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AL East Notes: Swisher, Lohse, Davis, Rays

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Nick Swisher spoke to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News about his excitement over rejoining the Yankees organization. “There’s no place I love more than New York,” said Swisher. “I think a lot of people know that. … I’m one of those lucky guys that gets an opportunity to come back and try to prove myself again.” Swisher also talked with Feinsand about the difficulty of dealing with significant knee injuries in recent seasons and the jarring feeling of getting a phone call to inform him of his release in Atlanta. The 34-year-old firmly believes he’s capable of contributing in the Majors again and looks forward to working his way back to a Yankees uniform. “To have the first phone call come from the Yankees, a place you think of as family, it was amazing,” said Swisher. “For this to happen during such a dark time, it makes you want to work that much harder, to train and play that much harder.”

Elsewhere in the AL East…

  • The Orioles are among the clubs that hold interest in right-hander Kyle Lohse, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Baltimore’s 7-0 start to the season has drawn its fair share of headlines, but it’s worth noting that Ubaldo Jimenez is the only one of their starters to have topped five innings in an outing thus far. Bringing Lohse into the organization would provide the club with some veteran depth, although Lohse’s most recent work with the Brewers didn’t exactly inspire confidence that he’s still a quality big league option. The 37-year-old lost his rotation with the Brewers last season after recording a 6.31 ERA in 22 starts. Lohse did appear to turn it around somewhat upon his move to the bullpen, logging a 3.81 ERA in 28 1/3 innings of work.
  • Chris Davis tells the Boston Herald’s Chris Mason that the Red Sox had interest in him over the winter before he re-signed in Baltimore. “I pretty much tried to stay out of it as much as I could and let my agent handle it, but I remember their name coming up a few times,” said Davis. “I don’t know how in depth they talked. I don’t know if it was just a feeler or what was going on.” As Mason notes, the immediate fit might not be optimal, but with Hanley Ramirez perhaps sliding to designated hitter next season following David Ortiz’s retirement, it’s easy enough to see how Davis could’ve fit into the club’s plans beyond the 2016 campaign.
  • Never afraid to try something outside the box, the Rays have adopted the usage of virtual reality training for their hitters, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Rays batters have available to them a set of virtual reality goggles that allow them to stand at/near/behind the plate in the batting cage and watch a virtual simulation of that evening’s pitcher throwing to them. Steven Souza Jr. and Curt Casali both spoke very highly of the new tool, whereas Evan Longoria was optimistic about its benefits down the line but said he feels there’s room for improvement. “We’re looking forward to learning more about the technology and how it might benefit our players,” said Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman to Topkin. Topkin notes that the Rays aren’t the only club using the technology; the Pirates and “several” other teams have begun to experiment with it.
  • Rays right-hander Alex Cobb and Chase Whitley each made 20 throws from halfway up the bullpen mound on Tuesday, Topkin writes in a separate piece. Each will throw again on Friday and next Tuesday before moving to the top of the mound late next week. Cobb noted that while the news isn’t exciting, he and Whitley both considered it to be a big day in their rehab. Both right-handers are making their way back from Tommy John surgery that was performed in May of last season.

Rays Sign Ryan Webb

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FEB. 19: Webb can earn up to $500K worth of incentives based on appearances, Topkin reports (Twitter link).

FEB. 18: The Rays announced to the media today that they have signed right-hander Ryan Webb to a one-year deal, via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link) and Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribine (Twitter link). Topkin tweets that Webb is guaranteed $1MM and can earn more via incentives. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, right-hander Chase Whitley was placed on the 60-day disabled list. Whitley is recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Ryan Webb

The 30-year-old Webb, a client of the Wasserman Media Group, spent the bulk of 2015 with the Indians, logging a 3.20 ERA with 5.5 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a 59.2 percent ground-ball rate in 50 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. Webb was the subject of some rather unique roster shuffling with the Orioles and Dodgers, in which the Dodgers took on the entirety of Webb’s remaining $2.75MM salary in a four-player trade that also netted L.A. a Competitive Balance Draft Pick. The Dodgers outrighted Webb immediately, and Webb, as a player with five-plus years of service time, was able to reject the assignment and still be guaranteed the entirety of his salary. As such, the Dodgers effectively purchased a draft pick from Baltimore through that transaction (as MLBTR’s Charlie Wilmoth examined in greater depth at the time).

Despite that curious situation, Webb has been a largely effective reliever over his six years in the Majors. While he doesn’t miss many bats (career 6.2 K/9), Webb has a career 3.35 ERA with reasonable control (2.9 BB/9) and an excellent 56.5 percent ground-ball rate. He’s endured just one stint on the disabled list since debuting in 2009 — a six-week stay for inflammation in his right shoulder back in 2011. Webb hasn’t missed any time since that apparently minor injury, however, and has been a durable arm out of the ’pen, averaging 55 appearances/58 innings per season from 2010-15 with the Padres, Marlins, Orioles and Indians.

The Rays certainly have room to add a useful arm like Webb to the relief corps, as the team traded Kevin Jepsen to the Twins last July, traded Jake McGee to the Rockies just last month and outrighted Brandon Gomes off the 40-man roster following the season. That trio accounted for 138 innings of relief for the Rays last season, and Webb will absorb a fair portion of that workload.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rays Notes: Cobb, Whitley, Rotation, Outfield, Loney

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Rays pitcher Alex Cobb is targeting a late July return from Tommy John surgery, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Cobb went under the knife in mid-May of last season. This reported time table puts him on a typical 14 to 15 month pace. Cobb last pitched in 2014 when he posted a 2.87 ERA with 8.06 K/9, 2.54 BB/9 and a 56 percent ground ball rate.

  • Waiver claim Chase Whitley is on a similar return schedule to Cobb. Whitley’s surgery came a few days after Cobb so it’s possible he won’t be ready until early August. While Cobb has a borderline ace ceiling, Whitley has performed more like a swingman. In 95 career innings, he has a 5.02 ERA with 7.20 K/9 and 2.18 BB/9. Interestingly, his peripherals suggest the potential for a sub-4.00 ERA.
  • While they recover, the rotation is a little thin if injuries strike. The team is already relying upon Matt Moore and Drew Smyly – both of whom have missed significant time in recent seasons. Matt Andriese is one of the main depth options with top prospect Blake Snell knocking on the door.
  • Topkin also runs through the position battles at other positions. Outfield is a spot to watch for our readers. The club is particularly deep. Trade acquisition Corey Dickerson is expected to be the primary designated hitter with Desmond Jennings in left, Kevin Kiermaier in center, Steven Souza in right, and Brandon Guyer in a reserve role. Injuries or a trade opportunity could quickly mutate the plans.
  • The Rays problems are of the “good” variety, Topkin writes in a separate piece. Most of the roster is crowded with the exception of the bullpen where options can emerge unexpectedly. With their depth, future transactions in the outfield and at first base are possible. The team has been shopping James Loney for awhile now. He’s owed $8MM for this season.

Rays Claim Chase Whitley From Yankees

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The Rays have claimed right-hander Chase Whitley off waivers from the Yankees, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

Whitley, 26, underwent Tommy John surgery in May after having thrown 19 1/3 useful innings for the Yankees early in the season. The former 15th-rounder posted a 4.19 ERA with a 16-to-5 K/BB ratio across four starts in the Yankees’ rotation before falling to injury.

Given the timing of his operation, Whitley won’t be ready to open the season on the Rays’ roster, so he’ll presumably land on the 60-day DL to begin next season (assuming he survives the winter on the 40-man roster). He’ll provide the Rays with an MLB-ready pitching option once healthy, however, replenishing some depth lost by Tampa Bay following the trade of Nate Karns. Whitley has a career 2.89 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 196 1/3 career innings at the Triple-A level.

Chase Whitley To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Yankees right-hander Chase Whitley will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Whitley had previously been diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, but the team was said at the time to be weighing its options.

Other injuries on the Yankees roster led the 25-year-old Whitley to the team’s rotation, and he pitched reasonably well in four starts, tallying a 4.19 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 19 1/3 innings before succumbing to the injury. Whitley reportedly did not speak up about the pain in his elbow after initially feeling it, and the stats seem to bear that out. He allowed just one run in 12 innings in his first two starts before being torched for eight runs over his next 7 1/3 innings. Whitley’s final outing last just 1 2/3 innings. Surgery will likely keep him on the shelf through mid-summer 2016.

The Yankees are known to be thin on pitching depth as is, with Ivan Nova currently rehabbing from his own Tommy John (which he underwent in 2014) and Masahiro Tanaka currently on the DL, trying to avoid the same fate. Michael Pineda looks the part of a true No. 1 starter this season, but he’s had significant shoulder injuries in the past, so it remains to be seen if he can handle a full season’s worth of innings. CC Sabathia has been better than 2014 but still sports a 4.67 ERA, while trade acquisition Nathan Eovaldi has been serviceable, though not spectacular. Adam Warren has also struggled to an extent, and Chris Capuano’s first start after opening the year on the disabled list did not go well.

The Yankees, then, may miss Whitley more than most would assume based on his limited track record. If nothing else, his absence thins out the teams depth and leaves them much more susceptible to additional injuries in the rotation, as the club’s Triple-A rotation is lacking in high-upside arms.

Chase Whitley Preliminarily Diagnosed With UCL Tear

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Yankees right-hander Chase Whitley has received an initial diagnosis of a UCL tear after departing his start early last night, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter. A Tommy John procedure is very much on the table, per the report, though the team will not rush to a decision.

Whitley, 25, has been a useful swingman for the club since coming up last year. While he posted an unsightly 5.23 ERA over his 75 2/3 frames last year (compiled in a dozen starts and a dozen relief appearances), Whitley put up 7.1 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 and drew much better ratings from ERA estimators.

His promising campaign last year has carried through to 2015, as Whitley stepped into a rotation void and has provided 19 1/3 solid innings. So far, he has registered a 4.19 ERA on the back of 7.5 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, and a 49.2% groundball rate.

Whitley, who does not have much velocity, leans heavily on his slider. While he probably does not have a ton of upside, his early career effort suggests that he could settle in as a useful back-of-the-rotation starter and long reliever.

That kind of player obviously has function and value, as evidenced by the fact that the Yanks gave lefty Chris Capuano $5MM to return this winter. Capuano is set to return from injury soon, which draws some of the sting of the possible loss of Whitley. But with Masahiro Tanaka and Ivan Nova still working their way back from injury, it would have been nice to have a full complement of depth on hand.

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