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Braves Option Kyle Wright, Jacob Webb

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The Braves announced this morning that they’ve optioned right-handers Kyle Wright and Jacob Webb to Triple-A to begin the season. That decision strongly suggests that righty Bryse Wilson will open the season as the club’s fifth starter behind Max Fried, Ian Anderson, Charlie Morton and Drew Smyly while the club waits on Mike Soroka to finish rehabbing last year’s Achilles tear.

Wright, the No. 5 overall draft pick back in 2017, started eight games for the Braves last year as the rotation battled substantial injury issues. He limped to a 5.21 ERA and 5.83 SIERA with poor strikeout and walk rates, but the righty also found his stride near season’s end and got the nod for a pair of postseason starts. He utterly dominated the Marlins in the NLDS before being hammered for seven runs in just two-thirds of an inning at the hands of the eventual World Series Champion Dodgers in the NLCS.

Wilson, meanwhile, was strong in his lone postseason start (also against the Dodgers), allowing just a run in six innings of work. He’s outpitched Wright thus far in Spring Training, holding opponents to three runs on 15 hits and four walks with nine strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings of work. Long considered a well-regarded prospect himself, the 23-year-old Wilson has yet to find extended success in the big leagues but also hasn’t had a long opportunity to do so; he’s never pitched in more than six games during any of his three seasons of MLB experience to date.

Webb’s option also lends some clarity to the bullpen picture. The 27-year-old righty is the victim of the options game that impacts so many players this time of year, it seems. He’s pitched 42 1/3 innings at the MLB level and recorded a 1.06 ERA — albeit with less impressive secondary stats, including below-average strikeout (22.2) and walk (9.9) percentages and fielding-independent marks in the 4.00s. Still, he’s pitched well this spring (one run in six frames) and probably would’ve had a spot in the ’pen if the Braves’ relief corps had more flexibility.

That’s simply not the case, however. Will Smith, Chris Martin and Josh Tomlin, all veterans on guaranteed free-agent deals, aren’t going anywhere. Tyler Matzek, Grant Dayton and Luke Jackson are all out of minor league options. A.J. Minter has minor league options remaining but was dominant in 2020 and has had a strong Spring Training.

That could leave a bullpen spot open — perhaps two, depending on the number of pitchers the club carries. However, David O’Brien of The Athletic recently noted that the Braves are intrigued by non-roster invitees Nate Jones and Carl Edwards Jr., both of whom have pitched well this spring. Jones, who has thrown 6 2/3 shutout innings in camp, has to be added to the roster by tomorrow or else be granted his release, per O’Brien, which surely factored into the decision to option Webb.

It’s still likely that Wright and Webb will both have the opportunity to factor prominently into the team’s pitching plans by season’s end, as injuries and struggles elsewhere on the roster will inevitably lead the Braves to tap into their depth.

Steven Brault Shut Down For A Month

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The Pirates have shut lefty Steven Brault down for the next month or so due to a “moderate arm muscle strain,” director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk tells reporters (Twitter links via Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic and Jason Mackey of the Post-Gazette). Because of the fairly lengthy shutdown, Brault will need to be built back up before returning to a game setting. His total absence could stretch anywhere from 10 to 12 weeks in length.

Brault exited his most recent Grapefruit League start with tightness, which the club eventually revealed to be a lat strain. The team’s update today did not specify the grade of the strain, but a fairly lengthy absence for Brault nevertheless alters the team’s rotation outlook substantially. After trading away Joe Musgrove and Jameson Taillon this winter, Brault was the team’s most experienced incumbent option on the starting staff.

Holdovers Chad Kuhl and Mitch Keller are virtual locks for the Pittsburgh rotation, as are offseason signees Trevor Cahill and Tyler Anderson, both of whom signed guaranteed Major League deals for the 2021 season. Other candidates to take the ball early in the year include righties Wil Crowe and JT Brubaker. Crowe, acquired from the Nats in the offseason trade of Josh Bell, has thrown quite well so far in Spring Training. Through 9 2/3 innings, he’s held opponents to one run on seven hits and three walks with seven punchouts.

Brault’s timeline for a return will be particularly worth monitoring given his status as an obvious summer trade candidate. The 28-year-old (29 in April) drew interest over the winter and, as a player who is controlled for just two years beyond the current campaign, is a logical trade chip for a rebuilding club like Pittsburgh. Because he’s controlled through 2023, there’s no real urgency to move him this summer — particularly if he doesn’t have much time demonstrate his health prior to the July 31 trade deadline.

Jeff Mathis Granted Release By Phillies

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The Phillies announced Wednesday that veteran catcher Jeff Mathis, who was in camp on a minor league contract, has requested and been granted his release by the club. He’s once again a free agent.

Mathis, 38 next week, went 6-for-29 with a homer and a pair of doubles with the Phillies this spring. His chances of making the roster seemed to improve when J.T. Realmuto sustained a small fracture in his thumb early in camp, but Realmuto has returned to the lineup and is now looking likelier to be ready for the opener. Mathis’ release only seems to add to that likelihood.

Now back on the market, Mathis will likely seek another opportunity from a club looking to add a glove-first backup behind the plate. Offense has never been Mathis’ calling card, but his bat bottomed out from 2019-20 with Texas, when he produced just a .159/.212/.252 batting line through 312 plate appearances. His work this spring was a bit more encouraging, however, and Mathis has long been regarded as one of the game’s premier defensive players at any position. Even if last year’s defensive ratings took a dip, another club in need of a lightly used backup could show interest in bringing him aboard for his defensive aptitude and the extensive knowledge he can share with the organization’s younger catchers and/or pitchers.

Tigers Select Julio Teheran’s Contract

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The Tigers have informed veteran righty Julio Teheran that he will make their Opening Day roster, manager A.J. Hinch announced to reporters Wednesday (Twitter links via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press). Teheran had a March 22 opt-out date in his contract that he triggered two days ago, giving the club 48 hours to make the move. He’ll now be guaranteed a $3MM salary with up to $1MM available via additional incentives. In a corresponding roster move, the Tigers announced that righty Spencer Turnbull has been placed on the injured list. No reason was given, but he’s been away from the rest of the club since Saturday due to Covid-19 protocols.

Detroit also informed left-hander Tarik Skubal that he’s made the big league rotation. Meanwhile, veteran righty Erasmo Ramirez and lefty Ian Krol did not make the club but will stick with the team. Ramirez has more than six years of service time and finished out the 2020 season on a 40-man roster, making him an Article XX(B) free agent under the collective bargaining agreement and thus entitling him to a $100K retention bonus for remaining with the Tigers rather than taking the release opportunity afforded to him by that status.

Teheran, 30, has had an outstanding spring with the Tigers, holding opponents to three runs on just six hits and one walk with 15 strikeouts over the course of 11 innings. More encouragingly, he’s shown improved velocity this spring, with both Petzold and The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen indicating that he came out of the gates hitting 92.8 and 92.9 mph — just a year after Statcast pegged his average four-seamer at 89.2 mph and his average sinker at 88.7 mph.

Last year was a particularly dismal season for Teheran. In his first season away from his original organization, the Braves, Teheran missed the early portion of the year due to a positive Covid-19 diagnosis and attempted to build up his pitch count in a big league setting but never looked like himself. He was clobbered for a disastrous 10.05 ERA (5.99 SIERA) with a career-low 13.4 percent strikeout rate against an elevated 10.7 percent walk rate.

Prior to 2020, Teheran had been a durable workhorse in Atlanta. He may not have developed into the ace-caliber starter that many expected based on his former top prospect status — his 2014 season came close — but from 2013-19 Teheran combined for a 3.64 ERA over the life over 1334 innings. He averaged 32 starts per season along the way, landing on the injured list only twice: a two-week stretch due to a minor lat strain in 2016 and a 10-day stint for a thumb contusion in 2018.

Teheran now steps into the Tigers’ rotation alongside Matthew Boyd, Jose Urena and the up-and-coming Skubal, who ranked as one of the game’s top 50 prospects prior to making his MLB debut in 2020. The 24-year-old Skubal was tagged for a 5.63 ERA last season, but only in a small sample of 32 innings. He battled some control issues a bit in his most recent spring start but has held opponents to a pair of runs on eight hits and eight walks with 15 strikeouts in 12 Grapefruit League innings. Obviously, he’ll need to command the strike zone more effectively during the season, but Skubal has encouraged the club enough to further audition for a long-term rotation spot.

Turnbull was likely ticketed for a rotation spot himself, but there’s no timeline for his return to the club. In the meantime, the Tigers can look to former No. 1 overall pick Casey Mize or former Rookie of the Year Michael Fulmer. The latter worked out of the bullpen in his most recent outing and has generally struggled this spring, but he still hopes to return to form as a starter after undergoing Tommy John surgery late in 2018, missing 2019 and struggling in 2020. Mize has also struggled, however, so the Tigers could look elsewhere within the organization to piece things together until Turnbull is deemed eligible to return. Both Daniel Norris and Tyler Alexander have experience starting at the MLB level.

Offseason In Review: Washington Nationals

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After their first losing season since 2011, the Nationals made several short-term additions to reload the roster for another shot at contention.

Major League Signings

Trades & Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Notable Losses

General manager Mike Rizzo is no stranger to generating winter headlines, but there were no true blockbuster additions to the Washington roster this offseason, as the Nats (like most teams around baseball) took a more measured approach to spending in response to the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.  This doesn’t mean Rizzo took it easy, however — the Nationals were one of the offseason’s busier teams, considering the sheer volume of familiar names added on both one-year MLB contracts and minor league deals.

The Nationals waited until late December to make a truly noteworthy transaction, picking up Josh Bell in a trade that sent young right-handers Wil Crowe and Eddy Yean to the Pirates.  This was one of Washington’s few moves made with an eye beyond just 2021, as Bell has two years of arbitration eligibility remaining before he qualifies for free agency after the 2022 season.  Earning $6.3MM this coming, Bell will be a pretty cost-effective piece for D.C. even if he has a good enough season to merit a big arbitration raise next winter, and naturally the club wouldn’t mind such an expenditure if it meant Bell was back to his old self.

The switch-hitting slugger batted just .226/.305/.364 in 223 plate appearances last year, with Bell also posting the highest strikeout rate and lowest walk rates of his five-year MLB career.  That performance surely lowered the Pirates’ asking price in trade talks, and the Nationals must feel they’ve bought low on a player who was an All-Star in 2019.  Crowe and Yean are prospects of some note, but not blue-chippers in a Washington farm system that is already pretty deep in pitching.

The Bell trade broke the seal on the Nats’ winter business to some extent, as the team soon thereafter moved on another power bat by bringing Kyle Schwarber to the District.  The Cubs (as part of their own payroll crunch) non-tendered Schwarber after he hit .188/.308/.393 with 11 homers in 224 PA, a big step backwards from the above-average production Schwarber delivered in his previous five years in Wrigleyville.

Adding Bell and Schwarber probably won’t do much to help a Nationals defense that struggled badly in 2020.  What the two sluggers can bring, the Nats hope, is suitable lineup protection hitting behind Trea Turner and Juan Soto.  There is some risk involved if either of the two new faces continue to hit at their 2020 levels, but at least the risk is minimized to just the 2021 season, since D.C. can walk away from either Bell or Schwarber next offseason if things don’t work out.

This type of strategy informed the Nationals’ entire winter, as the team is rolling the dice on a number of bounce-back candidates in hope of landing at least a few bargain scores.  While Washington has shown a willingness to exceed the luxury tax threshold (if only by a bit) in the past, the club would surely like to avoid another tax payment if possible, and the Nats are estimated to sit roughly $13.25MM below the $210MM Competitive Balance Tax limit.  It leaves the team with a bit of breathing room for midseason additions, though the Nationals’ number will escalate depending on how many of their minor league signings make the roster and lock in guaranteed salaries.

Washington could have saved itself $500K if the team had just claimed Brad Hand on waivers last October, as Hand’s $10MM club option (that was eventually declined by the Indians) was less than the $10.5MM deal that Hand signed with D.C. in January.  Still, the Nats weren’t alone in passing on Hand at that time, quite possibly because they and other clubs didn’t have their 2021 budgets planned at that point in the offseason.

An “extra” $500K also isn’t exactly a big price to pay for a former three-time All-Star.  Though Hand’s velocity and strikeout numbers dropped a bit in 2020, he still posted some very strong numbers as Cleveland’s closer.  Hand is an easy replacement for Sean Doolittle (who struggled last year and left for the Reds in free agency) and his addition could help stabilize a Nationals relief corps that has been a weak spot for years.

Unfortunately, as is often the case with the Washington bullpen, new problems emerge as quickly as old problems are corrected.  Will Harris’ status is in question due to a blood clot in his right arm, while Tanner Rainey has yet to pitch this spring due to a muscle strain near his collarbone.  This opens the door for one of many relievers in camp on minor league deals (such as Javy Guerra, T.J. McFarland, Luis Avilan, Aaron Barrett, and more) to win jobs, or the Nationals could fill at least one bullpen role with one of the pitchers who doesn’t win the fifth spot in the rotation.

Joe Ross, Erick Fedde, and Austin Voth are all out of options, so the Nats will have to figure out a way to keep them on the big league roster unless they want to risk losing any of the hurlers on a waiver placement.  D.C. can ill-afford losing a starter-capable arm for nothing, both because innings will be harder to fill this season, and because there is a fair amount of injury risk within the veteran top four of Washington’s rotation.

Stephen Strasburg tops this list, as the right-hander has been slowed by a calf injury this spring after missing all but two starts of 2020 due to carpal tunnel syndrome.  Between Strasburg, Max Scherzer, and Patrick Corbin, the Nationals reinforced this experienced group with an even older pitcher in 37-year-old Jon Lester.  It has been some time since Lester was a true top-of-the-rotation force, and his 5.16 ERA in 2020 (albeit over only 61 innings) was the worst of his career.  While the Nats obviously think Lester can improve on that statistic in a more normal season, Lester’s primary function will be to act as a durable innings-eater.

Returning to the position-player side, the Nationals said goodbye to several regulars from their World Series team, as Adam Eaton (White Sox), Michael A. Taylor (Royals), Kurt Suzuki (Angels), and Asdrubal Cabrera (Diamondbacks) all left the District as free agents and Howie Kendrick decided to retire.  Some familiar faces were retained, however, as the Nats worked out a new contract with longtime franchise stalwart Ryan Zimmerman, and utilityman Josh Harrison was re-signed for a second season with the club.

Zimmerman will serve as Bell’s backup, while Harrison could end up in a more significant role given the unsettled state of the D.C. infield.  On paper, Harrison will play much everywhere on the diamond in a super-utility capacity.  In practice, however, Harrison might end up getting more regular work in the infield since Carter Kieboom has followed up a rough 2020 season with a lack of production in Spring Training.  (Kieboom was also mentioned in trade rumors over the winter.)  It is possible the Nationals could end up using Starlin Castro at third base and Luis Garcia as the regular second baseman, but since Garcia is also inexperienced, having a versatile veteran like Harrison on hand becomes even more important.

The Nationals did at least consider making a much bigger splash to their everyday lineup, as such free agents and trade targets as D.J. LeMahieu, J.T. Realmuto, Carlos Santana, Eugenio Suarez, and Kris Bryant were all reportedly considered at different points in the offseason.  While Harrison, Alex Avila or (“Baby Shark” sing-alongs notwithstanding) Gerardo Parra don’t have the same cache as those star names, it seems like Washington is opting to wait until next winter to start considering more big-ticket additions.

Only three players are on guaranteed contracts for the 2022 season, though the trio of Corbin, Harris, and Strasburg accounts for $67MM in payroll (roughly $11.5MM of Strasburg’s salary is deferred).  As well, the Nationals are surely hoping that some of their payroll space will be taken up by long-term extensions with Soto and Turner.  A Soto extension might well be the priciest contract in baseball history, while Turner is more of an immediately pressing concern, since Soto is controlled through the 2024 season and Turner only through 2022.  Scherzer is also entering his final year under contract, and it’s probably safe to assume the Nats will have some talks about another deal for their longtime ace.

It makes for an interesting dynamic heading into 2021, as the Nationals will challenge for a return to the playoffs, but they are also well-positioned to pivot into being deadline sellers should they fall out of contention.  The 2022 Nationals may look quite different, but there is still enough of the old championship core remaining this year for Washington to make a proper 162-game defense of the 2019 World Series title.

How would you grade the Nationals’ offseason? (Poll link for app users)

Astros, Lance McCullers Jr. “Deep” Into Extension Talks

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9:19pm: The Astros have made a “strong” offer to McCullers, and they’re “deep” in talks with him, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle writes.

5:37pm: Right-hander Lance McCullers Jr., who’s in the last year of his contract, tweeted last month that he hadn’t heard from the Astros about an extension, but that has changed. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Astros have made a long-term offer to the Boras Corporation client. Details of the proposal are unknown, and Heyman adds that it’s unclear whether the two sides will get a deal done.

A career-long Astro, McCullers made his major league debut with the club in 2015 and has since produced quality results. The 27-year-old owns a 3.70 ERA/3.61 SIERA with above-average strikeout and walk percentages of 26.4 and 9.3, respectively. The problem, if there is one, is that McCullers hasn’t been particularly durable in the bigs. He topped out at 128 1/3 innings in 2018 and has accrued just 508 2/3 frames during his career.

McCullers underwent Tommy John surgery before 2019, causing him to miss all of that season, but he did get through last year unscathed. He rebounded from the procedure to finish second among Astros in starts (11) and third in innings (55), recording a 3.93 ERA/3.95 SIERA and a sterling 59.7 percent groundball rate along the way.

Despite the health issues that have dogged him in the majors, McCullers should do well on his next contract. His track record and age should make him one of the most appealing starters on the open market, but the Astros may prevent him from getting there. Of course, the Astros also have a few other high-profile free agents-to-be – including righties Zack Greinke and Justin Verlander and shortstop Carlos Correa – so general manager James Click & Co. have a lot of work to do over the next several months.

Adbert Alzolay Has Fourth Minor League Option

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The Cubs had been unsure whether right-hander Adbert Alzolay had a fourth minor league option, but they know now: An arbiter decided that he does, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago.

This is good news for the Cubs, who will be able to demote Alzolay this season without worrying about losing him to another team. The 26-year-old hasn’t made a good case for a roster spot this spring, having yielded eight runs (seven earned) over four innings. He was much better in 2020, when he logged a 2.95 ERA/4.15 SIERA and posted 29 strikeouts – albeit with 13 walks  – in 21 1/3 frames.

Alzolay made four starts last year, and it seems likely he’ll factor into the Cubs’ rotation again this season. However, knowing the Cubs can demote him, Alzolay is far from a lock to begin 2021 in the majors. Instead, Chicago could open the campaign with Kyle Hendricks, Jake Arrieta, Zach Davies, Trevor Williams and either Alec Mills or Shelby Miller comprising its starting staff.

Twins Option Alex Kirilloff

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The Twins have optioned outfielder Alex Kirilloff to their alternate trainng site, per a team announcement. The move means Kirilloff will not make the Twins’ Opening Day roster.

The 23-year-old Kirilloff was a first-round pick in 2016 who has ranked as one of baseball’s best prospects over the past couple seasons. Kirilloff had a chance to claim a spot on the Twins’ roster this spring in the aftermath of Eddie Rosario’s departure, but the .129/.182/.258 line he posted in 31 exhibition at-bats didn’t suggest to the team that he was ready for a role in the majors. With Kirilloff on his way down, Brent Rooker, Kyle Garlick and Jake Cave are all candidates to join Byron Buxton and Max Kepler as the Twins’ outfielders when the season starts, according to Phil Miller of the Star Tribune.

Kirilloff’s demotion could buy the Twins an extra year of control over him, though it’s unclear whether that motivated the team to send him down. After all, along with his struggles this spring, Kiriloff hasn’t played above the Double-A level yet. He hit .283/.343/.413 with nine home runs and seven stolen bases there across 411 plate appearances in 2019.

Latest On Zac Gallen

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MARCH 23: Gallen has a “hairline stress fracture of his right lateral forearm at the radial end,” Zach Buchanan of The Athletic tweets. Gallen can keep playing catch at a low-stress level, but there’s no timeline for his return.

MARCH 22: Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen was scratched from his scheduled Cactus League start today due to right lateral forearm soreness, manager Torey Lovullo told MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert (Twitter links) and other media.

Gallen is still being evaluated, and he has been receiving treatment on the problem for the last 10 days.  This would seem to indicate that Gallen has been dealing with the injury through at least one of his last two spring outings, though it hasn’t seemed to impact his results — the righty has a 2.13 ERA through four games and 12 2/3 innings during Spring Training.

Somewhat unusually, Gallen’s problem emerged while swinging a bat rather than throwing.  He told Gilbert and other reporters that his forearm began to feel sore after he was jammed with a pitch while taking swings in a batting cage.  (Should Gallen’s injury prove to be serious, he could quite possibly become the face of the dispute over the universal DH not being re-implemented for the 2021 season.)  In terms of pitching, Gallen said he was able to throw most of his pitches without issue, only feeling soreness when throwing a curveball.

Needless to say, the D’Backs will be as cautious as possible in monitoring any sort of forearm problem for a pitcher who looks to be the burgeoning ace of the rotation.  Gallen has been very impressive over 152 career MLB innings with the Marlins and Diamondbacks, posting a 2.78 ERA/408 SIERA and an above-average 28.5K%.  Gallen had some control issues in his 2019 rookie season but reduced his walk rate from 10.8% in 2019 to 8.6% in 2020.

Fernando Tatis Jr. Exits Game With Left Shoulder Discomfort

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5:56pm: Tatis is “fine,” a source told Acee.

5:04pm: Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. exited the team’s game against the Reds on Tuesday with discomfort in his left (non-throwing) shoulder, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune was among those to report. The club will re-evaluate Tatis on Wednesday.

There is no indication Tatis is dealing with a major injury, but if it a serious issue, it would be an awful development for the Padres. They’re coming off a tremendous 2020, an active offseason and hoping to knock the reigning World Series champion Dodgers off the National League West perch this year. For that to happen, the Padres will need a healthy Tatis, a 22-year-old who has established himself as a star since his 2019 debut. Tatis was so effective over his first two seasons, in which he slashed .301/.374/.582 with 39 home runs and 27 stolen bases over 629 plate appearances, that the Padres signed him to a 14-year, $340MM extension last month.

In the event of a worst-case scenario that would force Tatis to miss time, the Padres do have at least one viable replacement on their bench. Ha-Seong Kim – who thrived in Korea before joining the Padres on a four-year, $28MM guarantee in the offseason – has a great deal of professional experience at the position, where he played 776 games in the KBO.

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