The 2017 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread.

[Chi_archie]

Slugfest in Colorado as Turner hits the cycle for Washington

seeing a cycle put together is very fun

[JAKEPEAVY21]

The Diamondbacks could be in for bad news regarding right-hander Shelby Miller, who, as Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com tweets, exited his start Sunday with forearm tightness. Arizona is scheduling an MRI for Miller, who lasted four-plus innings and allowed three earned runs in a loss to the Dodgers. Manager Torey Lovullo is trying to be optimistic, notes Bloom, but Steve Gilbert of MLB.com observes (on Twitter) that the situation is “not good.” Forearm tightness often portends Tommy John surgery, which would be the biggest setback yet in Miller’s rocky tenure with the Diamondbacks. The club’s previous regime drew seemingly endless criticism for sending a Dansby Swanson– and Ender Inciarte-led package to the Braves for Miller two winters ago. General manager Dave Stewart and senior vice president of baseball operations De Jon Watson lost their jobs last fall after Miller struggled through a 2016 to forget, pitching to a 6.15 ERA in 101 major league innings and enduring a demotion to the minor leagues. Thanks in part to improved velocity, though, Miller has fared respectably this year with a 4.09 ERA and 3.29 FIP in 22 frames.
More from the National League:

• With an .095/.186/.127 batting line in 70 plate appearances, Mets infielder Jose Reyes has been among the majors’ worst players this year. Nevertheless, the Mets aren’t considering releasing the 33-year-old, according to Newsday’s Marc Carig, who casts doubt on the possibility of the team cutting him even if his performance doesn’t improve soon. Reyes makes a minimum salary and is a speedy switch-hitter who can play shortstop, all of which are facts that work in his favor, Carig writes. While the Mets have an elite shortstop prospect in Amed Rosario, who has slashed .355/.382/.353 in 55 PAs this season, a promotion for him isn’t imminent, sources told Carig. The Mets don’t want to rush either the 21-year-old Rosario or first base prospect Dominic Smith (also 21) to the majors.
• Phillies left fielder Howie Kendrick’s previously reported abdominal strain is actually an oblique strain, one that’s likely to keep him out until “sometime in the early to mid part of May,” GM Matt Klentak informed Ryan Lawrence of PhillyVoice. With Kendrick unavailable for a while, Klentak acquired infielder/outfielder Ty Kelly from the Blue Jays on Saturday. It turns out the Klentak-led Phillies had Kelly on their radar in the past. “Kelly is a guy who was on waivers twice in the last few months, and both times that he was passing through waivers we were intrigued by him and would have liked to have placed a claim but our roster was in a position where he couldn’t do it,” Klentak said. “But now with the ability to transfer (Clay) Buchholz to the (60-day DL) and free up a spot, we were able to acquire him.” Aaron Altherr, not Kelly, will see the majority of time in left while Kendrick’s out, Lawrence notes.
• The Nationals will place righty Stephen Strasburg on the paternity leave list Monday, meaning he’ll miss his scheduled start Tuesday in Colorado, reports Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. Washington is likely to recall Jacob Turner to fill Strasburg’s void for a start, while the latter will return in time to take the mound either Friday or Saturday.

what a trainwreck trade Shelby Miller was for the Dbags...

[koz-man]

ESPN going to layoff over 100 people...

Maybe because...http://awfulannouncing.com/2016/espn...per-month.html

[BigSpoon]

ESPN going to layoff over 100 people...

Maybe because...http://awfulannouncing.com/2016/espn...per-month.html

I cut the cable cord about 4 years ago. OTA tv and Netflix is enough for me.

[mr. leisure]

I rarely watch anything but a live game on ESPN .

[Cross]

Dbacks got bad luck w Miller and Greinke... talk about wasted $

[El Nino]

Fernando Rodney blows his 1st save of the season...many more to come.

[Chi_archie]

bullpens bullpens bullpens

great to see the first ever player born and raised on the entire continent of Africa make his MLB debut for the Pirates

hit in first about

Mmpho Gift Ngeope

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Fernando Rodney blows his 1st save of the season...many more to come.

beautiful 9th inning comeback by the mighty Padres!

[LT Profits]

Adrian Beltre (calf) is not progressing as quickly the Rangers had hoped.

"It's getting better but not where we expect it to be," said manager Jeff Banister. "We're still in the rehab mode." The Rangers had been hoping to have Beltre back by the end of April but obviously that ship has already sailed. According to MLB.com's TR Sullivan, "May is starting to look murky too." Power-hitting Joey Gallo will continue to man the hot corner in Beltre's absence.

Source: TR Sullivan on Twitter

[EmpireMaker]

NEW YORK -- The Mets have scratched Noah Syndergaard from Thursday's start against the Braves with what manager Terry Collins deemed a "tired arm." Matt Harvey will start in his place.
"We can't take a chance on this guy," Collins said.


Collins described the issue as discomfort in Syndergaard's right bicep. The hope is that he will miss only one start.

[BigSpoon]

Not feeling good about the Jays doubleheader today vs the Cardinals. Mat Latos and Casey Lawrence will be the scheduled starters, yikes.

[koz-man]

Not feeling good about the Jays doubleheader today vs the Cardinals. Mat Latos and Casey Lawrence will be the scheduled starters, yikes.

Latos did his job today. The bull-pen Did Not!!! tough loss...

[stevenash]

Latos did his job today. The bull-pen Did Not!!! tough loss...

Blue Jays are yesterdays news.
The window closed on themn when the Royals beat them 4-3 in game 7 year and a half ago.

[Andy117]

NEW YORK -- The Mets have scratched Noah Syndergaard from Thursday's start against the Braves with what manager Terry Collins deemed a "tired arm." Matt Harvey will start in his place.
"We can't take a chance on this guy," Collins said.


Collins described the issue as discomfort in Syndergaard's right bicep. The hope is that he will miss only one start.

No team handles injuries worse than the Mets. Expect this to be worse than it sounds.

[EmpireMaker]

Nineteen-year-old outfielder Luis Robert is the top international talent that is available on the amateur market and, after recently being declared a free agent by Major League Baseball, has already begun hosting private workouts with interested teams, according to Baseball America’s Ben Badler. The Athletics hosted a workout for Robert last Friday that was attended by GM David Forst, according to Badler, and Reds GM Dick Williams was on hand to watch him this past Tuesday in a workout. Prior to that, he’d worked out for the Astros, Badler adds.
Badler notes that Robert’s camp is also expected to set up private workouts with the Padres, Cardinals and White Sox in the coming weeks. It seems that of those three clubs, the heavy-spending Padres are up first, as Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union Tribune reports (via Twitter) that Robert will work out with the Pads tomorrow. To this point, the Padres have paced all 30 teams in terms of international spending during the current signing period, as their total investment (including luxury tax penalties for shattering their allotted bonus pool) is in the vicinity of $80MM.
The willingness to spend at such an aggressive level may be key for any club that wishes to sign Robert, as FanRag’s Jon Heyman writes in his latest Inside Baseball column that one source who closely follows the international market believes Robert already has a $25MM offer “in hand,” though Heyman notes that others have suggested to him no offers have been made to this point. There could, of course, be some semantics at play there in terms of what constitutes a formal offer. A price tag in the vicinity of $25MM for Robert would come with a 100 percent luxury tax attached to it, meaning he’d cost any team that signed him at that rate a total of roughly $50MM.
As Badler writes, though Robert has been declared a free agent, he won’t formally be cleared to sign until May 20. In the interim, he’ll host at least one more open showcase for teams, in addition to the remaining private workouts his camp will orchestrate.
It’s worth noting that of the teams linked to Robert, only the White Sox have yet to exceed their current international bonus pool. In other words, while other clubs would essentially only be parting with money in order to sign Robert, the ChiSox would need to determine if Robert is worth handcuffing themselves in each of the next two international signing periods; should the Sox decide to exceed their pool in the eleventh hour — the current signing period ends on June 15 — they’d be unable to sign any individual player for more than $300K in either the 2017-18 or 2018-19 signing periods.
In a similar vein, teams that are still in the metaphorical “penalty box” for crushing their allotted pools in previous signing periods won’t be able to compete for Robert’s services, as they’re each capped at that same $300K figure on individual signings. That eliminates the Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Blue Jays, Rays, Royals and Diamondbacks from serving as serious competition in the Robert market.
Though Robert is just 19 years of age, he’d already blossomed into a star, hitting a ridiculous .401/.526/.687 with 12 homers, 12 doubles, a pair of triples and 11 steals over the life of 53 games (232 plate appearances) in his final pro season in the Cuban National Series. Scouting reports on Robert note that he’s capable of playing center field right now, though he may ultimately wind up in a corner. Badler has previously written that both his bat speed and raw power are plus, and Heyman’s above-linked piece offers a number of favorable reviews of Robert’s skill set. Additionally, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez has previously spoken to a number of international scouting directors who have heaped praise onto Robert, calling him the game’s best international prospect behind Japanese phenom Shohei Otani and labeling him one of the most talented young players on the planet.

[EmpireMaker]

No team handles injuries worse than the Mets. Expect this to be worse than it sounds.

Mets are terrible with injury reports, but they are still saying he may pitch on Sunday.

[El Nino]

bullpens bullpens bullpens

great to see the first ever player born and raised on the entire continent of Africa make his MLB debut for the Pirates

hit in first about

Mmpho Gift Ngeope

Bullpens have been a bit shitty lately.

There are 6 teams with bullpen ERA's over 5.00

RK	TEAM	GP	W	L	ERA	SV	CG	SHO	IP	QS	ER	R	BB	SO	BAA
1	Detroit	21	3	3	6.72	8	0	0	67.0	--	50	56	38	67	.285
2	Washington	22	4	4	6.18	8	0	0	62.2	--	43	45	18	53	.285
3	Seattle	23	3	5	6.05	3	0	0	74.1	--	50	51	34	62	.276
4	Kansas City	21	2	6	5.83	3	0	0	63.1	--	41	43	38	50	.254
5	San Diego	24	3	4	5.47	5	0	0	72.1	--	44	47	31	74	.243
6	Arizona	23	4	1	5.01	6	0	0	70.0	--	39	43	22	66	.256

Toronto leads the majors with 7 blown saves.
There are four teams who have 5 blown saves: Detroit, Seattle, Texas, Tampa Bay.

[Chi_archie]

Let's get some baseball today !

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Nineteen-year-old outfielder Luis Robert is the top international talent that is available on the amateur market and, after recently being declared a free agent by Major League Baseball, has already begun hosting private workouts with interested teams, according to Baseball America’s Ben Badler. The Athletics hosted a workout for Robert last Friday that was attended by GM David Forst, according to Badler, and Reds GM Dick Williams was on hand to watch him this past Tuesday in a workout. Prior to that, he’d worked out for the Astros, Badler adds.
Badler notes that Robert’s camp is also expected to set up private workouts with the Padres, Cardinals and White Sox in the coming weeks. It seems that of those three clubs, the heavy-spending Padres are up first, as Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union Tribune reports (via Twitter) that Robert will work out with the Pads tomorrow. To this point, the Padres have paced all 30 teams in terms of international spending during the current signing period, as their total investment (including luxury tax penalties for shattering their allotted bonus pool) is in the vicinity of $80MM.
The willingness to spend at such an aggressive level may be key for any club that wishes to sign Robert, as FanRag’s Jon Heyman writes in his latest Inside Baseball column that one source who closely follows the international market believes Robert already has a $25MM offer “in hand,” though Heyman notes that others have suggested to him no offers have been made to this point. There could, of course, be some semantics at play there in terms of what constitutes a formal offer. A price tag in the vicinity of $25MM for Robert would come with a 100 percent luxury tax attached to it, meaning he’d cost any team that signed him at that rate a total of roughly $50MM.
As Badler writes, though Robert has been declared a free agent, he won’t formally be cleared to sign until May 20. In the interim, he’ll host at least one more open showcase for teams, in addition to the remaining private workouts his camp will orchestrate.
It’s worth noting that of the teams linked to Robert, only the White Sox have yet to exceed their current international bonus pool. In other words, while other clubs would essentially only be parting with money in order to sign Robert, the ChiSox would need to determine if Robert is worth handcuffing themselves in each of the next two international signing periods; should the Sox decide to exceed their pool in the eleventh hour — the current signing period ends on June 15 — they’d be unable to sign any individual player for more than $300K in either the 2017-18 or 2018-19 signing periods.
In a similar vein, teams that are still in the metaphorical “penalty box” for crushing their allotted pools in previous signing periods won’t be able to compete for Robert’s services, as they’re each capped at that same $300K figure on individual signings. That eliminates the Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Blue Jays, Rays, Royals and Diamondbacks from serving as serious competition in the Robert market.
Though Robert is just 19 years of age, he’d already blossomed into a star, hitting a ridiculous .401/.526/.687 with 12 homers, 12 doubles, a pair of triples and 11 steals over the life of 53 games (232 plate appearances) in his final pro season in the Cuban National Series. Scouting reports on Robert note that he’s capable of playing center field right now, though he may ultimately wind up in a corner. Badler has previously written that both his bat speed and raw power are plus, and Heyman’s above-linked piece offers a number of favorable reviews of Robert’s skill set. Additionally, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez has previously spoken to a number of international scouting directors who have heaped praise onto Robert, calling him the game’s best international prospect behind Japanese phenom Shohei Otani and labeling him one of the most talented young players on the planet.

I'm hoping the padres can sign this kid.

[BigSpoon]

Latos did his job today. The bull-pen Did Not!!! tough loss...

The struggles of Roberto Osuna is concerning for a team that has many concerns this season.

[koz-man]

For the first time in 1,415 major-league games, all for the Red Sox, Dustin Pedroia will bat sixth for the first time. Shuffled batting order has Xander Bogaerts in leadoff spot.

[stevenash]

NEW YORK -- The Mets have scratched Noah Syndergaard from Thursday's start against the Braves with what manager Terry Collins deemed a "tired arm." Matt Harvey will start in his place.
"We can't take a chance on this guy," Collins said.


Collins described the issue as discomfort in Syndergaard's right bicep. The hope is that he will miss only one start.

Syndegaard has not walked a batter all season.
Unreal. Compare that with Kershaw who has walked ten.

Just as impressive Ivan Nova has walked just one all season

[stevenash]

For the first time in 1,415 major-league games, all for the Red Sox, Dustin Pedroia will bat sixth for the first time. Shuffled batting order has Xander Bogaerts in leadoff spot.

DP just delivered a clutch RBI single.

[EmpireMaker]

A pair of struggling teams got the good news that they’ll have key hurlers taking the hill on Sunday. Noah Syndergaard is ready to go after some worry over his biceps, as Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports on Twitter. Syndergaard is said to have denied a request that he undergo an MRI, saying he feels fully healthy. Also, Aaron Sanchez will return for the Blue Jays, as Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca tweets.
Here’s more on the injury front:

• First baseman Lucas Duda is also nearing a return for the Mets. He started a rehab assignment this evening and played for six innings. Given the fairly limited duration of his layoff for a hyperextended elbow, it seems reasonable to think he’ll be back up in just a few days.
• It seems there’s forward momentum for Tigers star Miguel Cabrera, as MLB.com’s Jason Beck reports on Twitter. Cabrera, who was forced to the DL with a groin strain, was able to jog and take batting practice today at the park.
• The Angels are assessing another injury for lefty Tyler Skaggs. Per a club announcement, he left his outing tonight with “right side tightness.” Just that means for the 25-year-old isn’t clear at this time. Heading into the current season, Skaggs had made only 41 starts since debuting in 2012. Over his five starts and 29 1/3 innings in 2017, Skaggs has pitched to a 3.99 ERA with a strong 29:9 K/BB ratio.
• Orioles closer Zach Britton may also be back Sunday — or, if not, then after the team’s off-day on Monday — per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). The southpaw is preparing to return rather quickly from an initially worrying forearm injury. He figures to step right back into the closer role for the O’s.
• The Rangers welcomed back Sam Dyson from his short DL stint. Though he jumped right back in and pitched in the ninth tonight, working a scoreless frame, that came in a losing effort. Unlike Britton, Dyson has likely been bypassed in the closer role, at least for the time being.
• While the Nationals are holding their breath over a new and potentially serious injury issue tonight, the team did get a bit of positive news earlier. An MRI came back clean for southpaw Sammy Solis, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com tweets. While there’s some inflammation present in his balky elbow, there’s no ligament issue.
• There are a few updates on some Reds hurlers who are working back from injury, as C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Homer Bailey will throw a pen session early next week — his first since having bone spurs removed over the offseason. Fellow righty Anthony DeSclafani, meanwhile, is unfortunately still not ready to start throwing. Doctors will reassess his sprained UCL after allowing it a few more weeks of rest. And lefty Brandon Finnegan, who’s dealing with an oblique issue, is still a week away even from being examined again by physicians. The club is allowing him plenty of rest before taking stock of his path back tot he rotation.
• Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts provided the latest on a few of his team’s ailing players, as Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times was among those to report (links to Twitter). “Mechanical” issues are still holding back lefty Scott Kazmir, who still doesn’t seem to have a clear path back to the majors. The club will soon activate several position players, though, with Franklin Gutierrez likely to be followed within a week or so by Joc Pederson and Logan Forsythe. That’ll likely mean dropping top prospect Cody Bellinger back to Triple-A, McCullough notes.
• Athletics southpaw Sean Manaea is likely to miss a start and may hit the 10-day DL, as Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. But the overall news is good. Manaea, who came down with some shoulder stiffness in his most recent outing, is not expected to require an extended absence.

[Andy117]

Noah Syndergaard is ready to go after some worry over his biceps, as Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports on Twitter. Syndergaard is said to have denied a request that he undergo an MRI, saying he feels fully healthy.

Couldn't raise his arm the other day, but he's fine now?

[Chi_archie]

Couldn't raise his arm the other day, but he's fine now?

Yeah not adding up

[LT Profits]

Adam Eaton was forced to leave Friday's game against the Mets in the night inning due to an apparent leg injury.

Eaton hustled to beat out an infield single in the ninth inning but immediately collapsed after reaching the first base bag and had to be carried off of the field. He appeared to roll his left ankle on the base as he ran through. He'll undergo an MRI on Saturday to determine the full extent of the injury. Michael Taylor could see increased action in the outfield if Eaton is forced to miss any significant time with this injury. Look for an update on his status from the Nationals on Saturday.

Source: Jamal Collier on Twitter

============================

Byron Kerr of MASN Sports reports that the Nationals will recall outfield prospect Rafael Bautista from Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday.

He'll take the place of the injured Adam Eaton, who is presumably heading to the disabled list after leaving Friday's game with an ankle injury. Bautista, 24, is hitting .291/.325/.354 with no homers, two RBI and three stolen bases in 19 games at Triple-A Syracuse. He has terrific speed and could be worth a look for speed-starved teams in deeper mixed leagues if he's going to see everyday at-bats in center field while Eaton is sidelined.

Source: MASN Sports

[JAKEPEAVY21]

The struggles of Roberto Osuna is concerning for a team that has many concerns this season.

not much positive so far for toronto this season..

[BigSpoon]

Yeah not adding up

You cannot doubt the self healing powers of Thor.

[koz-man]

It's a good thing the Rockies are on the road against the Diamondbacks this weekend, because conditions at Coors Field are not ideal for baseball. According to the Denver Post, the area is expected to get up to 12 inches of snow by Saturday afternoon.

[stevenash]

Zimmerman just drove in his 25th RBI of the season.
That ties hime with league leaders and teammates Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy, each with 25 RBI's.
I hate the Nats, but that's a nice middle of tbe lineup, tbey may have overpaid for Eaton, but he's doing what they got him to do.

Brett Gardner just hit his second homer of the game, and it's only the 3rd inning.
Another one I have trouble liking, he's a snowflake for starters.

Chase Headly just made a diving catch for the ages.
Machado smoked a frozen rope, I mean he spanked the horsehide as hard as it can be spanked, Headly laid out the way only Nettles could lay out and snared that thing. One of the top five catches you'll see all season.

This is why I watch baseball, best game ever invented.

[El Nino]

Eaton confirmed torn ACL. Shelby Miller getting Tommy John surgery.

[stevenash]

Eaton confirmed torn ACL. Shelby Miller getting Tommy John surgery.

According to Matt Holliday, Aaron Judge hits the ball harder than any player he has ever seen.
This coming from a guy who has played with Giambi, Pujols, etc. etc. who has played against Bonds and the rest, well that's some praise.

Oh by the way, Judge smoked a moon shot earlier today for his tenth homerun in April.
Only two other rookies have hit ten homeruns in April.

Oh by the way he's a beast 6' 7" 280 lbs.
Totally legit, the real deal.

[Cross]

Just wish Judge didn't play for the evil empire.