Nationals Designate Tony Sipp
The Nationals announced today that they have designated lefty Tony Sipp for assignment. His roster spot was needed to complete the team’s addition of three new relievers at the trade deadline, each of whom has been activated for tonight’s game.
Sipp was surprisingly unable to find work this spring after turning in excellent results with solid peripherals in 2018. He ultimately landed with the Nats on a modest deal in mid-March. Sipp is owed $1MM this year with a $250K buyout on a 2020 mutual option.
You can mostly ignore his 4.71 ERA, since Sipp has been used in such short bursts (21 innings in 36 appearances). Regardless, things haven’t really gone as hoped for the 36-year-old, who has maintained a solid 12.7% swinging-strike rate but lost almost 1.5 mph on his average fastball from last season.
Sipp has allowed hard contact on 34.4% of the balls put in play against him, way up from last year’s excellent 22.3% mark. And Statcast thinks he has been fortunate to hold opposing hitters to a .284 wOBA, translating the contact measurements into a .340 xwOBA.
We’ll have to wait to see how this situation turns out. Sipp can’t be traded. But he could conceivably be claimed by a rival that’s in need of lefty relief depth. If he clears waivers and is outrighted, Sipp could elect free agency without risking his guaranteed salary, since he has well over five years of MLB service.
White Sox Release Alcides Escobar
4:46pm: Escobar made a doozy of a statement on the matter on Twitter, writing: “I asked for my freedom they did not let me free and I did it because they lied to me they are not honest.”
2:42pm: The White Sox have released infielder Alcides Escobar, per James Fegan of The Athletic (via Twitter). Escobar had been with the org on a minors deal that he signed late in camp.
Escobar was a workhorse for the Royals during his many years with the organization, but rarely hit much at all. He finished his tenure in Kansas City with four-consecutive sub-70 wRC+ campaigns.
There has been a bit of a spark in Escobar’s bat this year at Triple-A, where he’s slashing .286/.343/.444 with ten home runs and a 7.9% walk rate. That’s about the league-average rate of production for the offensively inclined international league.
Clearly, it’s not as if Escobar appears slated for a late-career breakout. But it seems he’s in good enough form to end up with a contending team on a minors deal. With limited avenues to adding to a roster in August, an experienced and versatile infielder of Escobar’s ilk can make for important roster insurance.
Dodgers Place Hyun-Jin Ryu On 10-Day IL
The Dodgers announced that they’ve placed southpaw Hyun-Jin Ryu on the 10-day injured list with neck soreness. His anticipated timeline to return isn’t yet known.
In other moves, the L.A. org announced the already reported arrival of exciting pitching prospect Dustin May while recalling fellow righty Tony Gonsolin. Reliever Dylan Floro was optioned out to create roster space. Southpaw Scott Alexander moves to the 60-day injured list to make 40-man space for May.
Ryu, 32, has been on an unbelievable run of success since accepting a qualifying offer to remain with the Dodgers. In 21 starts, he has run up 135 2/3 innings of 1.53 ERA pitching while maintaining 7.8 K/9 against 1.1 BB/9 along with a 51.5% groundball rate.
It’s unlikely the veteran lefty will be able to keep up quite that level of output the rest of the way, but he seems to be in top form at an important time for a Dodgers club that just placed a big bet on its existing pitching options at the trade deadline. Given his lengthy injury history and limited accumulation of innings in recent campaigns, it’s not surprising to see Ryu hit the shelf. There’s no indication of the seriousness of the injury, but it’s reasonably likely the Los Angeles organization was as concerned with finding Ryu some down time as it was worried about this particular malady.
Rockies To Remove Wade Davis From Closer’s Role
The Rockies will remove struggling veteran Wade Davis from the closer’s role, according to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Fellow righty Scott Oberg will fill the void in the ninth inning, manager Bud Black tells reporters including Nick Groke of The Athletic (via Twitter).
This decision represents an acknowledgement of what had long been observable: Davis is struggling badly. The 33-year-old was solid enough last year and at the outset of the current campaign, but has been bombed mercilessly since returning from an oblique injury in early June.
Since his return to action, Davis has allowed twenty earned runs in 17 innings. He’s carrying a 15:10 K/BB ratio and has coughed up five home runs, exhibiting some velocity decline along the way. Over the full course of the season, Davis has shown a decline in his swinging-strike rate (to 11.2% from 15.4% in 2017).
That’s all bad news for a Rockies team that has underperformed despite running its Opening Day payroll up to $145MM. Davis occupies a big chunk of that tally, with a $18MM salary this year. His contract includes a $17MM commitment for 2020 as well as a $1MM buyout on a mutual option for the ensuing campaign.
Giants Designate Tyler Austin
The Giants have designated outfielder/first baseman Tyler Austin for assignment, the team announced and Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area was among those to cover on Twitter. That move opens 40-man and active roster space for newly acquired second baseman Scooter Gennett.
In other roster moves that don’t implicate control rights, the Giants have added outfielder Steven Duggar to the active roster. Righty Dereck Rodriguez was optioned down to make way.
Austin, 27, hasn’t been able to take advantage of his opportunity in San Francisco, making him the latest position player to be sent packing from the MLB roster after receiving a shot. Through 147 plate appearances on the year, Austin carries a .185/.279/.400 batting line with eight home runs and 57 strikeouts.
Phillies Place Adam Morgan On 10-Day IL
The Phillies have placed southpaw Adam Morgan on the 10-day injured list with a flexor strain. His placement, which opens a roster spot for the activation of just-acquired outfielder Corey Dickerson, is retroactive to the first of the month.
It isn’t known yet precisely how long Morgan will be down, but it seems his season is at risk, as MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki tweets. Fortunately, surgery won’t be required, but it’s disappointing news nevertheless for a club that has been racked by bullpen injuries and performance downturns. The 29-year-old hurler isn’t exactly a premium late-inning arm, but he was an important part of the relief picture for the Phils.
Since converting full-time to a bullpen role in the 2017 campaign, Morgan has produced 133 2/3 innings of 3.97 ERA ball in Philadelphia. He’s carrying 9.6 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 in that run. It has been much of the same this year, with Morgan turning in solid but hardly dominant overall work.
That characterization tends to understate Morgan’s value. He has jumped up to a 15.4% swinging-strike after a dip in 2018. And while he’s a marginal performer against right-handed hitters, he has largely dominated lefties. This year, they’re slashing a putrid .143/.150/.204. They struggled to meager .267/.350/.314 and .193/.245/.352 slashes in the prior two seasons.
In sum, Morgan is an important match-up piece for a team that will need to squeeze out close victories if it’s to reach the postseason. Without him, the club will rely upon Jose Alvarez and Ranger Suarez as lefty relief options.
Angels Designate Jonathan Lucroy
The Angels have designated veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy for assignment, per a club announcement. His roster spot goes to just-acquired receiver Max Stassi.
Additionally, the Halos announced that southpaw Adam McCreery was outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers. McCreery was designated for assignment recently.
Lucroy. 33, was designated for assignment right on the heels of his activation from the injured list. He had suffered a concussion and broken nose in a scary collision at the plate.
While the Halos forewent a chance to swap Lucroy at the deadline, it would have been tough to swing a deal due to the quick succession of transactions. Stassi only became available after the Astros added Martin Maldonado earlier that day. And it was the first game back for Lucroy.
Now, Lucroy can’t be traded. If and when he’s placed on outright waivers, rival organizations will have a chance to claim his contract, which would mean taking on the remainder of the $3.35MM he’s guaranteed this year. (The deal also includes bonuses based upon games started as a catcher and plate appearances.) If he clears, Lucroy can reject an outright assignment and keep his guaranteed money, signing on with another club as he chooses. In that case, the Halos would stand to save a pro-rated version of the MLB minimum salary for any time Lucroy spends on the MLB roster of a different team.
While Lucroy likely won’t be seen as a difference-maker, he’s an experienced veteran who could improve some contenders — or, at least, bolster the depth at a key position. Through 268 plate appearances this year, Lucroy carries a marginal .242/.310/.371 batting line that’s only slightly better than his output from the prior season.
Braves Release Luiz Gohara
The Braves announced today that they have released lefty Luiz Gohara. He had been dropped from the 40-man roster as part of the team’s series of deadline moves; obviously, he ultimately cleared waivers.
Gohara, who just turned 23, has shown quite a bit of talent but has been limited by health and personal issues in recent seasons. He has been sidelined all year long and is presently rehabbing a shoulder procedure that is expected to cost him the remainder of the campaign.
It has been a roller-coaster ride for Gohara and the Braves ever since he landed in Atlanta in early 2017. The burly southpaw turned in a superlative 2017 campaign, dominating in a spring through the minors and showing quite a lot of promise in a five-start MLB debut.
Entering the 2018 season, it seemed Gohara would help anchor the Atlanta rotation. But the youngster endured a difficult time emotionally that coincided with arm issues and a battle with his weight. The talent was still evident, but Gohara was not able to have the anticipated impact at the MLB level.
Accordingly, Gohara came into camp this year in search of a rebound. There was cause for hope at the outset, but his balky shoulder proved unwilling. No doubt multiple MLB organizations will show interest in helping the Brazilian hurler try to find his way back to the majors, now that there’s no need to place him on a 40-man roster to do so.
Mariners Select Reggie McClain
The Mariners announced Friday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Reggie McClain. He’ll meet the team in Houston and join manager Scott Servais’ bullpen mix.
McClain, 26, was Seattle’s 13th-round draft pick back in 2016 and has posted strong numbers at three different minor league levels this season (Class-A Advanced, Double-A and Triple-A). In all, he’s tallied 72 2/3 innings of 2.23 ERA ball with 8.9 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 0.5 HR/9 and a ground-ball rate north of 57 percent.
That success corresponds with a shift from the rotation to the bullpen; McClain struggled to keep his ERA south of 5.00 in two trips through the Class-A Advanced California League in 2016-17 before breaking out as a fast riser with the move to a relief role in 2019. He’s not ranked among the club’s top prospects, but his excellent season to date will earn him a chance to carve out a spot in the Mariners’ bullpen moving forward.
Seattle’s 40-man roster is now up to a total of 38 players.
Indians Release Neil Ramirez, Trayce Thompson
Right-hander Neil Ramirez and outfielder Trayce Thompson have been granted their release from the Indians organization, per an announcement from the team’s Triple-A affiliate. Both former big leaguers are free agents and can now sign with another club.
Ramirez, 30, was with the Indians earlier this season but struggled to a 5.40 ERA and allowed five home runs in 16 2/3 innings. Ramirez notched an 18-to-9 K/BB ratio in that time and has a lengthy history of missing bats, but he’s struggled to throw strikes and command the ball within the zone throughout his career. In 171 1/3 innings as a Major Leaguer, he’s logged a 4.41 ERA with 10.8 K/9, 4.7 BB/9, 1.63 HR/9 and a 30.1 percent ground-ball rate.
Thompson, the younger brother of NBA star Klay Thompson, played 51 big league games between the White Sox and the A’s in 2018. The No. 61 overall pick by the White Sox in the 2009 draft, the now-28-year-old Thompson was a fairly well-regarded minor league talent but hasn’t found sustained success. He’s batted .206/.276/.389 in 589 MLB plate appearances and was hitting .219/.294/.482 with 24 homers, 10 doubles, three triples and eight steals in 89 Triple-A games this season. Strikeouts have increasingly become an issue for Thompson, as evidenced by this year’s 36.1 percent rate in Columbus.