MLB Rumors: The Early-Season Buzz Around Every Team
Its speed may vary from day to day, but baseball's rumor mill never comes to a complete stop. While we often think of the rumor mill as a place where only free agents and trades are discussed, the truth is that anything and everything that goes on in baseball seems to wind up on the mill at one point or another.
Granted, we're only two weeks into the regular season, and the mill is spinning about as quickly as a Jamie Moyer fastball, but the buzz is growing louder with each passing day.
While we've tried to keep the focus on the player transaction part of the mill, there simply isn't rumor or speculation out there in that regard for every team. In those cases, we'll focus on where the buzz is coming from—whether it's the prospect who looks ready for prime time, a player working his way back from injury or a free-agent signing or trade that might come weeks or months down the road.
Let's take a look at the early-season buzz around MLB, shall we?
Arizona Diamondbacks
1 of 30
How Much Rope Will Arizona Give Its Young Arms?
Whether the general consensus is that he's spot on or completely off his rocker, Arizona general manager Dave Stewart believes that he's put together a team that's capable of contending in 2015.
“Everything depends on pitching,” he told The New York Times' Tyler Kepner in a recent phone interview. “Every team I've ever been on that was a good team, their pitching was good. So as quickly as our young pitchers can mature is going to determine whether we contend or don’t."
Thus far, Arizona's starting rotation has been a complete disaster, pitching to baseball's fifth-highest ERA (5.33) and highest WHIP (1.65). Only two pitchers—Archie Bradley and Rubby De La Rosa—have delivered a quality start (one each), and the opposition is hitting a robust .323 with a .907 OPS against the Diamondbacks.
So it's fair to wonder just how long Stewart will let this current group continue before making wholesale changes. While veterans Bronson Arroyo and Patrick Corbin will return around midseason from Tommy John surgery, the team can count on neither one to carry the load.
Could Stewart look outside the organization for reinforcements?
Are Changes Coming to the Outfield?
If Stewart is considering a pitcher from outside the organization, it would stand to reason that he'd look to flip one of his outfielders for that arm, especially now that the club has five of them on its active roster after calling up Yasmany Tomas and not nearly enough playing time to go around.
Except that he's not.
"Quite frankly, I haven't thought about it (trading an outfielder) at all," Stewart told AZ Central's Nick Piecoro. "I like our outfield. I think I said this earlier in the spring, if this gets to be a situation where it's just not workable, then we've got guys who've got options. That's unfortunate for somebody, but right now, the way we have it, it's working, so there's no point in thinking about it at this point."
While it's understandable that the team would want to get some sort of immediate return from Tomas after signing him to a six-year, $68.5 million deal this past winter, having him ride the bench in the majors rather than playing every day in the minors doesn't make much sense.
Atlanta Braves
2 of 30
Are Changes Coming To the Back End of the Rotation?
It's a question that needs to be asked, because thus far, both Trevor Cahill and Eric Stults have been, well, dreadful. As The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Michael Cunningham points out, the two veterans have pitched to a combined 8.05 ERA over three starts.
Granted, three starts isn't a large sample size, but when the results are that ugly, how much do you actually need to see before making a change?
While Manny Banuelos and Mike Foltynewicz have both walked four batters in one of their two starts for Triple-A Gwinnett and have issued a combined 12 free passes, the pair has been solid overall, pitching to a 2.08 ERA while striking out 22 over 17.1 innings of work.
“I really liked Manny tonight,” Gwinnett manager Brian Snitker told Scott Smith of the Gwinnett Daily Post after Banuelos, 24, made his latest start this past Tuesday. “He had a good mix going and was banging strikes. He got those first start jitters out of the way and looked as good as I've seen him all spring.”
Should Cahill and Stults continue to deliver less-than-adequate results in the big leagues, it won't be long before the Braves give one of their young arms a chance in the big leagues.
Baltimore Orioles
3 of 30
Is It Time To Mix Things Up in the Bullpen?
As MASN Sports' Roch Kubatko notes, Baltimore's bullpen has allowed at least one run in each of the team's nine games. The Orioles have one of two bullpens in the majors with an ERA above 5.00 (5.23), though the group's WHIP (1.29) and batting average against (.233) aren't terrible.
Tommy Hunter, who began the 2014 season as the team's closer, has been one of the least effective members of that bullpen, allowing six hits and six earned runs over 3.2 innings of relief.
"Tommy's got so much, I don't know, loose energy," manager Buck Showalter told Kubatko. "He wants to contribute so bad he kind of gets out of whack a little bit. Gets into overthrow mode. It's hard to back him off. Got a big strikeout of (Alex) Rodriguez. He'll be better. His track record says he'll go through some bumps and you'll like him when it's all said and done."
It's not as if the team doesn't have other options. Veteran reliever T.J. McFarland, who is being stretched out as a starter with Triple-A Norfolk, would seem like the most obvious option to join the fray.
Another option could be 27-year-old Steve Johnson, who has pitched to a 2.89 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 38 strikeouts in 28 innings as a major league reliever. He has been solid out of the pen for Norfolk, fanning 10 batters in only 4.1 innings of work.
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Boston Red Sox
4 of 30
How Long Will Boston Wait Before Making Changes to the Rotation?
If I told you in spring training that, in the team's first nine regular-season games, Boston's rotation would allow 34 earned runs and 43 hits over 48.2 innings, where would you expect to find the Red Sox in the standings?
Not in first place, that's for sure. But that's exactly where Boston sits, atop the AL East despite getting some awful performances out of its starting rotation. Only two of the starters—Joe Kelly (1.29) and Rick Porcello (3.86)—have an ERA below 7.50.
"We have the capability from a starting standpoint to keep a game under control, but it needs to be more consistent this time through the rotation," manager John Farrell told The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo after Wade Miley allowed seven earned runs in only 2.1 innings against Washington this past Wednesday. "The need to get deeper into games is going to be required. We have the capability of doing that. We've shown it. We have a track record of it being done.”
While Farrell is right in saying that the group has a track record of success to reflect on, that's going to start ringing hollow should the Red Sox struggle on this next trip through the rotation. Should that happen, the team will have to make changes.
Whether that involves trading for a starter or promoting some of the young talent—Matt Barnes, Brian Johnson, Henry Owens and Eduardo Rodriguez are the most notable names down on the farm—remains to be seen.
But continuing to throw the likes of Clay Buchholz, Justin Masterson and Miley every fifth day and expecting a different result would be almost as crazy as the idea that a first-place team could have such an ineffective rotation.
Chicago Cubs
5 of 30
When Will Then Be Now For Kris Bryant?
Jon Lester's pickoff woes provided a temporary distraction, but the focus in Chicago is back on the team's uber-prospect, Kris Bryant, and when he'll make his major league debut. The date every Cubs fan has had circled on their calendars—or programmed into their smartphones, April 17—is nearly upon us.
Friday is the day when the club can promote Bryant and gain an extra year of control, which would theoretically keep him in a Cubs uniform through the 2021 season. Were he to be promoted before the April 17, he'd be a free agent following the 2020 campaign.
"I don't want to speculate," president of baseball operations Theo Epstein told ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers about whether Bryant would be joining the Cubs at some point over the weekend. "Depends on what's happening with the roster, what's happening with his development. We don't know yet."
With Tommy LaStella on the disabled list, there's some flexibility with his roster spot. It's currently occupied by left-handed reliever Zac Rosscup, but that doesn't figure to be a long-term move. "We need the extra bullpen arm (now)," Epstein told Rogers. "We'll see where we are later in the homestand."
That's the other issue. As Rogers points out, the Cubs tend to prefer promoting top talent when they are on the road. They figure to do the same with Bryant.
| Javier Baez | 8/5/14 | at Colorado | 1-for-6, HR, RBI |
| Kris Bryant | 4/20/15? | at Pittsburgh | He's got to go deep, right? |
| Starlin Castro | 5/7/10 | at Cincinnati | 2-for-5, HR, 6 RBI |
| Anthony Rizzo* | 6/26/12 | vs. New York (NL) | 2-for-4, 2B, RBI |
| Jorge Soler | 8/27/14 | at Cincinnati | 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI |
That would make Monday, April 20, when the team heads to Pittsburgh, the earliest probable date that Bryant would get the call. Of course, LaStella will be eligible to come off the disabled list next week, so more than one roster move would need to be made in order to fit Bryant in.
So the answer to our question, as anyone who has seen Spaceballs knows, is soon. But just how soon remains to be seen.
*Rizzo made his MLB debut as a member of the San Diego Padres on June 9, 2011, at home against Washington. He went 1-for-2 with two walks. The date listed above was his Cubs debut.
Chicago White Sox
6 of 30
The Carlos Rodon Watch Has Begun
While CSN Chicago's Dan Hayes broke the news that Chicago's top prospect, 22-year-old southpaw Carlos Rodon, wouldn't be the team's yet-to-be-named starter for Sunday's game against Detroit (Jose Quintana figures to get the nod), Rodon is not far off from making his major league debut.
He struck out nine batters over five innings of two-run ball in his Triple-A debut for Charlotte and showed off his mental toughness to get out of trouble in his final frame.
After walking the first two batters he faced in the fifth and watching both score on a two-base error by outfielder Trayce Thompson, Rodon sent a pair of former major leaguers—Nolan Reimold and Chris Parmelee—down on strikes with his high-90s fastball, per The Charlotte Observer's Seth Lasko.
As he did this spring, Rodon continues to show that he's ready for prime time. While he won't join the rotation in time to face Detroit, it's only a matter of time before he's called upon to replace Hector Noesi, who doesn't belong in a major league rotation at this point.
Cincinnati Reds
7 of 30
Is a Bullpen Shake-up Coming?
Outside of Aroldis Chapman and J.J. Hoover, Cincinnati's bullpen has been anything but a strength in 2015. A combined 4.55 ERA and 1.55 WHIP finds the group ranked among the worst relief corps in the game, but manager Bryan Price isn't ready to make any changes.
"I can't blow these guys up because they have a rough couple of games," Price told the Cincinnati Enquirer's John Fay. "We have such a short sample size in the season. It's not a matter of losing confidence in Jumbo (Diaz). He's capable of throwing that eighth. It's just these last two games."
Diaz, pitching in place of the erratic Kevin Gregg, has allowed four earned runs and two home runs over his last two innings of work. Both counted as blown saves and missed opportunities for the Reds to add another victory to the win column.
"It's hard to say: 'You didn't get the job done, so the next day you've lost your job,'" Price continued. "You can't ask these guys to be emotionally confident in themselves if I jerk them out of a role the first time they don't get the job done."
That may be true—but you can't ask the rest of the roster to be emotionally confident in the bullpen when it continually struggles. And it's not like the club is without options on the farm.
Veteran reliever Sam LeCure is waiting in the wings at Triple-A, as are starters Raisel Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen. While there's something to be said for keeping Iglesias and Lorenzen stretched out down on the farm, if they can help the major league club in relief, why shouldn't they?
Cleveland Indians
8 of 30
Replacing Yan Gomes' Replacement
While I still suggest that a trade for Toronto's Dioner Navarro makes the most sense for Cleveland in the wake of Yan Gomes' sprained MCL, an injury that will keep him sidelined until sometime in June, the Indians are set to roll with 26-year-old backup Roberto Perez as their starter.
But who backs up Perez? Currently, it's 31-year-old Brett Hayes, a .209 hitter over parts of six major league seasons. But his stay in Cleveland may be short, as Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Indians might look outside the organization for an alternative.
J.P. Arencibia is available as a free agent and has power from the right side of the plate, but he strikes out a ton and is a defensive liability. Trade options include Baltimore's Steve Clevenger, Chicago's George Kottaras and New York's Austin Romine, though it's possible the Indians prefer Hayes over all of them.
Colorado Rockies
9 of 30
Will the Ninth Inning Continue to be a Revolving Door?
Two weeks into the regular season, Colorado is on its third closer of the year, moving from LaTroy Hawkins to Rafael Betancourt to Adam Ottavino.
“Otto’s going to be the closer for now,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss told The Associated Press (via CBS Denver) a day after the 29-year-old picked up his first save of the year against San Francisco on Tuesday. “I brought him in last night, he did a great job. That’s how I’m going to use him.”
It's easy to overlook the key phrase in Weiss' remarks—"for now." Does that mean that Ottavino will be on a short leash, replaced by the since displaced Hawkins or Betancourt at the first sign of trouble?
While the Rockies have been wildly successful to start the year and Ottavino has the stuff and makeup to be a successful closer, a team typically needs stability and clearly defined roles at the back end of the bullpen in order to maintain that level of success.
It will be interesting to see how this situation develops, as it could potentially become a distraction for the club moving forward—though not on the same level as the inevitable Troy Tulowitzki trade rumors that figure to pick up as we get closer to the July 31 trade deadline.
Detroit Tigers
10 of 30
Will Joe Nathan Be Detroit's Closer When He Returns?
Considering all of the issues that Detroit has had in recent years at the end of its bullpen, you'd think that when the club had a pitcher who was getting into a good groove in the ninth inning, it would keep him there.
Think again.
Despite Joakim Soria converting all four save opportunities that he's had and not allowing a baserunner, much less a run, in five of his six relief appearances, the Tigers plan on handing the ball back to Joe Nathan once he returns from the 15-day disabled list.
"We'll see what happens, but that's the plan," manager Brad Ausmus told MLB.com's Jason Beck. "The most important thing, obviously, is to get him back."
The most important thing should be solidifying the back end of the bullpen.
Sidelined by a right elbow flexor strain and not yet cleared to pick up a ball, Nathan's return is still a ways off, and things could change between now and then. But why mess with something that's working?
Rafael Soriano Is on Detroit's Radar
Multiple reports have indicated that Detroit is keeping an eye on veteran closer Rafael Soriano's workouts at the Boras Sports Institute in Florida. The latest is from The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, who says that "it wouldn't be shocking if they (the Tigers) pulled the trigger (on a deal)."
Soriano, 35, had an up-and-down year with Washington in 2014. He entered the All-Star break with a minuscule 0.97 ERA and 0.81 WHIP while converting all but two of his 24 save chances. But he fell apart in the second half, pitching to a 6.48 ERA and 1.60 WHIP while blowing five saves in 15 attempts.
But as MLive.com's James Schmehl writes, if Detroit passes on Soriano—a Scott Boras client— it would likely have more to do with money than his second-half performance a year ago:
"Boras' asking price for his client remains unclear, but Soriano is believed to be seeking a multi-year deal that would pay him upwards of $10 million in 2015. That's a lot of guaranteed money, and money that the Tigers would prefer not to spend, considering they've already invested $172 million-plus in this year's payroll.
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Then again, if the Tigers are convinced that Soriano can help the club get to where it wants to go, what's another $10 million?
Houston Astros
11 of 30
Has Josh Fields Become Trade Bait?
Houston, we have a problem—except this time it's a really good one. The Astros, for the first time in years, have more quality relievers than they know what to do with.
The team would like to bring 29-year-old Josh Fields into the fold, but it wants him to get a little more work in as he works his way back from a strained right groin. The bigger problem is that the Astros don't have an available roster spot to give him—and they don't want to remove anyone from a group that's pitched to baseball's third-lowest ERA (1.59) and WHIP (0.74).
“(It's a) little bit of both,” manager A.J. Hinch told the Houston Chronicle's Evan Drellich. “You want to make sure he’s fully comfortable and his pitches both have quality and comfort for him. I think it could happen quickly. It also could be a couple more outings.”
Were the club to subtract anyone from the current group, it would likely be Will Harris, but the 30-year-old right-hander has allowed only one hit over five scoreless innings, striking out five.
Given the need for quality relief around the game, it wouldn't at all be surprising to see the Astros look to move Fields or Harris in an attempt to clear up the logjam and perhaps strengthen another part of the roster.
Kansas City Royals
12 of 30
Rios' Replacement Will Come from Within
Rather than look outside the organization to replace Alex Rios in right field for the next three-to-six weeks as he recovers from a fractured left hand, Kansas City will let Jarrod Dyson and Paulo Orlando, the latter one of the big surprises of spring training, split time in the veteran's absence.
Fans hoping to see 26-year-old Brett Eibner, who hit .500 (16-for-32) and led the team with six home runs this spring, get a shot might be disappointed, but you can't fault the Royals for going with what they currently have on the 25-man roster first.
Los Angeles Angels
13 of 30
Garrett Richards Set to Make His 2015 Debut?
Eight months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn tendon in his left knee, Garrett Richards looks to be on track to make his return to action Sunday against Houston.
“His stuff looked good,” manager Mike Scioscia told the Los Angeles Times' Mike DiGiovanna after Richards' latest rehab start with Triple-A Salt Lake. “I think his command maybe wasn't as crisp at some points, but he moved well. I think he felt good. We’ll evaluate him when he gets here and see what the next step will be.”
Richards, 26, emerged as the team's ace last year with a breakout campaign, going 13-4 with a 2.61 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over 26 starts before going down for the year with a knee injury.
Even if he's not back in top form (chances are he'll need a few starts to work off the rust), his return will be a welcome addition to a rotation that has struggled out of the gate, pitching to a 5.26 ERA and 1.32 WHIP.
Los Angeles Dodgers
14 of 30
How Much Will It Take for Andre Ethier To Be Traded?
It was reported by CBS Sports' Jon Heyman in early March that Los Angeles was willing to pick up "about half" of the $56 million left on Andre Ethier's contract to facilitate a deal, but no deal materialized.
The club is still "all ears" about an Ethier trade, per The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, and is still willing to offer financial relief to interested parties, but there's no indication as to how much. Is it still roughly half of his deal? More? Less?
Dodgers Already Have a Deal with Yadier Alvarez?
More than a few scouts have told FanGraphs' Kiley McDaniel that there's a belief in the scouting community that 19-year-old Cuban right-hander Yadier Alvarez has already agreed to a $16 million deal with the Dodgers. His representatives deny that a deal is in place.
Los Angeles is expected to spend lavishly on the international market after July 2, when the 2015-16 year for international spending begins, and Alvarez is believed to be one of its top targets.
While the rumored deal would actually cost the team $32 million due to the dollar-for-dollar penalty it would face for exceeding its international spending limits, with McDaniel comparing his talent to that of Brady Aiken—the southpaw Houston selected with the first overall pick in the 2014 draft but failed to sign—it might be worth it.
Miami Marlins
15 of 30
What Will Miami Do if Henderson Alvarez Is Lost for a Lengthy Period of Time?
While Miami and its fans hope for the best with Henderson Alvarez's MRI, the Marlins are more concerned about what the results will reveal about his right shoulder than his elbow, according to Fox Sports' Jon Morosi.
If the results show that Miami will be without the 24-year-old's services for a significant period of time, how the club replaces him in the rotation becomes a question without an easy answer.
“How long [will he be out]? I don’t know," manager Mike Redmond told the Miami Herald's Manny Navarro. "That’s kind of the unknown right now. It’s really up to him and how quickly he feels better. We’re going to make sure that he feels good and confident before he goes out and pitches again."
David Phelps will take his spot in the rotation to start, and Brad Hand, who has experience as a starter, is working out of the bullpen, but both are more effective in relief than they are as starters.
The club has some high-upside arms down on the farm, including Jose Urena, who was promoted to the majors and is currently pitching out of the bullpen, but the club would like for him to get more experience at Triple-A before he makes his first major league start.
Should Alvarez be lost for a significant period of time, it's possible the Marlins may look to bring in an experienced arm from elsewhere.
While the ace of the staff, Jose Fernandez, is expected to return around midseason from Tommy John surgery, the Marlins are sure to be cautious with him, limiting his workload so that he's back to 100 percent for 2016.
Milwaukee Brewers
16 of 30
Will the Brewers Become Early Sellers?
Four games under .500 (2-6) and with baseball's worst run differential (minus-21), things have gone about as poorly as they possibly could have in Milwaukee to start the year.
Less than two weeks into the season, trade speculation has already begun to swirl around shortstop Jean Segura, a player that many, including FanGraphs' Dave Cameron, believe would be a good fit in San Diego, a team that is known to be looking for an upgrade at the position.
Milwaukee does have an internal option to replace him in Luis Sardinas, who was acquired as part of the trade that sent Yovani Gallardo to Texas over the winter, so perhaps it's not as ridiculous as it may sound at first.
More importantly, the Brewers could add additional pieces in a Segura deal that could help the club in both 2015 and beyond.
I recently proposed a three-for-one deal with San Diego that would add some rotation depth to the organization while giving the club a pair of infielders, including a possible replacement for third baseman Aramis Ramirez, who is likely to retire at the end of the year.
Should Milwaukee look to become early sellers, pending free agents Jonathan Broxton, Kyle Lohse and Gerardo Parra—along with Ramirez—could all offer varying degrees of value as trade chips for the club.
Minnesota Twins
17 of 30
Minnesota Won't Look Outside the Organization for Pitching Reinforcements
Thus far in 2015, nothing has gone right in Minnesota.
Ervin Santana was suspended for performance-enhancing drug use. Ricky Nolasco is somehow just as ineffective as he was a year ago, and now he's on the disabled list with inflammation in his right elbow. The rotation has pitched to a combined 6.02 ERA, third-worst in the majors. Its 1.62 WHIP trails only Arizona for the worst around.
And yet the team is staying in-house to try to bolster the rotation, according to The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, with youngsters like Alex Meyer and Jose Berrios in contention.
Except Meyer has been horrid through two Triple-A starts, allowing eight earned runs and walking 11 over 8.2 innings of work, while Berrios has thrown a total of 50 innings above High-A. Neither one seems ready to join a rotation in which he'll be looked upon as a savior, fairly or not.
That said, you can't fault the Twins for taking this stance. Free-agent options are few and far between, and anyone they could possibly acquire via trade probably isn't much of an upgrade over what they already have—not to mention that they'd have to give up something of value in exchange.
New York Mets
18 of 30
Shortstop Still an Issue Despite Team's Claims
Like the Cleveland Indians in Major League 2, making excuses is just about the only thing that the New York Mets are any good at when it comes to discussing the perpetual hole that has been shortstop ever since Jose Reyes departed as a free agent.
"It hasn't been super," GM Sandy Alderson told NJ.com's Mike Vorkunov of shortstop Wilmer Flores' play thus far. "He's made some good plays. He's made some mistakes. Hasn't hit yet but that's true of about six or seven of our guys."
In fact, Alderson went so far as to say that some of the criticism that's been thrown Flores' way has been "unfair." Really Sandy, unfair? Flores has nearly as many errors in the field (three) as he does hits on the season (four). Those are facts—indisputable facts.
You know what's unfair? Running a major market club in the media capital of the world like it's located in Minnesota or Milwaukee (or another small market). Not bringing in a new face to at least compete for the job in spring training is unfair to not only the fans but to the rest of the players on the team.
The Mets had that opportunity, by the way, and I'm not talking about passing on a free agent like Stephen Drew this past winter.
ESPN New York's Adam Rubin reported back in December that the club could have acquired Eduardo Escobar from Minnesota in exchange for Dillon Gee—a pitcher whom the Mets would gladly still trade but can't find a team with any interest, per Mike Puma of the New York Post—but New York turned the Twins down.
Would Escobar have been any better than Flores or Ruben Tejada? Maybe, maybe not. But at least exploring alternatives—and not holding onto the pipe dream of trading for Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki—would have shown some ingenuity and forward thinking from the club and its front office.
New York Yankees
19 of 30
Yankees Looking Outside the Organization for Second Base Help
Remember how Jose Pirela and Robert Refsnyder were going to get a shot at competing for the second base job this spring, only to watch Stephen Drew get the job as soon as camp began?
Well, that duo of young talent may never get the chance to follow in Robinson Cano's footsteps as a homegrown Yankee second baseman, because the club has its eyes on another young talent to fill the position for years to come.
According to a report from the New York Post's George A. King III, the Yankees have had discussions with Atlanta about 20-year-old Jose Peraza, ranked as the 39th-best prospect in baseball heading into the season by MLB.com.
As King notes, that doesn't bode well for the likes of Pirela or Refsnyder:
"The Yankees’ interest in Peraza could be a strong sign they don’t believe Rob Refsnyder or Jose Pirela are long-term solutions at second base. Refsnyder’s defensive struggles in spring training have carried over to the Triple-A season where he has made three errors in six games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Pirela is still on the road back from a spring-training concussion.
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When it comes to what the Yankees might give up, King notes that it'd likely be a two-player package that doesn't include top pitching prospect Luis Severino but could be built around catching prospect Gary Sanchez, who has fallen behind John Ryan Murphy on the team's organizational depth chart.
Oakland Athletics
20 of 30
All-Star Closer on Track To Return Next Month
He's yet to throw off a mound—that could come as early as next week—but All-Star closer Sean Doolittle continues to make substantial progress in his return from a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder.
Doolittle was throwing from 105 feet on Wednesday, according to MLB.com's Jane Lee, who was told by skipper Bob Melvin that Doolittle "really let it go" and, apparently, reported no issues after the session.
Oakland bolstered its bullpen over the winter by acquiring All-Star setup man Tyler Clippard from Washington, and he's served as the club's de facto closer in Doolittle's absence, but the A's have found themselves in only one save situation thus far, minimizing Doolittle's absence a bit.
That said, when he does finally return, which could be sometime next month, Oakland's bullpen, which has been good, not great, thus far, figures to get a whole lot better.
Philadelphia Phillies
21 of 30
Is Ryan Howard Destined To Be Released?
Reports in spring training that Philadelphia was willing to pick up $50 million of the $60 million left on Ryan Howard's contract to facilitate a trade were inaccurate, according to two general managers who spoke to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman. The number was closer to $35 million, or just over half of Howard's bloated deal.
Problem is, even $50 million might not be enough to find a team that is willing to take a shot on Howard, who is struggling to get around on fastballs this year. Consider this, from the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jake Kaplan:
"All but four of the 25 pitches Howard saw in the first two games of this week were fastballs or sinkers. Neither of the Mets starters, Jacob deGrom and Matt Harvey, threw anything but fastballs in a combined 19 pitches to Howard. Lefthanders Jerry Blevins and Sean Gilmartin were responsible for the only curveballs Howard faced.
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Howard's results in those two games? He hit 1-for-7 with three strikeouts.
If he knows that teams are going to bring heat against him—and he has to realize that at this point—and he still can't get around consistently to make contact, then there's no way another team is going to take chance on him, even if the Phillies picked up every last cent remaining on his deal.
Pittsburgh Pirates
22 of 30
Could Pittsburgh Swing a Deal for Cole Hamels?
It's all speculation, but Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review makes a strong case as to why 2015 is the year for Pittsburgh to make a run at adding a front-of-the-rotation arm—namely Philadelphia's Cole Hamels.
Not only do the Pirates have the prospects needed to make such a move, but they have a relatively low payroll for the foreseeable future (through 2024, per Sawchik), so fitting Hamels' yearly salary into the budget may not be as difficult as some believe.
Additionally, he points to the fact that the Pirates surprised everyone by making a run at David Price last year before Tampa Bay traded him to Detroit. While Price didn't come with the same level of financial commitment that Hamels would, he was anything but cheap, earning $14 million last year and $20 million in 2015.
Perhaps his most compelling argument for such a bold move is that, like all-world center fielder Andrew McCutchen, Hamels is under contract for another four years. Why not pair the two together and see how far the team can actually go?
San Diego Padres
23 of 30
Who's at Short?
Alexi Amarista and Clint Barmes are capable shortstops, but San Diego GM A.J. Preller wants more out of the position and is on the hunt for an upgrade, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
We already looked at one possible trade target earlier in Milwaukee, where Jean Segura could potentially become available, but who else might be on the team's radar?
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal believes that the team is more likely to trade for a younger, less expensive shortstop than the likes of Chicago's Starlin Castro, Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki or Texas' Elvis Andrus, whom Preller knows quite well from his days with the Rangers.
Players such as former Rangers prospect Luis Sardinas (now in Milwaukee), Toronto's Ryan Goins and Cleveland's Jose Ramirez are among the less expensive, less well-known options that Rosenthal believes could be San Diego's primary targets.
With a seriously depleted farm system (Preller used most of the team's best young talent to add the pieces he did this winter), whether the Padres have enough to satisfy another team's asking price in a potential shortstop deal remains to be seen. But one way or another, Preller is going to get his man.
He always does.
San Francisco Giants
24 of 30
What Will the Giants Do with Chris Heston?
Matt Cain is still at least a week away from playing catch, according to CSN Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic, so his return to action from a right flexor tendon strain is still a ways off.
Still, the question that will eventually have to be answered is what San Francisco will do with Chris Heston once Cain is ready to return. The 27-year-old has been terrific in Cain's absence, allowing one earned run and 10 hits over 14.1 innings with four walks and 10 strikeouts.
If Heston continues throwing as well as he has been, it's going to be difficult to take him out of the rotation. While he has minor league options left, do the Giants really want to send him down to the farm?
It's a good problem to have, but it's one that's worth monitoring as Cain gets closer to a return. Could we see the Giants look to cash in on Heston's success and flip him for additional reinforcements elsewhere?
Seattle Mariners
25 of 30
Is Fernando Rodney in Danger of Being Replaced?
Seattle closer Fernando Rodney has hit a rough spot, tallying six earned runs, seven hits and three walks over his last two appearances, and calls have begun for manager Lloyd McClendon to give someone else a shot at handling the ninth-inning duties.
It's a call that McClendon has no intention of answering. “Everybody flies off the handle when a guy blows a game, but I can’t do that,’’ he told The Seattle Times' Larry Stone. “Somebody has to keep their head. I choose to keep mine.”
That's all well and good, but Stone goes on to make an excellent point that McClendon can't overlook:
"While they were in the process of missing the playoffs by one game last year, the Mariners proved the value of a single victory, and conversely, the damage of a single loss. I think that’s a big part of the reason fans are feeling these late-game breakdowns so keenly. And it’s why the leash on Rodney needs to be shorter than McClendon may intend.
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While pennants and division titles aren't won in April, they can ultimately be lost by a team sticking with a struggling player for too long. That said, does Danny Farquhar, who figures to be next in line for the Mariners, give the team a better chance to close things out in the ninth than Rodney?
Seattle went down the road with Farquhar as a closer for a bit in 2013, and while he converted 16 of 20 save opportunities and pitched to a 2.96 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in save situations, the club still went out after the season and signed Rodney to a two-year, $14 million deal.
It may be beneficial to give Rodney a bit of a breather, but ultimately, he's going to be the man that the club sinks or swims with in the ninth.
St. Louis Cardinals
26 of 30
Is Jaime Garcia Destined to Become a Reliever?
You never want to give up on a left-handed starter from ever rejoining a team's rotation, but if you read between the lines, it's looking more and more like 28-year-old Jaime Garcia's future might be as a long reliever out of the St. Louis bullpen.
Garcia is nowhere near ready to return to the big leagues as he works his way back from a procedure to deal with the thoracic outlet syndrome in his left shoulder. It's the same issue that ultimately ended Chris Carpenter's career, and while the Cardinals are hopeful that Garcia won't suffer the same fate, he has a lot to prove before rejoining the club becomes a possibility.
“One, it’s recovery," GM John Mozeliak told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold. "(But) I would also say it’s volume, meaning, as you saw in spring training, when Jaime was throwing he seemed to do very well when he was in that 30- to 40-pitch range. But as he started to expand (that’s) when things got a little more difficult for him.”
While the team is hopeful that Garcia can return as a starter, a move to the bullpen may be what's needed to save his career—he's made only 16 starts since 2012 due to injury. As Goold points out, a pitcher limited to 30 to 40 pitches every few days could be a long reliever.
That's a role that Garcia could potentially thrive in.
Tampa Bay Rays
27 of 30
Is David DeJesus Playing His Way out of Tampa Bay?
Tampa Bay spent much of the spring trying to trade veteran outfielder David DeJesus to no avail, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. He was a player with no obvious role on the team and, due $6 million, was an expensive reserve for a thrifty club like the Rays.
But he's been a revelation since designated hitter John Jaso was lost to a wrist contusion that's taking longer to heal than expected, hitting .429 (6-for-14) with a double, home run and seven RBI in five games.
"I was taking spring training as my opportunity to go out there and show pretty much all of baseball that I can still play," DeJesus told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. "Now I'm playing for these guys, and it's great. I'd rather it be this way because you build relationships throughout spring training and throughout the last two-three years. These guys rely on me, and I rely on them. So it's really cool that it's coming out this way."
Now that DeJesus has put himself back on the baseball map, it's fair to wonder whether the Rays will wait until Jaso's return to try to move him again, or if they'll try to cash in on his hot start to the year and look to trade him before Jaso's return, which figures to be sometime in May.
Texas Rangers
28 of 30
Will Texas Sell Early?
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal (video link) suggests that Texas could become a seller as the trade deadline draws near, pointing to Yovani Gallardo as the one asset that the club could get a decent return for.
He's not wrong in his assessment, of course, but the question becomes this: Should the Rangers wait until July to make a move?
Injuries are decimating Texas for the second consecutive season. Yu Darvish and Jurickson Profar are out for the year, Derek Holland is out for months, and, well, here, see for yourself. The team's injury report is a lengthy one, and it doesn't include Shin-Soo Choo, who is dealing with back spasms.
With a slew of pitchers potentially becoming available as the trade deadline nears, the Rangers may actually be wise to start shopping Gallardo now.
It's not as if fans are flocking to the ballpark to watch him pitch, so why wait until the market is flooded with other options for teams in search of a starter to choose from? Or even worse, risk losing the team's most valuable trade asset to the injury bug, which clearly has it out for anyone in a Texas uniform?
Would it send a terrible message to the fans and the rest of the team if the Rangers essentially punted on the season in late April? Of course, it would. But what's more important—maximizing the value of players who probably aren't going to be a part of the long-term future or pretending that you're trying to contend for three months?
Toronto Blue Jays
29 of 30
Will Kevin Pillar Be Benched or Demoted When Michael Saunders Returns?
Between his offensive contributions—he's hitting .314 with four extra-base hits (one home run) and a .800 OPS—and a slew of highlight-reel catches, none more spectacular than this wall-climbing, home run-robbing snag of a ball off the bat of Tampa Bay's Tim Beckham, Kevin Pillar has shown that he belongs in Toronto's daily lineup.
But eventually, the man the Blue Jays acquired over the winter to play left field, Michael Saunders, is going to return from offseason knee surgery (he's also currently dealing with a hamstring issue)—and the question of where Pillar will play is going to come into question.
Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith offers one possible scenario:
"Saunders, who rested a sore hamstring during his rehab stint Wednesday, is expected to play every day once he returns. On paper that leaves one outfield spot for Pillar and Dalton Pompey, although the Blue Jays could get creative and rotate players in and out of the lineup using the DH slot and the three outfield positions.
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Another could be to make Pillar the everyday center fielder (he played the position extensively in the minors) and demote Pompey, who has struggled to produce at the plate thus far.
One way or another, the Blue Jays need to figure out a way to keep the 26-year-old on the field as often as possible. He's been too valuable to the club to have him riding the pine—or playing at Triple-A.
Washington Nationals
30 of 30
Denard Span's Return Is Near
While Michael Taylor has done an admirable job of filling in for Denard Span—and looks like he'd be able to replace Span in center field should he depart as a free agent after the season—the incumbent is nearing a return to action from core muscle surgery that knocked him out of action in early March.
“He did everything he needed to do,” Washington skipper Matt Williams told The Washington Post's Chelsea James about Span's rehab appearance with Double-A Harrisburg this past Tuesday. “He ran balls down in right-center field with no issue.”
Span, 31, is coming off a productive season that saw him hit .302 with 52 extra-base hits (five home runs), 31 stolen bases and tied for the National League lead in hits (184) with his former outfield partner in Minnesota, Ben Revere, who is now with Philadelphia.
His return will certainly help a Washington offense that has struggled to get going in the early part of the season, though Williams wouldn't put a definitive date on when Span would make his 2015 debut. “(It) depends on how he feels. If his timing’s good, if he feels good and if he’s 100 percent healthy then we’ll make a decision.”
Unless otherwise noted/linked, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference and MLB.com and are current through games of April 15. All contract information courtesy of Cot's Contracts.
Hit me up on Twitter to talk all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR
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