NL middle notes: Lauer, Cubs, Hoyer, Pirates



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The shoulder conflict that slowed down Eric lauer last March was more serious than what was reported at the time, Brewers Southpaw tells MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters that there was in fact a tear at the shoulder capsule of his throwing arm, as later tests revealed. The shutdown allowed Lauer to recover physically, but he then missed two weeks of quarantined summer camp after coming in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

It all added up to a forgettable first season for Lauer in Milwaukee, as he was shaken for a 13.09 ERA in just 11 innings. Acquired with Luis Urias for Zach Davies and Trent Grisham In a November 2019 deal with the Padres, Lauer is looking to live through his trade comeback by matching or improving his past numbers (4.40 ERA, 20.6K%) over 261 2/3 innings with San Diego in 2018-19. Lauer has some remaining minor league options, though, which could put him in line for a Triple-A round trip as the Brewers shuffle and match their starting pitchers to keep everyone’s arm fresh.

More from NL Central …

  • The Cubs“The payroll situation has been the focus of the offseason, but baseball operations president Jed Hoyer is”confident“The team could add a salary for mid-season additions”if we are playing well and there are clear things we need to do to add to the squad. As Hoyer told Athletic’s Patrick Mooney and other reporters, however, a lot will depend on income streams as uncertain as the number of fans the team will be allowed to allow at Wrigley Field. The Cubs opened the winter in a clear cost-cutting mode, culminating in the trade that sent Yu darvish to the Padres, and Hoyer admitted that “we were probably on the most pessimistic side of things ” in terms of payroll in the aftermath of the 2020 season. More recently, a modest spending spree for players with one or two year contracts indicates some willingness on the part of the team to stretch payroll, or as Hoyer said, they became “more optimistic or less pessimistic»On their ability to spend.
  • The The Pirates has revised their rotation during the offseason, and although they have a provisional starting five in place, most or all of the arms competing for jobs will likely end up starting this season, writes Athletic’s Rob Biertempfel. Apart from Tyler anderson, none of the Bucs’ other starting candidates pitched more than 157 1/3 innings in a season, so it will be necessary to have multiple pitchers to cover innings as pitchers rebuild arm strength as a result of the 2020 season shortened. “I think we’re talking 10 or 11 [pitchers]Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin said. Considering how the Pirates remain open to business ideas, it is very possible that more pitchers will be needed if the club moves a veteran arm or two at some point before the trade deadline.

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