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

[yisman]

Yu Darvish to LA

[Chi_archie]

dayum

[yisman]

Al Avila traded his son and Justin Wilson to the Cubs earlier.

[koz-man]

A Gio González no-hitter today would have coincided with what would have been his dear friend José Fernández's 25th birthday. Coincidentally, Marlins pitcher Edinson Vólquez threw a no-hitter on June 9th, which coincided with what would have been his former teammate Yordano Ventura's 26th birthday. ESPN

[EmpireMaker]

How did that gas can come close to a no-hitter ???

[Cross]

Thanks for all the updates, yis!

[El Nino]

Dodgers loaded up with rentals & will still lose come October.

[Chi_archie]

Al Avila traded his son and Justin Wilson to the Cubs earlier.

Lve that!

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Dodgers loaded up with rentals & will still lose come October.

I think it's finally their year.

[mr. leisure]

I`m thinking it`s the dodgers year too .

[yisman]

https://www.upi.com/Sports_News/MLB/2017/08/01/Washington-Nationals-Gio-Gonzalez-gets-choked-up-about-Jose-Fernandez/2161501599183/?spt=rrs&or=1

Before Monday's contest, Gonzalez visited Fernandez's infant daughter and family.
After the 1-0 win, he began to tear up while discussing his friend.

[koz-man]

Max Scherzer's 2.23 ERA this season is second-best in the major leagues to Clayton Kershaw's 2.04. From May 26 to the present, Scherzer (8-2) has baseball's best ERA: 1.68

[koz-man]

Since Luis Severino threw 116 pitches in 5 innings on Monday, the Yankees are going with a 6-man rotation this time through. The tentative plan, according to Joe Girardi, is for Sonny Gray to go Thursday and Jaime Garcia Friday. Jordan Montgomery will go on Saturday, while Severino will go Sunday. Girardi said the Yankees will not stick with a six-man.

[EmpireMaker]

After watching a last-place team make just one move prior to the non-waiver deadline, Giants fans felt plenty of frustration, but GM Bobby Evans spoke to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle about the front office’s recognition that changes need to be made before the 2018 season commences. “How much we can accomplish between now and the beginning of 2018 remains to be seen,” said Evans. “…Some of that has to be us on alert for what opportunities exist. As we sit here today, we’ve got a lot of ideas where clubs see our guys.” The offseason is a likelier time for significant changes than the August waiver trade season, Evans indicated. Schulman writes that the Giants are lacking both power and defense in the outfield, though the presence of veterans Denard Span and Hunter Pence, both signed through 2018, adds another layer of complexity to the front office’s quest for improvement.
More from the division…

• The Dodgers had been experimenting with outfielder Brett Eibner as a pitcher, but his season will come to an end due to Tommy John surgery, tweets J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group. Eibner hadn’t actually gotten into a game in the minors, as he’s been dealing with soreness in his arm for awhile now. The Dodgers’ reported plan for Eibner wasn’t to convert him to a pitcher on a full-time basis but to use him as an outfielder and occasional reliever. Eibner pitched and played in the outfield in his college days but had been exclusively a position player since turning pro.
• While the Dodgers have drawn headlines for their enormous Major League payrolls, their commitment to international spending has played a huge role in their success as well, writes Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. As Shaikin notes, the Dodgers shipped out three prospects signed as international amateurs yesterday to acquire Tony Watson and Tony Cingrani, and their willingness to spend on that market has persistently left them with ammunition for trades. “The kind of scouting and player development infrastructure you have can pay off in terms of guys rising to the big leagues and impacting your team, or sometimes being able to make trades like this,” said GM Farhan Zaidi. “It’s certainly a credit to our scouting and player development staffs for giving us the players and prospect capital we needed to pull off these deals today.” The new hard cap on international spending will make that strategy more difficult, though the Dodgers have a history of finding creative ways to build up their farm by leveraging financial muscle.
• Padres general manager A.J. Preller chatted with Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune about his lack of trades at the non-waiver deadline — specifically the decision to hold onto lefty Brad Hand and righty Jhoulys Chacin. Preller indicated that he simply didn’t receive an offer that he deemed to bring more value to the organization than Hand, acknowledging that while it’s possible he’ll incur an injury or decline, it’s also possible that Hand sustains or enhances his value with improved performance. His comments on Chacin were more interesting. “I know it’s easy for somebody to say, ‘Well, he’s a free agent at the end of the year. Just take anything,'” said Preller. “We’ve built our (farm) system up to the point where, just to take a non-prospect for the purpose of making a trade, we weren’t interested in doing that.” The Friars could move Chacin in a waiver deal, but they’ll also explore the possibility of signing him beyond 2017, Preller tells Lin.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Padres shut out the Twins 3-0.

[Chi_archie]

Giants fans in hell

[El Nino]

Padres shut out the Twins 3-0.

[koz-man]

I'm at a loss to explain it, but Masahiro Tanaka's daytime struggles have continued today: One run on three hits in the first inning.

Entering today, he had the highest single-season daytime ERA (14.81) since 1913, among pitchers with at least five such starts.

Even weirder: He had a 3.02 daytime ERA in his career entering 2017.
ESPN

[mr. leisure]

I'm at a loss to explain it, but Masahiro Tanaka's daytime struggles have continued today: One run on three hits in the first inning.

Entering today, he had the highest single-season daytime ERA (14.81) since 1913, among pitchers with at least five such starts.

Even weirder: He had a 3.02 daytime ERA in his career entering 2017.
ESPN

Pitched pretty good today but the Yanks can`t score any runs for him .

[Cross]

16 runs for Cubs yesterday, today 3 hits and 0 runs, Lol.

[EmpireMaker]

The Angels are moving right-hander Jesse Chavez from the rotation to the bullpen, reports Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). That in and of itself is somewhat noteworthy, but the timing of the move is more interesting. As Moura points out, Chavez is one start away from unlocking a significant boost in his contract’s incentives package and could earn as much as $1.7MM between now and season’s end. While the timing of the move probably won’t sit well with Chavez, he certainly hasn’t helped his own cause as of late. The 33-year-old has allowed 25 runs on 40 hits and 16 walks over his past 32 2/3 innings, making for a 6.89 ERA in his past seven starts. Right-hander Troy Scribner will step into the rotation in place of Chavez, according to Moura.
A few more notes from the division…

• The Mariners acquired Drew Smyly this past offseason in hopes of a breakout over the course of his remaining two years of control, but last month’s unfortunate diagnosis of a torn ulnar collateral ligament means he may not throw a single regular-season pitch for the Mariners. Smyly is almost certain to be non-tendered this winter due to his Tommy John operation, but manager Scott Servais tells Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times that he hopes the front office will look to retain Smyly (presumably on a more affordable deal) so that he can eventually impact the rotation down the line. “I still would love to have him going forward,” said Servais. “Those are deals that Jerry (Dipoto) and his agent have to work out. But I still think there’s a very good fit for him here. … I did say to [Smyly], ‘I’d like to see what you could do pitching in Seattle for a year,’ and he smiled and said, ‘I’d like to see it too.'”
• Adrian Beltre didn’t sugarcoat his words in telling the media that he wasn’t pleased with the Rangers’ trade of Yu Darvish, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Beltre acknowledged that he understands the business side of the game but still hadn’t given up on the 2017 season when Texas flipped its ace to the Dodgers in exchange for three prospects. The future Hall of Famer, playing at the age of 39, also made clear that he’s not interested in playing for a rebuilding club, if that’s the direction the Rangers go. “At this stage of my career, I’m not here for a rebuild,” said Beltre. “But I don’t think it will be. I think there is a possibility of this team playing better this year.” Beltre said a rebuild would “absolutely” change his mind about wanting to remain in Texas, though GM Jon Daniels downplayed the notion that such a path is even under consideration. Asked if the Darvish trade was the onset of a lengthier rebuild, Daniels replied: “I don’t look at it that way at all.”
• Though he won’t play again this season due to the freak knee injury he suffered in his MLB debut with the Yankees, Dustin Fowler is expected to compete for the Athletics’ Opening Day center field spot in 2018, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. Manager Bob Melvin offered strong praise for the type of player he hopes to be getting in the 22-year-old Fowler. “He looks to be exactly the type of athlete we’re looking for,” said the skipper. “We need to get a little bit more athletic within our system. He’s a good start for that, and it looks like [Jorge] Mateo is as well.” Both Fowler and Mateo were acquired (alongside righty James Kaprielian) in Monday’s Sonny Gray blockbuster.

[Otters27]

Can the Brewers catch the. ROCKIES OR DBACKS? I was scared the cubs would catch the Rockies but now that it is the Brewers I am not as worried

[Chi_archie]

16 runs for Cubs yesterday, today 3 hits and 0 runs, Lol.

that's baseball

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Rockies closer Greg Holland day to day with a kitchen injury

[koz-man]

Aaron Judge and Matt Holliday are receiving days off because they are struggling. Judge and Holliday will both be back in the lineup tomorrow, according to Yankee manager Joe Girardi.

[yisman]

Rockies closer Greg Holland day to day with a kitchen injury

Rewind three years for:

http://deadspin.com/jake-peavy-suffers-the-first-weird-baseball-injury-of-s-1535152393

Thanks to Jake Peavy, we don’t have to worry about this spring coming and going without anyone fulfilling one of baseball’s greatest traditions: players hurting themselves in really stupid ways during spring training.

So what did Jake Peavy do to himself? Oh, nothing really, he just nearly cut his finger off with a fishing knife.

[El Nino]

Marty Cordova tanning bed mishap is my favorite

[Cross]

Gotta love baseball in the home stretch.

[BigSpoon]

Marty Cordova tanning bed mishap is my favorite

Joel Zumaya strained his wrist from playing too much Guitar Hero. Missed 3 games of the 2006 ALCS because of it too.

[EmpireMaker]

The Astros’ lone move this past Monday was the acquisition of Francisco Liriano from the Blue Jays, but multiple reports indicate a significant reason for their lack of activity is due to the fact that an agreed-upon deal for Zach Britton fell through at the eleventh hour. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (here and here), MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal, and FanRag’s Jon Heyman each reported key aspects of the story. You’ll certainly want to read those links in full for all the interesting details, but we’ll cover some highlights here.
Astros owner Jim Crane said in a radio interview with ESPN 97.5 in Houston that his team had multiple trades that were “agreed to in principle” before medical issues led to those deals getting “vetoed at the top.” The Orioles are known to have the most stringent medical standards of any team in the league, though it’s also interesting that Rosenthal reports that Houston also had a deal lined up for an unidentified “high-end” reliever that would have “surprised the industry” upon being traded.
Per Kubatko and Rosenthal, the Britton deal broke down when the Orioles raised medical concerns over two of the players in the deal — believing one to have a “legitimate medical problem” and deeming another to be somewhat questionable. The identity of the prospects in question isn’t known, though Kubatko says the pair were both pitchers and Rosenthal hears that as many as six to seven Astros prospects were deemed off-limits in trade talks for Britton. Ultimately, the Orioles “went dark” on both the Astros and the Dodgers, who were also in the mix for Britton, for several hours before simply telling L.A. that Britton was off the table about an hour prior to the deadline, Rosenthal continues. Baltimore made a last-minute offer to Houston, but the Astros deemed it too steep.
Heyman writes that while many will place the blame on Baltimore owner Peter Angelos, Orioles officials insisted to him that the medical reports on the players the O’s would have received of great enough concern that no deal was ever even presented to Angelos. Heyman spoke to multiple execs from other teams that suggested Houston is too stingy when it comes to surrendering its top prospects in a deal, and that penchant for hanging onto prized young talent ultimately led to a quiet deadline for GM Jeff Luhnow and his staff.
Of course, the Astros had plenty of reason to be cautious when it comes to Britton. The once-elite reliever has missed most of the 2017 season due to a pair of DL stints tied to a forearm injury and at the time of the deadline had only worked back-to-back days once since being activated off the DL (and once during a minor league rehab stint). He posted an 8-to-4 K/BB ratio in 10 July innings before the non-waiver deadline, though it’s perhaps worth noting that he did work on a third consecutive evening the night of the deadline.
Houston did, of course, have other irons in the fire — including the intriguing mystery reliever noted by Rosenthal as well as Yu Darvish. Indeed, it seems the former only fell through at the ownership level from the other team. And Houston’s front office felt it made a stronger offer for Darvish than did the Dodgers, says Rosenthal, who notes the Rangers simply didn’t see it that way (the front office had authority to deal the righty within the state).
Brad Hand of the Padres, though, seemingly represented the most obvious alternative to Britton — at least, after the Cubs grabbed Justin Wilson, in part owing to a wariness of dealing with the O’s on deadline day. But Houston and San Diego just never saw eye to eye on the southpaw’s value, per Rosenthal and Heyman.
Sources from the Pads indicate the club ultimately backed away from seeking top-100-type talent, though not all rival executives seem to have viewed it that way. It seems that San Diego did at least check down from the top-tier prospects it initially sought, though obviously there was still a gap that was never bridged. Details remain scant, though Rosenthal notes the Astros held the same six prospects off-limits for Hand that they did for Britton; per Heyman, the Nationals were no more willing to discuss Carter Kieboom than their top outfielder prospects and the Dodgers preferred cheaper options even though the Padres would’ve taken a package of multiple prospects outside of the Dodgers’ five best.
Ultimately, the fact that both Britton and Hand stayed with their respective organizations leaves some potentially un-done work for all involved. The Astros obviously had intended to do more at the deadline, and could look to find alternatives this August. There’s also an impact on their plans for 2018 and beyond. That’s all the more true for the Orioles and Padres, who’ll likely shop their lefties this winter.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Marty Cordova tanning bed mishap is my favorite

how about Glenallen Hill dreaming about spiders chasing him and in a semiconscious state, he fell through a glass table and suffered scrapes and bruises on his feet, knees and elbows?

[Chi_archie]

Joel Zumaya strained his wrist from playing too much Guitar Hero. Missed 3 games of the 2006 ALCS because of it too.

rediculous

[El Nino]

how about Glenallen Hill dreaming about spiders chasing him and in a semiconscious state, he fell through a glass table and suffered scrapes and bruises on his feet, knees and elbows?

Let's not forget...be careful when playing with drones!

[yisman]

I remember all those. Another famous one was Sammy Sosa throwing out his back while sneezing.

Or the guy who was supposedly carrying luggage for someone and fell down the stairs or something.

It will be tough for anyone to ever top Cordova, though. Major league outfielder falling asleep in a tanning bed.

[koz-man]

Addison Russell is being placed on the DL with a right foot strain. Lefty pitcher Rob Zastryzny is being called up from Triple A. The injury has been bothering Russell for a while.