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NL Central Notes: Lyles, Strop, Reds

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Right-hander Jordan Lyles is still the leading candidate for the Pirates’ final rotation spot, general manager Neal Huntington said today (Twitter link via Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Huntington candidly indicated that the 28-year-old entered camp as the favorite to win the job, adding that neither he nor his primary competition — Nick Kingham and Steven Brault — has done anything to change that. Those comments did come before Lyles exited today’s appearance with some cramping in his right side (link via the Post-Gazette’s Nubyjas Wilborn), though the move was described as “precautionary.” Lyles hasn’t exactly dominated this spring, pitching to a 4.91 ERA on 13 hits and five walks with seven strikeouts through 11 innings, although the Pirates are surely more concerned with the quality of his offerings than his bottom-line results in a small sample of exhibition innings. Lyles signed a one-year deal worth $2.05MM to join the Pirates this offseason after posting a 4.11 ERA with career-best K/BB numbers in 87 2/3 innings between the Padres and the Brewers.

Here’s more from the NL Central…

  • Cubs righty Pedro Strop sustained a “mild” right hamstring strain in his most recent Cactus League outing on Saturday and is now questionable for the beginning of the season, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. (That, it should be noted, is not the same hamstring that sidelined Strop near the end of the 2018 season.) Strop will continue to play catch while resting and rehabbing the leg issue, and there’s still a chance that he could be ready to open the season on the active roster rather than the injured list. Currently, he’s in line to close games in Chicago while Brandon Morrow is out early in the year, though if Strop does hit the IL, veteran Steve Cishek would seem likely to be the next man up.
  • The Reds’ offseason additions of Sonny Gray, Alex Wood, Tanner Roark, Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp were a welcome departure from what has become standard operating procedure for many noncompetitive teams in recent seasons, opines Joel Sherman of the New York Post. While many teams have followed the Astros’ model of aggressively tanking to stockpile draft picks and international bonus resources, the Reds at least positioned themselves to have a chance in the division, even if few would peg them as any sort of favorite. “For the first time in a long time we added multiple well-known major league players to this team in an offseason,” president of baseball operations Dick Williams tells Sherman. “That clearly has people’s imaginations going. That is part of the fun. … Just to be able to ponder the possible and the excitement is a huge psychological benefit to our fans.” Even if the moves ultimately fail to yield dividends, several of the newly acquired assets (namely Wood, Roark and Puig) could hold value on the summer trade market, and the Reds didn’t sacrifice any of the organization’s very top prospects in order to take a shot at improved results in 2019.

Padres Sign Sammy Solis To Minor League Deal

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March 12: The Padres have announced the signing.

March 11: Left-hander Sammy Solis’ foray into the free-agent market apparently proved to be extraordinarily brief; after being released by the Nationals on Saturday, Solis has agreed to a minor league contract with the Padres, according to Robert Murray and Dennis Lin of The Athletic (Twitter links). Solis is represented by CAA Baseball.

Following Solis’ release, manager Dave Martinez told MLB.com’s Richard Justice that the Nats opted to part ways with Solis in order to give him a chance to latch on with another club while Spring Training as still underway. It’d been determined that he wouldn’t make the team in Washington, and cutting ties with Solis not only gave him a chance to join another Major League camp in pursuit of a roster spot but also saved the Nationals a bit more than $700K of his non-guaranteed $850K salary. In that sense, the move helped out all parties, as Solis will still have more than two weeks to attempt to secure a roster spot in San Diego.

As Lin points out, the interest in Solis was heightened by the recent injury to fellow lefty reliever Jose Castillo, who sustained a flexor strain that, as of March 1, was expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks. San Diego still has multiple lefties on the roster even with Castillo out — both Aaron Loup and Robbie Erlin are expected to claim roster spots — but Solis will provide a depth piece and could yet even work his way into a somewhat unsettled Opening Day bullpen role. Kirby Yates, Adam Warren, Craig Stammen, Loup and Erlin are all set for bullpen spots, but there are at least two jobs up for grabs — perhaps three, if San Diego carries eight relievers.

Solis, 30, has had a pair of rough seasons with the Nationals — most recently working to a dismal 6.41 ERA in 39 1/3 frames last year. However, he also averaged 10.1 K/9 last season and turned in strong marks in terms of swinging-strike rate (12.9 percent) and opponents’ chase rate (31.7 percent). Solis has averaged 94 mph on his fastball in his career and has generally excelled at the Triple-A level. He also still has only three years, 61 days of MLB service time, meaning that if he does find success in the Padres’ pen, the team can control him through at least the 2021 season (and potentially 2022, depending on the timing of a promotion to the Majors).

Astros’ Francis Martes Suspended 80 Games For PED Violation

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Astros right-hander Francis Martes has been suspended 80 games after testing positive for the banned substance Clomiphene, the league announced Tuesday.

The 23-year-old Martes already going to be sidelined as he recovered from Tommy John surgery last August, but he’ll be docked 80 games’ pay and now be ineligible to pitch in the postseason even if he’s able to work back up to full strength. Beyond that, any possibility of him acquiring service time on the Major League 60-day injured list has now been wiped out, as he’ll come off Houston’s 40-man roster while he is on the restricted list as part of this suspension.

Martes was considered one of baseball’s premier pitching prospects prior to the 2017 season, landing inside the top 40 on the pre-2017 rankings from Baseball America, MLB.com, ESPN and Baseball Prospectus. His stock has dropped since that time, however, as Martes pitched to an ERA well north of 5.00 in both Triple-A and the Majors in ’17 before logging a 6.75 ERA in four Triple-A starts last season. The arm injury that ultimately necessitated his Tommy John procedure limited Martes to just 19 2/3 innings in 2018.

By the time he recovers from surgery, Martes will be approaching his 24th birthday and will be more than two years removed from being considered a premium prospect. There’s certainly still a possibility that he emerges as a quality big league asset down the line, but there’s also a chance that he enters the 2020 season having pitched just 106 1/3 innings over the preceding three years, which won’t do his development any favors.

Mariners Release Dustin Ackley

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The Mariners have released infielder/outfielder Dustin Ackley from his minor league contract, per a club announcement. Ackley, who returned to the Mariners on a minor league deal back in January, had been in camp and appeared in 11 games with Seattle this spring, though he’d only tallied a total of 18 plate appearances. In that time, Ackley collected a trio of singles and drew six walks against three strikeouts.

Formerly the No. 2 overall draft pick (Mariners, 2009) and one of the game’s top all-around prospects, the now-31-year-old Ackley hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since a brief, 28-game stint with the Yankees in 2016. It’s been quite a bit longer than that since he enjoyed productivity at the MLB level, however.

Ackley quickly ascended to the Majors, debuting barely two years after being drafted out of UNC, and he made an immediate impression in Seattle when he hit .273/.348/.417 with six homers, 16 doubles, seven triples and six steals through his first 90 games (376 plate appearances) back in 2011. Ackley was widely considered an advanced bat and a slam-dunk big leaguer, but his offense unexpectedly cratered and never recovered following that solid rookie campaign. In 1971 MLB plate appearances since his debut season, Ackley has managed just a .235/.296/.358 slash. If he’s to ultimately work his way back to the big leagues, he’ll assuredly require a stop in Triple-A, where he hit .286/.378/.398 in 284 PAs for the Angels’ affiliate in 2018.

Health Notes: Duffy, Polanco, Hicks, Sabathia, Didi

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Here are the latest updates on a few health situations from around the game …

  • Royals lefty Danny Duffy is working through a mound progression, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports on Twitter. Shoulder tightness has limited Duffy in camp and seems likely to prevent him from opening the season on the active roster. He’ll throw 25 to 30 pitches off the bump tomorrow, working in a few offspeed offerings in a session that ought to help the club assess his timeline.
  • Though Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco hit in a minor-league game today, he’s still on a slow path back to the majors. Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets that throwing is the major limiting factor at this point for Polanco, who’s working back from shoulder surgery. Still, the outlook seems much better now than might have been feared. Polanco could return in May, per Brink, which might make for a nice early-season boost.
  • Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks has undergone a cortisone shot in hopes of resolving some lower back woes, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports. He called it a “lingering” problem that needed to be taken care of, but shouldn’t hamper his ability to play on Opening Day. Hicks believes he’ll only need to sit out a few days before getting back to action and finishing his preparation for the coming season — his first since inking a $70MM deal with the club earlier this spring.
  • In other Yankees news, southpaw CC Sabathia toed the rubber against hitters today for the first time in camp, Ackert tweets. Sabathia has been taking things slow after undergoing an angioplasty over the offseason. Shortstop Didi Gregorius is on an even longer timeline as he works back from Tommy John surgery. He’s currently taking dry swings with the bat, though, as MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch tweets. It’s good to see some tangible progress; Gregorius, though, still appears to be on a timeline to return in the middle of the season.

Mark Shapiro Discusses Blue Jays’ Financial Situation

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Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro discussed his organization’s financial situation in a chat with MLB.com’s Gregor Chisolm (links to Twitter). The veteran baseball executive commented upon a few matters of both near and long-term interest.

Most immediately, Shapiro made clear that the Jays haven’t tapped into all of their available 2019 payroll. Per Shapiro, “It’s just a question of where and when do these opportunities present themselves and, if we do bring in veteran players, how [sic] is that offset our ability to continue to foster and develop the younger core talent on the team?” It would be a bit of a surprise to see the Toronto organization make any significant expenditures the rest of the winter, given that the team has largely eschewed financial commitments this offseason, though it’s interesting to see an acknowledgement that there’s more funding available.

Broadly, the organization is preparing for a point — not too far in the future, it surely hopes — when it makes sense to ramp up spending. Per Shapiro, “there is a multi-year plan in place” regarding spending, with “an understanding of where we are now and an understanding of where we’re going to go” once the club is back “at the brink of contention.”

When and how that build-up will occur isn’t clear. But there should be ample room to work with when the time comes. The Jays opened each of the prior two campaigns with over $160MM in payroll commitments. The club sits in the $115MM range at present for 2019, with just over $30MM in total commitments past that point on its books.

There’ll be a time, Shapiro says, when “payroll will outpace our revenues.” The baseball operations department doesn’t need to stash cash now to make that possible, though. Shapiro says the organization doesn’t plot out specific future payroll levels and allow its ops unit to save funding space for the future. Rather, there’s “a mutual and common understanding of what the general plan looks like.”

Shapiro also discussed the revenue side. After generally defending the television rights-fee agreement between the Blue Jays and Sportsnet (also owned by Rogers Communications) and noting some differences between the Canadian and American TV markets, Shapiro said the bottom line is that there’s ample money to be made selling baseball in Toronto. “I don’t think there is any excuse or reason why we shouldn’t have among the best revenues when we’re the team that we need to be,” he said. “That’s already been demonstrated materially in the last few years.”

Rays Notes: Kimbrel, Honeywell/De Leon, Kiermaier

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The Rays will need to squeeze every last ounce of value out of their existing roster and payroll if they are to make a real bid for the postseason in an incredibly stratified American League. Here’s the latest, with all links to the reporting of Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times:

  • With some payroll space evidently still available, the Rays have “maintained regular contact” with legendary reliever Craig Kimbrel, Topkin tweets. A successful pursuit remains “unlikely,” per the report. Surely the Rays would only consider Kimbrel on a short-term deal, as the organization has always been careful not to tie up too much future payroll. Whether Kimbrel will ultimately settle for a one or two-year pact — and, if so, what will drive his decisionmaking — isn’t yet evident.
  • Two important young Tampa Bay hurlers are making progress in their efforts to return from Tommy John procedures, Topkin further reports (Twitter links). Brent Honeywell and Jose De Leon each threw against live hitters for the first time. It was only 15 pitches apiece, but that’s still a good sign that both of these well-regarded young hurlers are coming along. The Rays will likely continue to take things slow, but surely also entertain visions of either or both making an impact as a mid-season call-up.
  • Topkin also looks in at Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, whom the team badly needs to turn in a healthy and productive campaign. Soon to turn 29, the rangy outfielder is coming off of a disappointing season at the plate in which he slashed just .217/.282/.370. Kiermaier has averaged barely more than 400 plate appearances annually over the past three years due to a variety of injuries. The maladies have tended to come about in the course of Kiermaier’s hard-charging play, though it doesn’t seem as if the team thinks there’s much to be gained from trying to rein him in. “It’s probably best for us to stay out of the way and keep our fingers crossed that none of the freak things happen,” says skipper Kevin Cash.

Latest On Cardinals’ Rotation Plans

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Entering camp, the expectation was that Carlos Martinez would regain his standing as a member of the Cardinals’ starting five. That may ultimately come to pass, though he’ll first need to work back to full strength. In Martinez’s absence, Mark Saxon of The Athletic tweets, the Cards will utilize either John Gant or Dakota Hudson to round out the rotation.

Gant, 26, is one of several out-of-options Cardinals hurlers. He pitched to a 3.47 ERA last year in 114 frames over 19 starts and seven relief appearances. The results came in spite of a marginal combination of 7.5 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 with a 45.1% groundball rate. Gant’s success was driven largely by suppression of home runs (0.71 per nine) and batting average on balls in play (.253), the sustainability of which is questionable. If he’s not in the rotation, Gant will either need to find a landing spot in the bullpen or be exposed to waivers.

Options abound for Hudson, a 24-year-old former first-round pick. He could begin the season as the fifth big-league starter, take a job in the MLB pen, or stay stretched out in the Triple-A rotation. In 19 starts last year at the highest level of the minors, Hudson worked to a 2.50 ERA over 111 2/3 innings with 7.0 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 to go with a hefty 57.5% groundball rate. The worm-burners kept coming during his 26-appearance foray into the Cards pen. Though he managed only 19 strikeouts against 18 walks in his first 27 1/3 MLB frames, Hudson allowed nary a home run. That’s no fluke; Hudson has permitted only eight long balls in over three hundred professional innings pitched.

Austin Gomber and Daniel Ponce de Leon are other 40-man members that might have been seen as possibilities. Each started MLB contests last year but has evidently already been ruled out of the Opening Day rotation race. As the news further suggests, hugely talented youngster Alex Reyes is also out of the mix to open the season as a starter. But that doesn’t mean he’ll necessarily be optioned at the end of camp. As Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets, manager Mike Shildt says that Reyes will be considered for a relief post. Reyes, 24, is working back from significant shoulder and elbow surgeries and will surely face innings limitations.

Liberty Media CEO Maffei Discusses Braves Outlook

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Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei briefly discussed the Braves outlook at a conference yesterday, as Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. The publicly traded conglomerate owns the Atlanta baseball club.

“I think the Atlanta management knows they have capacity to do more and are looking for the right deal,” Maffei said of the club’s present stance with regard to spending.

That sentence could be read in different ways. It’s unclear whether Maffei was referring to spending availability or trade capital. Neither is it evident how dedicated the club’s pursuit of “the right deal” is at present.

A few free agents would still fit the Braves roster, with former star closer Craig Kimbrel representing the most intriguing target for reasons practical and sentimental. Trade discussions could still be pursued as well; the deal that originally shipped Kimbrel out of Atlanta took place on the eve of Opening Day.

[RELATED: Let’s Find A Landing Spot For Craig Kimbrel]

In their own recent commentary on the organization’s spending, Braves chairman Terry McGuirk and GM Alex Anthopoulos similarly cited remaining payroll flexibility. They also downplayed the possibility of a major spend on a relief arm, emphasized the need to avoid “dead money” risk, and called a major acquisition before the start of the season a “coin flip.”

Whether or not another move is made, Maffei says, the Braves are “well set-up” for the coming season and beyond. He also called it “unfortunate” that the club plays in a division embroiled in a winter-long “arms race” — a state of affairs that arguably supports more aggressive acquisition efforts from the reigning National League East champions.

Ramping up payroll and/or committing it more freely would surely boost the immediate outlook. McGuirk and Anthopoulos previously indicated, though, that the ballclub must also pursue long-term profitability to support a higher payroll in relation to peer organizations. Maffei suggests that the outlook is bullish on the income side of the equation, calling SunTrust Park and its surrounding development a “highly successful” venture that he believes has “only good news ahead.”

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