Tyler Glasnow Pulled With Forearm Tightness
The Rays pulled starter Tyler Glasnow from tonight’s game after he motioned to the dugout. The club has announced that tightness in his right forearm was the cause for the move, as MLB.com’s Juan Toribio was among those to report on Twitter.
More will be known after a full examination, but that’s obviously not the most promising initial indication. Forearm issues can be related to elbow troubles, though there’s no reason to assume that there’s a significant problem in the joint.
The Rays organization will be holding its collective breath while Glasnow gets checked out. Long considered a top-shelf talent, he has put it all together thus far in 2019. Glasnow is sitting at 97.5 mph with his four-seamer, drawing strong groundball numbers, generating lots of weak contact, and — most importantly — finally exhibiting the command that had long eluded him.
Working in the zone more frequently and generating more first strikes than ever before helped Glasnow to work to a 1.47 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 entering today’s action. He coughed up a few earned runs this evening before exiting, but also tacked on nine strikeouts against just two walks in his 5 1/3 frames.
Keuchel & Kimbrel Will Soon Be Free Of Draft Compensation
It’s funny how narratives shift. Not long ago, the drag effect of the qualifying offer was perhaps the single hottest topic in discussions of open-market dynamics. Now, broader forces have far eclipsed it in importance while rule changes have reduced the impact of the compensation system.
Let’s not ignore the interplay between the QO rule tweaks and the other CBA changes that have helped suppress free-agent earnings. The new qualifying offer rules represented a concession by the owners, but one that only really helped a limited range of players: those good enough to receive significant one-year offers from their existing clubs (most recently, the price was set at $17.9MM) but not so overwhelmingly appealing that the draft compensation was but a minor consideration. The burn was felt most by very good but somewhat flawed and/or older players. Reducing the magnitude of draft compensation helps, but those same players have gone on to be squeezed by other changes to rules and market dynamics.
In any event, the present market setting is one in which the qualifying offer factor is actually perhaps under-appreciated. Parting with draft picks for the right to pay top dollar to a free agent is still a tough pill to swallow for some teams. And there’s little doubt that the cost will be passed through to the player. As Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos has put it, “we’ll put the value into an offer, but it wouldn’t stop us.” The inverse of that sentence might be a more accurate way of stating the prevailing approach.
As you’re no doubt aware if you’ve read this far, there are two remaining free agents who declined a QO this past winter: all-time-great reliever Craig Kimbrel (Red Sox) and former Cy Young-winning starter Dallas Keuchel (Astros). This is the age-31 season for both players. They each have had their hiccups; despite producing generally commendable results of late, neither was at his finest form in 2018. Draft compensation has surely played a role in their rather stunning failure to sign to this point of the season, though it’s far from the only or even the predominant factor.
Both Kimbrel and Keuchel decided against settling for short-term bailout offers that emerged when their markets didn’t. Once the season started, it became quite likely that they’d end up waiting until at least June before putting pen to paper. That’s because the June draft represents an important point on the timeline for the qualifying offer rules.
Per the express terms of the most recent collective bargaining agreement, draft compensation is only available when a qualified player signs on or before the day immediately preceding the Rule 4 draft. This year’s selections begin on June 3rd. MLBTR has confirmed that, unless Kimbrel and Keuchel officially sign (with full league and union approval) on or before 11:59pm EST on June 2nd, all draft compensation relating to those players will be nullified.
With just over three weeks remaining until that vanishing act takes place, it’s rather difficult to see a deal materializing in advance of the draft. If teams are still capable of emotional decisionmaking, this is perhaps the time of year when draft choices are likely to be valued most highly, as clubs are tantalizingly close to turning those selections into actual prospects they like. And if the value of the draft pick compensation is effectively drawn out of the salary the team would otherwise offer, as Anthopoulos suggests and as stands to reason, then it surely makes sense for the player to wait a few more weeks at this point.
A surprise is always possible, but it’s all but certain now that the reps for the K&K holdout hurlers are already chatting with teams about post-draft signing scenarios. What exactly does that mean? For one thing, the countdown could be on for these accomplished hurlers to finally begin pitching again. In some respects, the scene will shift; teams weighing a signing will also be considering trade-deadline alternatives that will require the sacrifice of young talent (and that may not be available for at least a few more weeks). The wild card here is the players’ asking prices; it remains to be seen if they’ll hold out for (and receive) significant, multi-year offers.
For the teams potentially involved, the situation is clear. The Red Sox will not receive the post-4th-round comp pick they would have otherwise, which would have landed after the 137th pick that they already hold. And the Astros will miss out on a choice after competitive balance round B wraps up; it’d have been the 79th overall selection. For all the prospective signing teams, they would hang onto the picks they’d otherwise have to punt to sign one of these pitchers. Putting a real price on those picks is a tricky thing to do — here’s one recent attempt — because any real-world valuation would include team context (such as other picks and negotiating opportunities) as well as the grades placed on the actual prospects that might be taken.
If a deal does formally come together before the draft for one of these players, it’ll likely be with the former team. That’s how it played out back in 2014, the other time we’ve seen players turn down qualifying offers and then languish on the open market. Stephen Drew signed in late May, but that was a deal with the incumbent Red Sox, who by that time already knew they’d miss out on compensation with the draft so close. Kendrys Morales waited until early June for draft compensation to clear, then landed with the Twins.
Mets COO Wilpon Holds Sit-Down With Van Wagenen, Callaway
Earlier today, Mets COO Jeff Wilpon held a sit-down with GM Brodie Van Wagenen and manager Mickey Callaway, according to a report from Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The ninety-minute session was conceived of in hopes of preventing a second-straight early-season collapse.
Things are off to a promising start tonight, as the club is pouring it on early against the Marlins. That’s likely happenstance, though it’s always nice to see a response after such a moment. The Mets entered play today at 17-20, a particularly disappointing mark considering the club’s 9-4 open to the year.
It’s not entirely clear what was actually discussed in the meeting. Sherman says that Wilpon delivered the message that “the current play is unacceptable and that the need [sic] finding remedies is critical.” Callaway was reportedly encouraged “to apply whatever means he thought workable to improve the results,” though it’s not really evident whether any specific concepts will be put into action.
Notably, Sherman writes that Wilpon never threatened Callaway’s job or set any strict performance demands. The organization would obviously rather not drop Callaway in the middle of his second season at the helm of the dugout. And with good reason: it’s hard to lay too much blame upon him for the fact that the team has limped to a -27 run differential that lags all but six other MLB teams. (Today’s onslaught seems likely to tip that back in a more favorable direction.) Though Callaway is safe for the moment, the meeting does seem to serve as notice that ownership is anxious to see things pointed back in the right direction.
Rays Acquire Travis d’Arnaud
6:26pm: This move is now official. Infielder Matt Duffy was shifted to the 60-day injured list to create 40-man space; the team will wait to make a corresponding active roster move.
6:03pm: The Rays have struck a deal with the Dodgers to acquire catcher Travis d’Arnaud, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Cash considerations will go to Los Angeles in return.
This represents the continuation of d’Arnaud’s already disjointed season. After working back to health in the wake of Tommy John surgery, he opened up as the Mets’ backup backstop but was dumped at a surprisingly early juncture.
The Dodgers signed the out-of-options d’Arnaud as a righty bench bat with designs on trying him at other positions, but instead pivoted quickly to today’s move. d’Arnaud is now slated to help fill in while the Rays deal with injuries to their top two backstops (Mike Zunino and Michael Perez).
Perhaps it’s not surprising to see these organizations showing interest in d’Arnaud as a fill-in and possible bounceback performer. He was long considered quite talented and has at times been a quality-hitting catcher. Best of all, the New York club is on the hook for d’Arnaud’s $3.52MM salary (less a pro-rated portion of the league minimum) so it’s a virtual free-ride for other outfits.
There’s no reason to think that the Dodgers soured on d’Arnaud after watching him take just one plate appearance, though perhaps they weren’t enthralled by what they saw when they worked him out at first base and left field. Perhaps the team was simply willing to let him go because there was a clear opportunity for him in Tampa Bay and because it was just as interested in utilizing other players to fill out the roster.
Yangervis Solarte Elects Free Agency
Utilityman Yangervis Solarte has elected free agency after being outrighted by the Giants, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic was among those to tweet. He had been designated for assignment recently.
Solarte, 31, has taken at least four hundred plate appearances in all five of his full seasons in the majors, topping five hundred in four of those campaigns. The switch-hitter was an above-average hitter for his first three years in the bigs, though that status has slipped of late.
The drop-off began in 2017, when Solarte’s numbers dipped a bit with the Padres. He stumbled to a .226/.277/.378 batting line last year with the Blue Jays, leaving him to settle for a minors deal with a Giants organization that needed some stability and hoped for a bounce back.
Things didn’t go as planned in San Francisco. In his 78 trips to the plate, Solarte posted a meager .205/.247/.315 batting line with a single home run and just four walks to go with 16 strikeouts.
Braves Option A.J. Minter, Activate Jonny Venters
The Braves have swapped out young southpaw A.J. Minter for veteran Jonny Venters, per a club announcement. The former was optioned to Triple-A to make way for the latter’s activation from the 10-day injured list.
It’s a disappointing development for Minter, who looked to be a long-term, late-inning stalwart entering the season. The 25-year-old has struggled to stay in the zone, coughing up 7.4 BB/9 while recording 13.1 K/9. He has allowed a dozen earned runs in eleven frames on the year.
Venters, 34, was tendered a contact and agreed to a $2.25MM salary after a remarkable comeback campaign following a five-season absence from the majors. He was knocked out of action by a calf strain but is now ready to return to action. Venters has had a bit of a wild showing on his rehab assignment but was solid last year, turning in 34 1/3 innings of 3.67 ERA ball with 7.1 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 along with a hefty 69.1% groundball rate over 34 1/3 innings.
White Sox Acquire Paulo Orlando
The White Sox announced today that they have acquired outfielder Paulo Orlando from the Dodgers. He has been assigned to Triple-A Charlotte.
The return isn’t know, but it’s likely a deal for cash considerations. Orlando had been serving as depth in the Los Angeles organization after signing a minors deal over the winter.
Orlando, 33, appeared in each of the past four seasons with the Royals but failed to reach 100 plate appearances in 2017 and 2018. He’s a .263/.289/.384 hitter over 918 plate appearances at the game’s highest level.
Mariners Promote J.P. Crawford, Shed Long
2:33pm: The move is now official. Moore was placed on the 10-day IL and righty Chasen Bradford was optioned to create roster space.
10:49am: The Mariners are promoting young infielders J.P. Crawford and Shed Long in advance of this weekend’s series against the Red Sox, per Corey Brock of The Athletic (Twitter link). Both players are on their way to Boston to join the club. The pair of promotions comes after Dee Gordon exited Thursday’s game against the Yankees after taking a fastball to the wrist. Infielder Dylan Moore, too, is being hampered by a wrist injury and had been slated to undergo testing to determine the root of the issue.
Both Crawford and Long are considered potential long-term pieces in the Seattle infield. Each arrived in the organization this winter as part of general manger Jerry Dipoto’s whirlwind of trades to “re-imagine” the roster moving forward. Crawford, the 16th pick in the 2013 draft, was long considered to be the Phillies’ shortstop of the future and for years ranked among the game’s top 20 overall prospects. However, he was the key piece acquired by Seattle in the trade that sent Jean Segura to Philadelphia, and it’s now the Mariners who hope that Crawford can lock down the shortstop position for the foreseeable future. He’s not ranked among the organization’s top prospects due to the fact that he has too much big league service time to technically be considered a prospect anymore, but the organization nevertheless views him as a vital long-term cog.
Long, meanwhile, will be making his MLB debut the first time he gets into a game and is widely considered to be one of Seattle’s best farmhands. The Mariners thought highly enough of Long to trade last season’s second-round pick, outfielder Josh Stowers, to the Yankees in a straight-up swap for him back in January — barely seven months after the draft. The Yankees had just acquired Long as part of the trade that sent Sonny Gray to Cincinnati, though the Mariners’ interest in Long predated that three-team swap. He’s played second base, third base and left field with the Mariners organization this season, though second base or left field seems to be his likeliest long-term home. Long draws praise for above-average power and speed, and he has a track record of drawing walks at a healthy clip to help offset a strikeout rate in the 22 to 23 percent range.
To this point in the season, the 24-year-old Crawford is hitting .319/.420/.457 with three homers, seven doubles, three steals and nearly as many walks (19) as strikeouts (25) through 138 plate appearances in Triple-A Tacoma. The 23-year-old Long, meanwhile, is hitting .276/.350/.504 with five homers, 10 doubles and four triples while posting 14 walks against 31 strikeouts (also in 138 plate appearances).
The arrival of both well-regarded young infielders likely signals a trip to the injured list for Gordon and/or Moore, and given how important they are to the Mariners’ future, both will probably be afforded everyday at-bats. That’ll likely cut into the playing time of Tim Beckham, although the veteran infielder’s bat has predictably cooled after a torrid start to the season. Beckham hit .410/.477/.846 through his first 10 games but has turned in just a .206/.260/.361 batting line with a 35.5 percent strikeout rate in 104 plate appearances since.
From a service-time vantage point, even if both infielders stay in the Majors from this point forth, the Mariners will control Crawford for five years beyond the 2019 campaign and control Long for six. Crawford came into the season with a year and 20 days of MLB service under his belt, but there are only 144 days remaining in the 2019 campaign, so he can’t reach the 172-day mark he’d need to cross the threshold into two full years of Major League service time. The promotion could very well put both players on track for Super Two status, which would make them both eligible for arbitration four times rather than three — Crawford beginning after the 2020 season and Long beginning after the 2021 campaign. All of that, of course, could change depending on whether either is optioned back to Tacoma.
Blue Jays Select Javy Guerra, Designate Socrates Brito
3:15pm: Buchholz is indeed headed to the IL, TSN’s Scott Mitchell tweets. The team says Buchholz has shoulder inflammation, though the righty had told Mitchell earlier that he was dealing with a minor lat issue.
3:01pm: The Blue Jays are making a series of roster moves today, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports on Twitter. The club will select the contract of reliever Javy Guerra, adding him to the 40-man and active rosters. Also coming up to the big leagues is outfielder Jonathan Davis.
Outfielder Socrates Brito was designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Reliever Thomas Pannone was optioned yesterday, creating an additional active roster opening. He’s still on hand, however, in case Clay Buchholz requires a stint on the injured list. (Buchholz has been scratched from his start tonight.)
This’ll be Guerra’s second stint with the Jays this year. He was designated for assignment after working to a 5.40 ERA with 12 strikeouts and four walks in ten innings.
Davis, who is nearing his 27th birthday, struggled in his MLB debut last year but has been excellent thus far in 2019 at Triple-A. In 67 plate appearances, he’s slashing .306/.493/.633 with four home runs and a shiny mix of 16 walks against 13 strikeouts.
As for Brito, the Jays gave him a run after claiming him from the Diamondbacks early in the year. The 26-year-old has not impressed, producing a ghastly .077/.163/.128 slash and 17 strikeouts in 43 trips to the plate.
Tigers Select Nick Ramirez, Promote Gregory Soto
The Tigers have selected the contract of southpaw Nick Ramirez, per a club announcement. He’ll take the place of the optioned Zac Reininger. The club had an open 40-man slot to work with.
Ramirez will be joined imminently by fellow lefty Gregory Soto. As Tom Reisenweber of the Erie Times-News first reported on Twitter, the 24-year-old is slated for a call-up. He’s expected to start tomorrow.
It has been a long and winding road to this point for Ramirez, who reaches the majors for the first time just before his 30th birthday. A fourth-round pick in the 2011 draft, the Cal State Fullerton product had to switch from hitting to pitching in order to finally break through.
Though Ramirez’s move to the mound showed promise at times with the Brewers, his original organization, he didn’t show enough of a spark to force his way up. He ended up landing in the Detroit organization on a minors pact over the offseason.
Ramirez has had an intriguing start to the season. He’s working as a starter for the first time and showing newfound strikeout potential. Through 23 1/3 innings (covering two Triple-A and three Double-A starts), Ramirez carries a 2.31 ERA with 11.6 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9.
As for Soto, he has thrown just three games above the High-A level, all coming this year at Double-A. He’s a power pitcher who needs to hone his command, which he has done in the early going this year. Soto is hardly the class of this farm system’s impressive crop of hurlers, but he did get top-30 organizational billing from MLB.com. Since he’s on the 40-man roster already, the Tigers will make use of him for a spot start, though it seems likely he’ll be sent back down thereafter.