AL Central Notes: Zimmermann, Mauer, Royals, Giolito
There was some (exceedingly mild) AL Central intrigue this morning, as reliever Matt Belisle bounced from the Indians over to the Twins, but otherwise it has been a quiet news day. Let’s take a look in at the latest items out of the AL Central:
- Tigers starter Jordan Zimmermann says he’s ready to return to the majors after his latest minor-league start, as Peter Wallner of MLive.com reports. Zimmermann has been out for just over a month with a shoulder impingement, but he says he “feel[s] strong” and has now worked up to 89 pitches in his third rehab outing. As we noted upon his DL placement, Zimmermann has continued to post mediocre results but had at least boasted much/improved strikeout and walk numbers (9.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9). The Tigers are still milling around in an uninspiring AL Central race, though the odds of true contention this year remain long. Zimmermann’s hefty salary commitment and full no-trade protection — it converts to partial protection after the season — make him a difficult trade candidate, though a swap at some point can’t be ruled out entirely.
- Twins first baseman Joe Mauer is just launching his own rehab assignment, MLB.com’s Jarrid Denney reports. Concussion-like symptoms have kept the 35-year-old out for the past several weeks. He has dealt with similar problems in the past, of course, which represents a major reason that he no longer plays behind the plate. Though he has not contributed enough on-field value to justify his lofty salary in quite some time, Mauer has been a productive hitter over the past two years. Thus far in 2018, he is slashing .283/.404/.355 with 28 walks against 22 strikeouts but just one home run through 167 plate appearances. Meanwhile, young outfielder Byron Buxton is going through some running and baseball activities, but still evidently remains some ways away from returning from a fractured toe.
- Giving up lefty Sean Manaea helped the Royals win a World Series, but his rise in Oakland has surely left some K.C. fans wondering what might have been. As Rustin Dodd of The Athletic writes in a subscription piece, though, GM Dayton Moore has no regrets whatsoever about how things turned out. He explains how it was that the club sent Manaea to the A’s for utility star Ben Zobrist, saying that “Billy Beane was persistent” while the Royals “weren’t going to be outbid” for a key asset after coming up just shy the season prior. Now, though, Moore says the goal is to create a broad-based array of talent that will allow the organization to “compete for a long time,” hopefully without pursuing such drastic, win-now swaps.
- Meanwhile, Lucas Giolito continues to fall shy of expectations for the White Sox. Through a dozen starts this year, including his latest yesterday evening, he carries a 7.08 ERA with just 31 strikeouts to go with 39 walks and a league-leading ten hit batters. As Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune writes, Giolito is getting plenty of leash with the rebuilding South Siders, though it’s tough to know whether or not that’s for the best given just how much he has struggled. There’s still some hope that the former top prospect will develop into a quality big league starter, writes Greenstein, and Giolito is only due to reach his 24th birthday this summer. Still, it’s fair to wonder just how long the club will keep trotting him out if things don’t improve. Skipper Rick Renteria says there haven’t been any recent discussions about sending Giolito down, though he did hint that the club has contemplated the possibility in the past.
Nationals Activate Daniel Murphy
The Nationals have activated veteran second baseman Daniel Murphy from the disabled list, per a club announcement. He’ll bat fifth and serve as the DH in today’s interleague contest. Murphy takes the roster spot of infielder Adrian Sanchez, who was optioned down to Triple-A.
The 33-year-old Murphy has been out all season while recovering from offseason microfracture surgery to his right knee. Indications are that he’s not at full speed in the field and on the bases, but evidently the team determined that he was ready to chip in at the MLB level and would not unduly risk further injury.
It’s a tough spot for all involved. Entering the year, the plan was for Murphy to take his time working back to health, with veteran Howie Kendrick filling in for the meantime. But Kendrick is among the many notable Nats players who have gone down with injuries of their own, and Murphy has seemingly not come along quite as smoothly as might have been hoped.
In the meantime, even despite the various losses, the Nationals have a bit of a roster logjam on their hands. It’s still not quite pressing, particularly since Murphy is likely not to resume playing every day immediately upon his return, but all the makings of a tough call are in place. The D.C. organization is working with a five-man bench that won’t be sustainable once Ryan Zimmerman is ready to be activated and when the team is finally forced to add some pitching back onto the roster, which will happen in short order.
If and when the Nationals are at full health on the position-player side, the team will have to make some tough decisions. One or two current position players will need to be moved out. Reserves Mark Reynolds and Brian Goodwin could both be at risk, but both would have to be exposed to waivers if removed from the active roster. Optioning Wilmer Difo is a possibility, but that’d mean going without a reserve capable of playing shortstop. Michael Taylor also has an option year left, but he’s been on fire and is the team’s best defender in center and lone right-handed-hitting outfielder.
That leaves one glaring, but unappealing possibility: optioning young outfielder Juan Soto. The nineteen-year-old was called up to the majors as something of a desperation move when Goodwin, Adam Eaton, and then Kendrick went down, representing the culmination of a remarkable early-season sprint through the farm. Having played in only 32 games in 2017 due to injury, Soto opened the current season at Class A. After 16 games there, he moved to High-A. He played 15 more before a quick bump to Double-A, with his promotion coming on the same day that Eaton’s surgery was announced. After just eight contests at the Double-A level, Soto was in the majors. Through 19 big-league games, he carries a .328/.431/.541 slash with three home runs and as many walks as strikeouts (11 apiece).
Generally, it’s preferable to deal with this situation than the one that presented itself earlier in the season, when the position-player picture looked rather bleak for the Nationals. Perhaps the club will even find a way to resolve some of its roster crunch in a manner that will help bolster its pitching staff, which is newly in need of buttressing even as the health situation improves on the other side of the roster.
In the meantime, the Nationals and their medical staff will watch Murphy closely to see how he’s progressing. If he can produce anything like the .334/.387/.569 output he carries through two seasons in D.C., it’ll be easy to look past some limitations in other aspects of his game. Other teams will be watching as well, as Murphy is slated for a return trip onto the open market at the close of the 2018 campaign.
MLBTR Chat Transcript: Machado, Braves, Yankees, Free Agents, Trades, More
Click here to read a transcript of Tuesday’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.
Amateur Draft Signings: 6/12/18
We’ll use this post to track Tuesday’s notable agreements from the top few rounds of the draft (rankings referenced are courtesy of Baseball America, MLB.com, Fangraphs and ESPN’s Keith Law — with the scouting reports from MLB and Fangraphs both coming free to the general public) …
- Rangers second-rounder Owen White will take a $1.5MM bonus to bypass his commitment to the University of South Carolina, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). White ranked just inside the top fifty on Law’s board and just a shade lower on the others. Analysts believe he has some room to grow into his frame and better maintain the mid-nineties velocity he has shown at times. Plus, there are hints of four potentially useful pitches for the Texas developmental staff to work with. Taken 55th overall, White will secure a bonus that’s $242,500 over the slot value of the selection.
Mets Expect Lengthy Absence For AJ Ramos
When he hit the DL with a shoulder injury about two weeks ago, it was not really clear how long Mets reliever AJ Ramos would miss. GM Sandy Alderson said today, though, that the righty is expected to sidelined for a significant stretch, as Tim Britton of The Athletic was among those to tweet.
Alderson revealed that Ramos is weighing a surgical route, in fact, though the precise nature of the underlying injury remains unclear. The alternative would be a rehab course that will also require further downtime.
“We certainly don’t expect him back anytime soon,” Alderson said. Though we still don’t know even loose potential timelines, it seems fair to read that as an indication that the Mets will go without one of their most experienced late-inning arms for the foreseeable future.
Of course, the 31-year-old Ramos had not been at his best in 2018. Acquired last summer even as the Mets sold off veterans, and then signed to a $9.225MM salary in his final year of arbitration, Ramos was seen as a key piece of the pen this year. Through 19 2/3 innings, though, he’s carrying a 6.41 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 6.9 BB/9.
Control problems are nothing new for Ramos, who has 99 career saves but also a lifetime average of 4.9 walks per nine innings. With free agency beckoning at season’s end, though, it was all the more important that he demonstrate he could keep the free passes in check. As things stand, Ramos will have quite a lot to prove if and when he’s able to return later in the season.
Blue Jays Agree To Terms With Jordan Groshans, Adam Kloffenstein
12:24pm: Groshans will receive $3.4MM, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (on Twitter), leaving just over $800K of the extra pool space needed to fit Kloffenstein. The latter’s precise bonus amount is $2.45MM, Callis adds on Twitter.
10:50am: The Blue Jays have reportedly agreed to terms with top draft choice Jordan Groshans and third-rounder Adam Kloffenstein. The duo is expected to command a major portion of the team’s overall draft pool.
Stefan Stevenson of the Star-Telegram reported Kloffenstein’s agreement to a bonus in the $2.5MM range, though the exact number is not yet known. Meanwhile, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reported that the team had sorted bonus values out on draft night with both players. It’s still unknown just what Groshans will sign for, but Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets that there is now a deal in place with the first-rounder.
Making this pair of additions work was clearly the key to the Toronto draft strategy. Groshans was taken with the 12th overall pick, which comes with a $4,200,900 allocation. Kloffenstein went 88th, at a $652,900 slot, meaning the team needed to set aside close to $2MM of pool availability from other picks in order to sort the money out.
Groshans, a Kansas commit who plays on the left side of the infield, topped out at 28th in pre-draft rankings. Fangraphs put him there, but was the only outlet to tab him as among the top thirty players eligible for selection. Groshans is said to have interesting power upside and an “electric” overall set of tools, but also still a few things to iron out as a pro.
As for Kloffenstein, he’s a righty who had been committed to play his college ball at TCU. As Davidi details in his story, Kloffenstein had an interesting draft experience amidst uncertainty as to whether any team would meet his bonus request. In the end, he’ll take a deal to join the same organization as his neighbor and friend. Kloffenstein’s highest grade came from Baseball America, which cited the big-framed hurler’s recent strides and remaining projectability.
Twins Designate Gregorio Petit
The Twins have designated infielder Gregorio Petit for assignment, per a club announcement. His roster spot was needed for the signing of reliever Matt Belisle, which is now official.
Petit, 33, has seen scattered MLB action in six seasons. He had appeared in a dozen games this year, logging eight singles and four walks in thirty trips to the plate.
During his time as a professional, Petit has mostly appeared at shortstop. But he has ample experience at second and third base as well, and has also appeared in the corner outfield.
Twins To Sign Matt Belisle
10:13am: It’s a MLB deal for Belisle, per LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star-Tribune (via Twitter), so the club will have some other roster maneuvering to make way for the addition.
9:37am: Veteran righty Matt Belisle will remain in the American League Central after being released by the Indians, with reports indicating he’ll join the Twins. Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press tweeted the connection, with Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweeting an agreement is indeed in place.
Details of the new arrangement are not yet known. The Twins’ bullpen has not exactly dominated, but also does not have glaring weaknesses in its middle-relief ranks, so it’s not immediately clear whether and when Belisle will get a shot at returning to the majors.
Belisle, who’s now 38 years of age, spent the 2017 season with the Minnesota organization, so he’s certainly a familiar face. Indeed, he even recorded nine saves for the team last year. That was part of a remarkable mid-season turn for the veteran, who carried a miserable 8.59 ERA through 22 innings but worked to a 1.41 ERA with 36 strikeouts against eight walks over his final 38 1/3 frames on the year.
Despite that strong finish, Belisle settled for a minor-league deal and had to battle for a job with the Cleveland organization in camp. He cracked the roster, but managed only four strikeouts while allowing six earned runs in 10 1/3 innings to begin the season. After being released and re-signed, Belisle has been more effective at Triple-A, but evidently did not show enough to interest the Indians in keeping him.
Indians Release Matt Belisle
The Indians’ top affiliate has announced that righty Matt Belisle was given his unconditional release. He had been pitching with the Columbus Clippers since signing a minors deal in mid-May.
Belisle, who just turned 38, had opened the season in the MLB pen for the Indians after turning in a solid overall effort last year with the Twins. He was designated for assignment just over a month into the season, though, after surrendering six earned runs on nine hits in 10 1/3 innings.
In some regards, Belisle has produced similar results in an identical number of frames since reporting to Triple-A. While he has surrendered five earned on ten hits, though, the underlying numbers are much more promising. After managing only four strikeouts during his time in the majors this year, Belisle has recorded an 11:1 K/BB mix for Columbus.
It is not immediately clear whether Belisle had an opt-out opportunity or otherwise requested his release. Based only upon his recent track record and showing, however, it seems reasonable to guess he’ll land in a spot where he’ll have a clear chance at returning to the majors.
Amateur Draft Signings: 6/11/18
Here are Monday’s agreements from the top few rounds of the draft (rankings referenced are courtesy of Baseball America, MLB.com, Fangraphs and ESPN’s Keith Law — with the scouting reports from MLB and Fangraphs both coming free to the general public)…
- The Athletics have a deal in place with second-rounder Jameson Hannah, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). He’ll take home a $1.8MM bonus, a fair bit north of the $1,414,200 allocation that came with the 50th overall selection. Coming into the draft, MLB.com was by far the most bullish outlet on Hannah, grading the Dallas Baptist product as the 32nd-best player available. He’s said to possess outstanding speed, some decent power projection, and a solid hit tool at the plate along with the chops to play center.
Earlier Updates
- The Cardinals agreed to terms with Wake Forest right-hander Griffin Roberts on a $1,664,200 bonus — the full slot value of his No. 43 selection — per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (on Twitter). Opinions on Roberts were somewhat split, with Baseball America most favorably ranking him 47th in the class, while Fangraphs pegged him 84th overall. Reports on him praise Roberts for possessing one of the best sliders of any amateur in the country, but there’s also quite a bit of uncertainty as to whether he can be a starter at the professional level or if he’ll be a bullpen piece. He also had control issues prior to the 2018 season.
- MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo tweets that the Angels are in agreement with second-round pick Jeremiah Jackson on a $1,196,500 bonus that represents a full-slot signing. Law’s ranking of Jackson as the No. 23 prospect in the class was the most aggressive, as he wrote that while Jackson was unlikely to be the first high school shortstop off the board, he was perhaps the most promising. Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs write that Jackson’s stock soared once he began wearing glasses and immediately began raking. McDaniel and Longenhagen note that opposing teams simply opted to intentionally walk Jackson in 11 of his final 13 plate appearances in high school and peg him as a potential everyday third baseman.
- In a fairly sizable over-slot signing, FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets the Indians agreed to a $900K bonus with sixth-rounder Raynel Delgado, whose No. 193 overall selection came with a value of $235,600. The switch-hitting prep infielder out of Florida has impressed scouts with his bat speed and hit tool from both sides of the dish, but questions about his defense and a commitment to Florida International pushed him down the board a bit. BA ranked him 83rd, touting the potential for plus power from both sides of the dish. Callis and Mayo peg him as a potential offensive-minded second or third baseman down the line.