Great to hear old man Jim Edmonds back outta retirement!
-
Comment -
Yankees trying to blow that huge lead. Love it!Comment -
Are blue jays hitting their stride right now?Comment -
The Jays are playing well, but the best they can hope for is a wildcard.Comment -
The Padres have selected outfielder Luis Liberato onto the MLB roster. Catcher Cam Gallagher was designated for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot, while Austin Nola is headed to the paternity list in an active roster move.
Liberato, 26, is headed to the big leagues for the first time. A native of the Dominican Republic, he joined pro ball back in 2012 on a deal with the Mariners. Liberato spent eight years in the Seattle system, playing his way as high as Triple-A but never reaching the big leagues. He reached minor league free agency at the end of last season and changed organizations for the first time, joining San Diego on a non-roster pact.
The Friars assigned Liberato to Triple-A El Paso, and he’s impressed during his first year in the system. The left-handed hitter owns a .261/.354/.541 line with 20 home runs across 390 trips to the plate. He’s struck out at a slightly above-average 25.4% clip, but he’s compensated by walking in 12.3% of his trips and collecting 50 extra-base hits.
Liberato has played a fair bit of center field in El Paso, so he’ll add some depth at all three outfield positions for manager Bob Melvin. The Friars haven’t gotten much this season out of Trent Grisham or José Azocar in center field, perhaps giving Liberato an opportunity to pick up some starts there down the stretch.
Gallagher just joined the organization five weeks ago. San Diego acquired the backstop from the Royals for outfielder Brent Rooker in the final trade announced at the August 2 deadline. The 29-year-old never appeared in an MLB game as a Padre, as he’s spent his entire tenure in El Paso. Gallagher stumbled to a .255/.317/.382 line over 16 games with the Chihuahuas. With Nola, Luis Campusano, Jorge Alfaro and Brett Sullivan already on the 40-man roster, the Friars have elected to move on from Gallagher rather quickly.
A right-handed hitter, Gallagher has spent the majority of his career backing up Salvador Pérez in Kansas City. He’s reached the majors in each of the last six years but never played in more than 48 games in any individual season. Gallagher is a career .240/.302/.355 hitter in 469 plate appearances, and he’s a .269/.330/.378 batter through parts of four Triple-A campaigns.
San Diego will have to place Gallagher on outright or release waivers in the next few days. Given the general demand for experienced catching, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him latch on elsewhere. This is his final minor league option year, meaning a claiming team could stash Gallagher in the minors for the rest of the season but would need to carry him on the Opening Day roster or designate him for assignment next year.Comment -
Mets had a good run but they are done even if they go as the WCComment -
The 2022 season is officially over for Marlins second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., as MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola (Twitter link) reports that Chisholm is still rehabbing from a stress fracture in his back. Chisholm hasn’t played since June 28 and is thus eligible to be activated off the 60-day injured list at any time. There hasn’t been any type of setback in the second baseman’s recovery, and yet since the Marlins aren’t in contention, they opted to shut him down rather than bring Chisholm back for a few meaningless games.
Chisholm was initially placed on the IL with a strain in his lower back, though reports surfaced on July 22 that Chisholm was suffering from a stress fracture. Given the initial six-week recovery timeline and the subsequent follow-up time needed for a minor league rehab assignment, it already seemed a little unlikely that Chisholm would take the field again this season.
Injuries have already been a recurring theme of Chisholm’s short career, as he spent time on the injured list last season due to a hamstring problem and a shoulder contusion. Since making his MLB debut on September 1, 2020, Chisholm has played in only 205 big league games, though his performance in 2022 underlines why he was such a highly-touted prospect.
Chisholm’s first-half performance earned the 24-year-old his first All-Star selection, as he hit .254/.325/.535 with 14 home runs. Between this strong offensive performance, excellent baserunning, and good defense (in the eyes of the Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved metrics), Chisholm generated 2.5 fWAR over only 60 games played.
It speaks to Miami’s disappointing season that Chisholm is still second on the team in fWAR, behind only Sandy Alcantara’s 4.8 total. The lack of punch throughout the lineup quite possibly might have kept the Marlins out of contention even if Chisholm has remained healthy, yet losing the second baseman ended whatever chance Miami might’ve had at a playoff berth. The Marlins were 39-40 on July 5, but have since posted an 18-40 record.
If there is any plus side to be found, Chisholm is expected to be ready for the start of the 2023 campaign, so the Marlins can now proceed with one cornerstone tentatively in place. Plenty of other decisions remain throughout the roster, of course, and the club might again be looking to move some young pitching in trades to acquire some offensive help.Comment -
They seemed to peak too early. You can never tell about a team that good in the playoffs though. They have pitching and that's what always wins in the playoffs. I think Atlanta is better than them and arguably either St. Louis or San Diego. It's starting to look like they'll meet the 5th seed in the WC round too so they could go home early but I still think their pitching gives them a chance in a short series so we'll see what happens.Comment -
Would be epic if both New York teams choke their seasons away.Comment -
Like I said they have a chance against any team they face with the pitching they have even the Dodgers. However, they can probably lose to any team they face and with the Braves close to overtaking them for the division it's not a guarantee that they even face the Dodgers.Comment -
The Yankees peaked too early.Comment -
Twins can’t do this without Buxton.Comment -
They were due for a regression after getting off to such a hot start but I didn't see them being in danger of losing the division lead at any point. They depend too much on Aaron Judge and the home run ball. That's not going to work in the playoffs when being able to manufacture runs without the long ball becomes magnified.Comment -
The Pirates will promote pitching prospect Luis Ortiz to the majors, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports (Twitter link). It will be a Major League debut for Ortiz, a 23-year-old right-hander who was an international signing in 2018. The Bucs will need to make some corresponding moves to create space on the active and 40-man rosters.
Ortiz is rated by Baseball America as Pittsburgh’s 22nd-best prospect, with BA’s scouting report describing Ortiz as “perhaps the most improved pitcher in the Pirates’ system.” After pitching in A-ball in 2021, Ortiz began the 2022 campaign at Double-A and has a combined 4.56 ERA over 124 1/3 innings at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. The home run ball has been an issue for Ortiz, but he has solid walk, strikeout, and grounder rates that belie his forgettable ERA.
His most recent outing was a gem, as Ortiz threw six no-hit innings for Triple-A Indianapolis on September 8. That would seemingly put Ortiz to make his MLB debut on Tuesday, when the Pirates have a doubleheader against the Reds. It remains to be seen if the Pirates will properly start Ortiz in one of the two games, or if they could look to ease him into action as part of a bullpen game or as a bulk pitcher.
The bullpen might eventually end up being Ortiz’s long-term destination, though naturally the Pirates will first see what he can do as a starter before exploring relief assignments. Ortiz’s upper-90s fastball profiles well as a signature pitch, and he complements that fastball with a quality slider and an improving changeup.Comment -
Brewers are just 2 games back from the wildcardComment -
Actually, playoffs are being won with the long ball, not small ball. Baseball has changed.Comment -
Dodgers choke this year in the playoffs again??Comment -
The Giants are keeping around one of their impending free agents, announcing agreement with infielder Wilmer Flores on a multi-year deal. The contract reportedly pays Flores $6.5MM in each of the next two seasons and contains a player/club option for 2025. That season, Flores will first have to decide on a $3.5MM player option; if he declines, the team can keep him in the fold by triggering an $8.5MM club option. Between his salaries over the next two seasons and the value of the player option, Flores is technically guaranteed $16.5MM over three years.
Flores, 31, played six seasons with the Mets and one with the Diamondbacks to begin his career. Prior to the 2020 season, he signed with the Giants on a two-year deal with a $6.25MM guarantee. That came in the form of a $3MM salary in 2020 and 2021, with a $250K buyout $3.5MM club option for 2022.
Although he’s never been an All-Star, Flores has been steadily above-average at the plate for years and that’s been true of his time in San Fran as well. In 2020, he hit 12 home runs in the shortened season and produced a batting line of .268/.315/.515. That production was 19% above league average, as evidenced by his 119 wRC+. He followed that up with 18 homers in 2021 and a line of .262/.335/.447, 112 wRC+. The Giants made the easy call of exercising their option for 2022 and were rewarded with another solid Flores season. He’s added another 18 homers already this year, with an overall slash line of .235/.319/.414, wRC+ of 107. This is the seventh consecutive season in which Flores has registered a wRC+ between 102 and 119. Instead of returning to the open market, he will stick in San Francisco for another couple seasons.
He has produced that consistently solid work at the plate while also giving the Giants defensive versatility, something they clearly value highly in players. In all three of his seasons with the Giants, he has bounced between first base, second base and third base as needed. That’s been especially important for a club that features some older or injury-prone regulars like Evan Longoria, Brandon Belt and Tommy La Stella. Going forward, La Stella has one more year on his contract but he hasn’t played much defense this year, taking the field for just 66 innings so far. It’s also possible Longoria and Belt won’t be around next year. Belt is heading to free agency after this year and faces an uncertain road ahead, having just undergone surgery on his oft-injured knee. Longoria could be retained for next year via a $13MM club option with a $5MM buyout, though he told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he has at least given some thought to retirement.
Given the uncertainty surrounding those infielders, it makes sense to lock up a reliable and versatile contributor like Flores. He can now be penciled into an infield mix that includes La Stella, rookie David Villar, Thairo Estrada, Brandon Crawford, J.D. Davis, with LaMonte Wade Jr. perhaps playing some first base or returning to strictly outfield work. Crawford and La Stella are both slated to become free agents after 2023, which will further thin out this group for the second year of Flores’ deal.
The Giants ran an Opening Day payroll of $155MM here in 2022, according to Cot’s Contracts. Flores’ deal pushes the team’s 2023 payroll commitments to around $95MM, in the estimation of Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. That doesn’t include arbitration raises for players like Mike Yastrzemski or Logan Webb, but it does include Carlos Rodón’s $22.5MM. As long as Rodón finishes the season healthy, he will exercise the opt out on his deal and return to free agency in search of a larger payday.
It’s been a disappointing season for the Giants, as they followed up their 107-win campaign in 2021 with a 67-73 record so far in 2022. It figures to be a very interesting offseason, as the club will head into the winter with many holes that need to be filled but lots of payroll space available for addressing them. Anthony DeSclafani is the only player under contract for 2024 and the slate is completely clean beyond that, giving the Giants the ability to make a sizable commitment, or commitments, before Spring Training. But for now, they’ve retained one of their most stable and dependable guys to bolster their infield mix, giving them one less thing to worry about over the winter.Comment -
The Mets can't seem to beat your Cubbies. Not a good sign as we head down the stretch run and into the playoffs. I think they very well could lose in the first round if they can't hit better than they have been lately. I know they have tremendous pitching but those guys need run support or else it won't matter.Comment -
DeGrom probably thinking, if I can’t beat them, maybe I should play for them next year after tonight. Go Cubs!Comment -
Cubs outfielder Rafael Ortega fractured his left ring finger during tonight’s contest with the Mets, relays Sahadev Sharma of the Athletic (Twitter link). The injury is expected to end his 2022 season. Ortega suffered the injury while attempting to lay down a bunt against Jacob deGrom. He was immediately replaced by Michael Hermosillo, who’s a candidate to assume the vacated center field reps for the season’s final few weeks. Utilityman Christopher Morel has also played a fair amount of center field this year, but defensive metrics have panned his work there (and indeed all around the diamond). Chicago also has rookie Nelson Velázquez on the active roster, but he’s struggled offensively at both the MLB and Triple-A levels this year.
Signed to a minor league deal over the 2020-21 offseason, Ortega cracked the big league roster in May 2021. The journeyman impressed during his first season on the North Side, hitting a career-best .291/.360/.463 with 11 home runs and 12 stolen bases. A .349 batting average on balls in play certainly propped up those results, but Ortega had a decent blend of contact skills and power that earned him a permanent roster spot.
Ortega retained that job and has tallied a career high 371 trips to the plate this year. His offensive output has dipped from last year’s heights, as he carries a .241/.311/.358 line. The batted ball fortune has swung in the opposite direction, as Ortega has posted a below-average .285 BABIP this year. He’s nevertheless drawn walks at a robust 11.9% clip while only striking out 19.9% of the time.
The 31-year-old is a virtual lock to reach arbitration for the first time this offseason as a Super Two qualifier. He’s controllable through 2026, but the Cubs could entertain trade offers this winter given his age and the team’s retooling status. Ortega’s capable of covering all three outfield spots and offers a high-contact lefty bat that could make him a decent fourth outfield option for a contender. The offseason center field market is quite thin beyond Aaron Judge and Brandon Nimmo, so it’s possible teams searching for depth at the position could consider Ortega, assuming the finger injury isn’t expected to affect his readiness for next Spring Training.Comment -
Degrom would be a lock for a cy young if the mets could score runs for him.Comment
