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MLB, MLBPA Announce November “Korea Series” As Part Of MLB World Tour

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Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association announced Friday morning that Major League players will travel to South Korea in November for a four-game exhibition series involving players from the Korea Baseball Organization. The “2022 Korea Series” will run from November 9-16 and feature two-game sets at Busan’s Sajik Baseball Stadium (home to the KBO’s Lotte Giants) and at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome (home to the KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes). The four-game series is both a part of MLB’s new “MLB World Tour” initiative to expand the game’s global presence and a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the KBO.

“Major League Baseball is excited to travel to Busan and Seoul for this historic series,” said MLB chief operations & strategy offer Chris Marinak in a statement within this morning’s press release. “This tour is the next step of MLB’s plan to deliver regular baseball events in Korea in the coming years and follows our upcoming Home Run Derby X, scheduled for September 17th in Seoul. South Korea’s rich baseball tradition has produced many accomplished Major League players, including All-Stars Chan Ho Park and Shin-Soo Choo, as well as current Blue Jays pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu and Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi.  We thank J-One and the KBO for partnering with us and the MLBPA on this great event.”

As MLB’s release further indicates, this will be the first time Major League players have traveled to play games in South Korea in a century, when a group including Casey Stengel, Waite Hoyt and Herb Pennock, among others, made the trip back in 1922.

Under the MLB World Tour, MLB and the MLBPA have agreed to host as many as 24 regular season games and 16 exhibition contests between Asia, Europe, Latin America and Mexico through 2026. The KBO’s news release (hat tip: Jee-ho Yoo of South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency) indicates that KBO commissioner Koo-youn Heo and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred also discussed back in June the eventual possibility of regular-season KBO games being played in the United States and of regular-season MLB games being played in South Korea.

MLB and the MLBPA have yet to announce a slate of participants who’ll travel to South Korea for the event. The KBO release indicates that further details regarding schedule, matchups, ticket sales and participants on both the MLB and KBO side of the event will be announced at a September press conference.

Latest On Angels’ Potential Sale

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The Angels appear set for a major shake-up, as owner Arte Moreno announced Tuesday he’d retained financial advisors to explore a potential sale of the franchise. The news came as a surprise publicly, but Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reports that Moreno had planned to look into selling the team for a while before making the announcement. One source tells Rosenthal a sale has been under consideration for upwards of two months.

Precisely when Moreno settled upon this course of action isn’t clear, but it appears to have been at some point in June at the latest. As Rosenthal points out, that provides some interesting context for the Halos’ approach to the trade deadline — specifically with the organization’s handling of reigning AL MVP Shohei Ohtani. Reports emerged in late July the Angels were listening to trade offers on Ohtani, but any speculation was quickly dashed when the Halos took the two-way star off the market by August 1.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported shortly after the deadline that Moreno forbade the front office from exploring Ohtani trades at a time when fellow superstar Mike Trout was on the injured list. Buster Olney of ESPN relayed a similar sentiment this week, writing that the club’s baseball operations department viewed this summer as the ideal time to extract a maximum return for Ohtani, who is arbitration-eligible for a final time before reaching free agency after 2023. Moreno, however, stepped in and indicated he wouldn’t approve a trade.

In the aftermath of the announcement that Moreno was exploring a sale, there was plenty of speculation among rival fanbases that an Ohtani trade next offseason could be more viable than it was this summer. Yet Rosenthal feels that’s unlikely, reasoning that Moreno’s refusal to deal Ohtani at the deadline while already planning to explore a sale of the franchise seems unlikely to change over the winter.

It isn’t known how long the sales process will take, but it could extend well into the offseason. For reference, the Lerner family announced shortly after Opening Day they were exploring a sale of the Nationals. Earlier this week, Barry Svrulga, Ben Strauss and Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post suggested that process could be wrapped up by November, around seven months after the team’s announcement a sale was under consideration. If the Angels’ process follows a similar timetable, it’d push near Opening Day 2023. Each situation is individual, of course, and one can’t know precisely at this stage how long the possible sale of the Anaheim franchise might take. Yet the Nationals situation serves as an example of the complexity of a deal of this magnitude, and it seems likely Moreno will retain ownership at least for the early stages of the offseason.

Ohtani’s future is just one of many key decisions the Angels face as the franchise prepares for a possible monumental change. The club will have to settle upon a manager, with Phil Nevin currently holding the role on an interim basis after the team dismissed Joe Maddon in early June. General manager Perry Minasian and his staff will also be tasked with trying to overcome what’s set to be a seventh straight losing season and presumably make another push for contention in 2023. How much financial flexibility will be at the front office’s disposal remains to be seen.

The Halos entered this season with a franchise-record payroll north of $188MM, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Jason Martinez of Roster Recourse estimates the club has a bit above $103MM in guaranteed money on the books for next season. That doesn’t include what’ll surely be a massive raise for Ohtani over this season’s $5.5MM salary, and the team will also see first baseman Jared Walsh reach arbitration for the first time. The Halos aren’t facing many significant free agent departures, but they could arguably stand to use external help at shortstop, left field, catcher and in both the rotation and the bullpen.

Astros Notes: Pressly, Verlander, Javier

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The Astros placed closer Ryan Pressly on the 15-day injured list this afternoon, retroactive to August 22, with neck spasms. Righty Seth Martinez was recalled to take the vacated active roster spot. Pressly has been unavailable for the past couple games dealing with stiffness in his neck, and the issue is apparently severe enough it’ll take him out of commission for at least a couple weeks. The club hasn’t provided a more specific timetable on his return.

Pressly has excelled again this season, continuing along as one of the sport’s top late-game relievers. Through 37 2/3 innings on the year, the right-hander owns a 3.11 ERA with an excellent 32.2% strikeout percentage and just a 6.3% walk rate. His 44.2% ground-ball rate is the lowest mark in his four full seasons in Houston, but the two-time All-Star has more than offset that with elite swing-and-miss stuff. He’s gotten a whiff on 17.1% of his pitches, the 13th-highest rate among 214 relievers with 30+ innings pitched.

More out of Houston:

  • Justin Verlander chatted with Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic earlier this week, discussing his progression back from the Tommy John surgery that wiped out virtually all of his 2020-21 seasons. The future Hall of Famer has put himself firmly in the conversation for a third career Cy Young award, posting an MLB-best 1.87 ERA over 23 starts. Verlander hasn’t looked at all fazed by his lack of innings over the prior two seasons, as he’s soaked up 149 frames (the 12th most in MLB). He’s already surpassed the 130-inning threshold to vest a player option in his deal that could keep him in Houston for $25MM next season. With how well he’s performed, however, he seems all but certain to forego that provision and retest the open market in search of an annual salary near or above the $43.333MM former teammate Max Scherzer landed from the Mets last offseason. Verlander noted he won’t be able to make a formal decision on the option until after he sees how he finishes the season, but he unsurprisingly tells Rosenthal that “if things continue to go the way they are and knock on wood, everything goes the way I think everybody would hope, then I would probably opt out. I’ve pitched pretty damn well.“
  • There’s a bit of a shake-up alongside Verlander in the starting staff, as skipper Dusty Baker told reporters the club will move from the six-man rotation they’d been deploying to a five-man staff for now (via Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle). Righty Cristian Javier will be the odd man out, at least temporarily. Baker indicated the team would skip the 25-year-old’s scheduled start this weekend, with Javier available out of the bullpen instead. It’s not out of the question they eventually go back to the six-man staff, but with off days scheduled for next Monday and Thursday, there’s room for the club to consolidate the rotation for the time being. Javier’s return to the bullpen certainly isn’t an indictment of his performance. Through 112 1/3 frames, he owns a sterling 2.88 ERA with a 32.4% strikeout rate. Still, with a top five of Verlander, Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia and José Urquidy, the Astros have enviable depth (although Garcia has struggled of late). Javier’s willingness to work as a multi-inning relief weapon as needed could forecast his potential role in the postseason, as he has far more recent bullpen experience than any of the other top rotation options on staff.

Mariners Re-Sign Tommy Milone To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners brought back veteran southpaw Tommy Milone on a minor league contract this week, according to his transactions log at MLB.com. Seattle released him on trade deadline day to clear space on the 40-man roster for their acquisitions.

Milone was on the 15-day injured list at the time, having sustained a cervical muscle strain in the preceding days. The 35-year-old has not yet been assigned to an affiliate, so he’s yet to make an appearance since his most recent big league outing on July 29. That was the final of seven MLB outings during his run in the majors with Seattle. Milone worked 16 2/3 innings as a long reliever, posting a 5.40 ERA with six walks, five strikeouts and four home runs allowed.

That’s obviously not a great showing, but Milone excelled over seven starts with Triple-A Tacoma early in the year. He posted a minuscule 1.13 ERA through 32 frames, punching out 24.8% of opponents against a tidy 6.8% walk percentage. He’ll presumably return to that role with the Rainiers at some point as a rotation/long relief depth option.

Despite being one of the game’s softest throwers, Milone has continued to attract interest from myriad teams into his mid-30’s. He’s reached the big leagues in each of the past 12 years, working as a strike-throwing swing option of late. He’ll look to work his way back to the bigs with Seattle before the end of the season.

Phillies Place Zack Wheeler On Injured List

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The Phillies placed starter Zack Wheeler on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to August 22, with tendinitis in his right forearm. Bailey Falter is expected to start tomorrow in his place.

Aside from a brief stay on the COVID list in May, Wheeler has remained on the active roster since signing with Philadelphia heading into the 2020 season. While any mention of forearm discomfort for a pitcher is eyebrow-raising, the Phils don’t seem particularly concerned. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters that Wheeler was willing to pitch through the issue, but the club is hopeful that by skipping two starts, he can put it in the rearview mirror (via Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Todd Zolecki of MLB.com).

Last year’s NL Cy Young runner-up, Wheeler has remained a pivotal part of the starting five this season. Through 23 starts, he owns a 3.07 ERA with a 26.7% strikeout rate. The right-hander’s production isn’t quite at the level it was last year, but he ranks among the top 30 hurlers (minimum 100 innings) in ERA and strikeout percentage. Any downturn in performance is essentially attributable to this month, as Wheeler has a 4.44 ERA over his past four starts after carrying a 2.77 mark into August.

Falter seems likely to plug the rotation gap for a couple turns through the rotation, with the hope that Wheeler returns at full strength for the season’s final month. The Phillies have been one of baseball’s hottest teams, and they carry a 69-55 record into play tonight. Philadelphia is in possession of the second Wild Card spot in the National League, holding a 3 1/2 game cushion over the Brewers (with the Padres in between the two clubs).

Yankees Select Greg Weissert

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5:56pm: New York officially announced Wiessert’s selection, as well as the previously-reported placement of Nestor Cortes on the 15-day IL and the reinstatement of Giancarlo Stanton. In order to create a spot on the 40-man roster, New York transferred center fielder Harrison Bader from the 10-day to the 60-day IL. Bader has already been on the IL since June 27, so the move is procedural and doesn’t affect his return window. Bader, who’s dealing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, hasn’t yet begun a minor league rehab assignment.

11:57am: The Yankees will select the contract of right-hander Greg Weissert prior to tomorrow’s game with the Athletics, according to Eric Hubbs of Barstool Sports (Twitter link).  A corresponding move will need to be made to officially add Weissert to the 40-man roster, and the New York Post’s Joel Sherman reports that the Yankees will be placing another pitcher on the injured list.

Weissert’s first MLB appearance will be his debut in the Show.  An 18th-round pick out of Fordham in the 2016 draft, Weissert posted solid but unspectacular numbers in his first pro seasons before returning with a flourish after the canceled 2020 minor league season.  The right-hander has been getting better as he has gotten closer to the majors, with a 1.47 ERA over 36 2/3 innings of Double-A ball and a 1.85 ERA in 82 2/3 Triple-A frames.

This season has seen Weissert deliver a 36.8% strikeout rate in 46 innings of Triple-A ball, which is more than enough to counter a more average 10.4% walk rate.  Batters have simply not been able to do much against Weissert this year, with only 22 total hits.  Over his last 23 games and 23 1/3 innings, Weissert also hasn’t allowed a single run, either earned or unearned.

The bullpen went from being a major strength to more of a question mark for the Yankees in recent weeks, as Chad Green and Michael King were both lost to season-ending injuries and the likes of Clay Holmes, Miguel Castro, Albert Abreu, and — just yesterday — trade deadline acquisition Scott Effross were also lost to the injured list.  Weissert will provide some reinforcement, while Holmes, Castro, and Zach Britton are all on the way back, though it remains to be seen which new pitcher (as per Sherman’s report) has now also been sidelined.

Tyler Clippard Elects Free Agency

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AUGUST 25: Clippard has cleared waivers and refused an outright assignment, according to a team announcement. As expected, he’ll return to the open market in search of a new opportunity.

AUGUST 23: The Nationals are designating reliever Tyler Clippard for assignment, tweets Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. The move frees an active roster spot for Erick Fedde, who is back from the 15-day injured list. The club also swapped out backup catchers, recalling Riley Adams from Triple-A Rochester while optioning Tres Barrera. Washington’s 40-man roster tally drops to 39.

A two-time All-Star, Clippard has been a durable and effective reliever for the bulk of his 16-year big league career. He spent an extended chunk of that run in the nation’s capital, pitching with the Nats between 2008-14 before bouncing throughout the league. The changeup specialist remained productive through 2020, but he’s had some injury woes over the past couple years. He lost a good chunk of last season with the Diamondbacks due to a capsule sprain. Clippard returned late in the year and posted a solid 3.20 ERA over 25 1/3 innings, but his peripherals weren’t especially impressive.

The 37-year-old returned to Washington on a minor league deal over the winter. He impressed with Rochester, posting a 2.23 ERA with an excellent 31.5% strikeout percentage through 40 1/3 frames. That earned him another big league call last month, but he quickly suffered a groin strain that sent him to the injured list. Clippard returned a couple weeks ago, but the Nats moved on after just four MLB appearances. He tossed five innings of four-run ball with four strikeouts and walks apiece, averaging a career-low 87.5 MPH on his fastball.

Washington will place the veteran on waivers in the next few days. If he goes unclaimed, Clippard would have the right to elect free agency and look for another opportunity elsewhere. If he lands with a new organization by September 1 — either via waiver claim or new free agent deal upon clearing waivers — he’d be eligible for postseason play this season.

James Paxton Diagnosed With Grade 2 Lat Tear, Will Not Pitch This Season

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Red Sox left-hander James Paxton has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 tear in his left lat muscle and will be shut down for the season, manager Alex Cora informed reporters (including Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe). It’ll go down as a completely lost season for the left-hander, who hasn’t pitched in a big league game since April 2021.

Paxton has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his career. He’s spent time on the IL in every year since 2014, including an extended absence for a left lat strain that season. Paxton has also been plagued by hand, forearm, chest, knee and elbow concerns. The arm injuries, in particular, have proven problematic over the past few years. The southpaw missed most of the shortened 2020 campaign trying to rehab from a flexor strain in his forearm. While he avoided undergoing surgery at the time, he blew out in the second inning of his first start the following year and required Tommy John surgery.

That procedure ended Paxton’s reunion tour with the Mariners last year before it got far off the ground, but the Red Sox nevertheless signed him to a $10MM guarantee this past offseason. That rather complex arrangement paid him a $6MM salary for this season and contained a pair of successive $13MM club options — essentially a two-year, $26MM deal — for the Sox to decide upon in conjunction this winter. If the team declines the options, Paxton would receive a $4MM player option for 2023 alone.

On the heels of a third straight injury-wrecked season, there’s essentially no chance the Red Sox commit $13MM salaries for the upcoming two years. It seems likely that Paxton will accept his $4MM option, although there’s at least a small possibility he foregoes that figure in search of an incentive-laden pact on the open market. If Paxton declines the player option, the Sox would’ve committed him $6MM for no return on their investment.

That’s not to say it was an entirely illogical bet for chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and his staff to take last winter. At the time of Paxton’s signing in December, the club anticipated he’d contribute for the second half and a possible playoff push. Despite a minor delay as he dealt with elbow soreness in May, he indeed seemed on track to get on the mound for the season’s final month. Paxton had ramped up a throwing program and begun a rehab assignment last Thursday, but he faced just two batters before suffering the lat injury.

It has now been three years since Paxton was healthy, but he was an effective starter for the Yankees during his last extended stretch of action. He made 29 appearances in 2019, tossing 150 2/3 frames with a 3.82 ERA and an excellent 29.4% strikeout rate. A trio of teams (New York, Seattle and Boston) have taken successive shots to see if he can replicate that well above-average production in the years since then, but the series of injuries has unfortunately kept that from happening.

Boston is facing a fair bit of potential turnover in the rotation this offseason. Paxton has the aforementioned dual team/player options, while Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill will all be free agents. Chris Sale is under contract through 2024 but coming off another injury-plagued season of his own. Aside from Nick Pivetta — whose 4.24 ERA this season is a career-low — there isn’t much rotation certainty moving forward. Bloom and his staff will have their work cut out for them in overhauling much of that group, regardless of whether Paxton elects to return.

Phillies To Activate Bryce Harper From Injured List On Friday

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Reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper will return to the Phillies’ active roster prior to their game with the Pirates on Friday, Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson told reporters (including MLB.com’s Todd Zelecki).  The initial plan for Harper’s minor league rehab assignment planned for activation from the 60-day injured list on Monday, but Harper will instead return a bit earlier, as suggested by MLB Network’s Jon Morosi earlier today.

The Phillies first placed Harper on the 10-day IL due to his fractured left thumb back on June 26, so he’ll end up missing only slightly beyond the 60-day minimum.  Harper has been making steady progress with his recovery ever since undergoing thumb surgery, and he will now again get to contribute to a Phillies team that has become one of baseball’s hottest teams.

The firing of Joe Girardi and Thomson’s installation as interim manager was the obvious turning point in Philadelphia’s season, as the Phils went 22-29 under Girardi and are currently 47-26 under Thomson.  Not even losing one of the sport’s best hitters slowed down the Phillies, since they have a 31-20 record since Harper was sidelined.

Harper’s thumb was broken by a Blake Snell pitch on June 25, interrupting an unusual but still highly successful season for the 29-year-old.  Due to a small UCL tear in his right elbow, Harper hasn’t played a game in the field since April 16, but his bat hasn’t been impacted by his new role as a full-time DH.  Harper has 21 home runs and a .318/.385/.599 slash line over his first 275 plate appearances, with that .985 OPS standing as the fourth-highest of Harper’s career.

2022 will go down as another Harper season cut short by injury, but that will be a footnote if he is able to help the Phillies reach their first postseason since 2011.  Philadelphia holds the second NL wild card slot, well back of the Braves for the first wild card but with a 3.5-game cushion over the Brewers (the top team outside the playoff picture).

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