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Reds Likely To Trade From Bullpen Depth

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The Reds are telling teams they plan to trade from their bullpen, report C. Trent Rosecrans and Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. That is not yet a signal about their deadline direction, though. According to the report, Cincinnati anticipates having a bullpen surplus as they expect Emilio Pagán and Ian Gibaut to return from the injured list next month.

Cincinnati has somewhat quietly had one of the better bullpens in the league. Reds relievers rank seventh with a 3.52 earned run average and are eighth with a 24.5% strikeout rate. The relief group had been a recurring problem before turning into one of the team’s strengths this year. Swingman Nick Martinez has thrived when working from the ’pen. Fernando Cruz has developed into one of the league’s better strikeout arms, while underrated lefty Sam Moll has continued to excel after coming over from the A’s at last year’s deadline.

The Reds don’t have a ton of maneuverability with their relief group. Cruz and Moll have locked down two spots with their performance. Closer Alexis Díaz has been inconsistent, but Cincinnati isn’t going to send him down. Justin Wilson, Buck Farmer and Lucas Sims all have the requisite service time to decline a minor league assignment. Cincinnati can’t option Tony Santillan back to the minors after selecting his contract two weeks ago.

That leaves one bullpen spot with a five-man rotation. Martinez is currently working from the starting five but could slide back to the ’pen once Carson Spiers returns from the injured list. That’d essentially complete the bullpen without having any obvious candidates to bounce between Great American Ball Park and Triple-A Louisville.

If they needed a fresh arm at that point, the Reds could designate someone for assignment. While Farmer has a 2.80 ERA over 45 innings, his strikeout and walk profile is pedestrian. Santillan had spent virtually the entire season in Triple-A, but The Athletic writes that the Reds view him as a key piece and would not want to put him back on waivers. Cincinnati could get Gibaut, Pagán and lefty Brent Suter back from injury later in the season.

While they’ll likely deal with other injuries along the way, the Reds obviously won’t be able to make any trades after next Tuesday. It seems they’re preemptively trying to get something in return for at least one or two of their relievers rather than lose players via waivers in August. The most obvious candidates for such a move are their impending free agents: Sims, Farmer and Wilson.

None of that trio would bring back a significant return. Sims, who is playing on a $2.85MM arbitration salary, has the highest ceiling of that group. He misses bats and has worked in a high-leverage capacity for the last few seasons, but he issues too many walks to be an in-demand trade chip. Sims is handing out free passes at a 13% clip over 33 frames this year after walking more than 15% of batters faced last season.

Wilson missed virtually all of 2022-23 because of Tommy John surgery and a lat injury. He returned this year with his typical velocity and has fanned more than a quarter of opponents with a 5.2% walk rate. A .365 average on balls in play has led to an unimpressive 4.85 ERA, but the 36-year-old is a fine option for teams seeking another left-hander in middle relief. Wilson is making a $1.5MM base salary.

Martinez is making $14MM this year and has a $12MM player option for next season. He’s pitching well, turning in a 3.88 ERA with excellent control over 72 frames. The fairly lofty salary and ’25 player option could lead teams to look elsewhere, though. It’s also not clear if the Reds want to deal Martinez, whose versatility they could value if they still anticipate making a playoff push.

General manager Nick Krall told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer yesterday that the front office had not decided on their overall deadline outlook. They’re five games under .500 and in last place in the NL Central, yet they’re within 4.5 games of a Wild Card spot in a wide open National League. Cincinnati’s game against the Braves tonight was rained out. They’ll make it up with a doubleheader on Wednesday. They play a weekend set in Tampa Bay and one game against the Cubs before the deadline.

Reds Sign Justin Wilson To Major League Deal

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The Reds announced Friday that they’ve signed left-hander Justin Wilson to a one-year deal. The ACES client will be guaranteed $1.5MM on a contract that includes an additional $1MM in possible incentives. Cincinnati already had an opening on the 40-man roster, so no further move was necessary. Manager David Bell told reporters that another lefty reliever, Alex Young, will open the season on the 15-day injured list with a back issue.

Wilson, 36, signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers about a month ago. He pitched fairly well in the spring, striking out nine hitters in four official innings, but he seemed blocked from making a stacked Dodger bullpen. He opted out of that deal earlier this week.

Cracking the bullpen in Cincinnati should be easier. Brent Suter is one lefty option but they are otherwise shorthanded in that department. Sam Moll was slowed by some shoulder soreness when he reported to camp and has yet to pitch in an official spring game. Now that Young is also injured, Suter was the only healthy lefty reliever on the roster until this Wilson signing.

Wilson is coming off a couple of injury-marred seasons. After making just five appearances in 2022, he required Tommy John surgery in June of that year. While rehabbing, he signed with the Brewers for 2023. But after being activated off the injured list in July last year, he suffered a lat injury while warming up in the bullpen. He went right back on the IL and wasn’t able to come back, meaning he didn’t make an official big league appearance last year.

But prior to that, he was an effective big league reliever for about a decade. He pitched for the Pirates, Yankees, Tigers, Cubs, Mets and Reds from 2012 to 2021, posting a 3.42 earned run average in 522 appearances. He punched out 25.7% of batters who came to the plate, walking 10.7% of them and kept 46.8% of balls in play on the ground. He earned some leverage work in that time, getting 18 saves and 132 holds.

Though he missed the last couple of campaigns, Wilson is healthy now and brings a solid track record to the Reds. He and Suter should be the club’s lefty relief duo, at least until Moll and Young get healthy.

Robert Murray of FanSided first reported the Reds and Wilson had agreed to a major league contract. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Gordon Wittenmyer had previously relayed that Wilson was in Reds’ camp. MLBTR’s Steve Adams was first to report the deal contained a $1.5MM base salary with an additional $1MM in performance bonuses.

Justin Wilson Opts Out Of Minors Deal With Dodgers

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Left-hander Justin Wilson has opted out of his minor league deal with the Dodgers, per MLBTR’s Steve Adams. The ACES client is once again a free agent.

Wilson, 36, signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers last month. Wilson’s official spring stat line currently includes nine strikeouts and two walks in four innings, allowing two earned runs.

Despite that fairly solid showing, he was likely going to find it tough to crack a strong bullpen for the Dodgers. Manager Dave Roberts said last week that righty Daniel Hudson, also on a minor league deal, would make the team. Hudson would join a bullpen that also consists of options like Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, Joe Kelly, Ryan Brasier, Alex Vesia, Blake Treinen, Ryan Yarbrough, J.P. Feyereisen and others. Graterol has some hip tightness and may miss the Seoul Series but doesn’t seem in line for a lengthy absence.

It seems Wilson felt he would be better off by returning to the open market and looking for opportunities elsewhere. It wasn’t previously reported that he had an opt-out in his deal but it seems there was one there for him to use. He can market himself based on his lengthy track record, though he is coming off two mostly lost seasons. He underwent Tommy John surgery in June of 2022, which limited him to just 3 2/3 innings that year. He signed with the Brewers for 2023 and was activated off the injured list at the end of July, but he suffered a lat strain before getting into a game and went right back on the shelf. He wasn’t able to return later in the year.

From 2012 to 2021, Wilson made 522 big league appearances with a 3.42 earned run average. He struck out 25.7% of batters faced, gave out walks at a 10.7% clip and kept 46.8% of balls in play on the ground. He racked up 18 saves and 132 holds in that time, pitching for the Pirates, Yankees, Tigers, Cubs, Mets and Reds.

Though he missed the last couple of years due to injury, he appears to be healthy now. Left-handed relief tends to always be in demand so Wilson will gauge the market and try to find the best opportunity for himself. He’ll join Brad Hand, Aaron Loup and Jarlín García as some of the southpaw relievers currently in free agency.

Dodgers, Justin Wilson Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Dodgers have agreed to a deal with free-agent lefty Justin Wilson, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. It’ll be a minor league pact with a spring training invite for the ACES client, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic adds.

Wilson, 36, has been limited to just 3 2/3 innings over the past two seasons due to Tommy John surgery and a lat strain. That brief sample of work came with the Reds and saw Wilson create some intrigue with a bump back to his peak velocity levels (95.1 mph average fastball). He faced only 13 hitters as a Red but fanned seven of them and didn’t issue a walk. Surgery cut his season short, however, and he signed with the Brewers on a one-year deal with an option. The TJS rehab and subsequent lat strain wound up combining to keep Wilson off a big league mound for the entirety of the 2023 season.

Prior to those health setbacks, Wilson had enjoyed a lengthy run as a quality setup man for the Pirates, Yankees, Tigers, Cubs and Mets. From 2013-21, the lefty rattled of 458 2/3 innings of 3.43 ERA ball with 132 saves and 18 holds. He’s never had great command (career 10.7% walk rate), but Wilson has fanned just shy of 26% of hitters in his MLB career and sat north of 29% with his strikeout rate from 2017-20 after shelving his sinker and ramping up the usage of his four-seamer.

The Dodgers lost some left-handed depth in the bullpen this winter, trading Victor Gonzalez and Caleb Ferguson to the Yankees in separate swaps. Alex Vesia and Ryan Yarbrough are currently slated to manager Dave Roberts’ left-handed options in the ’pen, with fellow southpaw Matt Gage also on the 40-man roster (and still possessing a minor league option). Wilson and veteran T.J. McFarland give the Dodgers a pair of experienced lefty relievers who’ll be non-roster invitees in camp. They’ll be joined by NRI righties Daniel Hudson, Dinelson Lamet, Nabil Crismatt and Jesse Hahn, among others, in looking to win a spot in a crowded Dodgers bullpen.

Brewers Decline Options On Andrew Chafin, Justin Wilson

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The Brewers have declined their options on left-handed relievers Andrew Chafin and Justin Wilson, tweets Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.

Chafin, a 33-year-old lefty reliever, lingered on the free agent market last winter until mid-February.  He signed a one-year, $6.25MM deal to return to the Diamondbacks, the team that made him a first-round pick out of Kent State nearly 12 years prior.  Chafin took a share of Arizona’s closing duties this year, logging eight saves but with some rough outings along the way.  He was able to punch out nearly a third of batters faced with Arizona, but also walked 12% of them.  Having added Paul Sewald from the Mariners, the D’Backs shipped Chafin to Milwaukee for righty Peter Strzelecki.

Chafin struggled mightily with the Brewers, unable to curb the walks or maintain a healthy strikeout rate.  In a stretch in late August, Chafin was battered for nine earned runs in 3 1/3 innings spanning five outings.  He righted the ship in September, at least ERA-wise, but the southpaw’s $725K buyout was an easy call for the Brewers as compared to his $7.25MM club option.

Wilson, another veteran lefty, did not pitch in 2023.  He underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2022, after which the Brewers signed him on a $1MM guarantee.  The Brewers reinstated Wilson from the 60-day IL in late July, but before he could get into a game he went back to the IL with a lat strain.  That injury knocked him out for the rest of the season, leaving little chance Milwaukee would choose the $2.5MM club option over his $150K buyout.

Chafin and Wilson will join the free agent market for lefty relievers, and figure to sign one-year deals.

The Brewers do have some lefty depth in the bullpen, as Hoby Milner posted a fine 2023 season.  Aaron Ashby, who underwent April labrum surgery, wasn’t able to build back up to help the Brewers this year but should be good to go in Spring Training.  Ashby is a potential rotation candidate as well.

Brewers Reinstate Bennett Sousa

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The Brewers reinstated reliever Bennett Sousa from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Nashville, per the transaction log at MLB.com. Milwaukee transferred Justin Wilson from the 15-day to the 60-day IL to clear the necessary 40-man roster spot.

Sousa missed a couple months with a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder. Acquired from the division-rival Reds in April, the 28-year-old southpaw has made a pair of appearances for the Brew Crew this season. He’s logged 16 innings with Nashville, allowing 10 runs (nine earned). He’s fanned 22 hitters at the top minor league level. Milwaukee acquired Andrew Chafin at the trade deadline to pair with Hoby Milner as left-handed options for Craig Counsell. Now that he’s healthy, Sousa is in the mix behind them.

Wilson’s brutally-timed injury could well have increased Milwaukee’s urgency to trade for Chafin. The veteran lefty strained a lat while warming up for what would’ve been his first appearance after a Tommy John rehab. He’ll miss the remainder of the season and seems quite likely to be bought out next winter, meaning he might never make an appearance as a Brewer.

Justin Wilson Won’t Pitch Again In 2023

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When the Brewers placed Justin Wilson on the 15-day injured list on July 29, it was expected that the southpaw was in for another lengthy absence.  Manager Craig Counsell described Wilson’s left lat strain as “pretty significant” at the time, and Counsell updated reporters (including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) on Friday that Wilson will indeed miss the rest of the 2023 season.

Wilson’s year will end without a single MLB appearance, as his time on the Brewers’ active roster was short-lived.  Milwaukee only activated Wilson from the 60-day IL on July 28, as the left-hander was returning from Tommy John surgery rehab.  Unfortunately, Wilson was warming up in the bullpen for his first appearance of the season when he suffered his lat strain, thus ending his Brewers debut before it officially happened.  Between this injury and the TJ surgery, Wilson has only pitched in five games (for 3 2/3 innings) since the start of the 2022 season.

The Brew Crew signed Wilson to a one-year free agent deal last offseason worth $1MM in guaranteed money — $850K in salary for 2023, and a $150K buyout of a $2.5MM club option for 2024.  The contract was designed to give Milwaukee some flexibility if Wilson ended up missing most or all of the season due to Tommy John rehab, so in theory, the lat strain shouldn’t much change the original equation for the team.  On the other hand, $2.5MM is a decent amount of money for a medium-payroll team to spend on a veteran (Wilson turns 36 this month) reliever who hasn’t pitched in almost two full seasons.  This isn’t a decision the Brewers will have to make until after the World Series is over, so there’s plenty of time for the club to monitor Wilson’s recovery from the lat injury.

In better injury news for the Brewers, Counsell said that Rowdy Tellez is slated to begin a Triple-A rehab assignment on Tuesday.  Tellez hasn’t played since July 4, as a 10-day IL stint that started due to forearm inflammation was then extended when Tellez broke the fingertip on his left ring finger in a fluke accident while shagging fly balls before a game.

Brewers Place Justin Wilson On Injured List

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The Brewers have placed reliever Justin Wilson on the 15-day injured list due to a left lat strain. Milwaukee recalled Trevor Megill from Triple-A Nashville to take the open active roster spot. The Brewers also optioned Jahmai Jones to Nashville, as newly-acquired first baseman Carlos Santana has reported to the team.

It’s a brutal development for Wilson. The left-hander had completed a near 14-month rehab after undergoing Tommy John surgery last June. He was reinstated from the injured list to make his Milwaukee debut last night. While throwing his warm-up pitches, he sustained the lat injury.

While it isn’t clear how long Wilson is expected to be out, manager Craig Counsell said shortly after last night’s game the injury appeared “pretty significant” (link via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). His absence again leaves Hoby Milner as the only southpaw in the MLB bullpen. If the Brewers anticipate another significant IL stay for Wilson, perhaps the front office will look to add lefty relief help in the next three days.

Wilson’s contract contains a $2.5MM club option or a $150K buyout for next season. This obviously wasn’t the way in which he envisioned beginning his Milwaukee tenure as he tries to work his way to having that option picked up.

Brewers Reinstate Justin Wilson From 60-Day IL

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The Brewers announced that left-hander Justin Wilson has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, lefty Bennett Sousa has been transferred onto the 60-day IL and sent on a rehab assignment.

Wilson, 35, has over a decade of experience as an effective reliever in the big leagues. He’s made 527 appearances dating back to his 2012 debut, with a career 3.41 ERA in those. He’s struck out 25.9% of batters faced, walked 10.7% and kept the ball on the ground at a 46.8% rate. Unfortunately, he required Tommy John surgery in June of last year. The Reds had a $1.22MM buyout over his services for 2023 but declined sent him to the open market.

The Brewers signed him this offseason to a one-year deal with a club option for 2024, knowing he would miss at least part of the 2023 campaign while rehabbing. Wilson got a $1MM guarantee in the form of an $850K salary this year and $150K buyout on the $2.5MM option.

Hoby Milner is the only left-handed reliever that has thrown more than three innings for the Brewers this year, so Wilson will give them a second option in that department. He’ll then have a couple of months to showcase his health and effectiveness before the club decides on that option.

Sousa, 28, was designated for assignment by the Reds in April and came to the Brewers in a cash deal. He’s since served as an up-and-down reliever for the Brewers, throwing 2 2/3 innings for the big league club and 13 1/3 at Triple-A. He landed on the injured list June 8 due to left shoulder nerve irritation. He’ll now be ineligible to return until 60 days from that date, which would be early August. A return as soon as he’s eligible seems to be possible since he’s now going out on a rehab assignment.

Injury Notes: Wilson, Rucinski, Stewart

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Brewers left-hander Justin Wilson began a rehab assignment yesterday, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. The lefty required Tommy John surgery in June of last year and Milwaukee signed him knowing that he would miss the first half of 2023 even in a best-case scenario. He’s making $850K this year and the club has a $2.5MM option for next season with a $150K buyout.

The 35-year-old has plenty of experience as a solid left-handed reliever, having appeared in 527 career games with an ERA of 3.41. He’s struck out 25.9% of batters faced, walked 10.7% of them and kept the ball on the ground at a 46.8% rate. If he’s able to get healthy and back to his old self, he could give the club a second lefty in the bullpen alongside Hoby Milner.

Wilson will likely need some time to get into game shape, but the fact that he’s beginning a rehab assignment barely a year after going under the knife is an encouraging sign that things are progressing well. His health and performance down the stretch will undoubtedly impact how much interest the Brewers have in picking up that option.

Some other health notes from around the league…

  • Athletics right-hander Drew Rucinski has had a frustrating season in the health department and those frustrations seem to be continuing. He landed on the injured list in late May due to a stomach illness but that was followed by a low-grade MCL sprain in his right knee suffered during a bullpen session. Now Martín Gallegos of MLB.com relays that Rucinski will be undergoing MRIs on his left hip and lower back due to some apparent degenerative changes. That testing will hopefully shed some light on what’s ahead for the righty, whose return to North America isn’t going as hoped. He parlayed a strong performance in the KBO into a $3MM deal with the A’s plus a $5MM club option for 2024. He began the year on the IL due to a hamstring strain then got healthy enough to make four starts, allowing 18 earned runs in 18 innings before this recent cascade of setbacks. He’s already been transferred to the 60-day injured list and isn’t eligible to return until late July.
  • Twins right-hander Brock Stewart was placed on the 15-day injured list yesterday, retroactive to June 26, with right elbow soreness. His agent Joe Speed told Darren Wolfson of Skor North that it wasn’t a big issue and expressed confidence that Stewart would be able to contribute in the second half of the season. Manager Rocco Baldelli also seemed to think it wouldn’t be a huge problem, telling Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune that it appeared to be a minor bout of tendinitis. If it ultimately proves to be true that it’s no big deal, that’s a tremendous break for the Twins. Stewart has been utterly dominant this year, with an ERA of 0.70 through 25 2/3 innings, striking out 35.4% of opponents against an 11.1% walk rate. It’s been an incredible comeback story for a guy who is in the big leagues for the first time since 2019 and the club would undoubtedly be thrilled if he could make a quick return after the All-Star break.
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