-
Comment -
Indians GM Mike Chernoff called this offseason "a balancing act." The Indians basically went over budget by spending more than $300M combined the last two years and then cut costs throughout the winter in hopes of saving money while still contending for a championship and also improving their farm system.
The Indians lead the AL in wins the last six years but are projected to have an Opening Day payroll of about $116M, roughly $20M less than 12 months earlier. Chernoff: "We're not a large-market team. We can't just go crazy payroll-wise. ... We needed to put ourselves in a healthier and more sustainable position financially and also infuse young talent into our system."Comment -
Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney has been shut down due to ongoing discomfort stemming from inflammation in his left elbow, the team revealed to reporters (Twitter link via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register). While that’s clearly unwelcome news for a Halos staff that has been ravaged by injuries over the past several seasons, the good news is that an MRI has already been performed, with no structural damage being found.
It’s not clear yet just when the Angels believe Heaney will be ready to throw. Fletcher notes that Heaney dealt with a similar issue last spring but wound up missing only a week and a half of the regular season. Meanwhile, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweets that Heaney is optimistic he’ll be able to resume throwing in the near future. However, he’s only totaled 1 2/3 innings this spring, which seemingly makes it unlikely that he’ll be ready to start the season in two weeks.
Heaney, 27, pitched to a 4.15 ERA with 9.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 1.35 HR/9 and a 41.2 percent ground-ball rate in 180 innings of work (30 starts). That marked only the second time in his career that Heaney was able to make more than five starts at the MLB level or pitch more than 100 innings. To this point, the clearly talented lefty — he’s a former first-round pick and consensus top prospect — has been snakebit by injury issues, most notably including Tommy John surgery.
With Heaney now looking decidedly unlikely to be ready to take the mound early in the season, the Angels project to rely upon Matt Harvey, Trevor Cahill and Tyler Skaggs as the top three arms in the rotation. Jaime Barria and Felix Pena are strong candidates for those final two rotation spots, although the Angels do have alternatives including offseason pickup Dillon Peters, who has been sharp thus far in Spring Training (one run in 10 innings). Nick Tropeano isn’t expected to be ready for the opener either, while J.C. Ramirez and Shohei Ohtani aren’t options following 2018 Tommy John surgery.Comment -
Hope Heaney can come back strong, he was money last yearComment -
whats better spring training in AZ or FL?Comment -
Red Sox DH Martinez sits with tight back
Boston Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez was a late scratch with a tight back in Wednesday's spring training game against the Minnesota Twins, and he is expected to sit for at least a couple of days to give it time to heal.
"We're not going to take a chance," manager Alex Cora said. "He wasn't going to play tomorrow anyway, so he'll come here, get treatment and see how he feels."
Cora said Martinez will not travel with the team to Tampa, Florida, on Friday to play the New York Yankees.
"If he's OK to play, probably get at-bats on the minor league side," Cora said. "There's no need to rush him."
Martinez, who had been injury-prone earlier in his career, was an iron man for the Red Sox last season, appearing in 150 games, with a .330 average, 43 home runs and 130 RBIs.Comment -
ESPN ranks the top 100 players in MLB (not a fantasy ranking list):http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/2...ank-2019-1-100Comment -
Ya, I heard about Hagerty. That is a cool story!Comment -
Puig being mad about the trade still saying, "Dodgers did not get anybody that can help the team like he did"Comment -
I think most everyone would rather go to Florida but I think there are those that would only go wherever their favorite team is playing. Personally, I've never been to spring training and if I ever did go its probably to Arizona where the Giants play their spring training games.Comment -
Going to Cubs/Red Sox in Zona soon, can’t wait!!Comment -
The Tigers have shut down righty Michael Fulmer, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reports (Twitter links). Manager Ron Gardenhire says that Fulmer “took a step back to refine his lower body mechanics.”
Typically, pitchers only hit the shelf in mid-March if they are dealing with an arm problem or other injury. That doesn’t seem to be the case here, though it could be that the team sees some risk in allowing Fulmer to keep throwing. He underwent knee surgery last fall and has shown reduced velocity thus far this spring.
Fulmer, who’s slated to earn $2.8MM after losing an arbitration hearing, is a key asset for the rebuilding Detroit organization. While the team’s outlook for the coming season is poor regardless, the hope had been that Fulmer would get back on track after a rough 2018 season.
There’s still time for Fulmer to re-discover his established ceiling. He turns 26 tomorrow and has three more arb-eligible seasons beyond 2019. First, he’ll need to work through the issues that the club has identified.
As things stand, says Gardenhire, there’s “no timetable on when [Fulmer is] going to get back on the mound.” That leaves the door open for Daniel Norris or another hurler to earn a shot. Matt Hall, Ryan Carpenter, and Spencer Turnbull are among the other potential candidates with some MLB experience and 40-man spots.Comment -
Man Fulmer used to be a QS machine...hope he figures it out, could be a nice stash later onComment -
Bryce Harper left today's game after taking a 96-mph fastball to his ankle.Comment -
Nationals outfielder Michael A. Taylor has been diagnosed with a sprained left knee and hip, manager Dave Martinez tells reporters including Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post (Twitter link). Taylor is expected to “miss a significant amount of time,” per Martinez.
That’s rather unwelcome news for the Nats, who were slated to utilize Taylor quite often to spell the oft-injured Adam Eaton and youngster Victor Robles. With Howie Kendrick also still on the mend, the team now has a yawning gap in its bench mix.
Looking to the 40-man roster, the left-handed-hitting Andrew Stevenson is the only option. He has struggled at the plate in limited MLB opportunities and has not impressed in Grapefruit League action this spring. Hunter Jones is the only non-roster outfielder in camp. The 27-year-old had a nice season last year in the upper minors but has also not produced much offense in spring action. It’s also possible the team could trust Wilmer Difo with some innings on the grass, though he has little experience there and carries a light bat.
It stands to reason that the Nationals will consider outside options, though Taylor’s precise timeline will help dictate the approach. Veteran center fielder Austin Jackson remains unsigned and could potentially step into Taylor’s role. He’s nowhere near the fielder that Taylor is at this stage of his career — in fact, metrics graded him quite poorly last year — but is an amply experienced option who was a productive hitter as recently as 2017. Old friend Denard Span is also on the market, as is Carlos Gonzalez, though both players hit from the left side and neither would really present an option up the middle. The trade market may also present some possibilities, particularly as late-spring roster decisions are made.Comment -
Is that Switch pitcher Pat Vendette still in the majors?Comment -
Do you guys post closer updates on this thread as well?Comment -
-
Adrian Gonzalez still looking for a job.Comment -
Hopefully I can send a vid of a Schwarbomb coming my way!Comment
