick in 2015, has tallied 996 plate appearances from 2021-22 as the Rockies’ primary second baseman, turning in a solid .274/.326/.434 slash with 28 homers, 51 doubles, six triples and strong defense at second base. Defensive Runs Saved credited Rodgers with a whopping +22 mark at the position in 2022, and while metrics like Ultimate Zone Rating (7.9) and Outs Above Average (3) weren’t quite as bullish, he universally graded as an above-average defender and was recognized as such when he captured his first Gold Glove Award last year.
It’s deadline season and the Rockies are sellers, so it’s technically plausible that the Rox could be surprised by an over-the-top offer for Rodgers in the 26 hours between now and tomorrow’s trade deadline, though that seems quite unlikely. Rodgers has another two years of affordable club control remaining beyond the current season, and the Rox surely aren’t keen on trading away such a major piece of their roster when his value is down fresh on the heels of a season-long IL stint. Given the general state of the Rockies, however, Rodgers could emerge as an offseason trade candidate if he performs well in the final two months and sufficiently proves that the shoulder injury is behind him.
Angels Acquire Randal Grichuk, C.J. Cron From Rockies
The Angels have acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk and first baseman C.J. Cron from the Rockies, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link). Right-hander Jake Madden and left-hander Mason Albright will be headed to the Rockies. The Angels have officially announced the deal, adding that they will also receive some cash considerations in return. Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports that infielder Kevin Padlo has been designated for assignment and Taylor Ward has been shifted to the 60-day injured list to create some space on the Angels’ roster.
The four-player swap is the latest move in what has been already been a busy month for an Angels team determined to contend. With Shohei Ohtani possibly departing in free agency after the season, the Angels are desperate to make the playoffs, and have added Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Eduardo Escobar, and Mike Moustakas in other trades to address roster needs.
Tonight’s trade also brings a pair of familiar faces back to Anaheim. Cron was selected 17th overall by the Angels in the 2011 draft, and he spent his first four Major League seasons with the club. The Halos had back-to-back picks in the first round of the 2009 draft and notably picked Grichuk 24th (one selection ahead of Mike Trout), but Grichuk never saw any MLB action for Anaheim, as he was dealt to the Cardinals as part of the November 2013 trade that brought David Freese to the Angels.
Colorado’s tendency to try and retain players it particularly likes in free agency has created some doubt about obvious trade candidates in the past, but on paper, Grichuk and Cron both looked like clear candidates to be moved prior to Tuesday’s deadline. Grichuk is in the last year of the original five-year, $53MM extension he signed with the Blue Jays back in 2019, and about $3.11MM remains in owed salary before the end of the season. Cron is in the final year of his own extension with the Rockies, and has roughly $2.42MM still owed in 2023 salary.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the cash considerations from the Rockies amount to $2MM, thus putting approximately $3.53MM extra onto the Angels’ books. This puts Los Angeles a bit further over the $233MM luxury tax threshold, as the Halos look poised to pay the tax for the first time since 2004 (the first year of Arte Moreno’s ownership). The actual dollar value of a first-time tax penalty is pretty minor, but it does underscore the Angels’ commitment to finally ending their string of losing seasons and non-playoff baseball.
This desire to win has been hampered by a number of significant injuries up and down the roster, so in a sense the Angels have had to be aggressive just in order to patch holes. Grichuk has experience at all three outfield positions, but figures to mostly play left field in place of Ward, whose season is probably over after he suffered facial fractures after a scary hit-by-pitch incident in Saturday’s game. In the best-case scenario, Ward is able to fully recover and get back to the lineup by late September, just in time to be available for what the Halos hope will be some playoff baseball.
Once Mike Trout returns from his hamate surgery and Jo Adell returns from his oblique strain, the Angels might even have an outfield surplus, considering that Ohtani has the DH spot locked up. Still, that’s a problem Los Angeles will happily face down the road if it means their lineup is finally back at something resembling full strength.
Grichuk is enjoying one of his best seasons at the plate, hitting .308/.365/.498 with eight homers over 263 plate appearances after missing most of April recovering from offseason surgery for a sports hernia. Turning 32 years old in a couple of weeks, Grichuk’s career hasn’t lived up to his first-round potential, as his propensity for strikeouts and an inconsistent overall offensive profile has limited his production. From 2019-22, Grichuk had only a 90 wRC+ over 1942 PA and totaled 1.8 fWAR, with a sub-replacement -0.2 mark in 2022.
It’s far from certain that Grichuk has turned a corner, as his .367 BABIP and some significant home/road splits are warning signs that some regression is inevitable once Grichuk is out of Coors Field. That said, at a relatively low acquisition cost and a pressing need for offense, it is a risk the Angels are willing to take.
Cron figures to step right in as a regular first baseman, possibly solidifying a position that has been a revolving door all season in Anaheim. It remains to be seen how the rest of the field might shake out once the injured players start returning, but for now, Moustakas will probably take most of the time at third base while Escobar plays second. Zach Neto will presumably remain the regular shortstop unless he also needs to visit the IL after missing a few games with back soreness. Brandon Drury might be back from the 10-day IL within the next week, further bolstering the infield ranks and maybe moving Cron into a part-time role.
Cron has himself been dealing with a bad back, both within the last week and in the form of a trip to the injured list earlier this season that cost hm about six weeks of action. The 33-year-old has hit .260/.304/.476 with 11 homers in 224 PA, and Cron’s 93 wRC+ puts him on pace for his first below-average offensive season since 2017 (his final year with the Angels).
However, Cron has been hitting much better over the last month, with a .319/.347/.565 slash line in his first 72 PA since his IL stint. His three seasons at Coors Field led to some pretty drastic home/road splits, and the Angels will have to hope that he can both hit outside of the thin air and remain healthy enough to play first base, since Ohtani’s presence removes the safety net of the DH spot.
MLB Pipeline and Baseball America had something of a split opinion on Madden’s potential, as while Pipeline ranked the right-hander as the eighth-best prospect in the Angels’ farm system, BA rated him only 21st. Madden was a fourth-round pick for the Halos in 2022 and was getting his first taste of pro ball this season, with a 5.46 ERA over 64 1/3 innings for the Angels’ A-ball affiliate. His 12.9% walk rate underlines the issues that Baseball America’s scouting report had with his control and command, yet Madden’s big fastball can hit 98mph and his slider also looks like an above-average pitch. A Tommy John surgery limited Madden’s experience late in high school and in junior college, but Pipeline in particular likes his upside once the 21-year-old gets more experience on the mound.
Albright fell just inside the Angels’ top 30 rankings from Pipeline (28th) and Baseball America (29th), and the 20-year-old southpaw has posted a 3.62 ERA, 25.7% strikeout rate, and 6.0% walk rate over 79 2/3 innings with A-level Island Empire. A 12th-round pick for Los Angeles in 2021, Albright’s numbers have improved after a mechanical change, so some interesting upside exists if he continues to thrive after altering the arm action on his delivery. Pipeline puts a 50-grade on all four of Albright’s pitches, but while he doesn’t have a signature plus pitch, he can throw everything in his arsenal for strikes.
In short, the Rockies have now brought two new young arms into the organization, as Colorado continues its ever-lasting search for pitchers who can thrive at Coors Field. The 2023 season in particular has only underlined that need, as the Rox have been crushed by rotation injuries ever since Spring Training, leaving the team struggling just to find another healthy pitchers to eat innings. While the Rockies were seen as longshots to contend anyway, the team’s 41-64 record has put them at the bottom of the National League standings.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Rockies Select Chris Flexen
July 29: The Rockies have now officially selected Flexen, optioning Gavin Hollowell in a corresponding move. They already had a couple of vacancies on their 40-man roster, which is now at 39.
July 28: The Rockies will promote right-hander Chris Flexen to start tomorrow’s game against the A’s, tweets Luke Zahlmann of the Denver Gazette. Colorado will have to formally select his contract, as Flexen isn’t yet on the 40-man roster.
Flexen landed with the Rockies on a minor league deal two weeks ago. It was a good landing spot for the veteran, who’d been cut loose by the Mariners and Mets in rapid succession. The path back to the majors was easy to see with a Rockies’ club navigating a brutal stretch of injury luck in the starting staff.
Those health issues continued, as Colorado placed Chase Anderson on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation this afternoon. Anderson has held a spot in the Rox’s rotation since being claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay in the second week of May. The 35-year-old has a 6.08 ERA through 14 appearances.
Flexen, 29, has spent the bulk of the year in the bullpen. He started four of 17 outings for Seattle, struggling to a 7.71 ERA across 42 innings. Flexen had been quite a bit better for the M’s in the preceding two seasons. He combined for a 3.66 ERA through 317 1/3 frames between 2021-22. His 16.5% strikeout percentage was below average, but Flexen kept his walks to a modest 6.8% clip.
The Mets agreed to take on what remains of his salary a few weeks ago as a means of acquiring reliever Trevor Gott from Seattle. Colorado will only pay Flexen the prorated amount of the $720K minimum salary for as long as he’s on the MLB roster. He’s headed back to free agency at year’s end but could use the next couple months as an audition for a spot in the 2024 rotation. Colorado’s rotation outlook for next season essentially consists only of Kyle Freeland and Austin Gomber at present. If Flexen can find some early success, it stands to reason the Rockies could have interest in re-signing him next winter.
Rockies Sign Roman Quinn To Minors Contract
The Rockies signed Roman Quinn to a minor league deal, as per Quinn’s MLB.com profile page. This is the third minors contract and the third organization of 2023 for Quinn, who previously played with the Guardians and Brewers this year.
A veteran of six MLB seasons, Quinn has spent much of his career with the Phillies before he was designated for assignment midway through 2022 and subsequently elected free agency. His transactional whirlwind first took him to the Royals on a minor league deal before he caught on with the Rays on a big league contract just over a year ago. Quinn ended up playing 21 games in a Tampa uniform before hitting the injured list due to a knee contusion, and the Rays then outrighted him following the season.
Injuries have basically been the story of Quinn’s career, as he was a well-regarded prospect during his time in Philadelphia’s farm system but has been frequently set back by a variety of health issues. The most prominent among his long list of injuries include a ruptured right Achilles as a minor leaguer in 2013, and then a torn left Achilles that prematurely ended his 2021 season. The 30-year-old Quinn has been limited to 222 games over his MLB career, and he has hit .226/.303/.348 over 599 plate appearances.
Kris Bryant and Charlie Blackmon are both on the Rockies’ IL, so Quinn gives Colorado some depth in the outfield. Randal Grichuk was been mentioned as a possible trade candidate before the deadline, and it’s possible Jurickson Profar (also a free agent after the season) could also be moved despite his underwhelming numbers. Quinn’s signing could indicate that the Rox are preparing for at least one outfield-related departure prior to the August 1 deadline.
