Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Blue Jays Designate Bradley Zimmer For Assignment

By and | at

The Blue Jays have designated outfielder Bradley Zimmer for assignment, according to a club announcement. The move opens a spot on the active roster for George Springer, who has been activated from the 10-day injured list.

Zimmer, 29, has held down a spot on the Toronto roster since being acquired in an Opening Day trade that sent righty Anthony Castro back to Cleveland. He’s had an extremely limited role this season and struggled mightily when plugged into the lineup, hitting just .105/.209/.237 on the season. Of course, despite appearing in 77 games this year, Zimmer has just 87 plate appearances — a total that’s reflective of his status as a pure late-game defensive replacement and pinch-running option. He’s posted solid numbers with the glove and ranks in the 95th percentile in Statcast’s average sprint speed, but it’s hard to overlook the glaring level of offensive output.

That said, it’s surely difficult for anyone to perform with such sparse opportunities to see big league pitching in a competitive setting. Zimmer had never hit much prior to the 2022 campaign, but he at least entered the year with a .226/.310/.348 batting line in 858 big league plate appearances. Were he able to replicate that line while still functioning in a late-game substitute role, he’d make for a fine fourth outfielder, but the Jays seemingly feel as though the roster spot could be better used elsewhere.

Zimmer was the 21st overall pick out of the University of San Francisco back in 2014. Current Toronto general manager Ross Atkins was Cleveland’s farm director at the time of Zimmer’s selection and surely knows him quite well after spending several years in that role while Zimmer developed into one of the game’s most highly touted outfield prospects. A sky-high strikeout rate and some glaring struggles against left-handers have kept Zimmer from ever reaching that ceiling, however, and when the Jays added Jackie Bradley Jr. on a big league deal last week, it seemed quite likely that Zimmer’s Jays days were numbered.

Trades of anyone who’s been on a Major League roster are prohibited at this point in the season, so the only resolution for Zimmer’s DFA will be to place him on outright waivers or release waivers. He technically has enough big league service time to reject a minor league assignment if he does clear outright waivers, but he does not yet have the five years of service needed to reject an outright assignment and retain the remainder of his salary. As such, assuming he indeed passes through waivers unclaimed, Zimmer figures to accept the assignment in order to avoid forfeiting the remainder of this season’s $1.3MM salary.

Phillies Place Corey Knebel On Injured List, Designate Andrew Vasquez

By | at

The Phillies announced they placed reliever Corey Knebel on the 15-day injured list with a right lat strain. Bullpen mate Sam Coonrod is back from the 60-day IL to take Knebel’s spot on the active roster. To clear a place on the 40-man for Coonrod, recent waiver claim Andrew Vasquez has been designated for assignment.

An IL stint for Knebel seemed likely after the veteran left yesterday’s appearance on account of the lat issue. The team announced he was headed for an MRI last night, the results of which still aren’t clear. The imaging results will determine how long Knebel’s on the shelf, but he’ll at least have to miss the next couple weeks. A right lat strain cost Knebel upwards of three months with the Dodgers last season, although it’s presently unknown whether his current issue is of a similar severity. Signed to a one-year, $10MM deal over the offseason, the 30-year-old has a decent 3.43 ERA over 44 2/3 innings in a Phils uniform, although that’s come with a personal-worst 21.1% strikeout rate.

To take Knebel’s bullpen spot, the Phils reinstate Coonrod to make his season debut. The hard-throwing righty was acquired from the Giants over the 2020-21 offseason and made 42 appearances during his debut campaign in Philadelphia. He posted a 4.04 ERA through 42 1/3 frames, striking out batters at a solid 25.9% clip while inducing a massive 57.1% ground-ball percentage. Paired with a fastball that averaged nearly 99 MPH, those peripherals suggested Coonrod could have an opportunity to carve out a key high-leverage role in 2022.

Instead, he’s missed the first four months of the season after straining his throwing shoulder during Spring Training. The 29-year-old has been on a rehab assignment since July 22, including seven appearances with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He’s now apparently healthy enough for a return, where he’ll add a power right-handed arm for interim manager Rob Thomson.

Vasquez hasn’t made a major league appearance as a Phillie. Claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays on deadline day, he was immediately optioned to Lehigh Valley. He’s appeared four times with the IronPigs, allowing two runs (one earned) with three strikeouts and a walk. He also performed very well with Toronto’s top affiliate through the season’s first few months, allowing just three runs in 11 frames with a 15:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio while inducing grounders on two-thirds of batted balls.

That hasn’t carried over in his brief big league look with the Jays, as the 28-year-old served up six runs in 6 2/3 frames. This year’s nine MLB appearances match a career high for Vasquez, who has 13 1/3 career big league innings despite having reached the majors in four of the past five years. He’s performed quite well in Triple-A over the last two years, however, with those numbers intriguing enough he’s bounced between four organizations in the past 12 months.

It’s possible Vasquez will change uniforms again soon, as he’s slated to hit the waiver wire within the next few days. He’s in his final minor league option year, so any claiming team could stash him in Triple-A for the rest of this season (although he’d have to crack the Opening Day roster in 2023 or be taken off the 40-man roster). With Vasquez’s strong minor league work, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him land with another club seeking lefty bullpen depth.

Read The Transcript Of Today’s Fantasy Baseball Chat With Brad Johnson

By | at

Brad Johnson has been writing about fantasy baseball for more than a decade and has considerable experience in Roto, H2H, dynasty, DFS, and experimental formats.  As an expert in the field, Brad participates in the Tout Wars Draft and Hold format and was crowned the league’s winner in 2020. Brad’s writing experience includes RotoGraphs, NBC SportsEDGE, and right here at MLB Trade Rumors. He’s also presented at the First Pitch Arizona fantasy baseball conference.

We’ll be hosting fantasy baseball-focused chats with Brad regularly, and feel free to drop him some questions on Twitter @BaseballATeam as well.

Click here to read a transcript of today’s fantasy baseball chat with Brad!

Guardians Designate Jake Jewell For Assignment

By | at

The Guardians have designated right-hander Jake Jewell for assignment, tweets Mandy Bell of MLB.com. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to right-hander Xzavion Curry, who will indeed be selected to  the 40-man roster to start the second game of today’s doubleheader (as already covered here). Cleveland also reinstated James Karinchak from the restricted list and returned righty Peyton Battenfield to Triple-A Columbus.

Jewell, a longtime Angels farmhand, has begun to bounce around the league via waivers and minor league free agency in recent years, spending time with the Giants, Cubs, Dodgers and now Guardians since being let go by the Halos organization. He’s been hit hard in 38 1/3 career innings at the MLB level (7.75 ERA) but has posted a strong season in Cleveland’s system so far this year.

Through 43 1/3 innings in Triple-A Columbus, Jewell has pitched to a 2.49 ERA with a 27% strikeout rate, 8.4% walk rate and a huge 63.3% ground-ball rate. Despite that strong showing, Jewell wasn’t selected to the 40-man roster until a few days after the trade deadline. He didn’t make it into a big league game before being optioned back to Columbus and now jettisoned from the 40-man roster. With trades of players who’ve been on the Major League roster at any point now prohibited, Jewell will be placed on waivers or released within the next week. All 29 other clubs would be able to claim him.

Despite the lack of big league success, there’s a chance Jewell could end up claimed by another club. He’s optionable for the remainder of the season, creating some flexibility, and beyond the strong numbers he’s logged so far in 2022, he has a lengthy track record of sharp numbers at the game’s top minor league level. Jewell had a rough showing in Triple-A in 2019 — a season that saw  Triple-A leagues use the same juiced ball as the Majors — but has otherwise managed ERAs well south of 4.00 and solid strikeout rates in his other three Triple-A campaigns. On the whole, Jewell has racked up 151 innings of 3.64 ERA ball with a 25.1% strikeout rate, a 10.5% walk rate, an impressive 59.8% ground-ball rate and just 0.50 HR/9 at the game’s top minor league level.

 

Guardians To Select Xzavion Curry

By | at

The Guardians will turn to right-handed pitching prospect Xzavion Curry to start the second game of today’s doubleheader, manager Terry Francona announced (Twitter link via Cleveland.com’s Joe Noga). He’ll need to have his contract formally selected to the 40-man roster, which is currently at capacity.

Curry, 24, was Cleveland’s seventh-round pick back in 2019 and has enjoyed a strong season between Double-A and Triple-A, working to a combined 3.48 ERA, 27.5% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate over the life of 101 innings (17 starts, two relief appearances). Curry didn’t post dominant numbers in his college days at Georgia Tech and was listed at “just” 5’10”, which might’ve contributed to him landing in the seventh round of his draft. However, he’s had little to no problems adapting to professional ball, posting strong results at every minor league stop — culminating in a career 2.90 minor league ERA.

FanGraphs tabs Curry 12th among Guardians farmhands in an absolutely stacked system, and he lands 18th on Baseball America’s midseason rankings. Scouting reports on Curry note that even though his heater sits in the low 90s, its huge spin and his deceptive delivery help it play up as a plus pitch that can miss bats in bunches. His secondary offerings don’t garner as much praise, though his slider is regarded as a potentially above-average pitch — and Curry’s outstanding command helps all of his pitches exceed expectations at times. He’s walked just 46 off the 795 hitters he’s faced as a pro (5.8%).

Curry will give Guards fans their first look at the latest rotation option to step out of the organization’s pitching factory. Cleveland seems to grow viable big league starters on trees, with both Curry and righty Peyton Battenfield (drafted two rounds after Curry) the latest unheralded prospects to surge through the system and position themselves as potential big league contributors. The Guardians’ five-man rotation is presently full, thanks to the presence of Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie, Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac and Cal Quantrill, but both Curry and Battenfield have seemingly pitched their way to the upper levels of the organization’s depth chart.

Success in routinely turning out promising arms is one of the many reasons the Guardians have regularly been able to trade from their Major League pitching staff to keep the minor league system stacked without needing to dive headlong into a tedious, years-long rebuilding effort in recent seasons. Cleveland was reportedly open to trade offers on some controllable arms prior to the deadline — Plesac’s name was most commonly speculated upon — and promising late showings from arms like Curry who make their debuts this season will make it easier for the Guardians to renew any of those conversations this winter if they choose.

Cardinals Release T.J. McFarland

By | at

The Cardinals have released left-hander T.J. McFarland following last week’s DFA, as first indicated on their transactions log at MLB.com. He’s free to sign with any of the 29 other clubs and, so long as he’s in a new organization prior to Sept. 1, could be postseason-eligible with that new team.

Of course, the veteran McFarland would need to rediscover his 2021 form before even being considered for such a role with a new team. The 33-year-old was a rock-solid member of the Cardinals’ bullpen last year, racking up groundouts in droves (63.7%) while rarely issuing free passes (6.3%) or surrendering home runs (0.70 HR/9). Despite a paltry 14.6% strikeout rate, that blend of grounders and lack of walks/dingers resulted in a 2.56 ERA through 38 2/3 frames. Fielding-independent metrics weren’t as bullish but generally pegged the southpaw as a quality bullpen option (3.78 xERA, 3.79 FIP, 3.85 SIERA).

McFarland faced exactly one more batter with the Cardinals in 2022 (145) than he did in 2021 (144), but his return stint in St. Louis proved nightmarish in that near-identical sample. All of his rate stats trended in the wrong direction (11% strikeout rate, 7.6% walk rate, 53% grounder rate, 1.38 HR/9) — and so, too, did his results. In 32 2/3 innings, McFarland was rocked for a 6.61 ERA. Fewer strikeouts and grounders, paired with a considerable uptick in walks, long balls and general hard contact is hardly a recipe for success for any pitcher, after all.

That said, McFarland’s 88.9 mph average sinker in 2022 was pretty closely in line with his 89.2 mph average in 2021, and even his “diminished” walk and ground-ball rates are well better than the league average. The bottom-of-the-barrel strikeout rate is an obvious concern, but McFarland has never been one to miss bats (13.8% career strikeout rate) and nonetheless still carries a 4.13 ERA in 472 1/3 Major League frames.

If a new team can help McFarland get his sinker back on track and bump that grounder rate closer to the 63% mark he carried into the season, it’s possible he could get back on track and contribute some useful innings in the season’s final few weeks. The Cardinals are paying the remainder of this year’s $2.5MM salary regardless, so a new club would only need to pay McFarland the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster. At the very least, any contender looking for some lefty depth to stash in Triple-A could take a chance on stashing McFarland in the upper minors.

Ken Giles Elects Free Agency

By | at

The Mariners announced that reliever Ken Giles has declined an outright assignment and elected free agency. Giles was designated for assignment on Friday and this announcement indicates he has passed through waivers unclaimed.  According to Ben Nicholson-Smith at Sportsnet.ca, Giles asked for his release from the Mariners.  As a veteran with over five years of MLB service time, Giles has the right to reject an outright assignment without forfeiting any salary.

Giles, now 31, underwent Tommy John surgery in October of 2020. The Mariners later signed him to a two-year deal, knowing that he would miss the entirety of the 2021 campaign, but hoping for a payoff in 2022. Giles made $1.5MM last year and is making $5MM this season. (There was also a club option for 2023, which now seems to be a moot point.) Unfortunately, things haven’t gone according to that long-term plan, with Giles missing much of this season due to other injuries. Though it was hoped he’d be ready for Opening Day, a finger injury in Spring Training kept him from making his Mariner debut until June 21. After five appearances with diminished velocity, a shoulder issue sent him back to the IL yet again. He was rehabbing from that issue when the M’s designated him for assignment.

Giles will now head back to the open market and try to find his next opportunity. Prior to his current run of injury woes, he was one of the better relievers in all of baseball. He was last healthy for an extended period of time in 2019 with the Blue Jays, throwing 53 innings with a 1.87 ERA, 39.9% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate and 39.3% ground ball rate.

Given the chance to claim Giles off waivers and take on the roughly $1.4MM owed to him for the remainder of the season – as well as a $500K buyout on his $9.5MM club option for 2023 – the remaining 29 teams passed.  Now, any team can sign Giles and pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with that amount being subtracted from what Seattle pays. That will make him an interesting wild card in the baseball world until he signs. On the one hand, he’s now three years removed from his last signs of effectiveness and has dealt with various ailments since. But on the other hand, with the trade deadline now gone, teams desiring bullpen upgrades have very limited options for doing so. Given Giles’ past success and no-risk acquisition cost, teams could consider him worth a dice roll.

The Mariners also announced that catcher Luis Torrens cleared waivers and was outright to Triple-A Tacoma. His situation is slightly different from Giles, given that he has just over three years of MLB service time. Players between three and five years can reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, though they have to forfeit their remaining salary. Torrens qualified for arbitration this past offseason as a Super Two player and is making a $1.2MM salary this year. With approximately $340K remaining to be paid out this year, no team deemed him worthy of a claim. Though the Mariners didn’t announce if he accepted the assignment, it seems fair to assume that he has, given that the club announced Giles’ rejection and the money Torrens would leave on the table by walking away. Torrens isn’t rated very highly for his defense but provided strong offense last year, hitting 15 home runs and slashing .243/.299/.431, wRC+ of 101. He’s been far worse this year, however, adding just a single long ball and producing a batting line of .214/.262/.252, wRC+ of 52.

Reds Sign Derek Law To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Reds have signed right-hander Derek Law to a minor league contract, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to the Triple-A Louisville Bats.

Law, 31, has previously pitched for the Giants, Blue Jays and Twins, before joining the Tigers this year. He was signed to a minor league contract in April and pitched well in Triple-A this season. In 39 innings over 33 appearances, he registered a 3.23 ERA with a 27.2% strikeout rate, 6.2% walk rate and 46.2% ground ball rate.

He was selected to the big league club at the end of July but was designated for assignment less than a week later, after getting into just two MLB games. Law cleared waivers and was outrighted by the Tigers, though he was eligible to elect free agency based on the fact that he’s been previously outrighted in his career and also has over three years of MLB service time.

Law did indeed elect free agency and will now join a Cincinnati team with notable pitching depth concerns. They currently have 11 hurlers on the injured list, with seven of those being on the 60-day IL. Given those injuries and the fact that they traded Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle at the deadline, the pitching staff is not in the strongest shape at the moment. Should they decide they need a fresh arm, Law should be an intriguing option, given his experience and solid minor league numbers this year.

Brewers Notes: Stearns, Deadline, Rosenthal

By | at

The contractual status of Brewers’ president of baseball operations David Stearns continues to be shrouded in mystery. It was once believed that 2022 was the final year of his contract, until it was reported in October of last year that Milwaukee had some sort of option over Stearns for 2023. In February, it emerged that Stearns was actually under contract for 2023 but could opt out of the deal if the Brewers reached the World Series in 2022. That was followed by a report in May from Jon Heyman of the New York Post that it was “believed” Stearns could actually opt out if Milwaukee reached the NLCS.

In another piece from Heyman in recent days, he hedges that a bit, saying that it’s “unconfirmed” whether the Brew Crew need to reach the NLCS or the World Series. Of course, the reason that all this is so newsworthy is that the Mets have been trying to pluck the New York native from Milwaukee for essentially the past year. The Brewers denied their request to interview him this winter, given the two years that were then remaining on his contract. The Mets eventually hired Billy Eppler to serve as general manager, but could theoretically still hire Stearns in the future as well, perhaps with the president of baseball operations title he currently holds in Milwaukee. Stearns would no doubt be intrigued by moving to New York, not just because he’s from there. The Mets also have significantly higher spending power, running out a $264MM Opening Day payroll this year, doubling the $132MM number of the Brewers.

Of course, those budgetary concerns were the primary motivator of the recent Josh Hader trade. As noted in the above report from Heyman, the club then tried to compensate for Hader’s loss by boosting the lineup. They apparently tried to acquire Brandon Drury and Josh Bell, losing the bidding to the Padres in both cases. They also targeted Joc Pederson, though the Giants decided against a major selloff and didn’t end up trading him. Joey Gallo was also considered, though he ended up going to the Dodgers instead. Perhaps due to the their lackluster deadline or perhaps coincidentally, the club has gone 4-7 this month, letting the NL Central lead slip to the Cardinals, with the Brewers now 1 1/2 games back.

As for the club’s Hader-less bullpen, Stearns acquired other pitchers to try and make up that loss, with one of those being Trevor Rosenthal. The righty has previously been one of the best relievers in the sport, but injuries have limited him to less than 40 total innings since the end of the 2018 campaign. He was signed by the Giants a couple of weeks before the deadline this year and immediately placed on the injured list due to a hamstring issue. The Brewers picked him up at the deadline in a high-risk move that would potentially have a high reward if Rosenthal could return to his previous form. We are on the verge of finding out whether it pays off or not, as Rosenthal told reporters, including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that he’s going on a rehab assignment this week. He also added that he recently touched 98 mph in a workout. His most recent action was in the shortened 2020 season, when he threw 23 2/3 innings with a 1.90 ERA along with an incredible 41.8% strikeout rate. If he can get anywhere close to that level here this year, he’ll give the Brewers a much-needed boost down the stretch.

NL East Notes: Abrams, Harper, Knebel, Guillorme

By | at

Nationals’ infielder Luis Garcia has been dealing with a sore groin and may be headed to the injured list. Manager Dave Martinez relayed this info to Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com, who added C.J. Abrams was pulled from the Rochester Red Wings lineup today. Dan J. Glickman of Pickin’ Splinters then relayed word from Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy that the removal of Abrams was on order of the big league club, with ESPN’s Jeff Passan later confirming that Abrams will indeed be called up.

Abrams, of course, was one of the pieces coming to Washington in the Juan Soto trade, with many considering him the centerpiece of Washington’s return in the deal. Abrams got some MLB time with the Padres this year, though the Nats initially optioned him to the minors after the trade. With Garcia’s injury, it seems like he is set to make his debut as a National, about two weeks after the trade.

Even before this injury popped up, recent reporting had suggested Abrams would take over at shortstop, with Garcia moving over to second base due to his poor defensive showing at short. Abrams should take over regular shortstop duty for now, with Garcia eventually slotting in next to him at the keystone whenever his groin heals. Currently considered the #11 prospect across the league by Baseball America, Abrams hasn’t hit much at the major league level yet, but he’s hit .310/.360/.480 in Triple-A this season. He’ll celebrate his 22nd birthday in October.

In other NL East news…

  • Phillies’ slugger Bryce Harper will take batting practice tomorrow for the first time since fracturing his thumb in June, with Matt Gelb of The Athletic relaying word from skipper Rob Thomson. Harper was dealing with torn UCL before that thumb issue, which had limited him to DH duties only. Though it was hoped the downtime from the thumb issue might lead to improvement in the elbow, that doesn’t seem to be the case, with the club just focusing on getting Harper’s bat back into the lineup for now. On that front, getting Harper back into BP is a notable step. Despite the torn UCL, Harper has hit .318/.385/.599 on the year for a wRC+ of 166. Getting him back to the Phils would obviously provide a huge boost down the stretch, as the club looks to battle its way through a tough postseason race with less than two months now remaining on the schedule.
  • While the progress of Harper is good news, the Phillies also got some bad news today. Reliever Corey Knebel left today’s game with a lat strain, the team announced to reporters, including Gelb. The severity isn’t yet known, with Knebel now slated for an MRI that will likely provide more information. The hurler has a 3.45 ERA on the season, though his 20.9% strikeout rate and 13.6% walk rates both represent career worsts. Things looked much rosier earlier this month, as Knebel had a 2.59 ERA until a five-run outing on August 2. Taking that one outing away would certainly make his numbers look better, though the lack of punchouts and increased free passes are still concerning.
  • The Mets announced to reporters, including Tim Britton of The Athletic, that infielder Luis Guillorme left today’s game with left groin tightness. He will undergo imaging tomorrow. Though it’s unclear how serious the issue is, the timing is unfortunate as the Mets’ infield has been taking a beating of late. Both Eduardo Escobar and Jeff McNeil had to leave Friday’s game due to injuries, which forced the club to turn to outfield Mark Canha as an emergency third baseman. Escobar relieved Guillorme today and McNeil started the game, so it doesn’t appear terribly dire. However, the club may have to consider adding another infielder to the roster in order to build in some rest for such a banged-up group.

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