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AL West Notes: Heaney, Santiago, Beltre, Zunino

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Angels manager Mike Scioscia tells reporters, including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (Twitter link) and Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (Twitter link) that left-hander Andrew Heaney has “plateaued” in his rehab from left forearm tightness. Heaney is “still feeling something when he throws harder,” per Fletcher. Gonzalez adds that Heaney is stuck playing catch from 60 feet and unable to ramp up his workouts from that point. The 24-year-old Heaney hit the disabled list earlier this season after experiencing a drop in velocity over the course of his lone start of the season. The Halos, who are without C.J. Wilson for an indefinite time and have seen Jered Weaver’s velocity dip to the very low 80s, and a prolonged absence would only further raise questions about the starting staff. On the plus side, Nick Tropeano has stepped up with a pair of excellent starts for the Angels in Heaney’s stead.

A few more notes from the AL West…

  • Hector Santiago of the Angels is showing an early velocity bump, as MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez explains. The southpaw matched a career high of ten strikeouts in a sterling start yesterday, aided by a heater that touched 96 mph. He has posted an average fastball velocity of over 92 mph over his first three starts after hovering below 91 mph in the past two seasons. Notably, Santiago is showing significant improvement in other important areas, with a 12.0% swinging strike rate and 47.3% ground-ball rate that dwarf his career marks.
  • Fangraphs’ Craig Edwards examines the two-year, $36MM contract extension to which Adrian Beltre agreed with the Rangers, writing that Beltre’s steady excellence at the plate and in the field gives the contract significant bargain potential. Perhaps more interestingly to some, Edwards juxtaposes Beltre’s age-31 through age-36 seasons with some of the game’s all-time great players and does the same with projections for his upcoming seasons, noting that Beltre is building quite the Hall of Fame case.
  • Mariners catcher Mike Zunino is off to a blistering start at Triple-A Tacoma this season, batting .447 with six homers through his first nine games/40 plate appearances. However, manager Scott Servais tells Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune that Zunino isn’t in line for a quick promotion to the Majors as a result of his torrid opening stretch. “It needs to be a process for (Zunino),” said Servais.“And if he does take an 0-for-10, how is he responding to that? … But Mike needed to get off to a good start, which he did. Have success and (experience) confidence-building. It’s really, really good for him. And for us.” For the time being, Chris Iannetta and Steve Clevenger are the catching options for the Mariners on the 25-man roster.

AL Notes: Sandoval, Zunino, Yankees

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The ongoing saga between the Red Sox and Pablo Sandoval seemingly took another odd turn today. As Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports, manager John Farrell says that the third baseman’s scheduled examination by Dr. James Andrews was punted because his ailing left shoulder was too sore. Sandoval did receive a cortisone shot to treat the inflammation, and is set for another visit to Andrews in a “couple weeks.” Sandoval will obviously remain on the DL at least until that time, though it remains unclear what kind of activity (if any) he’ll participate in during the interim.

Here’s more from the American League to round out a quiet night:

  • The Mariners’ offseason moves at the catching position are working out well in the early going, writes Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Free agent signee Chris Iannetta has been productive at the major league level, providing a consistent presence that the team lacked in 2015. Meanwhile, Mike Zunino — the young backstop of the past and, hopefully, the future — is off to a scorching start at Triple-A after struggling badly in the bigs last season. The success of the former is allowing the team to remain patient with the latter, and Divish says not to expect a quick call-up for the 25-year-old Zunino. (It’s worth bearing in mind, too, that Zunino entered the year with 2.084 years of service on his clock, meaning that Seattle could pick up an additional year of control if he stays down long enough.)
  • The pre-season expectations of the Yankees’ pitching staff have largely been borne out in the regular season thus far, as George A. King III and Joel Sherman of the New York Post write in separate pieces. Both the depth and quality of the rotation remains a major concern, says King. And Sherman wonders whether the summer trade market will provide an avenue for the organization to add to the rotation mix while parting with one of Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, or Dellin Betances. While GM Brian Cashman says that “the plan is to have those three guys the whole way,” it’s something that the club has seriously considered before. Of course, pulling off such a deal with another contending team in the middle of a season would surely be a tricky proposition.

Dipoto On Mariners’ Offseason, Hitting, Zunino

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At a luncheon on Thursday, Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto looked back at the Mariners’ offseason in a wide-ranging, and a transcript of his remarks has since been provided by Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. I highly recommend you read the whole thing, but here are some of the highlights.

  • The Mariners are “probably done making significant moves” this offseason, Dipoto says, after an offseason in which they’ve acquired Adam Lind, Nori Aoki, Wade Miley, Joaquin Benoit, Steve Cishek, Leonys Martin, Chris Iannetta and Nate Karns, among others, while also re-signing Hisashi Iwakuma.
  • One theme for the Mariners this offseason seems to have been having hitters post higher on-base percentages. Dipoto mentions that he thinks the team as currently constituted is a good bet to post higher OBPs than it has in the recent past. The team also held a “hitting summit” earlier this month in which they had hitting coach Edgar Martinez work with hitters on controlling the strike zone. “Edgar Martinez was perhaps one of the greatest right-handed hitters I’ve ever watched and did a better job of controlling the strike zone than about anyone that you could imagine in the last 30 years, and one of the best of all time,” says Dipoto. “It was a very easy thing for him to teach.” Last year, the Mariners finished 11th in the AL with a .311 OBP. New additions Lind and Aoki, both of whom posted OBPs above .350 last year, should help with that total.
  • Much of the Mariners’ Opening Day roster currently appears set, but Dipoto mentions that there will be competition in the bullpen and the back of the rotation, and also for a right-handed platoon partner for Lind. Gaby Sanchez, who recently joined the M’s on a minor league deal, will be one possibility there, along with Jesus Montero and Stefen Romero.
  • If Iannetta is healthy and all goes well, he will be the Mariners’ starting catcher, Dipoto says. Ideally, they would prefer to have former top prospect Mike Zunino — who hit just .174/.230/.300 in an ugly 2015 season — start the season at Triple-A Tacoma. Dipoto notes that Zunino zoomed through the minor leagues after being drafted third overall in 2012. In total, he’s spent just 462 plate appearances there.
  • Dipoto says the team imagines itself with a win total in the mid-80s next season, with the possibility that it could win more.

Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto On Mark Trumbo Trade

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On Wednesday, Jerry Dipoto traded slugger Mark Trumbo for the second time.  As the GM of the Angels, Dipoto jettisoned Trumbo in December 2013, soon after signing superstar first baseman Albert Pujols.  After dealing Trumbo roughly two months after taking over in Seattle, Dipoto wants it known that it’s nothing personal with Trumbo, just business.

“There’s no particular reason for it.  When I called him, I actually told him not to take this the wrong way,” Dipoto said when asked by MLBTR on a conference call.  “He’s a great guy, he brings a lot of skill to the table and it’s always difficult to trade right-handed power, but there are reasons for everything.  The first time that I moved him, we needed pitching and we tapped into two young upside starters (Tyler Skaggs, Hector Santiago) that we needed at the time.  I felt good about that trade and I feel good about this one, too.  In this case, we’re bringing in a backup left-handed hitting catcher along with payroll and roster flexibility as we move into the hot stove portion of the offseason.  I explained all of this to Mark.  He’s going to an ideal place to hit but it just wasn’t an ideal fit for us on our side.”

As many outsiders picked up on, Dipoto indicated that Trumbo was moved in large part because of his projected $9.1MM salary for 2016.  Unlike the last Trumbo trade, Dipoto isn’t moving Trumbo in order to eliminate redundancy in the lineup, and Dipoto himself isn’t sure how the first base position will be filled.  Still, I asked the GM whether he would be more likely to fill that spot via free agency or trade.

“It’s tough to say.  There’s still a lot of time between now and Opening Day.  We’ve discussed a lot of trade candidates with various teams around the league and we’ve at least surveyed the free agent pool, but have not engaged [any available first basemen] at this point,” Dipoto said.

Of course, this year’s free agent crop includes Chris Davis, the man that Trumbo might wind up replacing in Baltimore.  Dipoto’s comment would indicate that the Mariners have not reached out to Davis, though — as MLBTR’s Steve Adams noted this week — he may not be a logical match for Seattle anyway.  Dipoto has made it known that he prefers the trade market to free agency and, as he revealed, that has been the only avenue explored thus far for first basemen.  Seattle would also have to sacrifice the No. 11 overall pick to sign Davis, a player who could command a six-year, $144MM deal in the estimation of MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes.

Meanwhile, Dipoto seemed genuinely excited about the addition of catcher Steve Clevenger as a complementary piece that can fit in as a catcher, first baseman, or a designated hitter.  Dipoto stopped short of guaranteeing anything for the out-of-options player, but it sounds like he has a role in mind for him.  Clevenger’s versatility coupled with the signing of catcher Chris Iannetta also gives Seattle options when it comes to Mike Zunino.  Seattle can now afford to let Zunino start the year in Triple-A Tacoma, but they could also carry all three players with Clevenger seeing time at first base.  Still, Dipoto’s plan and preference is to have Zunino begin the year in Triple-A for additional seasoning.

AL Notes: Iannetta, Gardner, Heyward, Orioles, Parra

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The Mariners signed Chris Iannetta to be the team’s primary backstop, GM Jerry Dipoto told reporters, including Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune (story link). Dipoto said that he sees Iannetta as a likely candidate to return to his prior levels of offensive performance. Meanwhile, the new GM explained that incumbent catcher Mike Zunino will have opportunities to earn time in a part-time role. “Mike comes in with an opportunity to win playing time,” Dipoto said. “A primary catcher is different from what I would consider an everyday player. There is no catcher who is going to go out and catch 162 games. Whether it be a time-share or a backup catcher, Mike is going to be in position to win some of that playing time. He’s still a young guy, and we need to get him back on track.”

Here’s more from the American League:

  • The Angels and Yankees make for a good match on outfielder Brett Gardner, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times opines (Twitter links). Though Los Angeles would rather add a slugger in left, the team also needs an OBP threat at the top of the lineup and has the asset (starting pitching) that the Yanks are after. It probably doesn’t hurt that new Halos GM Billy Eppler just came over from New York. Of course, it remains to be see what kind of pitching asset New York GM Brian Cashman hopes to find, and what kind of value Eppler places on Gardner.
  • Meanwhile, the Angels could still dabble at the top of the free agent market, says Jon Morosi of FOX Sports, who writes that the Halos “aren’t ruling out a pursuit” of Jason Heyward. That match makes sense on paper, of course, given the need and the club’s large budget. Of course, as MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez explained to me on last week’s MLBTR Podcast, the club’s ability to land a player of that magnitude will depend on the payroll levels approved by owner Arte Moreno.
  • With so many needs, the Orioles are giving serious consideration to utilizing Trey Mancini at first base next year (assuming that Chris Davis departs in free agency), ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick writes (links to Twitter). The 23-year-old had a huge year at the High-A and Double-A levels last year. Though he feasted on opposing southpaws, he was quite good against right-handed pitching as well. Of course, leaping into the majors could be a big ask. But as Crasnick notes, there are limits to the teams other options. It lacks top-level system depth to trade from and is understandably uninterested in swapping young, MLB-level players such as Kevin Gausman and Jonathan Schoop, he says.
  • The Orioles have interest in a new deal with free agent outfielder Gerardo Parra, Crasnick also tweets. But Baltimore isn’t looking to go past two years with Parra, who was a trade deadline acquisition. From my perspective, that stance makes a reunion unlikely.

Heyman’s Latest: Davis, Zobrist, Zunino

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Jon Heyman of CBS Sports takes a look at Pete Rose’s chances for reinstatement in his latest Inside Baseball column. The short version: he has no chance. Heyman has a lot to say on the topic, but it all boils down to a conservative mindset among baseball’s decision makers. While Rose, 74, is relatively harmless, the commissioner’s office won’t take the tiny risk associated with reinstatement. Commissioner Rob Manfred granted Rose a hearing in September and is expected to issue a ruling before the end of the year.

Here’s more from the column:

  • Orioles owner Peter Angelos is making a push to re-sign first baseman Chris Davis. The slugger is entering his age 30 season after posting 13 WAR and 126 home runs over the last three seasons. Davis hit .262/.361/.562 last year with 47 home runs. However, he’s sandwiched two superstar campaigns around a replacement level 2014, making him a high risk, high reward target in free agency. Heyman does not expect Davis to sign before talking with other clubs.
  • The Royals are unlikely to re-sign Ben Zobrist. The club acquired him to fill in for the injured Alex Gordon, then used him to replace injured Omar Infante. The club’s former second baseman will be back and presumably healthy next season. Zobrist’s defensive profile at second base also leaves something to be desired.
  • Marlins manager Don Mattingly hopes to bring pitching coach Rick Honeycutt and coach Tim Wallach with him from the Dodgers. However, L.A. hopes to keep both coaches. Honeycutt is a long standing member of the Dodgers’ coaching staff, but Wallach may search for a new job if he’s passed over for the open manager job.
  • Scouts are worried that Mike Zunino may have to overcome a psychological hurdle. He was widely viewed as unready for a promotion to the majors in 2013, and the Mariners have allowed him to scuffle through the last three campaigns. His biggest issue is a 32 percent strikeout rate which has led to a .193/.252/.353 triple-slash.

Reactions To And Effects Of Mariners’ Hiring Of Jerry Dipoto

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Jerry Dipoto was officially named the ninth general manager in Mariners history today, and the former D-Backs/Angels GM addressed the media in a press conference at Safeco Field (some video highlights via MLB.com and 710 ESPN).

A few of the more meaningful quotes from the presser as well as some reactions to Seattle’s decision…

  • Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune breaks down Dipoto’s timeline for his initial wave of priorities. Dipoto wouldn’t commit one way or another in regard to manager Lloyd McClendon’s future but said the two planned to take the time to get to know each other in the coming weeks. “I wouldn’t say bringing in my own guy is critically important,” said Dipoto when asked about McClendon’s job status. “To have someone that I believe in, that I trust, who trusts me and believe in what I’m doing, is terrifically important.” Of course, his relationship with a manager probably holds extra importance to Dipoto, whose resignation with the Angels reportedly stemmed largely from issues with manager Mike Scioscia.
  • Regarding possible front office changes (also via Dutton), Dipoto said he did expect new recruits from outside the organization to come join him in Seattle. However, he also had positive things to say about many of the existing baseball ops staffers. “I’m also 100 percent sure that many of the people you see here today are going to be key figures as we move forward,” said Dipoto.
  • Team president Kevin Mather said the Mariners began with a list of about 40 candidates that was pared down to 10 — six of whom were interviewed. According to Dutton, the finalists for the position were Dipoto, Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler and Jeff Kingston, the Mariners’ assistant GM who had been serving as GM on an interim basis since the firing of Jack Zduriencik.
  • Dipoto spoke highly of the foundation of the current Mariners — Felix Hernandez, Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager as well as up-and-coming talent like Brad Miller, Ketel Marte, Chris Taylor and Mike Zunino — and he offered a particularly glowing review of another well-regarded young player. “…And a guy I think has the chance to shoot the moon in Taijuan Walker,” said Dipoto.
  • Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times hears a bit differently when it comes to the team’s finalists, writing that it was Blue Jays special assistant Dana Brown who was the third finalist, not Kingston. Divish also talks about the frank assessment of the organization that Dipoto gave Mather in the interview, noting that Dipoto mentioned a lack of depth on the 25- and 40-man rosters, minimal athleticism throughout the organization and defense that doesn’t line up with the team’s spacious home park.
  • Divish also provides a transcript of a Q&A with Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln, who notably said that the team’s payroll won’t be going down from its current $130MM mark in spite of the losing season. Lincoln said ownership will provide Dipoto with as many resources as possible, and he added that, as he’s done in previous seasons, he’s taken a personal “financial hit” as a result. Asked specifically if that meant he’s cutting his own annual salary, Lincoln replied, “I’m taking a significant financial hit and have in the past when we’ve had losing seasons. When we’ve had winning seasons, that’s the opposite.” He also added that he has no plans to retire in the near future, and he’d like to have a World Series trip or at least some playoff seasons behind him before he does.
  • As 710 ESPN’s Shannon Drayer writes, Dipoto expressed that pitching may be a bigger need for the Mariners than offense, which he admitted is strange given the previous narrative surrounding the team. Dipoto did state that it’s “critical” to lengthen the bottom of the lineup, but he offered high praise for Miller and Seth Smith, specifically, when discussing some of the perhaps unheralded assets in the team’s present lineup.
  • “Dipoto exudes passion and oozes competence,” writes Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, “and his likability factor is off the charts.” However, Stone remains somehwhat skeptical, noting that predecessors Bill Bavasi and Jack Zduriencik have promised change and come up short in that regard. Stone notes that Dipoto’s transparency into his strong belief in both scouting and analytics was encouraging, as was the new GM’s candid admission that he was “a little disheartened” by seeing the lofty strikeout rates throughout the minor league system. “You’ve got a lot of guys striking out a lot,” said Dipoto. “Now, it’s a lot of very talented players with a lot of upside potential to tap into. That’s only going to happen if we can somehow develop more contact. I think that’s important. That’s going to be Step No. 1.” Though he came away impressed, Stone notes that “winning” the press conference is far easier than turning around a struggling organization.
  • Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski had hoped to be able to retain Dipoto, he told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. However, Dombrowski characterized the chances of keeping Dipoto as a “long shot” once he began interviewing with the Mariners, seemingly offering high praise and respect for the veteran executive’s front office acumen. As Bradford writes, Dipoto’s time with the Sox was limited, but it left a mark. “His basic task was to review our personnel in the organization and then report on them, which he did,” Dombrowski explained. “He did a great job, had a very thorough assessment of our talent, and gave me the information. He also, when he was around, contributed to other ways in talking about general baseball.” Also of importance, Dombrowski said, was the ability to receive internal assessments from pre-existing Red Sox baseball operations members as well as what was essentially an external review of the talent from a well-respected peer.

AL West Notes: Melvin, A’s, Astros, Zunino

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At today’s press conference announcing his two-year extension with the Athletics, manager Bob Melvin acknowledged to reporters, including CSN Bay Area’s Joe Stiglich, that he recognizes the significance of being granted an extension despite the club’s last place standing. “It’s not lost on me that during a year like this, these are things that don’t typically happen, and I’m very fortunate and appreciative of that,” said Melvin. “The one thing the front office always has done for me here is given me good players. I believe we’ve underachieved this year, and I’m responsible for that.” Specifically, Melvin referenced the team’s struggles in one-run games, taking the blame for not using the right players to finish out such contests while preserving the lead. GM Billy Beane said that he closely examined his options when he initially hired Melvin and felt him the best person to guide the next generation of A’s players, and he feels that Melvin is still the best choice. As Beane explains, he didn’t want the question of Melvin’s contract status coming up next season, so he elected to proactively address the issue.

Here’s more from the AL West…

  • Beane also said today that he’s not planning on trading away the team’s best prospects this offseason, tweets Stiglich. Rather, the GM hopes to see his top talent develop into pieces that can contribute in the near future. If he holds to that approach, it’ll be slightly different than the one Beane has taken over the past 14 months or so. The A’s have traded many prospects since last July — most notably Addison Russell — although Beane has also added quite a bit of young talent, including Marcus Semien, Franklin Barreto, Kendall Graveman, Sean Nolin and Brett Lawrie (though Lawrie, of course, was not a prospect at the time of his acquisition).
  • Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle examines the way in which the Astros came to acquire prospects David Paulino and Francis Martes. The primary reason, Drellich writes, is a scouting system set up by director Kevin Goldstein in which he placed a greater-than-normal focus on scouting low-level minor leaguers due to the team’s standing when he assumed the role in 2013. GM Jeff Luhnow explained the idea behind the team’s scouting efforts. “We were, we knew we were in a position where we had a lot of already interesting prospects at the upper levels and we could afford to take some fliers on some guys that were further away,” said Luhnow. “…And as a result of (Goldstein’s system), we had good reports on players that maybe another organization might not have even seen, or might have had only one report on. Whenever you’re asking for the third player in the trade, and he’s a rookie ball player or a Low A ball player, those guys are far away. They’re — it’s like rolling the dice. But in the case of both Paulino and Martes, Kevin and his scouts did a tremendous job of identifying those guys.”
  • Although Mike Zunino won’t be called up to the Mariners this September and will instead report to the instructional league, Seattle is not giving up on the young catcher by any means, writes Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. “Mike is still very much in our future,” manager Lloyd McClendon told Divish. “Going into spring training next year, I will consider him my everyday catcher. We thought this was the best path moving forward for his career.” Zunino is part of a Mariners catching contingent, which, as noted by Fangraphs’ Jeff Sullivan, is on pace for a historically bad offensive campaign. However, the former No. 3 overall pick has shown plenty of pop in his career and is a strong defender, so the Mariners are being patient in their hopes that he could yet turn into a strong all-around option at the plate.

AL West Notes: Dipoto, Zunino, Skaggs, Paulino

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Former Angels GM Jerry Dipoto is expected to be the first external candidate to interview for the Mariners’ GM vacancy, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link). Dipoto resigned this summer after a highly publicized feud with Halos skipper Mike Scioscia and has since taken an advisory role with the Red Sox. The Mariners fired Jack Zduriencik in late August and are said to prefer an experienced general manager to step into the GM’s chair.

Here’s more from the AL West…

  • Mike Zunino won’t return to the Mariners in 2015, writes Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Instead of being recalled to the big league roster in September, he will report to the instructional league to “overhaul” his swing with hitting coach Cory Snyder and Edgar Martinez. The 24-year-old Zunino, formerly the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, batted just .174/.230/.300 in 386 plate appearances this season. Zunino unquestionably has power — he hit 22 homers in 2015 — and is considered a very strong defender, but he’s highly strikeout prone and has a career .193 average/.252 OBP. Many feel that he was rushed to the Majors, and for what it’s worth, he obliterated Triple-A pitching in a small sample after being demoted the day Zduriencik was fired.
  • Angels left-hander Tyler Skaggs — a player for whom Dipoto traded on two separate occasions — tells Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times the he, his agent, his doctor and the Angels will discuss an innings limit for 2016 this offseason. Skaggs will enter the 2016 campaign about 18 months removed from Tommy John surgery. The story, of course, comes in the wake of the Matt Harvey controversy — a scenario which Skaggs says he wants to avoid.
  • David Paulino, whom the Astros acquired in the 2013 trade that sent Jose Veras to the Tigers, has shown very serious big league potential and emerged as a “steal” for Houston, opines Fangraphs scribe James Chipman. Paulino has battled injuries throughout his pro career but has made huge strides with his fastball and curveball over the past nine months, writes Chipman. If he can hone his changeup, he’s a potential mid-rotation arm, but if not, he could still be a high-leverage reliever. Chipman’s piece includes video and a full scouting report.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Pitching Market, O’s, Zunino, Inciarte, Astros

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In his latest notes post for FOX Sports, Ken Rosenthal writes that while he opined on Saturday that pitching-hungry GMs should act sooner rather than later, he spoke to one exec yesterday that plans to wait until the trade deadline is nearly at hand, believing prices will drop late in the month. A second exec opined to Rosenthal, though, that the market for pitchers other than Johnny Cueto and Cole Hamels will soften in the coming days. Rosenthal gets the sense that the trade market will “erupt” and action will be “frenetic,” but it might take awhile to reach that boiling point.

Some highlights from his column (though I’d recommend checking out the entire column)…

  • Orioles GM Dan Duquette is very serious about wanting to add a bat and has indeed expressed interest in Jay Bruce, Justin Upton and Carlos Gomez, but as Rosenthal notes, the Orioles may have the thinnest farm system in the game. Baseball America ranked Baltimore’s farm just 29th heading into the season, and that was before recent injuries to top arms Dylan Bundy and Hunter Harvey. The team has some interesting names ready at the Triple-A level, but they also need to replace departing free agents Chris Davis, Matt Wieters and Wei-Yin Chen and will need to rely on the farm to fill some of those holes.
  • The Mariners aren’t just looking for a backup to Mike Zunino, Rosenthal hears, but a veteran option who would allow them to send Zunino back to Triple-A. Of course, he points out the fact that Seattle had such a player in the form of Welington Castillo but traded him to the D-Backs in the Mark Trumbo deal, only to watch Castillo out-hit Trumbo.
  • The Padres talked with the Diamondbacks about a trade that would’ve brought both Aaron Hill and Ender Inciarte to San Diego during Spring Training, and they’ve made a much more recent inquiry on Inciarte than that as well. The D-Backs are also receiving interest in David Peralta, Rosenthal writes, but Arizona isn’t motivated to trade either outfielder. Both are controlled through the 2020 season. Inciarte is a logical trade candidate for the Padres, in my mind, as a plus defender in center field and a left-handed bat — two things which the club currently lacks.
  • The Phillies may end up hanging on to Jeff Francoeur rather than trading him, according to Rosenthal. While a last-place team hanging onto a short-term veteran such as Francoeur seems counter-intuitive, he notes that the return on Francoeur would be extremely minimal, so the team may value his leadership over the warm body they’d receive for trading him. I agree that the return on Francoeur, who’s hitting .257/.288/.449 with suspect range in the corner outfield, wouldn’t be all that exciting.
  • The Astros do want to add a bat, but the team’s search for starting pitcher is a significantly greater priority, sources tell Rosenthal. GM Jeff Luhnow did tell MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart on Friday that getting a bat is a growing area of focus, however, and Chris Carter hasn’t played since Friday due to an ankle sprain. (He and other Houston first basemen have struggled at the plate even when healthy, as well.)
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