Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Padres Designate Matt Wisler

By | at

The Padres announced that they’ve designated right-hander Matt Wisler for assignment. They’re replacing him on the 25-man roster with righty Robert Stock, who’s up from Triple-A El Paso.

Wisler’s in his second stint with the Padres, though his designation could once again lead him elsewhere. Formerly a well-regarded prospect, Wisler initially left the Padres in April 2015, when the Friars sent him to the Braves in a deal for closer Craig Kimbrel and outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. Wisler lasted into 2018 with the Braves, who traded him to the Reds in July to acquire outfielder Adam Duvall, before returning to San Diego this past April in a swap for righty Diomar Lopez.

Now 26 years old, Wisler saw his first action with the Padres this season before his DFA, logging an unimpressive 5.28 ERA over 29 innings and 21 appearances. Wisler has, however, posted a 4.11 FIP with 10.55 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 43.4 percent groundball rate in the majors this year. Including his days with the Braves and Reds, Wisler has pitched to a 5.18 ERA/4.83 FIP with 6.74 K/9, 2.92 BB/9 and a 36.8 percent grounder rate in 367 big league frames.

AL East Notes: Stroman, Yankees, Voit, Rays, Castillo

By | at

Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman left his start against the Royals in the fifth inning Saturday with “discomfort,” Shi Davidi of Sportsnet tweets. Stroman’s final pitch – a two-seam fastball – clocked in at 89.5 mph, down about 3 mph from his typical velocity, per Davidi. While Stroman’s status isn’t yet known, a serious injury would be a rather unfortunate turn of events for Toronto leading up to the July 31 trade deadline. Stroman, if healthy, figures to end up as one of the best starters on the move over the next month. [UPDATE: Stroman has a left shoulder pectoral cramp, Scott Mitchell of TSN was among those to report. He won’t miss any time, manager Charlie Montoyo told Davidi and others.]

More from the AL East…

  • Yankees first baseman Luke Voit exited the team’s London-based slugfest against Boston on Saturday with tightness in his core muscle, according to the Bombers (via ESPN.com). Voit told reporters (including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com) that he hopes to avoid the injured list, but the team will know more about his status Sunday. The 28-year-old collected four hits in as many attempts prior to his exit Saturday, upping his 2019 line to .280/.393/.509 (140 wRC+) with 17 home runs in 349 plate appearances. That would obviously be difficult production for the red-hot Yankees to lose, especially considering they may have just seen fellow slugger Giancarlo Stanton go down until at least August. The Yankees replaced Voit on Saturday with Gio Urshela and moved Urshela to third base for the sizzling DJ LeMahieu, who shifted to first.
  • Sticking with the Yankees, ace righty Luis Severino is still at least five to seven days from throwing, George A. King III of the New York Post reports. Severino has been shelved for almost three months with a lat strain – an injury that’s 90 percent healed, according to King. However, Severino’s still battling some soreness in the area. There has been plenty of speculation about the Yankees acquiring a starter (perhaps Stroman) in the next month, but they’d likely benefit more from a healthy Severino than any other hurler they could land in the coming weeks.
  • The Rays aren’t ruling out a return before the All-Star break for injured reliever Diego Castillo, manager Kevin Cash said Saturday (via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). The club placed Castillo on the IL last Sunday with right shoulder inflammation. That came on the heels of a few rough appearances for the flamethrowing Castillo, whose ERA was 2.05 as recently as June 11 but now sits at 3.93.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/29/19

By | at

The latest in minor moves from around the game…

  • Twins lefty Gabriel Moya has cleared waivers and been outrighted to AAA-Rochester, tweets Do-Hyoung Park of mlb.com. Moya, 24, had struggled with command at Rochester this season before his designation last week, the first time in eight professional seasons he’d exhibited such an issue. FanGraphs lauds the lefty’s 60-grade changeup, which won’t effectively be put to use if the wildness continues.
  • Angels infielder Wilfredo Tovar has cleared waivers and been outrighted to AAA-Salt Lake, per the team. Tovar had a 16-game stint with Los Angeles earlier this season, during which he slashed a meager .195/.283/.293 in 46 plate appearances. The 27-year-old’s been mostly punchless in 12 professional season thus far, though he continues to flash his sticky leather all around the infield.
  • The Pirates have signed former farmhand Gift Ngoepe, per the team’s Altoona Curve affiliate. Ngoepe, 29, will report to Altoona after a less-than-stellar showing with AAA Lehigh Valley in the Phillies system this year. Like Tovar, Ngoepe hasn’t hit much in the minors over his career, though his defense has his earned him call-ups with both Pittsburgh and Toronto over the last two seasons.

Cardinals To Place Marcell Ozuna On 10-Day IL With Finger Injury

By | at

Cardinals outfielder Marcell Ozuna, who jammed multiple fingers on his right hand, including the middle, which club officials fear may be fractured, in a baserunning incident during last night’s game against San Diego, will be placed on the 10-Day IL shortly, per manager Mike Shildt (h/t to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold). The team is “leaning” toward promoting outfielder Tyler O’Neill to take his place.

Ozuna, 28, has been one of the lone bright spots for a struggling Cardinals offense, slashing .259/.331/.515 (118 wRC+) in regular left-field action for the club.

An aging Cardinal lineup, thought to be driven by the dynamic Matt Carpenter/Paul Goldschmidt duo, has often sputtered in the early going. The club ranks 11th in NL park-adjusted output, with the team’s hitters amassing the fourth-fewest homers in the Senior Circuit despite a hard-hit rate that ranks among the league’s best. Statcast’s xwOBA metric pinpoints both Goldschmidt and Jose Martinez as hard-luck hitters this season, with the latter ranking as one of the league’s unluckiest thus far in 2019.

O’Neill, who’s slumped a bit in both limited big-league action and extended Triple-A time this year (his .261/.312/.528 line is somehow below league-average in the PCL this season), would figure to get the bulk of the action in Ozuna’s absence.  The club could also turn full-time to Jose Martinez, though his corner-outfield defensive metrics again paint a rather bleak picture in semi-regular action thus far.

Giants Sign First-Rounder Hunter Bishop

By | at

Per Jim Callis of MLB.com, the Giants have agreed to terms with first-rounder Hunter Bishop on a $4.1MM, below-slot deal. The deal is over $500K south of the approximately $4.74MM slot value for the 10th overall selection.

Bishop, the brother of Mariners outfielder Braden Bishop, is an outfielder who attended the same high school (Serra, in San Mateo, CA) and college (Arizona State) as Giants legend Barry Bonds.  The 6’5 lefty came late to baseball after devoting much of his pre-university energies to football, a sport he initially pledged to play at the University of Washington.

Bishop’s freshman and sophomore outputs were muted, but an offseason swing change unlocked a full range of theretofore unseen offensive talents, including top-scale bat speed and a plate discipline that endeared him to club executives across the league. Baseball America takes particular care to laud his “70-grade power” and “plus running ability” while noting that, though he’s possessing of the requisite tools to remain in center field, he may better suited for a corner. FanGraphs’ scouting report is notably bearish on Bishop’s current 30-grade arm, which the publication believes could be an issue in seasons to come.

Regardless, Bishop will hope to pair with other highly-touted offensive talents Joey Bart, Heliot Ramos, and the electric Marco Luciano to form the core of what the Giants hope will be the club’s next championship squad.

Bishop’s signing was just one in a slew of high-round inkings for the club today: as Callis notes, the Giants also agreed to terms with second-rounder Logan Wyatt (for $1MM; slot value: $1.47MM), fourth-rounder Tyler Fitzgerald (for full-slot $497.5K), and eighth-rounder Caleb Killian (for $400K, more than double the pick’s $176.3K slot value).

Danny Salazar To Begin Rehab Assignment

By | at

Per Zack Meisel of The Athletic, Indians righty Danny Salazar will begin a rehab assignment with the club’s Arizona League affiliate tomorrow evening. It’s been a long road back for the 29-year-old Salazar, who’s been beset by shoulder injuries since his last appearance in a major league game on September 27, 2017.

Salazar’s shoulder surgery, which took place nearly a year ago to the day, was exploratory in nature and left the fireballing righty no timetable for a return. The team had initially expressed optimism that the 2016 All-Star could return early in 2019, but Salazar suffered multiple setbacks in his rehab process and had been unable to return to bullpen mounds until earlier this month.

When healthy, the five-year vet’s dynamite repertoire is among the nastiest in the game. Salazar’s yet to complete a season, partial or otherwise, where he didn’t set down at least a batter an inning, and in 19 starts for the club in 2017, the flamethrower averaged 95.1 MPH on his fastball and struck out nearly 13 men per nine. A fully healthy, back-to-form version of Salazar, who’d project to return around the same time as ace Corey Kluber, could give the Indians the AL’s most formidable rotation and supercharge the team’s push toward the AL Central crown.

Such a scenario may be pie in the proverbial sky, though, as the club will almost certainly let caution reign with the still-controllable righty, who’s set to hit arbitration for the final time in 2020. The club hasn’t been shy about deploying Salazar as a ’pen arm in the past, a role which may again be his if he’s to return to Cleveland without incident in ’19.

Leonys Martin Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency

By | at

Outfielder Leonys Martin, designated for assignment by the Indians last Saturday, has cleared waivers and elected free agency, per the club.

Martin, 31, sandwiched an excellent 2018 season (2.5 fWAR in just 83 games) between two very poor ones. In 264 plate appearances for the Tribe this season, the nine-year vet’s slashed just .199/.276/.343 on the way to below-replacement-level output. Strikeouts have a particular issue for the one-time defensive wiz – Martin’s been set down in nearly 30% of his PAs this season, easily a career worst and up nearly 8% from his injury-shortened campaign a season ago.

The good/bad alternation has been something of a career pattern for Martin, who boasts a career 81 wRC+ despite four seasons of 87 or better in the category. The Cuban’s been much more stable on the defensive side of the ball, though his league-pacing marks from his days in Texas have long since dissolved.

It’s likely, given his tendency to flash star-level play on occasion, that Martin will hook on with another club in the near future, perhaps one with an immediate defensive need at all three outfield spots. Even in down years, the lefty’s always been a capable threat when armed with the platoon advantage, so he’d figure to still fit well as a fifth-outfielder type on a contending team.

Cubs DFA Carlos Gonzalez, Place Cole Hamels On IL, Recall Dillon Maples, Rowan Wick

By | at

The scene in the Cubs clubhouse Friday suggested a DFA was coming for Carlos Gonzalez, per MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (via Twitter), who noted Gonzalez receiving handshakes and hugs from teammates. CarGo indeed was put on waivers earlier today, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). The team has officially announced the move, along with a trio of corresponding roster moves: Cole Hamels goes on the 10-day injured list, while relievers Rowan Wick and Dillon Maples have been recalled from Triple-A.

The Cubs would like to send Gonzalez to the minors, per Heyman, though he would first have to go unclaimed, and second accept the assignment. If he does go unclaimed, the writing would be on the wall for Gonzalez, who then might be willing to accept a minor league assignment to stay in the Cubs organization.

The Gonzalez DFA was precipitated by the Hamels injury, which overtaxed the bullpen and pushed the Cubs to add a pair of arms before today’s game. Hamels left yesterday’s game after one inning with an oblique injury. Mike Montgomery, Brad Brach, and Kyle Ryan each pitched for more than one inning apiece, while Steve Cishek pitched for the second straight game. Maples and Wick rejoin the club today to serve as reinforcements.

CarGo managed a couple of nice moments during his short stint in Chicago, including a diving catch in the outfield in his first weekend, but a listless offensive performance ultimately made him expendable in Chicago, as he had been in Cleveland previous. In 15 games with the Cubs – half as much time as he spent with the Indians – Gonzalez hit only .175/306/.300 with three extra-base hits.

Gonzalez has maintained a good approach in his age-33 season with a 10.8 BB% that’s higher than his career average. Strikeouts have been more frequent (31.3 K%), but even more troubling has been his inability to get any lift. In 166 plate appearances for the Cubs and Indians, Gonzalez has mustered a mere .083 isolated power mark while hitting the ball on the ground 56.4 % of the time. Statcast puts Gonzalez’ launch angle for the year at just 1.7 – not a sustainable mark for a major league hitter.

Gonzalez has fit well in the Cubs clubhouse, and he was a fun attraction for a few weeks, but ultimately the Cubs cannot afford to be patient with the veteran slugger. While there are at-bats for the taking in the Cubs outfield, it’s not necessarily an area of need with Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora, Jason Heyward, and Kris Bryant on hand. They’d certainly prefer a degree of greater offense from Almora in particular, but CarGo is not to be the answer.

Though they will use Gonzalez’ roster spot on a pitcher for the moment, the fourth outfielder role could eventually be returned to Mark Zagunis, who held the role early in the season, or Ian Happ, who continues to refine his approach in Triple-A.

Tigers Sign Trevor Rosenthal

By | at

The Tigers agreed to terms with Trevor Rosenthal today on a Minor League deal, per the team’s PR department (via Twitter). Rosenthal has been assigned to Triple-A.

This move has been expected for a couple of days now, but Rosenthal is officially on his way to Toledo to join the Mud Hens. Adding Rosenthal is a nice no-risk move for the Tigers, who are going nowhere fast this season and therefore have a longer leash to give Rosenthal.

He still has electric stuff, but in his first game action since missing all of 2018, the former Cardinals closer has shown a complete inability to direct his high-90s heater. The inefficiency of his performance in Washington – to be kind – has been well-documented, but it’s still staggering to see: -1.0 rWAR in 6 1/3 innings, 22.74 ERA (10.13 FIP), 21.3 BB/9, 0.33 BB/K, and of course, he did not record an out until his 5th appearance of the season. Rosenthal carries a disproportionately large share of the Nationals bullpen struggles, as even their recent bullpen blowup against the Braves – pegged as a ’here-we-go-again’ moment in DC – can be laid at Rosenthal’s feet (Joe Ross burdens a smidgen of the blame as well).

Despite this unimaginably bad start, he will have some time to get himself back on track out of the national spotlight. Given that the Nationals are on the hook for all but the minimum, the Tigers really have nothing to lose by giving Rosenthal more reps in the minors. Again, he’s still averaging 98 mph on his fastball, and if Rosenthal can to snap back to form, his live arm still plays as a late-in-games weapon.

MLB Draft Signings: 6/29/19

By | at

We’ll use this post to track some of the day’s draft signings…

  • The Cubs signed their 3rd rounder to below-slot value today, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). Michael McAvene signs for $500K, just a little below his potential value as the 103rd overall pick in the draft – slot value of $565,600. He appeared in 23 games out of the Cardinals bullpen this season, going 2-0 with a 2.73 ERA across 33 innings. He struck out 50 versus only 11 walks, good marks for the righty, who chucked a mid-90s heater as a reliever. There’s at least a chance the Cubs will try to convert him to a starter moving forward.
  • The Mariners signed their supplemental 2nd rounder Isaiah Campbell for $850K, tweets Callis. Slot value for the 76th pick in the draft is $818,200, but Seattle felt Campbell was worth splurging for. Campbell rocks a mid-90s heater that touches 98 mph, and he has a couple of interesting secondary pitches as well. Campbell helmed the staff for the Arkansas Razorbacks this season, goin 12-1 with a 2.13 ERA in 18 starts. He struck out 125 batters versus only 22 walks, promising numbers for Seattle’s new righty. Fun fact from Callis, Campbell would be the first major leaguer from Portugal since the illustrious Frank Thompson in 1875.

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