Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Guardians Select Bo Naylor, Activate Zach Plesac, Designate Bryan Shaw

By | at

The Guardians announced a quartet of roster moves, including the activation of Zach Plesac from the 15-day injured list and the selection of Bo Naylor’s contract from Triple-A.  To create roster space, infielder Tyler Freeman was optioned to Triple-A, and right-hander Bryan Shaw was designated for assignment.

This will be Naylor’s first taste of Major League action, as the 22-year-old will get a chance at making his debut in the Show before the 2022 season is over, and the unique thrill of suiting up alongside older brother Josh.  The 29th overall pick of the 2018 draft, the younger Naylor is rated as the 58th-best prospect in the sport by Baseball America, while MLB Pipeline has Naylor rated 75th.

It hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride for Naylor in the minors, as after posting respectable numbers in his first two pro seasons, he and countless other prospects had to sit out the canceled 2020 minor league season.  While Naylor still got some reps at Cleveland’s alternate training site, the lack of proper game action seemed to severely impact him in 2021, when he hit only .189/.280/.332 over 335 plate appearances for Double-A Akron.

Remaining at Double-A to begin 2022, Naylor has now regained his status as a potential catcher of the future for the Guardians.  Naylor has hit a cumulative .263/.392/.496 with 21 home runs over 510 PA this season (220 PA at Double-A, 290 at Triple-A).  As per Pipline’s scouting report, Naylor got on track “by using a much more disciplined approach and utilizing the opposite field more often,” which also bodes well for his longer-term development as a big league-caliber hitter.

Cleveland has long prioritized defense at the catcher position, and Naylor has also drawn solid reviews for his blocking and framing ability.  He could continue the Guardians’ focus on glovework while also bringing some much-needed pop behind the plate, if he delivers on his potential at the MLB level.  Naylor is also the rare catcher who has five-tool ability, as he stole 20 bases in 24 chances in the minors this season.

As much as the Guards have relied on young players to fuel their run to the AL Central crown, it probably seems likely that the team will stick with the veteran duo of Austin Hedges and Luke Maile heading into the postseason.  Naylor’s presence does at least give the Guardians another potential option to consider for the playoffs, but this late-season call-up could be more about rewarding Naylor for his big season and taking a look to the future.  Hedges is a free agent this winter, so Cleveland could potentially head into 2023 with a tandem of Naylor and Maile (who is still arbitration-eligible), though there has been speculation that the Guardians could make a bigger move at catcher, such as past trade target Sean Murphy.

Plesac will start today’s game against the Royals, as the righty returns after missing just over a month of action.  Plesac suffered a fracture in his pinkie finger in rather unusual fashion, as he punched the mound in frustration after allowing a Jake Lamb home run in his last start on August 27.

The injury continued what has been a rough season overall for Plesac, who has a respectable 4.39 ERA over 127 innings but also a slate of unimpressive Statcast numbers.  It remains to be seen whether Plesac will get any consideration for a postseason start should the Guardians advance beyond the wild card series, and in the bigger picture, there have been some whispers about whether or not Cleveland could look to trade Plesac this winter.  Though Plesac still has all three years of arbitration eligibility remaining, questions about Plesac’s maturity and focus have been asked for the last few seasons, and the Guardians could prefer to sell relatively high on Plesac as a controllable young starter.

The DFA likely brings an end to Shaw’s latest stint in Cleveland, as the veteran righty returned on a one-year, $3MM free agent deal in March.  That contract contained a $4MM team option for 2023, yet it already looked like the Guards would instead use their $500K buyout rather than exercise Shaw’s option.  The 34-year-old has eaten a lot of innings (58 1/3) out of the bullpen this year, but has a 5.40 ERA and a below-average 19.9% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate.

This isn’t the first time Shaw has run into some struggles, as his 2021 season helped right the ship after a shaky three-year stretch with the Rockies and Mariners.  Returning to Cleveland on a minor league deal in the 2020-21 offseason, Shaw posted a 3.49 ERA over 77 1/3 innings and a league-leading 81 appearances.  However, his inability to recapture that form in 2022 now puts Shaw on the outside of the Guardians’ playoff roster plans.

Astros’ Josh James Undergoes Flexor Tendon Surgery

By | at

Right-hander Josh James underwent flexor tendon surgery this week, the Astros announced to The Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome and other reporters.  James was already on the Astros’ 60-day injured list, and his surgery now adds to an injury-plagued few seasons for the 29-year-old.

James has spent his entire career in the Astros organization, after being a 34th-round draft pick in 2014.  The righty made his MLB debut with 23 innings in 2018, and then took on a larger role in tossing 61 1/3 innings for the American League champions in 2019.  While James’ 4.70 ERA and 13.2% walk rate that season were nothing special, his 97.2 mph velocity and his big 37.6% strikeout rate seemingly made him a live arm to watch in the future.

However, James has only thrown 22 1/3 total innings in the majors since the start of the 2020 season, and none at all in 2022.  James underwent hip surgery in October 2020, battled hamstring problems that delayed his hip rehab in 2021, and this season has been sidelined by back problems and a right lat strain.  Over 27 2/3 innings in the minors this season, James has struggled to a 6.51 ERA and continued to issue too many free passes.

The flexor tendon procedure now creates doubt about James’ potential readiness for the start of Spring Training or the start of the 2023 season.  It already seemed likely that Houston would move on from James this winter, as he is due a minimal raise (from his $800K salary in 2022) in his second year of arbitration eligibility.  With another surgery now impacting James’ future, he seems like a logical non-tender candidate, though the Astros could look to re-sign him at a lower salary or on a minor league contract.

Marlins Prioritizing High-Contact Hitters This Offseason

By | at

For the second straight offseason, the Marlins will head into the winter needing to overhaul their offense. Miami added four everyday players to the lineup last offseason, signing Jorge Soler and Avisaíl García while acquiring Jacob Stallings and Joey Wendle via trade. The hope was that quartet would elevate the hitting enough to compete for a playoff spot behind their excellent starting rotation.

That hasn’t panned out. All four of those players underperformed, and Miami’s offensive performance has barely changed. After hitting .241/.308/.386 last season (excluding pitchers), the Fish carry a .230/.294/.363 team line into play Saturday. The dip in raw numbers is partially attributable to the league-wide downturn in offense. By measure of wRC+, the Marlins were 11 points below league average offensively last season; they’ve been 12 points below average this year. That’s obviously not what the front office had in mind, and it’s no coincidence they’ve lost more than 90 games for the fourth straight 162-game season.

Fixing the lineup is certain to be a priority in the coming months, and the Marlins are preparing to attack the offseason in a different manner. Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald report the team plans to prioritize adding high-contact hitters and faster runners to the roster. According to the Herald, the increased emphasis on bat-to-ball skills is rooted both in the team’s spacious home ballpark and the forthcoming limitations on defensive shifting, which will theoretically slightly improve the league’s batting average on balls in play.

Obviously, the Marlins won’t take so rigid an approach as to rule out adding power hitters entirely. Yet the club’s two big free agent acquisitions last year, Soler and García, are low-contact sluggers. Soler struck out at a roughly average 23.6% clip last year, but he’d fanned in over 26% of his plate appearances in each of the three prior seasons. He’s gone down on strikes 29.4% of the time his first season in Miami. García had struck out at a roughly average level every year from 2019-21, but that’s largely attributable to an extremely aggressive approach that often leads to early-count balls in play. He’d made contact on less than 70% of his swings in each of those seasons, well below the 75-76% league marks. García has struck out in a personal-worst 28.3% of his plate appearances this year.

Both players will be back in South Florida next season. Soler has two years and $24MM remaining on his deal. He can technically opt out after this season but certainly won’t do so after hitting .207/.295/.400 through 306 plate appearances. García is under contract for three more guaranteed years at $12MM annually and is also due a $5MM buyout on a 2026 club option.

Miami will need more production from that duo next season, but they’re not the only high-strikeout players in the lineup. Miami’s 24% team strikeout rate is the fifth-highest in the majors. Of the 16 players who tallied 150+ plate appearances for the team, 11 have struck out at a clip greater than the 22.4% league mark.

It’s sensible enough the Marlins would look for some more balance to their lineup, although it’s apparent that putting the ball in play doesn’t inherently make a player a good hitter. Of Miami’s five hitters with a lower than average strikeout rate, four (Wendle, Stallings, Miguel Rojas and Jon Berti) have been below-average hitters overall. Berti has stolen 38 bases, but he’s slugging just .330. None of Wendle, Stallings or Rojas have an on-base percentage above .300. The only of Miami’s high-contact hitters who has an above-average wRC+ is backup catcher Nick Fortes, who has played in less than half the team’s games.

In any event, it’s clear the Marlins have to find some way to improve the offense. Hopefully getting a full season from star second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. would be a great start, but the rest of the lineup has question marks. Soler and García will be back to factor into the corner outfield and designated hitter mix. Garrett Cooper has had another solid season when healthy and could be the primary first baseman, although he’s entering his final year of arbitration eligibility and figures to draw some renewed interest on the trade market after his name came up in rumors this past summer. Wendle, Stallings and Brian Anderson are all arbitration-eligible and could be retained, but they’ll be due raises on this year’s salaries ($4.55MM, $2.45MM and $4.475MM, respectively) if tendered contracts.

Berti seems likely to be retained but is a better fit for a super-utility role than as an everyday option at a specific position. Rojas is a team leader and under contract for $5MM, but he’s coming off his worst hitting season since taking over as the primary shortstop. Young players like Jesús Sánchez and Bryan De La Cruz have shown flashes of promise but been far too inconsistent overall.

Miami also faces annual payroll questions. While they’re expected to see a boost over this year’s $80MM mark, it isn’t clear how far owner Bruce Sherman is willing to push spending. With over $51MM in guaranteed commitments on the 2023 books and a hefty arbitration class, there may not be a ton of financial leeway for the front office to add in free agency. There’ll still be higher-contact bats available for relatively cheap, of course. Players like Ben Gamel, David Peralta and old friend Donovan Solano — who has reinvented himself as a bat-first utilityman after serving as a defense-oriented second baseman in Miami — will hit the open market and surely won’t break the bank. A run at someone like Brandon Nimmo or even Andrew Benintendi may ultimately prove beyond what the Marlins deem appropriate in free agency, particularly with Soler and García already on the books.

There’s also the likelihood of the Fish again turning to the trade market for help, of course. Miami is likely to explore dealing from its enviable starting pitching depth to address the offense. NL Cy Young favorite Sandy Alcantara won’t be moved — Jon Heyman of the New York Post unsurprisingly relayed this week that Alcantara is “as close to untouchable as you can find” — but players like Pablo López or Braxton Garrett could be dealt for controllable bats.

It’ll be a busy offseason for general manager Kim Ng and her staff. Ng is entering her third winter in that position, but she’s more firmly in control of baseball operations than ever with CEO Derek Jeter and vice president of player development Gary Denbo departing the organization in recent months. The departures of Jeter and Denbo could also explain some of the organization’s philosophical changes in roster construction.

There are additionally going to be some changes in non-playing personnel. The club has already announced skipper Don Mattingly won’t be back next year, and the team made a number of dismissals in their scouting and player development staff yesterday. Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640 first reported that director of professional scouting Hadi Raad was being let go (Twitter link). Jackson and Jordan McPherson at the Herald report that director of player development Geoff DeGroot and five additional members of the professional scouting department have been dismissed.

Braves Sign Charlie Morton To One-Year Extension

By | at

The Braves announced this evening they’ve signed starter Charlie Morton to a one-year contract extension. He’ll make $20MM next season, and the sides tacked on a matching $20MM club option for the 2024 campaign with no buyout. The Braves are one of the few major league teams that announce contract terms.

Morton will stick around for a third season in Atlanta. Originally signed to a one-year, $15MM free agent deal over the 2020-21 offseason, he’s now signed late-season extensions in each of the past two years. In both cases, they’ve been a one-year, $20MM guarantee with a matching team option. Atlanta could’ve simply exercised the $20MM option for 2023 in Morton’s previous contract, but their preemptive agreement with the Wasserman client tacks on an additional option for the ’24 campaign.

There’s clearly a mutual comfort between the team and the 15-year MLB veteran. He’s been a durable and effective member of the starting rotation, avoiding the injured list during his first two campaigns in Atlanta and starting 63 regular season contests. He made another four starts during the 2021 postseason. That didn’t end the way he’d have hoped personally, as Morton broke his right leg during his World Series start and had to be scratched from the roster. The club went on to defeat the Astros to secure the title, though, and Morton was back in action by the start of this season.

During his debut campaign in Atlanta, Morton worked to an excellent 3.34 ERA across 185 2/3 innings. He’s not been quite that effective this year, tossing 167 2/3 frames of 4.29 ERA ball heading into his final start of the season. The two-time All-Star’s strikeout rate has been almost identical in each season (28.6% in 2021, 28.4% this year), and he’s not shown any signs of physical decline. Morton has averaged 94.9 MPH on his four-seam and 81.2 MPH on his go-to curveball this season, not far off last year’s respective 95.5 MPH and 80.6 MPH marks.

It’s a similar story on a pitch-for-pitch basis. Morton has generated swinging strikes on 12.3% of his total offerings in both seasons. That’s above this year’s 10.7% league average for starters, and Morton has held a swinging strike rate in the 12% range for five straight years. Even with his 39th birthday less than two months away, Morton hasn’t lost anything from his raw arsenal or his ability to miss bats.

The biggest contributor to his overall dip in production was an atypical struggle to throw strikes early in the season. Morton walked 11 batters in four starts in April, surrendering 14 runs in 18 innings. He’d mostly found his footing from a command perspective by the time the calendar flipped to May. In 26 starts since May 1, he owns a 3.97 ERA with a 29.9% strikeout rate and a manageable 8.2% walk percentage. He’s held opposing hitters to a .218/.301/.384 line over that span. Morton was excellent between June and August before hitting another rough patch this month, posting a 5.27 ERA in five September starts.

The Braves aren’t much concerned about either his early-season control woes or a couple recent tough outings at the hands of the Mariners and Phillies. Morton’s velocity and strong strikeout and walk profile give plenty of reason for optimism he can remain an above-average starter next season, even as his ground-ball rate has dipped to a personal-low 39.7% clip.

Morton, meanwhile, seems content taking a year-by-year approach to his playing career. A longtime back-of-the-rotation grounder specialist with the Pirates, Morton reinvented himself as a strikeout artist with the Astros in 2017. After spending two seasons in Houston, he signed a two-year free agent deal with the Rays before what’ll be at least three consecutive seasons as a Brave. He’s reportedly set geographic limitations during his recent potential free agent trips, preferring to stay in the Southeastern part of the country to be closer to his family.

Of course, the Braves have far more than just locale to make them an appealing place to pitch. Morton remains part of a stellar roster that has the team on the verge of 100 wins and firmly in contention for another NL East title. He’s among a strong rotation led by star rookie Spencer Strider, All-Star Max Fried and breakout hurler Kyle Wright. Veteran Jake Odorizzi has occupied the fifth rotation spot since being acquired from the Astros at the trade deadline, but Atlanta also has rookie Bryce Elder and prospect Freddy Tarnok as promising depth options.

That entire group could return for 2023. Strider, Fried and Wright are all under club control. Odorizzi has to decide whether to trigger a $12.5MM player option or take a $6.25MM buyout and test free agency. Elder and Tarnok are controllable, as are former top prospect and mid-rotation arm Ian Anderson, Mike Soroka, Kyle Muller and Huascar Ynoa (although Ynoa is unlikely to pitch next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery recently).

That’s a number of options, reducing the urgency for the club to look outside the organization for rotation help. Signing Morton to an extension also continues the front office’s habit of trying to preserve as much of the current core as possible. Atlanta has also signed Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Michael Harris II to long-term deals this year, in addition to previous extensions for Ronald Acuña Jr., Travis d’Arnaud and Ozzie Albies.

Locking in another $20MM to next year’s books brings the team’s guaranteed commitments north of $165MM (assuming Odorizzi exercises his option), in the estimation of Roster Resource. That’s before considering the possibility of extending impending free agent shortstop Dansby Swanson or accounting for arbitration salaries for Fried, Soroka and high-leverage reliever A.J. Minter. It’s virtually certain they’ll top this year’s franchise-record $178MM Opening Day payroll, but it’s evidently comfortable territory for the Liberty Media ownership group on the heels of last season’s title and another forthcoming postseason trip that’s certain to include at least two home playoff games.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Hector Lopez Passes Away

By | at

Former major league infielder/outfielder Héctor López has passed away at the age of 93, according to a report from Julia Kreuz of MLB.com (Twitter link). A two-time World Series champion, López played in parts of 11 major league seasons.

A native of Panama, López began his professional career in 1952. He played three years in the Athletics farm system before reaching the big leagues in May 1955. That marked the first of four-plus seasons with the franchise back when it played in Kansas City. López saw most of his early action at third base, but he also logged time at second base, shortstop and in center field. He was a solid hitter immediately, hitting at least .273 in each of his first three MLB seasons and getting into double digits in homers for five straight years.

Over his time with the A’s, López hit .278/.337/.433 with 67 longballs and 99 doubles. The Yankees acquired him midway through the ’59 campaign, and he spent the second half of his career in the Bronx. López topped 100 games in six of the next seven seasons, increasingly seeing more time in the corner outfield later in his career. López often shared an outfield with Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in the early 1960’s, contributing to a team that claimed five consecutive pennants between 1960-64. New York won back-to-back titles in 1961-62, with López collecting a homer and a triple in four games during the former season’s World Series.

Over parts of eight years in pinstripes, López hit .262/.324/.399 with 69 homers. He finished with the Yankees in 1966. After playing two more minor league seasons but failing to return to the majors, he retired. López finished his playing career with a .269/.330/.415 line in 1450 big league games. He collected 1251 hits, 136 home runs, drove in 591 runs and scored 623 times. Once his playing time wrapped up, he kicked off lengthy career as a minor league manager. He worked in affiliated ball for a few decades and managed the Panamanian team at the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

MLBTR sends our condolences to López’s family, friends, former teammates and loved ones.

Charlie Blackmon To Exercise Player Option

By | at

Rockies designated hitter/corner outfielder Charlie Blackmon plans to exercise his player option for the 2023 campaign, he tells Danielle Allentuck of the Colorado Springs Gazette (Twitter link). MLBTR has confirmed that the option value will be $15MM.

It’ll be the sixth and final year of the long-term extension he inked back in April 2018. Blackmon made $14MM in 2018, followed by successive $21MM salaries from 2019-21. He exercised a $21MM player option for this season, while his 2023 option had a base value of $10MM. That contained up to $5MM in escalators that were based on his playing time up to 575 plate appearances. Blackmon hit that highest threshold on Tuesday, triggering all the available playing time incentives. The deal also contained an additional $3MM that would’ve been attainable had Blackmon accrued any MVP support between 2018-22, but he won’t collect any of the awards bonuses.

Blackmon will be back for a 13th season in Colorado. A 2008 draftee, he debuted three years later. After a few seasons as a part-time player, he seized the primary center field job in 2014. Blackmon picked up an All-Star nod that season and kicked off an excellent run of both durability and productivity. He was an above-average hitter, by measure of wRC+, each year from 2015-19. That park-adjusted metric accounts for the favorable hitting environment in which he played half his games. He played 140+ games in each of those seasons, as well of 59 of the 60 contests in the shortened 2020 campaign.

While Blackmon has continued to be a fixture in the lineup over the past three years, his productivity has dipped. He’s not reached 20 homers or topped a .450 slugging mark since 2019. He’s also moved out of center field as his defensive metrics have declined, and he spent more time at designated hitter than in the outfield this season. Blackmon hit .264/.314/.419 across 577 plate appearances this season, which came to an early end when the Rox placed him on the injured list two days ago. He’s headed for surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee next week.

There was never any suspense as to Blackmon’s option decision coming off that down year. Yet even with his production falling in his age-35 campaign, he remains a key part of the Colorado organization. That the Rockies didn’t curtail his playing time late in the season — even as his continuing to rack up at-bats added an extra $5MM to next season’s books — is a testament to the franchise’s affinity for Blackmon and all he’s accomplished in their uniform.

As MLBTR explored in previewing the Rockies’ offseason yesterday, Colorado’s 2023 books are rather cluttered. They’re on the hook for around $112MM in guaranteed payroll commitments (not including projected salaries for arbitration-eligible players), and they’d owe the Cardinals an additional $5MM if Nolan Arenado declines to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract. That doesn’t leave a whole lot of breathing room for outside additions before the team approaches its franchise-record $145MM payroll.

General manager Bill Schmidt and his staff have various areas of the roster they could look to augment this winter. The starting rotation seems the primary concern, but it’s possible they look for corner outfield help to continue to decrease the amount of time Blackmon needs to spend on the grass. He’ll presumably continue to play most days, if healthy, with skipper Bud Black splitting his time between DH and right field. Blackmon will be a free agent after the 2023 campaign, and he tells Allentuck he’s not yet considered what his future holds beyond next season.

Cubs Outright Michael Hermosillo

By | at

Cubs outfielder Michael Hermosillo has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Iowa, Mark Gonzales relays. Chicago had designated him for assignment earlier in the week.

It’s been a tough season for Hermosillo, who re-signed with the Cubs on a major league deal this past offseason. After breaking camp with the big league team, Hermosillo suffered a left quadriceps strain in May which kept him out of action until earlier this month. In addition to his injury woes, Hermosillo struggled mightily at the plate this season, batting just .115/.250/.148 (27 wRC+) in 73 trips to the plate this season.

For his career, Hermosillo has both struggled to find opportunities at the big league level and to make the most of the opportunities he does receive. Despite making his major league debut in 2018, Hermosillo has managed to accumulate just 229 plate appearances across parts of five seasons with the Angels and the Cubs, and has hit just .167/.268/.283 in those trips to the plate, only approaching league average for a season during a 16-game stint with the Cubs last year that saw him hit .194/.237/.500 (91 wRC+).

While Hermosillo has certainly struggled at the big league level throughout his career, he has had no such trouble in the minors. Across five seasons at the Triple-A level, Hermosillo has slashed .273/.368/.506, all while playing a capable center field and flashing plus speed. Hermosillo will be able to file for minor league free agency this offseason unless he’s added back to the 40-man roster.

The Cubs announced that they will be releasing right fielder Jason Heyward after the 2022 season ends, but they have Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki to man the outfield corners heading into 2023. For center field, Chicago has options at the big league level such as Christopher Morel and Nelson Velazquez, to say nothing of top prospect Brennen Davis, who may be ready to join the big league club sometime next year.

Yankees Activate DJ LeMahieu From Injured List

By | at

The Yankees announced they’ve activated infielder DJ LeMahieu from the 10-day injured list earlier today. In a corresponding move, outfielder Tim Locastro was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. LeMahieu spent most of September on the injured list with right second toe inflammation.

LeMahieu has posted a .262/.358/.381 slash line in 120 games this season, good for a wRC+ of 117. While a far cry from his peak during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, which saw him post a combined 8.2 fWAR in 195 games while placing in the top 4 of MVP voting in both years, LeMahieu’s production in his age 33 campaign can be seen as something of a bounce-back after a 2021 season that saw his defensive metrics slip while his bat hovered around league average (100 wRC+). With other infield options such as Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa struggling at the plate this season, LeMahieu’s bat returning to the lineup should provide the Yankees with a boost to their infield headed into the postseason.

As for Locastro, while his hitting has left much to be desired (he’s slashed just .186/.239/.349 in 46 plate appearances with New York this season), he has served as a capable bench piece this season, effectively fielding all three outfield spots while swiping eight bags in just ten attempts. While Locastro will finish the regular season in Triple-A, he may be called upon by the Yankees for his baserunning skills during the postseason.

In other Yankees news, the team provided an update on injured utilityman Matt Carpenter. He took batting practice this afternoon and may take some live at-bats with Double-A Somerset in lieu of traveling with the big league club to Texas next week, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Carpenter has hit exceptionally for the Yankees this year, slashing .305/.412/.727 in 154 plate appearances, but has been on the injured list with a fractured foot since early August.

Mariners Designate Phillips Valdez For Assignment

By and | at

The Mariners announced they’ve designated right-hander Phillips Valdez for assignment. The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for backstop Brian O’Keefe, whose selection to the majors was reported this morning.

Valdez was claimed off waivers by Seattle in late July after the Red Sox designated him for assignment. The righty had been with the Red Sox since the 2020 season, when they claimed him off waivers themselves from the Rangers. For his major league career, Valdez has posted a 4.56 ERA and matching 4.59 FIP in 102 2/3 innings.

Valdez never made it into a game for Seattle this season, though he posted a 4.41 ERA in 16 1/3 innings with Boston this season. Otherwise, he has pitched at the Triple-A level this season, posting a 3.60 ERA across 39 innings split between the Worcester Red Sox and the Tacoma Rainiers. While his Triple-A numbers have been respectable this season, Valdez has seemingly struggled with his command during his time in the majors this season, walking seven while hitting another six batters.

Seattle will have 7 days to either release Valdez or send him through outright waivers. Should he be outrighted, Valdez will qualify for minor league free agency this offseason unless the Mariners add him back onto the 40-man roster. With Valdez off the 40-man, the Mariners still have Brennan Bernardino, Juan Then, and Justus Sheffield on the roster as depth options in the minors.

Big Hype Prospects: Rojas, McLain, Davis, Davis, Priester

By | at

This week on Big Hype Prospects, we pretend the offseason isn’t looming over us whilst we ponder prospects on the way to the Arizona Fall League. The AFL kicks off on October 3. We’ll aim to focus on players who weren’t thoroughly covered in previous episodes of BHP, i.e. Cardinals third baseman Jordan Walker. He happens to be the top-rated prospect tabbed to play in Arizona this fall.

Five Big Hype Prospects

Johan Rojas, 21, OF, PHI (AA)
264 PA, 4 HR, 29 SB, .260/.333/.387

After an icy start to the season in High-A where he hit a meager .230/.287/.325 in 292 plate appearances (3 HR, 33 SB), Rojas got his act in gear and earned a promotion to Double-A where he produced an exactly league-average batting line. A source theorized he was striving to produce home-run power, and it backfired. Prior to the season, Rojas cited Ronald Acuna Jr. as his aspirational goal. One could see how such a lofty target might lead a prospect to struggle.

Rojas is best known for his elite defense and speed. This season, he swiped a total of 62 bases in 67 attempts and only 556 plate appearances. With new baserunning rules coming into effect, Rojas profiles to be among the league leaders in stolen bases over the next half-decade. Although he’s not as strikeout prone as Adalberto Mondesi, he might prove frustratingly similar. He can deliver surprisingly potent exit velocities, but he mostly makes modest contact due to poor discipline and off-balance swings. Without a breakthrough, he profiles as an above-average centerfielder who hits something like .240/.290/.350 and makes up for it on defense and the basepaths.

Rojas is Rule 5 eligible this winter and will certainly be added to the roster.

Matt McLain, 22, SS, CIN (AA)
452 PA, 17 HR, 27 SB, .232/.363/.453

McLain is a well-regarded prospect in scouting circles, but he can get a bit lost in a system that also boasts the inimitable Elly De La Cruz and Noelvi Marte up the middle. Entering the season, he was regarded as a bat-first future second baseman whose lack of power could lead to a utility role. It appears he attempted to sell out for power this season with modest effect. He hit 17 home runs and more flies than grounders – a good foundation for a player who will call Great American Smallpark his home venue. Unfortunately, he also posted a 28.1 percent strikeout rate – unsightly for a player whom scouts believe has a 60-grade hit tool. Discipline could play a role here as well. He walked in 15.5 percent of plate appearances, a sign of borderline passivity.

Optimists might note that Gunnar Henderson had similar characteristics last season. He made better swing decisions in 2022 en route to number one prospect status. McLain doesn’t have the same raw tools as Henderson, but he could seek to follow the same roadmap from Double-A to the Majors.

Henry Davis, 22, C, PIT (AAA)
(AA) 136 PA, 4 HR, 3 SB, .207/.324/.379

Davis only managed 255 plate appearances across four levels due to a left wrist fracture. That’s not an auspicious form of injury for a player whose defensive prowess is actively questioned. All aspects of his defensive profile need improvement. The profile has a vaguely Gary Sanchez-like feel – both for defensive reasons and because light-tower power is his carrying trait. Unlike Sanchez, Davis has plenty of feel for contact and could probably comfortably profile as a first baseman. The Fall League will give him an opportunity to catch up on lost reps.

The Pirates have interesting questions to answer in the next two seasons. Both Davis and Endy Rodriguez (featured last week) profile as offensive catchers who might fit better at another position. Rodriguez appears to be the better defensive catcher and is slightly ahead developmentally so Davis might find himself used more like Daulton Varsho – a guy who can catch in a pinch but typically fields another position.

Brennen Davis, 22, OF, CHC (AAA)
174 PA, 4 HR, .191/.322/.319

Davis suffered a lost season of sorts, making only 204 plate appearances across three levels. On the whole, he struggled mightily. He missed three months with an unusual back injury – a blood vessel deformity that led to debilitating pain. The issue was corrected surgically. Davis will seek to recover his 2021 form which included excellent production in High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. Given the nature of his injury, it’s premature to adjust his status as a prospect until we can learn more about his recovery. He has swing-and-miss issues which could limit his production – especially if the injury has sapped his athleticism. Scouting reports tend to focus on the many adjustments he has ahead of him while noting his previous success with making similar adjustments.

Quinn Priester, 21, SP, PIT (AAA)
AA: 75.1 IP, 8.96 K/9, 2.63 BB/9, 2.87 ERA

Although he finished the year in Triple-A, Priester spent the bulk of his campaign at Double-A where he performed well. An oblique injury limited him to only 90.1 innings on the season. For that reason, he’ll attend the AFL. Typically, top pitching prospects only join an Arizona roster if they need to make up for lost innings.

Priester is trending towards a 2023 debut. He’s credited with an impressive curveball and three useful variants of fastball. The repertoire as a whole doesn’t tunnel well which is likely to hold him back from future acedom. However, his ability to miss bats and induce weakly hit ground-ball contact could make up for his shortcomings. Only recently have developmental processes put so much emphasis on pitch tunneling. Plenty of pitchers succeeded in the past (and today) despite a relative lack of tunneling. That said, there’s anecdotal evidence that pitchers without tunneled repertoires take longer to adjust to the Majors.

Five More

Andy Pages, LAD (21): The Dodgers are adept at putting their prospects in positions to succeed, so I often find myself skeptical of their top-rated players. Pages has posted remarkable power output throughout his rise through the minors, but his extreme pulled, fly ball approach could render him a one-dimensional threat. He was a roughly league-average hitter as a 21-year-old at Double-A.

Nick Gonzales (24): Gonzales remains a bit of an enigma. He passes all the eye tests, but his statistical performances leave much to be desired. As a 23-year-old at Double-A, he hit .263/.383/.429 with only seven home runs and five steals in 316 plate appearances. He struggled to make contact with a 16.0 percent swinging strike rate and 28.5 percent strikeout rate. Minor adjustments could unlock major results.

Jackson Merrill, SDP (19): A 2021 first-rounder, Merrill will be one of the youngest players in the AFL. The 19-year-old had an encouraging debut in Low-A, batting .325/.387/.482 in 219 plate appearances. There are questions about his ability to handle high heat or ever generate much power – both of which are probably premature for a player this young.

Zack Gelof, OAK (22): Another 2022 draftee, Gelof got a brief taste of Triple-A last season then spent most of this season in Double-A where he posted an ordinary .271/.356/.438 triple-slash (105 wRC+). Gelof looks the part of a future big league, possibly a second-division starter.

Warming Bernabel, COL (20): Bernabel earned a promotion to High-A late in the season and saw his plate discipline erode (1.8 percent walk rate). Otherwise, he performed ably with a .305/.315/.486 triple-slash in 109 plate appearances. He had more well-rounded success in Low-A where he hit .317/.390/.504 with 10 home runs and 21 triples in 300 plate appearances. At this stage of his career, Bernabel is considered too aggressive to thrive in the Majors, though he does seem to have a knack for squaring up the baseball – even outside of the strike zone.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top