All eyes were on the Tampa Bay Rays Roster Resource page which had prized right-hander Shane Baz missing the Opening Day roster. While it's not surprising for such a young arm on a Playoff contending team to start in the Minors, the move has major ramifications for the 2022 Roger Dorn Reserve Draft. The Cloverdale Clovers had shifted their eyes from New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe over to Baz according to sources, intent on making the right-hander the top overall selection on Draft Day.
That all changes Monday as it was announced Baz would start the season on the Rays Major League Injured List, pushing him into the Auction Draft or into a 1D/$5 contract in the Reserve Draft. Baz underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow. He’s expected to resume throwing in 2-3 weeks which should still lead to a strong market for the young righty.
Baz debuted in the majors last September, making his first three starts down the stretch. He punched out 18 hitters in 13 1/3 innings during that brief look, averaging north of 97 MPH on his heater. Tampa Bay carried Baz on their postseason roster, giving him the start in Game 2 of their Division Series against the Red Sox. That outing didn’t go as hoped, but there’s little question the righty had emerged as a key piece of the Rays’ pitching plans — both in the near and long term.
This offseason, Baseball America named Baz the league’s eighth-most promising prospect. He checked in second among pitchers in that ranking behind Fringe arm Grayson Rodriguez, making the former first-rounder one of the top young arms in the game.
Baz is unlikely to be the only Rays injured starter to go in Auction as Tyler Glasnow is a strong bet to also be drafted despite being set to miss the 2022 season.
Around the RDBL
- The Spokane Fightin' Fish have accelerated their 2022 planning and are toying with the idea of retaining both Gerrit Cole (2/$73) and Shane Bieber (2/$71) according to sources. The two would each break Max Scherzer's record of $68 for the highest Keeper contract for a pitcher in RDBL History with Cole breaking the overall mark if retained.
The club might need to work around a lack of early season availability from Luis Castillo (3/$11) who is expected to miss time due to a sore shoulder that was revealed Tuesday.
- The Cloverdale Clovers have had a flurry of activity Tuesday morning. The club continues to wrestle with plans for right-hander Jack Flaherty (3R/$5) who has a shoulder tear he will likely need to pitch with in 2022. While they have explored the trade market, including Dakota Hudson (2FA/$5) and Aaron Civale (2/$14), the club was highly encouraged by Jesus Luzardo's (2R/$3) outing Tuesday when he worked three perfect innings while averaging over 98 mph on his fastball. Luzardo is now expected to be retained and has been pulled off the trade market according to team sources.
- An injury to James Kaprielian (Minors) took him off the table as an activation candidate for the Devils. Unfortunately for GM Jason Watson, young hurler Luis Patiño (Minors) might be in the same boat after being scratched from his start Tuesday with arm discomfort. Patiño is expected to try and throw a bullpen on Thursday, giving Watson time for more information before Keeper Rosters are due Sunday.
- The Lake Merced Goutfish continue to work through their plans in their pitching staff, reportedly now focused on retaining Dakota Hudson (2FA/$5) and Aaron Nola (2/$43) while attempting to move Noah Syndergaard (2/$17) and Mark Melancon (2FA/$5). The club has engaged in some talks on Hudson, including discussions as recent as Tuesday with the Alamo Short Stacks according to sources.
- The Las Vegas Aristocrats have "significant" interest in their available bats with Justin Turner (2/$14) leading the interest across the league. The club is expected to retain Randy Arozarena (2/$25) unless they are overwhelmed by an offer.