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

[koz-man]

Can't believe my Reds have the 2nd lowest ERA right now.(2.76) Only behind the Twins (2.04)

If only they could keep it going all year. One can dream!..right????

[BigSpoon]

On this day, 28 years ago, Ken Griffey Jr. hit his very first MLB HR. Man do I feel old.

[El Nino]

Can't believe my Reds have the 2nd lowest ERA right now.(2.76) Only behind the Twins (2.04)

If only they could keep it going all year. One can dream!..right????

As a Twins fan, I agree!

[stevenash]

Can't believe my Reds have the 2nd lowest ERA right now.(2.76) Only behind the Twins (2.04)

If only they could keep it going all year. One can dream!..right????

Even with Finnegan

[El Nino]

Dbacks keep on rolling

[EmpireMaker]

It’s been an interesting game between the Mets and the Phillies, as both starting pitchers have exited the game due to injury. Phillies right-hander Clay Buchholz departed in the third inning with what the team has called a strained right forearm (via Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer), whereas Matt Harvey just exited the field with the Mets’ trainer due to an apparent leg injury. Wayne Randazzo of WOR News Talk Radio tweets that Harvey’s injury is a tight left hamstring.
Buchholz had been rocked for six runs on eight hits in just 2 1/3 frames, and the forearm strain is obviously the more serious-sounding of the two injuries. There’s no word on the extent of Buchholz’s injury, as one would expect with the game still in progress, though forearm strains frequently require DL trips and have, at times, been precursors to significant injuries for pitchers. Gelb notes that the injury will likely send Buchholz to the disabled list, however, and it stands to reason that both the Mets and Phillies will offer further context on the injuries once the game has wrapped up.
More from the game’s Eastern divisions…

• Marlins president David Samson told reporters today that there are still several parties interested in purchasing the team, writes Andre C. Fernandez of the Miami Herald. Samson was somewhat vague in detailing how far sale talks have progressed, rhetorically asking the media: “Is the fourth inning advanced? A lot can happen after the fourth inning, right? Then I’d say we’re in the fourth inning right now. We’ve never gotten past the second inning before, so it’s further than we’ve been, but a lot can still happen.” Samson went on to add that it “wouldn’t shock” him if owner Jeffrey Loria had an agreement to sell the club by season’s end, though he declined to venture into specifics on any of the potential buyers. Loria has reportedly been seeking $1.6 billion in return for the franchise, and future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter and former Florida governor Jeb Bush are among the most notable names to have been linked to potential new ownership groups.
• David Price is set to throw a 35-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday after tossing a 20-pitch session yesterday, Red Sox manager John Farrell said today in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (audio link via Soundcloud). Farrell says that there’s yet to be any further rehab schedule laid out, as the current week is a critical one in determining exactly how long Price will be sidelined and the team “doesn’t want to get too far ahead” of itself. Farrell does note, however, that Price is feeling strong, which is certainly a positive sign for Sox fans after yesterday’s bullpen session.
• Left-hander Jordan Montgomery will make his Major League debut for the Yankees tomorrow in a start against the Rays, as George A. King III of the New York Post writes. The Yankees weren’t planning on using a fifth starter until this weekend, King writes, but an arduous start for Masahiro Tanaka this past weekend prompted the team to shuffle its staff and give the rest of the rotation a bit of a breather. Montgomery wasn’t even being discussed as an option heading into Spring Training — the candidates for the final two slots were widely considered to be Luis Severino, Chad Green, Luis Cessa and Bryan Mitchell — but an excellent performance thrust him into the mix. Montgomery, 24, pitched to a 3.20 ERA with a 17-to-3 K/BB ratio in 19 2/3 innings — a fine followup to last season’s 2.13 ERA, 8.7 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 139 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A.

[Chi_archie]

I'm not sure Price will ever get right

[LT Profits]

I am curious to see if Montgomery can carry his strong minor league peripherals into the bigs for the Yankees. His great spring was encouraging but he now gets the acid test today.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Dbacks keep on rolling

keep beating up on the giants!

[koz-man]

Yoenis Céspedes hit his 50th home run in 197 games with the Mets. The Elias Sports Bureau notes that the only player to get to 50 quicker with the Mets is Dave Kingman, 164 games.

[stevenash]

Yoenis Céspedes hit his 50th home run in 197 games with the Mets. The Elias Sports Bureau notes that the only player to get to 50 quicker with the Mets is Dave Kingman, 164 games.

He's still a butcher in the outfield, good thing he can hit a ball 1200 feet.

[mr. leisure]

Yoenis Céspedes hit his 50th home run in 197 games with the Mets. The Elias Sports Bureau notes that the only player to get to 50 quicker with the Mets is Dave Kingman, 164 games.

Dave Kingman was cool , he either hit a HR or struckout .

[yisman]

He's still a butcher in the outfield, good thing he can hit a ball 1200 feet.

with the mets, yes

used to be a good defensive corner OF

[EmpireMaker]

Yankees pitching prospect James Kaprielian is weighing whether or not to undergo surgery, GM Brian Cashman told reporters including Erik Boland of Newsday (Twitter links). Cashman didn’t make clear just what surgical options might be on the table for the 23-year-old, who is said to have experienced elbow pain recently, but all the hints suggest it could be a significant injury. “The rehab process has not been successful,” said Cashman, “so he’s facing some decisions.” Kaprielian also dealt with elbow problems last year, limiting his ability to gain minor-league experience, but there were still suggestions that the 2015 first-rounder might factor at the MLB level this year.
Here’s more on some health situations from around the game:

• The Rangers have provided some updates on several players, all via T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com (links to Twitter). Righty Tyson Ross will need to hold off on his rehab for a bit after experiencing upper back spasms. While it doesn’t appear as if there’s any broader concern, it will slow his timeline by at least a week. Meanwhile, Adrian Beltre’s new calf injury will likely cost him enough time to be measured in weeks rather than days, per assistant GM Mike Daly. Understandably, the club is charting a cautious course with the veteran, who had been nearing his return from calf issues before suffering another strain in a different area of the muscle. Finally, the team will wait to see how setup man Matt Bush responds to an injection before determining whether he’ll need a DL stint for his sore shoulder.
• Dodgers outfielder Franklin Gutierrez is headed to the 10-day DL with a hamstring strain, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter links). He’ll be replaced for the time being by Trayce Thompson, but skipper Dave Roberts says it’s expected to be only a one-to-three-week layoff.
• The Angels have placed righty Andrew Bailey on the 10-day DL to rest his inflamed shoulder, per a club announcement. He’ll be replaced on the active roster by fellow righty Daniel Wright. It’s not yet clear just how long Bailey will be down. For Wright, this’ll be his third call-up to the majors; he saw action last year with both the Reds and Angels, working both as a stater and from the pen.
• Mariners righty Tony Zych could be nearing a return, as Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports, with Steve Cishek not farm behind him. It remains to be seen whether Zych will head to the MLB roster, as he could also be optioned. Manager Scott Servais praised the righty’s form after a sim game, saying he looked “very sharp.”

[EmpireMaker]

Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis was hit by a pitch on his left hand during a rehab outing tonight, as Jordan Bastian of MLB.com tweets. He’s expected to sit out at least one contest, though at this point there’s no indication that he has suffered a significant injury. Cleveland is no doubt looking forward to the return of Kipnis, who is working back from a shoulder injury. As Bastian writes, the club’s bats have stalled in the early going.
More from the American League Central…

• Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez has begun taking batting practice and could be activated from the disabled list by early May, writes Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. Manager Brad Ausmus tells Fenech that Martinez is “slightly ahead of schedule,” though he declined to get into any specifics about the length or location of a potential rehab assignment for the slugger. Martinez has been on the shelf since Opening Day due to a Lisfranc injusry in his left foot, and in his absence, the Tigers have utilized Tyler Collins and Mikie Mahtook in right field while young JaCoby Jones in center field.
• Former outfielder Anthony Gose, who is converting to the mound, has begun facing hitters in extended Spring Training, tweets Evan Woodbery of MLive.com. Tigers manager Brad Ausmus got positive reports on Gose’s curveball in particular. At the time he was drafted, Gose was considered a two-way prospect, as Baseball America noted in its draft report on him that he featured a “blistering fastball” that peaked at 97 mph. While many liked him better as a pitcher, Gose had some shoulder troubles prior to the draft that prompted the move to the outfield.
• White Sox lefty Carlos Rodon is progressing in his recovery from biceps bursitis, as Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune writes. Though Rodon has yet to take the mound while he works back to strength, manager Rick Renteria says he’s “moving along positively” and is continuing to work through a throwing program. While the Sox would no doubt love to see the young southpaw working to take the next steps in his development at the major league level, the rebuilding club is obviously taking a conservative course in bringing him back to full speed.

[Otters27]

Blue Jays struggling big time. 1-7. Lost 2-0 yesterday. Come on now

[LT Profits]

Clay Buchholz's MRI revealed that he is suffering from a partial tear of the right flexor pronator mass in his right arm.

Not the best of signs for the Phillies here. Buchholz will pay a visit to Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion on Monday. After that examination, his future options figure to clarify some. Major surgery is a possibility. Buchholz sustained the forearm injury while throwing a pitch against the Marlins in the third inning Tuesday.

Source: Stephen Gross on Twitter

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Dave Kingman was cool , he either hit a HR or struckout .

Rob Deer, Steve Balboni, Pete Incaviglia..

[koz-man]

Man, Dogs were barking last night & Big one too!!!!

[BigSpoon]

Blue Jays struggling big time. 1-7. Lost 2-0 yesterday. Come on now

Lineup can't generate any offense this season so far. Only 23 runs scored in the 8 games.

[mr. leisure]

Lineup can't generate any offense this season so far. Only 23 runs scored in the 8 games.

Wow , that is pretty bad .

[Otters27]

Bluejays only score one run again. Donaldson pulls his hammy running out a double

[EmpireMaker]

Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson exited Thursday’s contest with what appears to be an aggravation of the calf injury that has plagued him on and off since early in Spring Training, as MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm writes. Donaldson doubled into the right field corner but came up lame after rounding first base and ultimately hobbled into second base. There’s no word on the extent of the injury just yet, but Donaldson began to walk off the field almost immediately after play had halted, and Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi tweets that a trip to the disabled list is a possibility. The 2015 American League MVP missed a significant portion of Spring Training and had a brief flare-up of the injury this past weekend.
Elsewhere in the AL East…

• Prior to the arbitration hearing that led to a controversial string of comments from Yankees president Randy Levine, right-hander Dellin Betances was offered a two-year deal that would have guaranteed him between $8MM and $8.5MM, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports in his latest AL Notes column. However, with Betances’ camp seeking as much as $5MM in arbitration, they elected to go on with the trial. Rejecting the deal seems reasonable, from my vantage point, as even after losing the trial Betances took home a $3MM figure for the 2017 season. Betances figures to earn more than $4MM next year in arbitration, so the downside in aiming high with the arbitration hearing was relatively minimal.
• Baseball America’s Ben Badler penned a harsh critique of the Orioles’ paltry investments in international free agency, noting that the O’s spent just $260K on international talent this period and signed only five players. As Badler notes, it’s nothing new, as Baltimore has routinely eschewed significant investments on the international market — much to the detriment of the farm system. Badler points out that even the cash-strapped division-rival Rays spent more than $3MM on 36 international amateurs in 2016 despite being in the metaphorical penalty box for shattering their pool in a previous signing period (thus preventing them from spending more than $300K on a single player). “[O]wnership’s antiquated approach toward Latin America prevents the Orioles’ international scouts from having the resources they need to do their jobs,” Badler writes. Indeed, Baltimore’s total spending is a pittance relative to the rest of the league; on the opposite end of the spectrum, the Padres spent nearly $80MM on international amateurs during the current signing period alone. Notably, the O’s traded their top international bonus slot to the Brewers tonight to acquire recently designated reliever Damien Magnifico.
• The Orioles will turn to Alec Asher to start versus Toronto on Saturday, writes Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. His selection to face a heavily right-handed lineup suggests that Baltimore plans to utilize its upper-level pitching depth on a case-by-case basis to fill Chris Tillman’s spot in the rotation while Tillman is out, Encina adds. Manager Buck Showalter elaborated on that concept a bit, telling Encina: “We know that has potential to be a moving piece until Chris gets back. We can play a little matchup there until we know for sure when we’re going to get Chris back. … The good news is we have some guys to pick from, not only there, but potentially in Bowie, too.” The Orioles added Asher in a minor Spring Training trade and also picked up several other potential options, including Gabriel Ynoa (in a trade with the Mets) and Richard Bleier (in a trade with the Yankees). Lefty Jayson Aquino was also a consideration for this weekend’s start, Encina notes, but the glut of righties he’d have faced led the team to turn to Asher instead. Tillman figures to be out until early May, so there should be quite a few more spot starts up for grabs among this group.

[El Nino]

If anyone is looking for a pitcher to fade next start, I nominate Jordan Zimmermann. Guy has no slider, can't control any breaking pitch. Walked 5 batters yesterday on full counts. He has zero left. Then, Caninal Canchez or some other garbage long reliever comes in. Fade fade fade

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Lineup can't generate any offense this season so far. Only 23 runs scored in the 8 games.

could be a long season in Toronto..

[BigSpoon]

could be a long season in Toronto..

If things continue downhill management could decide to blow things up and rebuild.

[Andy117]

He's still a butcher in the outfield, good thing he can hit a ball 1200 feet.

He's not a butcher in LF, he's not good in center but he's a pretty good LF.

[Chi_archie]

If anyone is looking for a pitcher to fade next start, I nominate Jordan Zimmermann. Guy has no slider, can't control any breaking pitch. Walked 5 batters yesterday on full counts. He has zero left. Then, Caninal Canchez or some other garbage long reliever comes in. Fade fade fade

nice

love info like this

[koz-man]

If anyone is looking for a pitcher to fade next start, I nominate Jordan Zimmermann. Guy has no slider, can't control any breaking pitch. Walked 5 batters yesterday on full counts. He has zero left. Then, Caninal Canchez or some other garbage long reliever comes in. Fade fade fade

I will be looking forward to this....

[stevenash]

How about that Russell Martin and his 1 for 24 start.

[mr. leisure]

Angels pitching is crap like I thought it would be .

[stevenash]

Angels pitching is crap like I thought it would be .

Did you drink the Shoemaker and Richards kool-ade?

[EmpireMaker]

Angels righty Garrett Richards may be due for a longer DL stint than had first been expected, as Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports. Richards has yet to pick up a ball since going down with a biceps strain. Given the time he has already missed, and the lack of progress thus far, it seems increasingly likely that some kind of rehab stint could be required. There’ll no doubt be some added caution taken given that Richards is only just returning from a lengthy rehab of a UCL injury. The Halos are going with J.C. Ramirez in his stead; he’ll take the ball to start a game in the big leagues for the first time tonight, as J.P. Hoornstra of the Orange County Register writes.

• The Nationals are still waiting to determine a timeline for shortstop Trea Turner to return, as Byron Kerr of MASNsports.com writes. Manager Dusty Baker suggested that the club is willing to allow Turner plenty of rest to ensure that there isn’t a larger setback. The hope, though, is that it isn’t a significant injury. Of course, fellow infielder Stephen Drew — Turner’s would-be replacement — also went down with a hammy strain. He’s more or less in the same boat, it seems. “There’s no timetable,” said Drew. “But I’ll do the best I can to get back as soon as possible.” While it’s hardly the Nats’ preference, they’ll at least get a good look at youngster Wilmer Difo in the meantime.
• Righty Tony Zych is back in action for the Mariners, with the club announcing he has been activated from the 10-day DL. Southpaw Dillon Overton is heading out on optional assignment to open a roster spot. Shoulder issues hampered Zych last year and forced him into surgery, but he’ll look to regain the excellent form he showed in 2015 — which would be quite welcome for a Seattle club that is off to a dreadful start. Meanwhile, Steve Cishek is nearing a rehab assignment and could be back in the majors, too, after he makes three or four appearances, MLB.com’s Greg Johns tweets.
• The Red Sox are beginning to chart a course for lefty David Price, as Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com reports. It’s possible that Price could be ready to face live hitters in a few days, with a rehab assignment representing the next likely step. McCaffrey suggests that he’ll require at least four outings in the minors, meaning it could still be another month until Price is back in Boston.
• Southpaw Rich Hill of the Dodgers is slated for a return on Sunday, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (via Twitter), the hope was that Hill’s blister wouldn’t prove too problematic during a pen session yesterday. It seems that he has come through unscathed, so he’ll step back into the rotation for L.A.
• Meanwhile, the Dodgers have activated setup man Pedro Baez, who missed most of camp after being struck on the thumb by a batted ball. The 29-year-old righty continued to show swing-and-miss stuff last year, and somewhat quietly has compiled a 3.08 ERA over 149 MLB frames, with 9.7 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9, over his three years in the majors. Despite four strong appearances thus far (no runs on one hit and one walk with six strikeouts), Josh Fields is headed to Triple-A to make way for Baez.

[Cross]

I wanna hear some early season MVP chatter, who do you guys have? I'll take Schwarber and Trout.

[Chi_archie]

How about that Russell Martin and his 1 for 24 start.

he should turn it around