Mets’ Drew Smith To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
The Mets will be without right-handed reliever Drew Smith for the entirety of the 2019 season, as manager Mickey Callaway announced to reporters today that Smith will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow tomorrow (Twitter link via Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News). Smith had recently complained of soreness in his elbow and traveled back to New York to have the elbow examined.
Smith, 25, made his MLB debut with the Mets in 2018, pitching to a 3.54 ERA with 5.8 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 0.64 HR/9 and a 38 percent ground-ball rate in 28 innings of relief. He’d pitched his way into that big league promotion with a solid showing in the hitter-friendly confines of Triple-A Las Vegas, where he posted a 2.76 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 33 2/3 innings of work.
Acquired in the trade that sent first baseman Lucas Duda to the Rays in July 2017, Smith looked to have the potential to serve as a prominent piece in the Mets’ relief corps in 2019. While New York already has a quintet of established relievers — Edwin Diaz, Jeurys Familia, Justin Wilson, Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman — there were at least a pair of openings for which Smith and others could vie in camp. And, if at some point during the season, the Mets were to switch to an eight-man bullpen, the opportunities for Smith would only have increased.
Instead, he’ll sit out the season and spend the year rehabbing with an eye toward 2020 and beyond. The Mets still control Smith through at least the 2024 season, and it’s likely that he’ll accrue a year of service by spending the 2019 campaign on the Major League 60-day injured list (thus allowing the Mets to open a spot on the 40-man roster).
MLBTR Chat Transcript: Keuchel, Kimbrel, Fantasy Picks
Click here to read a transcript of today’s chat with Tim Dierkes.
White Sox Claim Josh Osich
The White Sox announced Monday that they’ve claimed left-handed reliever Josh Osich off waivers from the Orioles. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, Chicago has placed right-hander Michael Kopech on the 60-day injured list. Osich, 30, was designated for assignment by Baltimore last week. Kopech, meanwhile, is expected to miss the entire 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery late in the 2018 campaign.
Osich, 30, has spent time with the Giants in each of the past four seasons, though he’s struggled increasingly at the MLB level dating back to 2016. In 120 1/3 innings, Osich has a 5.01 ERA with 7.9 K/9, 4.6 BB/9, 1.50 HR/9 and a 51.8 percent ground-ball rate. Last year in Triple-A, Osich posted a 4.96 ERA with a 42-to-18 K/BB ratio in 45 1/3 innings.
Osich does have a minor league option remaining, and he’s also averaged roughly 95 mph on his heater throughout his career. Right-handed batters have owned him at the MLB level (.294/.385/.496), though he’s held lefties to a more manageable (albeit still unspectacular) .228/.319/.388 line in his time as a big leaguer. San Francisco designated Osich for assignment a month ago when they acquired young righty Jose Lopez from the Reds, after which he was claimed by the Orioles. Osich’s time in the Baltimore organization lasted only about three weeks, as the O’s designated him Friday upon picking up Dwight Smith Jr. from the Blue Jays.
Out Of Options 2019
The following 40-man roster players have less than five years service time and are out of minor league options. That means they must clear waivers before being sent to the minors. I’ve included players on multiyear deals. This list was compiled through MLBTR’s helpful sources.
Angels
- Cam Bedrosian, RHP
- Kaleb Cowart, 2B/3B/RHP
- Luis Garcia, RHP
- Noe Ramirez, RHP
- Hansel Robles, RHP
- Kevan Smith, C
Astros
- Aledmys Diaz, INF/OF
- Tony Kemp, 2B/OF
- Brad Peacock, RHP
- Max Stassi, C
- Tyler White, 1B/3B/DH
Athletics
- Aaron Brooks, RHP
- Robbie Grossman, OF
- Liam Hendriks, RHP
- Chris Herrmann, C/OF
- Frankie Montas, RHP
- Josh Phegley, C
- Jurickson Profar, SS/2B/3B
Blue Jays
- Randal Grichuk, OF
- Dalton Pompey, OF
Braves
- Jesse Biddle, LHP
- Charlie Culberson, 2B/SS/3B/OF
- Sam Freeman, LHP
- Kevin Gausman, RHP
- Luke Jackson, RHP
Brewers
- Jesus Aguilar, 1B
- Junior Guerra, RHP
- Corey Knebel, RHP
- Erik Kratz, C
- Hernan Perez, 2B/3B/OF
- Manny Pina, C
- Eric Thames, 1B/OF
Cardinals
- John Gant, RHP
- Mike Mayers, RHP
- Miles Mikolas, RHP
- Chasen Shreve, LHP
Cubs
- Mike Montgomery, LHP
Diamondbacks
- Silvino Bracho, RHP
- Socrates Brito, OF
- Zack Godley, RHP
- Matt Koch, RHP
- T.J. McFarland, LHP
- John Ryan Murphy, C
- Christian Walker, 1B/OF
Dodgers
- Yimi Garcia, RHP
Giants
- Hanser Alberto, 2B/3B/SS
- Sam Dyson, RHP
- Trevor Gott, RHP
- Alen Hanson, 2B/OF
- Steven Okert, LHP
- Chris Stratton, RHP
- Mac Williamson, OF
Indians
- Trevor Bauer, RHP
- Max Moroff, 2B/3B/SS
- Tyler Olson, LHP
- Kevin Plawecki, C
- Neil Ramirez, RHP
- Danny Salazar, RHP
Mariners
- Shawn Armstrong, RHP
- Roenis Elias, LHP
- Marco Gonzales, LHP
- Kristopher Negron, 2B/OF
- Zac Rosscup, LHP
- Domingo Santana, OF
- Hunter Strickland, RHP
- Sam Tuivailala, RHP
- Daniel Vogelbach, 1B/DH
Marlins
- Jorge Alfaro, C
- Austin Brice, RHP
- Adam Conley, RHP
- Tayron Guerrero, LHP
- Rosell Herrera, 2B/OF
- Dan Straily, RHP
- Jose Urena, RHP
Mets
- Keon Broxton, OF
Nationals
- Matt Grace, LHP
- Justin Miller, RHP
- Pedro Severino, C
Orioles
- Dylan Bundy, RHP
- Miguel Castro, RHP
- Renato Nunez, 3B
- Jonathan Villar, 2B/SS/3B
- Mike Wright Jr., RHP
Padres
- Greg Garcia, 2B/SS
- Bryan Mitchell, RHP
- Kirby Yates, RHP
Phillies
- Aaron Altherr, OF
- Jose Alvarez, LHP
- Cesar Hernandez, 2B
- Adam Morgan, LHP
- Hector Neris, RHP
- Roman Quinn, OF
Pirates
- Elias Diaz, C
- Erik Gonzalez, SS/2B
- Nick Kingham, RHP
- Jacob Stallings, C
- Felipe Vazquez, LHP
Rangers
- Connor Sadzeck, RHP
Rays
- Ji-Man Choi, 1B/DH
- Wilmer Font, RHP
- Tommy Pham, OF
- Chaz Roe, RHP
Red Sox
- Heath Hembree, RHP
- Brian Johnson, LHP
- Sandy Leon, C
- Blake Swihart, C
- Christian Vazquez, C
- Brandon Workman, RHP
Reds
- Curt Casali, C
- Amir Garrett, LHP
- Robert Stephenson, RHP
- Matt Wisler, RHP
Rockies
- Tom Murphy, C
- Scott Oberg, RHP
- Chris Rusin, LHP
- Raimel Tapia, OF
Royals
- Brian Flynn, LHP
- Brian Goodwin, OF
- Terrance Gore, OF
- Jorge Lopez, RHP
- Adalberto Mondesi, SS/2B
- Jorge Soler, OF/DH
Tigers
- Matthew Boyd, LHP
- Buck Farmer, RHP
- John Hicks, C/1B
- Mikie Mahtook, OF
- Drew VerHagen, RHP
Twins
- Ehire Adrianza, SS/2B/3B
- Tyler Austin, 1B/DH/OF
- C.J. Cron, 1B
- Max Kepler, OF
- Matt Magill, RHP
- Trevor May, RHP
- Adalberto Mejia, LHP
- Blake Parker, RHP
- Jorge Polanco, SS
- Michael Reed, OF
White Sox
- Manny Banuelos, LHP
- Alex Colome, RHP
- Leury Garcia, OF
- Juan Minaya, RHP
- Jose Rondon, 2B/SS
- Yolmer Sanchez, 2B/3B
Yankees
- Luis Cessa, RHP
- Tommy Kahnle, RHP
- Gary Sanchez, C
NL East Notes: Phillies’ Outfield, Mets’ Bullpen, Solis, Lopez
Offseason additions of Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen have left the Phillies with an overcrowded outfield mix that will likely lead to some roster shuffling. As The Athletic’s Meghan Montemurro examines at length (subscription required), the Phils now have five outfielders — Odubel Herrera, Roman Quinn, Nick Williams, Aaron Altherr and Dylan Cozens — all on the 40-man roster beyond their two big-name pickups. Both Herrera and Quinn are currently nursing minor injuries, but they’re also the two most logical options for center field. Williams, meanwhile, isn’t viewed as an option in center, per manager Gabe Kapler, which severely clouds his future with the team. Williams does have minor league options remaining, but he could also hold appeal as a trade asset marketed to other clubs in search of outfield help. (The same could be true of Herrera, but he’s owed $24.5MM through 2021 and had a down season in 2018.) Of the Phillies’ current outfielders, both Altherr and Quinn are out of minor league options, which only enhances the likelihood of some roster moves in the next couple of weeks.
Elsewhere in the division…
- Because of the numerous off-days baked into the early-season schedule, the Mets are likelier to open the season with seven relievers than they are with eight, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post. Edwin Diaz, Jeurys Familia, Justin Wilson, Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo are locks to hold down five of those spots, and Puma adds that non-roster lefties Luis Avilan and Hector Santiago are strong candidates to claim the other two slots. Both veterans signed minor league contracts with invites to Spring Training, and both have thrown quite well to open camp. That’d give manager Mickey Callaway three lefties to utilize out of the ‘pen early in the season, although it wouldn’t leave the team with too much in the way of roster flexibility. With so many veteran relievers on board, the only three pitchers of that bunch who could technically be optioned to the minors would be Lugo, Gsellman and Diaz — none of whom would figure to be sent down to the minors at any point. If the Mets do eventually shift to carrying eight relievers, they’d be able to use that final ‘pen slot to shuffle some fresh arms back and forth between the Majors and Triple-A Syracuse.
- Left-hander Sammy Solis was caught “completely off guard” by the Nationals‘ decision to release him, the pitcher tells Richard Justice of MLB.com. Solid seemingly took the abrupt and unexpected news in good stride, thanking the organization and expressing some disappointment over having to say goodbye to longtime teammates. As manager Dave Martinez explains, the move was made with an eye toward giving Solis a chance to find another organization before the season begins. “For me, it was more about giving Sammy an opportunity to latch on with another team and get a chance to have that Spring Training elsewhere,” said Martinez. The Nats also shed $713K in salary with the move, which surely played a factor as well. The 30-year-old Solid has had a pair of unsightly seasons over the past two years, including a 2017 campaign that was shortened by elbow troubles. He maintains that he’s healthy now, though, and one would imagine that a lefty who averaged nearly 94 mph on his fastball to go along with a 12.9 percent swinging-strike rate in 2018 will garner interest — even if only on a minor league contract.
- Right-hander Pablo Lopez is making a strong case to open the season in the Marlins‘ rotation, but manager Don Mattingly said this weekend that no decisions have been made as to who’ll round out the rotation behind Jose Urena and Dan Straily, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Lopez tossed four perfect innings and picked up four punchouts in his most recent outing against a Nationals lineup featuring many regulars. He’s now allowed just one run on three hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in nine spring frames. Wei-Yin Chen‘s contract — he’s owed $42MM over the next two seasons — makes him a likely candidate to get a long look, while other rotation hopefuls include Sandy Alcantara, Trevor Richards and southpaw Caleb Smith.
AL East Notes: Kimbrel, Rays, Orioles, Red Sox
Though the common belief is that the Rays wouldn’t make an expensive splash to add Craig Kimbrel, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that there’s somewhat of a “never say never” sentiment within the organization as Kimbrel continues to linger (and as his price likely drops in corresponding fashion). The right-hander doesn’t appear likely to cash in on the mega contract he sought early in the offseason, and it’s not clear at this point how many clubs would even have interest on a multi-year pact. I ran through some potential landing spots for Kimbrel on shorter-term deals (with a significant annual value) last Friday and largely glossed over the Rays due to their historic reluctance to spend at that level and due to the fact that Kimbrel would require forfeiture of a draft pick (another prior sticking point for Tampa Bay). However, with a projected Opening Day payroll of just $60MM and only $27MM on the books in 2020 (per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez), the Rays certainly have the payroll space to add Kimbrel if they look to break character for a second time this winter after already inking Charlie Morton (two years, $30MM). The Rays opened the 2018 season with a $76MM payroll.
Here’s more from the AL East…
- The Orioles would trade any of their starters who are “making significant money,” Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes in his latest notes column (subscription required). It’s hardly surprising that Baltimore would jump at the opportunity to shed the remaining $43MM (over three years) on Alex Cobb‘s contract or the $8MM owed to Andrew Cashner this season, but Rosenthal also lists right-hander Dylan Bundy (earning $2.8MM) among the group. Moving Bundy would be more surprising given his affordable salary and remaining three seasons of control, though it seems unlikely they’d sell low on the former No. 4 overall pick after he led the Majors with 41 homers allowed last season. Bundy, 26, has demonstrated very appealing K/BB numbers over the past two seasons, but home runs have continually been a problem for him at the MLB level. A trade of any of the three seems extraordinarily unlikely to happen before Opening Day, but if any of that trio is performing well early in the year, he’ll emerge as a trade candidate this summer.
- Red Sox right-hander Brandon Workman opened Spring Training with a fastball that was sitting 92 to 93 mph, writes Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald, but his velocity has dipped substantially in recent outings. Workman has averaged 87 to 89 mph on his fastball in his past two outings, and manager Alex Cora spoke to Mastrodonato about the current “dead arm” Workman is attempting to overcome. As Mastrodonato points out, the majority of Boston’s candidates for the bullpen have struggled this spring, which at least has the potential to open the door for a prospect like Darwinzon Hernandez to get a look.
Mike Foltynewicz Won’t Be Ready For Start Of Season
Braves top starter Mike Foltynewicz won’t be ready for the start of the season, general manager Alex Anthopoulos revealed Monday (Twitter link, with video, from 680 The Fan). The 27-year-old was scratched from a start nearly two weeks ago due to elbow soreness.
“Folty’s the one guy that, building him up as a starter, he’s not going to be ready,” said Anthopoulos. “Feeling great. Throwing. We were just mapping out his throwing program this morning in terms of bullpens, live BPs — all those type of things. We’re just trying to figure out what point do we get him up to five innings?”
Anthopoulos wouldn’t forecast specifically how much time Foltynewicz would need to get ready, as he’s not yet progressed to throwing off a mound. The GM speculated on anywhere from one to three would-be turns through the rotation, though the situation remains fluid. Anthopoulos did acknowledge that had Foltynewicz been healthy, he’d likely have been given the Opening Day nod for the Braves.
With Foltynewicz out for the start of the year, the Braves will open with Julio Teheran, Sean Newcomb and Kevin Gausman locked into rotation spots. As Anthopoulos noted, the significant number of off-days the Braves have early in the year will allow them to work with only a four-man rotation early on, so there may only be one other spot up for grabs. Atlanta isn’t lacking for options to take that fourth spot in the rotation to open the year; Touki Toussaint, Kyle Wright, Max Fried and Bryse Wilson have all made multiple starts already this spring — Wright will make a third today — and could all conceivably get a look in that spot. Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets that with Foltynewicz sidelined, Teheran or Newcomb (likely the former) will receive the actual Opening Day start.
West Notes: Jones, Felix, Gerson, Skaggs, Adell
There wasn’t much news on Adam Jones‘ market this winter, though ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets that the Giants and other teams were interested in the veteran outfielder earlier this winter at a price tag of around $2MM-$3MM on a one-year contract. Jones was looking for more at the start of the offseason, though ultimately landed a contract in that range, agreeing to a one-year, $3MM deal (with $2MM more available in incentives) with the Diamondbacks. The Giants were a logical suitor for Jones given their unsettled outfield, and San Francisco ended up landing a number of veteran outfielders (Gerardo Parra, Cameron Maybin, Craig Gentry) to minor league contracts, rather than give Jones a guaranteed Major League deal. Given the timing, it seems like the Giants decided to move on from Jones rather than wait to see if his price dropped.
Here’s more from the western half of the baseball map…
- Felix Hernandez is entering the last season of his seven-year, $175MM contract, and while the veteran righty obviously won’t receive anything close to that salary in his next contract, it increasingly seems like it will be his last year altogether with the Mariners. As Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times puts it, “neither side seems interested in continuing the relationship” beyond 2019, creating the possibility of an awkward exit for one of the franchise’s greatest players. After injuries hampered Hernandez’s effectiveness in 2016-17, the 32-year-old suffered through the worst season of his career in 2018, posting a 5.55 ERA over 155 2/3 innings. As a result, Hernandez has been dropped to the fifth spot in Seattle’s rotation, thus ending his streak of 10 consecutive Opening Day starts. There appears to be some hard feelings on Hernandez’s part about missing the opener, admitting to reporters that he was upset about the decision, though adding “I’ve got no comment to that,” when asked to give further details.
- Mariners rookie right-hander Gerson Bautista left today’s game after suffering an injury to his upper arm and/or pectoral muscle. (MLB.com’s Greg Johns was among those to report the details.) There’s no word yet on the severity of the injury, though Bautista left the mound in visible discomfort. Bautista was part of the trade package acquired from the Mets as part of the Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz trade, and the 23-year-old has been making a good case to win a bullpen job during an impressive spring.
- Top Angels prospect Jo Adell will be out of action for 10-12 weeks after suffering both a Grade-2 right ankle sprain and a Grade-1 left hamstring strain, the team announced (Twitter link). Adell was a consensus top-14 prospect in preseason top-100 rankings, with Baseball Prospectus going as far as to rank Adell as the second-best prospect in all of baseball. The outfielder was expected to begin the year at Double-A, though Adell will now be force to miss a a big chunk of his third pro season.
- Tyler Skaggs missed today’s scheduled Cactus League outing due to forearm fatigue, Angels manager Brad Ausmus told reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group). As worrisome as any forearm issue is for a pitcher with Skaggs’ Tommy John history, the injury doesn’t appear to be too serious — Skaggs merely overworked himself while experimenting with a new pitch. An MRI revealed no problems, and Skaggs is expected to be back on the mound in a few days’ time. (A follow-up tweet from Fletcher even showed a picture of Skaggs playing catch after his start was shelved.)
MLBTR Chat Transcript: Jones, Braves, Yankees, Keuchel
Click here to read the transcript of tonight’s baseball live chat, moderated by MLBTR writer Mark Polishuk
NL Notes: Uecker, McCann, Cubs, Braves, Pache, Conforto
Few people in baseball are as well-liked as legendary Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker, and he garners so much respect within the team’s clubhouse that the players voted Uecker for a full share of playoff money from their NLCS run last season, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. Uecker will divide the full $123K amount amongst four charities, and was humbled to receive such a gesture. “I would never keep the money, but I sure appreciated what they did. I’m proud of that. When I talked to them about it, they said, ‘Ueck, that was no big deal. You were part of that.’ Still, I was shocked when they did it,” Uecker said.
Some more from around the National League…
- The Cubs made an offer to Brian McCann this offseason that was worth more than the one-year, $2MM deal that McCann eventually received from the Braves, The Athletic’s David O’Brien reports (subscription required). The money wasn’t the primary factor in McCann’s choice, however, as the catcher wanted to either return to the Astros or to the Braves, his original team. It doesn’t seem that any other suitors were given serious consideration, as McCann “had no interest in being a hired gun and going elsewhere to play what could be the final season of his career,” O’Brien writes. Between this item and reports from earlier today that the Cubs had interest in Martin Maldonado, it seems as if Chicago was a quiet player in the catching market this offseason. Willson Contreras is the incumbent starter, though the Cubs are looking for more depth beyond Victor Caratini and minor league signing Francisco Arcia.
- Also from O’Brien’s piece, he mentions that Braves prospect Cristian Pache received trade interest from rival teams this winter as part of a larger profile on Pache. It would’ve been surprising, frankly, if Atlanta hadn’t gotten calls on the 20-year-old outfielder, given Pache’s emergence as one of the team’s (and baseball’s) most intriguing young players. Though he hit only a modest .279/.307/.410 over 495 combined PA in A-ball and Double-A last season, Pache is beginning to show more power potential, as evidenced by some big numbers in Atlanta’s Spring Training camp. If Pache can develop into even a passable hitter at the MLB level, he’ll still have enormous value given his widely-touted speed, throwing arm, and defensive play. Even prior to 2018, some Braves scouts considered Pache to be the organization’s best defensive outfielder, ahead of even Ender Inciarte or Ronald Acuna. Pache made his debut in the preseason top-100 prospect lists, with varied assessments from MLB.com (who ranked him 37th), ESPN.com’s Keith Law (45th), Baseball Prospectus (62nd), Baseball America (85th). The Marlins were one club known to have Pache on their radar, as he was on the short list of prospects Miami wanted from Atlanta as part of a J.T. Realmuto trade package.
- Michael Conforto will stick to right field this season, Mets manager Mickey Callaway told Newsday’s Anthony Rieber and other media. Over Conforto’s four MLB seasons, he has actually spent the least amount of action in right field (208 1/3 innings) of any of the three outfield spots, as he has 869 1/3 innings as a center fielder and 2045 innings in left field. As per UZR/150 and Defensive Runs Saved, Conforto has struggled in center field but been solidly above-average in the corner outfield spots, so keeping in right field should enhance his overall value. Conforto’s placement should provide some stability within a very in-flux Mets’ outfield situation, as Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo are slated to see much of the work in left field, with Nimmo, Keon Broxton, and Juan Lagares all in the mix in center field. Veterans Carlos Gomez and Rajai Davis are also in camp, and there’s still a slim chance that Yoenis Cespedes could return from the injured list at some point in 2019.