Rays Rumors: Smith, Deadline, McKay, Montreal Plan
The Rays’ recent slump has seen them go 7-13, including a four-game sweep at Yankee Stadium, thus dropping them down the standings in the AL East rather precipitously. Tampa Bay had a half-game lead over New York as recently as June 10, but the Rays suddenly face a seven-game deficit in the division. As such, the team has had to “back off its trade pursuits,” Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (subscription required). Tampa Bay still holds a Wild Card position in the AL, so it’s not as if the team will operate as a seller this month, but teams are often less aggressive at the deadline when they believe they’re playing for a one-game playoff as opposed to a guaranteed berth in the division series. Giants closer Will Smith had been a “primary target” for the Rays, Rosenthal adds, but it’s not clear if they’ll aggressively pursue him now.
Tampa Bay faces a critical stretch of games over the next few weeks, as they’ll play the eight times Yankees and the hapless Orioles seven times in their next 15 games. That’ll provide ample opportunity to either climb back into the division race but could also create a near-insurmountable gap if New York once again dominates the series. The outcome of the Rays’ next stretch of games will likely go a long way in dictating how strongly they’ll pursue bullpen upgrades in trade talks with the Giants and other sellers.
More on the Rays…
- Top prospect Brendan McKay opened his Major League career with five perfect innings this weekend, which was (obviously) enough to earn him another start at the big league level. MLB.com’s Juan Toribio writes that the Rays will make a decision after that game whether to keep McKay in the Majors or send him back to Triple-A Durham. It’s possible that Tampa Bay could option McKay to get a fresh arm for the final couple of games leading into the All-Star break, even if the plan is to recall him shortly after the break and plug him right back into the rotation. The former No. 4 overall pick doesn’t look like he has much left to prove in the minors after posting a combined 1.22 ERA in 66 1/3 innings of Double-A and Triple-A work, but his workload figures to be closely monitored; McKay has thrown 72 1/3 innings in 2019 after tossing just 78 1/3 innings in all of 2018.
- The Rays’ proposed timeshare between St. Petersburg and Montreal was met with a heavy dose of skepticism and negative fan reaction, but Rays leadership remains committed to the idea, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Rays owner Stuart Sternberg and president Brian Auld feel that split-city arrangements will eventually become more commonplace in professional sports. President Matthew Silverman also spoke of how the still-theoretical alignment would impact the team’s payroll, believing it could push the Rays to a middle-of-the-pack organization in that regard. “If this comes to fruition, we’re going to have more resources, and more resources means a higher payroll, and a higher payroll is good for all players within baseball,” said Silverman. There are still innumerable hurdles to be cleared, but as Topkin examines at length, the proposal appears to be more a plan that genuinely intrigues Rays leadership than a ploy to increase leverage in preexisting stadium talks.
Astros To Select Jose Urquidy
The Astros will select the contract of right-hander Jose Urquidy, who’ll be called up to start for them tomorrow, president of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow announced to reporters Monday (Twitter link via Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle). His promotion will require a 40-man roster move, but Houston won’t announce that transaction until tomorrow.
Urquidy, 24, wasn’t considered to be among Houston’s top tier of prospects heading into the season but has elevated his status with a solid showing in his first career action at both the Double-A and Triple-A levels. The righty missed the 2017 season due to Tommy John surgery but returned to pitch 57 1/3 innings of 2.35 ERA ball in Class-A last season. This year, he’s posted a combined 3.40 ERA with 12.2 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and 0.94 HR/9. Urquidy is more of a fly-ball pitcher, so drawing his first MLB assignment at Coors Field isn’t necessarily ideal, but he’s been incredibly stingy with the long ball throughout his minor league career (20 homers in 297 innings).
Urquidy ranks 29th among Houston farmhands at MLB.com. Their scouting report pegs his fastball in the low 90s and topping out at 95 mph while praising a plus changeup and noting that his curveball needs some refinement. He’d have been Rule 5 eligible this offseason anyhow, so he was likely to be added to the 40-man roster one way or another between now and December. The ‘Stros don’t have an obvious 60-day IL candidate at the MLB level to open a 40-man roster spot for Urquidy. The team has been carrying a pair of out-of-options players in Tyler White and Tony Kemp, and Houston also saw 40-man right-hander Dean Deetz struggle in Triple-A this year before going down with an injury in late May.
Pirates GM Downplays Possibility Of Felipe Vazquez Trade
Rumors of trading their star players are commonplace for the payroll-conscious Pirates, whose front office has been forced into tough decisions for budgetary reasons on numerous occasions in the past. This year, there have already been rumors of teams with interest in standout closer Felipe Vazquez — understandably so, given his excellence — but general manager Neal Huntington strongly downplayed the possibility of moving Vazquez in a radio appearance with Greg Brown on 93.7 FM The Fan this weekend.
“We will continue to look for ways to improve this organization,” said Huntington. “Felipe Vazquez is, in our minds, one of the best, if not the best young left-handed reliever in the game. He has the potential to contribute to us for this and four more years. Our expectation and anticipation is that Felipe will be closing out playoff games, be it this year or in the future with us.”
That’s the second time in the past month that Huntington has expressed a focus on adding to the club rather than trading contributors for longer-term assets. Huntington also points out within the interview that the Bucs are facing a critical stretch wherein they’ll play 20 of 23 games against divisional foes. The other three in that span are against the Phillies, whom Pittsburgh is chasing in the NL Wild Card race. Certainly, one can imagine that in the event of a nosedive in those 23 games, the Pirates could adopt a longer-term approach to this year’s trade deadline. That said, Huntington’s comments regarding Vazquez seem to indicate that even if the team were to sell off some pieces this summer, the lefty wouldn’t be among them.
Vazquez, 28 on Friday, signed an extremely club-friendly contract extension in January 2018, agreeing to a four-year deal worth a guaranteed $22MM plus a pair of $10MM club options for a fifth and potentially sixth season. He’s earning just $4MM in 2019 (with about $1.98MM of that still to be paid out) and will earn guaranteed salaries of $5.25MM and $7.25MM in 2020-21. There’s no looming free agency or imminent hike in salary that would serve as motivation for the Pirates to deal the lefty even if they fall further back than their current five-game deficit in the NL Central.
Vazquez himself is the product of a trade that was made under more conventional conditions. Back in 2016, with Mark Melancon just months from free agency, the Pirates shipped him to the Nationals in exchange for Vazquez and Taylor Hearn (later traded to the Rangers in the Keone Kela deal). Since being acquired by Pittsburgh, Vazquez has pitched to a 2.25 ERA with 80 saves and 11.7 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9 in 207 2/3 innings of work. He’s saved 19 games so far in 2019 while recording a minuscule 1.80 ERA and notching a career-best 14.1 K/9.
Quick Hits: Realmuto, Dominguez, Edwards, McKay
J.T. Realmuto was removed during the sixth inning of Sunday’s 13-6 Phillies win over the Marlins after feeling tightness in his left hamstring, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The issue arose while Realmuto was running the bases during a seven-run inning for the Phils, and the blowout nature of the game may have also contributed to the early exit, since Realmuto said the injury wasn’t serious. The All-Star catcher described the problem as “just a little standard tightness thing,” and manager Gabe Kapler felt Realmuto would likely be fine for the Phillies’ next game on Tuesday. Realmuto has yet to really catch fire since coming to the Phillies from Miami in a blockbuster trade, as his 95 wRC+ (off a .265/.319/.431 slash line in 310 PA) represents his lowest numbers since 2015. Still, Realmuto’s .353 xwOBA far outpaces his actual .320 wOBA, so his production is likely to improve as long as he keeps up the quality contact.
Some more stray items as we head into July…
- Also from Breen, Seranthony Dominguez will receive a re-evalution of his damaged right UCL on Wednesday. This is the latest step in Dominguez’s quest to avoid Tommy John surgery, as the Phillies right-hander instead opted for a platelet-rich plasma treatment. If everything checks out on Wednesday, Dominguez could begin throwing at the beginning of next week.
- Cubs right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. is set to begin a Triple-A rehab assignment, ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers tweets. Edwards has been on the IL (retroactively) since June 10 due to a left thoracic strain. 2019 has been a tale of two seasons for Edwards, who allowed six runs over his first 1 2/3 innings of the season and was demoted to the minors, though he then delivered a 2.03 ERA over 13 1/3 frames after being recalled.
- Two-way star Brendan McKay made his debut on the mound for the Rays on Saturday, though it isn’t yet known if McKay will also get any plate appearances at the Major League level, MLB.com’s Juan Toribio writes. “We’ve expressed that I don’t think the at-bats are going to come as consistent for him over the next week or so, but if there’s an opportunity to get him in there where we feel it fits with his workload, then we’ll do that,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. McKay is set to start again on Friday, though in the interim, he’ll be both going through his usual pre-start routine and also getting some swings in, both during batting practice and in the Tropicana Field. While McKay’s pitching was more developed than his hitting in the minor leagues, McKay did hit .265/.400/.551 over the small sample size of 60 plate appearances at Triple-A this season.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/30/19
Here are the latest minor moves from around the game, with the newer transactions at the top of the post…
- The Phillies announced that righty Fernando Salas cleared waivers, and has been outrighted to Triple-A. Salas signed a minors deal with the club earlier this month and was called to the big league roster for one game (with one inning pitched) before being designated for assignment on Friday. This brief cameo marked Salas’ appearance in a tenth MLB season, following much longer stints with the Cardinals, Angels, and Mets throughout the decade. The 34-year-old had a 4.50 ERA over 40 innings with the D’Backs in 2018, and after a brief stay in the Braves’ minor league system last year, didn’t land with a new team until his contract with Philadelphia.
- The Mets have outrighted Ryan O’Rourke to Triple-A after the left-hander cleared waivers. (MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo was among those to report the news.) O’Rourke was designated for assignment last week. After signing a minor league contract with New York over the winter, O’Rourke appeared in two games for the Mets, marking his first MLB action since 2016 when he was a member of the Twins’ bullpen. Beyond his 48 1/3 career big league innings, O’Rourke has a 3.83 ERA, 9.3 K/9, and 3.46 K/BB rate over 404 1/3 innings as a minor leaguer for the Mets, Orioles, and Twins over nine pro seasons.
BoSox Owner John Henry: “We’re Not Going To Be Looking To Add A Lot Of Payroll” This Season
“If we play up to our capabilities we will easily make the playoffs. That’s how I see it,” Red Sox principal owner John Henry told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford in London this weekend before Boston’s two-game series with the Yankees. The Sox dropped both of those games to fall 11 games behind New York in the AL East standings, and two games out of an AL wild card slot.
At just 44-40 on the season, the Sox are far behind the pace set by their 2018 World Series team, which won 108 games in the regular season and then went 11-3 in the playoffs to capture the franchise’s fourth Commissioner’s Trophy since 2004. The Red Sox haven’t won back-to-back titles, however, and Henry noted that following up a championship run has been a challenge.
While this year’s Red Sox seem decidedly better than the 2014 team that finished in the AL East basement, Henry noted that in both 2014 and 2019, the club didn’t make many roster alternations over the winter.
“My take is that maybe it isn’t the best thing in the world to bring back the same team in its entirety every time,” Henry said. “You don’t want to break a team down. But maybe a few changes wouldn’t hurt. But the feeling is always different after you win, apparently.”
On paper, there wasn’t really too much for the Sox to address over their quiet offseason, though their lack of bullpen depth was seen as a problem in March and has blossomed into a full-blown concern as we enter July. While Boston’s bullpen and starting pitchers still rank in the top half of the league in most statistical categories (Sox relievers lead the league in K/9), both have been prone to breakdowns at inopportune times. The rotation has been largely carried by David Price and Chris Sale, the latter of whom has looked like his traditionally dominant self after a subpar April. But Rick Porcello and Eduardo Rodriguez haven’t pitched well, while the fifth starter’s spot has been a revolving door of shaky performances since Nathan Eovaldi has spent much of the year on the injured list.
A possible answer to these problems, of course, is a big addition or two at the trade deadline, though the Red Sox won’t have much room to maneuver if they are to stay under the $246MM threshold for the maximum luxury tax penalty. The Sox passed this threshold last season, costing the team a little under $12MM in tax payments and a 10-spot drop for their first selection in the 2019 draft.
Between Porcello, Rodriguez, Eovaldi, the injured Dustin Pedroia, underperforming veterans Steve Pearce and Eduardo Nunez, and the $30MM+ in dead money still on the books for Rusney Castillo and Pablo Sandoval, the Sox have roughly $100MM committed to players who have combined for only +0.6 fWAR in 2019.
It should be noted that as per the calculations from Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez, the Sox are again in position to surpass the $246MM threshold, with an estimated luxury tax number of roughly $251.4MM. If the team is indeed over the line with little hope of getting under the $246MM, one could argue that the Red Sox might as well go ahead and spend more in an all-out push for another World Series. MLBTR’s Steve Adams outlined Boston’s financial restraints back in February, and while the Red Sox would face an even stiffer penalty for passing the $246MM limit in consecutive years, a big-market team like Boston is more suited to handling such extra expenses.
This doesn’t appear likely, however, as Henry doesn’t see spending (or a perceived lack of spending) as the problem.
“It’s not a luxury tax issue, it’s a question of how much money do we want to lose,” Henry said. “We’re already over budget and we were substantially over our budget last year and this year. We’re not going to be looking to add a lot of payroll. And it’s hard to imagine fielding a better team. If we play up to our capabilities we’ll be fine. That’s the question: Will we? We’re halfway through and we haven’t….It’s a worthy team because we invested. Two years in a row we have the highest payroll. It’s not a matter of investment, it’s a matter of playing well.“
MLBTR Chat Transcript: Red Sox, All-Star Game, Mancini, Myers
Click here to read a transcript of tonight’s baseball chat, moderated by MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk
All-Star Game Reserve Rosters Announced
The full rosters for the American League and National League All-Star teams have now been established, after today’s announcement of the pitching staffs and backup players. The starting lineups were chosen by the fan vote (under a newly-instituted format) and revealed on Thursday, with the remainder of the All-Star rosters filled out by a players’ ballot, and then choices from the league itself. As always, each team was required to have at least one All-Star representative.
Here is the full list of reserves for each league, broken down by the player vote and the league office’s picks…
AMERICAN LEAGUE
- Players’ ballot: Jose Abreu/White Sox, Mookie Betts/Red Sox, Aroldis Chapman/Yankees, Matt Chapman/Athletics, Gerrit Cole/Astros, Joey Gallo/Rangers, Lucas Giolito/White Sox, Brad Hand/Indians, Tommy La Stella/Angels, Francisco Lindor/Indians, J.D. Martinez/Red Sox, James McCann/White Sox, Austin Meadows/Rays, Charlie Morton/Rays, Jake Odorizzi/Twins, Ryan Pressly/Astros, Justin Verlander/Astros
- League selections: Shane Greene/Tigers, John Means/Orioles, Whit Merrifield/Royals, Mike Minor/Rangers, Marcus Stroman/Blue Jays, Daniel Vogelbach/Mariners
NATIONAL LEAGUE
- Players’ ballot: Josh Bell/Pirates, Walker Buehler/Dodgers, Charlie Blackmon/Rockies, Luis Castillo/Reds, David Dahl/Rockies, Jacob deGrom/Mets, Josh Hader/Brewers, Jeff McNeil/Mets, Mike Moustakas/Brewers, J.T. Realmuto/Phillies, Anthony Rendon/Nationals, Hyun-Jin Ryu/Dodgers, Max Scherzer/Nationals, Will Smith/Giants, Trevor Story/Rockies, Kirby Yates/Padres
- League selections: Sandy Alcantara/Marlins, Pete Alonso/Mets, Kris Bryant/Cubs, Paul DeJong/Cardinals, Yasmani Grandal/Brewers, Zack Greinke/Diamondbacks, Clayton Kershaw/Dodgers, Mike Soroka/Braves
As always, the All-Star choices will spark both celebration and controversy, as there simply isn’t enough roster space to acknowledge every player who is enjoying a big season. Xander Bogaerts entered the day ranked fifth among all position players in fWAR, yet the Red Sox shortstop didn’t receive an All-Star nod. Lance Lynn and Chris Sale (the second- and third-ranked pitchers by fWAR, respectively) also aren’t scheduled to be heading to Cleveland on July 9. This being said, injuries and other absences will surely create some more openings before the Midsummer Classic, so some more names will inevitably be added as replacements.
Tigers To Activate Jordy Mercer From Injured List On Monday
Jordy Mercer is on his back to the Tigers’ lineup, as the club announced that the veteran shortstop will be activated from the 10-day injured list before tomorrow’s game. In a corresponding move, the Tigers have sent infielder Ronny Rodriguez down to Triple-A.
After signing a one-year, $5.25MM deal last winter, Mercer’s first half of the 2019 season has essentially been a total wash. He has appeared in only 19 games and posted 69 plate appearances (with a meager .593 OPS) due to two separate IL stints with right quad problems, and hasn’t appeared in a Major League game since May 7. Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire described Mercer’s issue as “an acute-on-chronic” strain a month ago, and Mercer’s rehab process was subsequently halted.
After appearing in seven rehab games for Triple-A Toledo over the last week, Mercer has been deemed ready to return. Given the seemingly chronic nature of his injury, the Tigers could choose to take it easy with the shortstop in the short term or even over the remainder of the season to prevent further injury.
Niko Goodrum has seen the bulk of the work as Detroit’s shortstop over the last month, and should now move back into his usual super-utility role all over the Tigers’ lineup.
Cubs To Activate Kyle Hendricks From Injured List On Tuesday
The Cubs intend to activate Kyle Hendricks from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday so the right-hander can start that night’s game against the Pirates, manager Joe Maddon told reporters (including Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times). Hendricks will be limited to roughly 60-75 pitches, so Mike Montgomery or Tyler Chatwood will likely be in line to throw in long relief once Hendricks’ outing is complete.
Hendricks went on the IL on June 15 with a shoulder impingement, which is the type of broadly-defined injury that has occasionally sidelined players for long stretches of time. Fortunately for Hendricks and the Cubs, his problem seemed like a minor issue, as some rest after a cortisone shot and then some warm-up bullpen sessions have left him feeling “100 percent.”
Rather than send Hendricks to the minors for a rehab start, the right-hander will go right back into Chicago’s rotation in the hopes of continuing what has been another outstanding season. Hendricks has a 3.36 ERA, 7.6 K/9, and 4.69 K/BB rate over 88 1/3 innings in 2019, and his somewhat early return will greatly help a starting five that just lost Cole Hamels to the IL with a left oblique strain.
With an off-day on Friday and the All-Star break looming, Wittenmyer suggests that Adbert Alzolay could be optioned to Triple-A to make room for Hendricks on the 25-man roster, after Alzolay starts Monday’s game. Conversely, the Cubs could make another roster move to open a space for Hendricks and then, if he struggles or seems to be laboring, Alzolay could then start the Cubs’ final game of the first half on Sunday (Hendricks is tentatively slated to start that game).