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Michael Pineda Has Torn Meniscus, Won’t Pitch In Majors This Season

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Right-hander Michael Pineda has been diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his right knee and will not pitch in the Majors this season, Twins manager Paul Molitor revealed to reporters (Twitter links via Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press). Lefty Adalberto Mejia is also done for the season due a nerve issue in his left arm that’ll require more than the remaining five weeks to sufficiently heal.

The knee injury for Pineda is a discouraging one, as the right-hander had all but worked his way back to health following 2017 Tommy John surgery and had been expected to make a few starts for the Twins in September. The silver lining is that Pineda’s arm is seemingly fine, and he should be ready for Spring Training without any real health restrictions.

Minnesota’s signing of Pineda to a two-year, $10MM contract was never about the 2018 season anyhow. While the club would’ve considered it a bonus had the big right-hander been able to pitch out of the ’pen or make a few starts in September, the real goal of the signing was to acquire a talented arm to insert into the 2019 rotation.

Pineda has struggled to find consistency in the Majors, but he’s averaged 9.1 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 while racking up grounders at a roughly league-average clip. That’s a favorable combination of skills for any pitcher, and Pineda will be viewed as an important piece in what the Twins hope will be a considerably better 2019 season.

As for Mejia, he could also be a part of the rotation picture next season, though the lack of a September platform to make his case for that role is disheartening for him in its own right. Minnesota acquired the now-25-year-old lefty from the Giants in the July 2016 trade that sent Eduardo Nunez to San Francisco, and he went on to make 21 starts for the Twins in 2017, working to a 4.50 ERA through 98 innings. Mejia notched a 3.32 ERA with 8.8 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 in 62 1/3 Triple-A frames in 2018, and he’s posted a 2.01 ERA in 24 1/3 innings in the Majors this year.

The Twins’ rotation in 2019 currently projects to feature Jose Berrios, Kyle Gibson and Jake Odorizzi. Pineda should be favored to hold down one of the two vacancies, and there’ll be several candidates to take the fifth starter’s job, including Mejia, Fernando Romero, Stephen Gonsalves, Kohl Stewart, Zack Littell and perhaps Trevor May. Minnesota could also look to either free-agent market or trade market this offseason for further rotation help, perhaps looking to condense some of those depth options into a more definitive upgrade to bolster the starting staff.

Athletics Place Brett Anderson On 10-Day DL

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The Athletics’ recent pitching injury woes continue, as the club announced today that lefty Brett Anderson has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with a forearm strain. He joins fellow southpaw starter Sean Manaea on the shelf at an inopportune moment.

Oakland has turned in a remarkable surge, in no small part due to the unexpected contributions of several veteran hurlers. Anderson has certainly been among them, turning in 65 innings of 4.02 ERA pitching over 13 starts while earning just $1.5MM on the year.

The outlook for the lefty isn’t clear, but it’s always worrisome to hear of forearm problems. Anderson’s health history certainly doesn’t leave much room for optimism, though his back — not his arm — has typically been the culprit.

For the time being, righty Ryan Dull will come up to take the open spot on the roster. But the Athletics now seem to have an innings gap that will somehow need to be filled. Daniel Mengden is perhaps the top internal option, with Frankie Monts and Chris Bassitt also representing 40-man possibilities, but there are still a few days left to look outside the organization.

Mets Notes: Wright, Alonso, Bautista

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It emerged earlier today that Mets third baseman David Wright would appear with the organization’s top affiliate as he continues his rehab assignment. That seemed a good sign after a two-day rest period for Wright, perhaps even indicating that he would be readying for a return to the majors late this year.

In comments this afternoon, however, assistant GM John Ricco suggested that the organization hasn’t necessarily put in an order for a fresh #5 jersey top. As MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo was among those to cover (all links to Twitter), Ricco also announced that the team will not promote top first base prospect Peter Alonso this fall and gave the reasoning behind the club’s decision to trade away veteran outfielder Jose Bautista.

The 35-year-old Wright last saw action in the majors in May of 2016, but has continued to try to battle through a series of significant medical impediments in hopes of making it back. He was written off by most entering the year, and still faces long odds to return to being a player truly worthy of occupying a MLB roster spot, but will now get a shot to show his form at the highest level of the minors.

As Marc Carig of The Athletic recently documented (subscription link), Wright has to endure hours of preparation just to make it onto the field. Back, neck,and shoulder problems will continue to impact the veteran even if he’s able to filter back up to the majors.

Unsurprisingly, those limitations have seemingly left the organization feeling less than optimistic about Wright’s output. Still, it’s a bit jarring to hear Ricco’s account of the long-time team leader. “We just haven’t seen that level of consistency of playing on a quantity or quality basis at this point,” says Ricco, who calls it “unrealistic to think [Wright will] be activated anytime soon.”

As Ken Davidoff of the New York Post explained at the outset of the season, this coming offseason will represent a decision point for Wright and the Mets. He’s on the 60-day DL for the time being, but will take up a 40-man spot over the offseason. With $27MM left to go on Wright’s contract, and an insurance policy looming large in the background, it’ll certainly be interesting to see how things play out.

Meanwhile, Ricco explains that the hot-hitting Alonso wouldn’t receive much opportunity at first base in the majors late this year, with time slated to be shared between Jay Bruce, Wilmer Flores, and (once recalled) Dominic Smith. Of course, it’ll also mean that the 23-year-old Alonso won’t pick up any service time this season, making it easier for the organization to delay his promotion next season while still allowing him to play for much of the year. As ever, it’s hard to discern just how heavily the varying considerations weighed.

In the case of Bautista, who was just moved for a marginal return, Ricco says the idea was to clear the deck for the team to find plate appearances for existing players (not including Alonso, obviously). Plus, the Mets preferred to “do the right thing by Jose,” allowing the veteran to join a pennant race.

Braves Extend Tyler Flowers

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1:31pm: The Atlanta organization has announced the deal.

12:36pm: The Braves have agreed to an extension with catcher Tyler Flowers, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred (Twitter links). He’ll receive a $6MM guarantee, including a $4MM salary for 2019 and a $2MM buyout for a 2020 option year that will cost $6MM if exercised. Flowers is represented by O’Connell Sports Management.

It’s not terribly unusual for veteran players to reach shorter-term extensions at this stage of the season, but this contract still rates as a surprise. Flowers has been a quality performer since coming to Atlanta before the 2016 season, after all, and likely would have drawn interest from a fair number of other organizations had he waited to return to the open market.

Flowers, 32, carries a strong .264/.365/.409 batting line with the Braves. While he has trended south in terms of output in 2018, he’s also walking at a much-improved 13.5% rate. And batted-ball measures suggest he’s still capable of doing plenty of damage.

True, Flowers was somewhat fortunate to carry batting averages on balls in play of .366 and .342 in his first two seasons with the Atlanta organization. This year, he’s back down to .286 while carrying only a .110 isolated slugging mark. While it’s tempting to label that regression to the mean, it may well be that he’s actually experience markedly poor fortunate in 2018. Indeed, Statcast credits him with a strong .368 xwOBA, in contrast to the .317 wOBA that has actually resulted.

Notably, too, Flowers has graded consistently as one of the best pitch framers in all of baseball over the past several seasons. That’s a skill that the market would have valued. Flowers is generally regarded as at least a solid backstop in other regards, leaving him as an overall positive on the defensive side of the equation.

Given the always-limited supply of quality backstops, it seemed Flowers was well-placed to have his pick of opportunities. He’d likely be viewed as a possible starter or heavily-used timeshare candidate by a variety of organizations. It’s certainly arguable he’d be seen as a more desirable player than some or all of last winter’s highest-paid backstops, including Welington Castillo (two years, $15MM), Jonathan Lucroy (one year, $6.5MM), and Chris Iannetta (two years, $8.5MM).

Certainly, there were no guarantees that Flowers would have done significantly better in free agency. This winter’s market will certainly include some high-quality alternatives. And it’s reasonable to assume that the deal works out for Flowers. No doubt, the fact that he’s a Georgia native played into the decisionmaking.

Nevertheless, the signing leaves the Braves with a high-quality player at an appealing price for next year, with an extra season of flexible control to boot. That the organization was able to get a head start on its 2019 checklist even while trying to finish out an exceedingly exciting 2018 season represents a positive outcome for the club.

With Flowers on the books, the Braves now have a major box checked without breaking the bank. The club will likely pursue another backstop, which could (but need not) be a significant player, depending upon the other opportunities available.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Phillies Designate Mark Leiter

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The Phillies have designated right Mark Leiter, per a club announcement. That move will open the door for the acquisition of Jose Bautista, which is also now official.

Leiter, 27, has appeared in each of the past two major-league seasons. But he has yet to find much in the way of success at the game’s highest level. Through 107 1/3 MLB innings, most of them in 2017, he carries a 5.03 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9.

A 22nd-round pick in 2013, Leiter put himself in contention for a MLB look with a strong 2016 season at Double-A. He hasn’t actually spent much time at the highest level of the minors, but has shown a bit more strikeout potential there than at his other stops. In 58 1/3 total frames at Triple-A, Leiter carries a 4.01 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.

Phillies Acquire Jose Bautista

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The Phillies have officially worked out a deal with the Mets to acquire veteran outfielder/third baseman Jose Bautista, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports on Twitter. Philadelphia had claimed the veteran on revocable trade waivers.

New York will receive a player to be named later or cash to complete the deal, per Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia (via Twitter). Bautista is only earning the league-minimum salary, so he won’t cost the Phils much in dollars.

The Phillies have already managed to squeeze in one defensively-limited slugger onto their roster, acquiring Justin Bour earlier in the summer. Now, they’ll shoehorn Bautista into the mix.

Of course, active roster space won’t be an issue in a few days’ time, as rosters are set to expand on Saturday. The Phillies will need to tie up a 40-man spot in order to carry Bautista, though.

Bautista is no longer the feared slugger of yore, and owns a sub-Mendoza batting average, though he can still drive the ball out of the park and draw a walk. His overall output on the season — .196/.339/.364 with 11 home runs in 342 plate appearances — translates to roughly league-average productivity (98 OPS+; 99 wRC+).

Perhaps there’s an argument to be made, though, that Bautista’s exceptional plate discipline and remaining pop make him a particularly interesting late-game pinch-hitting option. And the organization no doubt knows that it’s infusing a fiery competitor into its clubhouse at a moment when the team seemingly needs a jolt.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

MLBPA Hires New CBA Negotiator

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The Major League Baseball Players Association announced yesterday that it has hired veteran attorney Bruce Meyer to serve as its senior director of collective bargaining & legal. He is expected to play a leading role in the MLBPA’s negotiation efforts with MLB.

According to the announcement, Meyer “will report to [MLBPA executive director] Tony Clark while focusing on all facets of the negotiation and the enforcement of baseball’s collective bargaining agreement.”

Meyer comes to the game of baseball after decades of experience with unions of other sports. Most recently, he worked for the National Hockey League Player’s Association. There, he functioned alongside NHLPA executive director Don Fehr, the former longtime MLBPA director.

Fehr’s notable run at the helm of the MLBPA — which spanned several contentious and controversial episodes in labor relations — came to an end when he stepped down in 2009, handing the reins to Michael Weiner. Upon Weiner’s untimely death in late 2013, the top job passed down to Clark.

The addition of Meyer atop the MLBPA negotiation team comes nearly two years after the most recent round of CBA negotiations. The resulting agreement in many ways maintained preexisting approaches to managing the contractual interactions of players and teams, but included several notable rules tweaks that many believe operated to the detriment of players (see, e.g., this post from Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper).

In particular, the luxury tax line and international spending limitations have arguably harmed MLB players’ earning upside, particularly for quality veterans seeking long-term deals in free agency. It’s worth bearing in mind, though, that there’s another fascinating market test coming up this winter. While multiple big-market organizations made sure in the last offseason to reset their luxury tax rates (which increase upon consecutive seasons in excess of the spending line), those same teams and others could now be freed to loosen their purse strings somewhat.

Three more years remain for the union to gather evidence and plot a strategic course before a ramp-up toward a new CBA. In the meantime, the MLBPA has already launched a grievance action against four teams for allegedly failing to properly utilize funds received through revenue-sharing rules.

Just how the Meyer hiring will influence the progress of labor relations remains to be seen. With his litigation background — the announcement notes he has worked on “several landmark grievances and lawsuits brought on behalf of Players across each of the North American major professional sports” — Meyer certainly has experience in more confrontational means of engaging with sports leagues and owners. Surely, though, the preference on all sides will remain the avoidance of any disruptions to business, particularly as the game of baseball encounters some tricky issues with respect to the nature of the game, its competitive balance, and its delivery to consumers in person and through a screen.

For his part, Meyer says the move represents an “opportunity to continue my commitment as a Player advocate.” He also noted in his statement that he “believe[s] in Tony’s vision for the Players and for the organization,” a message evidently intended to convey internal solidarity and affirm Clark’s leadership position in light of the criticism he has received.

Nationals Place Ryan Madson On Revocable Trade Waivers

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The Nationals placed veteran reliever Ryan Madson on revocable trade waivers yesterday, per Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post (via Twitter). He’ll be on the wire until tomorrow.

It’s true, of course, that almost all major league players are run through trade waivers at some point. But the timing is still relevant, particularly in this case, as the placement kicks off a two-day waiver period. If a claim is made, the team that sought waivers (in this case, the Nationals) has another two-day stretch in which to work out a trade, pull back the player, or allow the contract to move to the claiming team without compensation.

[RELATED: How August Trades Work]

With Madson returning from the DL, and immediately thereafter hitting waivers, the Nats may have an opportunity to recoup some value — or, at least, save some salary — for the hurler. Having already moved veteran hitters Daniel Murphy and Matt Adams, and then lost pending free-agent reliever Kelvin Herrera to an injury, it seems likely that the D.C. organization will be quite motivated to move Madson.

Though he’s now 38 years of age, Madson still delivers plenty of velocity. Indeed, he’s averaging a career-high 96.4 mph with his four-seamer and getting swings and misses on 12.4% of his deliveries.

Those stats may help contending organizations look past some of the less-than-promising figures on Madson’s 2018 stat line. After posting a sparkling 1.83 ERA last year, he’s working at an ugly 5.28 clip through 44 1/3 innings this season, with only 8.3 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9.

Opposing hitters are carrying a .326 batting average on balls in play and averaging a 13.0% HR/FB rate against Madson, both of which sit above his typical recent levels. His 66.6% strand rate also hints at some potential poor fortune. Whether those numbers are due primarily to natural variability or an erosion in his skills is a matter for scouts to assess.

National League organizations will have first crack at Madson, who is earning $7.5MM on the season before reaching free agency this fall. Presently, the Dodgers and Phillies are the two clear contenders with the worst records in the league. Both could consider a move for Madson, though surely there are other players under consideration as well.

Josh Harrison Clears Trade Waivers

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Pirates utilityman Josh Harrison has cleared revocable trade waivers, per Jon Heyman of Fancred (via Twitter). That means the veteran can be traded freely for the rest of the season — though he’d need to be moved by the end of August to be eligible for postseason play with a new organization.

Of course, clearing waivers hardly indicates a player is likely to be dealt. In this case, there’s no particular indication to this point that the Bucs are expected to find a taker for the 31-year-old.

It’s still notable, though, that Harrison is now among the players known to have cleared waivers. Those and others are still available for contenders in need of further upgrades.

There’s always a reason when a player does make it through waivers. Sometimes, it’s because no contending teams expect that player to be traded, as with some younger/more controllable players. Quite often, it’s simply a value proposition: placing a claim means you’re willing to take over a player’s entire contract, as the team that sought waivers has the option of revoking the waiver request, working out a trade, or simply allowing the claiming team to step into its shoes in the agreement.

This case, surely, is one of the latter variety. Harrison is earning a $10MM salary this year and is owed $1.5MM in buyouts on successive club options that are priced at $10.5MM and $11.5MM.

At times, those prices have seemed reasonable for Harrison, who at his best adds value in all facets of the game. He has appeared in the rumor mill as a possible trade candidate quite frequently in recent years. Unfortunately, his bat has been inconsistent in recent seasons and has never produced anything like the output he showed in the breakout 2014 campaign that preceded his extension with Pittsburgh.

Thus far in 2018, Harrison is hitting just .257/.299/.365 with seven home runs over 343 plate appearances. There’s not a lot to love in the underlying  numbers, either. Statcast, for instance, suggests that his contact quality has merited exactly the middling output that has resulted (.288 wOBA vs. .291 xwOBA).

It’s fair to note, too, that defensive metrics have soured on Harrison, who normally grades as a clear positive. That said, he’s still receiving only slightly below-average marks and it’s hard to read too much into those figures. While he isn’t stealing as many bags as he has in past seasons, Harrison still rates as a quality overall baserunner.

All things considered, it’s still reasonable to imagine contending teams liking the idea of adding Harrison down the stretch, though clearly they’ll need some help with the salary — especially, the option buyouts — to make it worthwhile. If the Bucs decide they won’t pay Harrison in 2019, then perhaps the club will be willing to hold onto the option obligations and work out a deal. While the Pittsburgh organization made some buy-side moves at the non-waiver deadline, after all, it has since faded out of contention.

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