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Trade Market Notes: Papelbon, Indians, Cotts, Maybin

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Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon said today that he would be surprised and disappointed if he is not traded this summer, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports. The veteran righty indicated that he’d be willing to waive his no-trade clause to play for any contender — provided, that is, that he’d work in a closing capacity. “I think [the front office] knows where I’m at,” he said. “I’ve always been straightforward that I want to go play for a contender and I’m not going to shy away from it. I feel like that’s my right and my prerogative to have that opportunity and, you know, it’s in their hands. The ball’s in their court. I guess that’s kind of it.” While Papelbon’s preferences will play a significant role in his market, he’s done nothing but increase his trade value through his on-field performance this year. Entering today’s action, the 34-year-old owns a 1.65 ERA with 9.4 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9 — and a career-best 50.6% groundball rate — on the season.

  • The Indians are still alive for a post-season berth even though the club has underperformed expectations, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the club will probably stand pat for the most part at the trade deadline. Cleveland is not terribly interested in dealing away Carlos Santana, but could consider moving David Murphy or Ryan Raburn, both of whom have been quite productive this year and can be controlled through fairly reasonable 2016 options. In the event that the Indians decide to add pieces, says Rosenthal, the club could target a pen arm or a bat (at an unidentified position — the left side of the infield seeming most likely).
  • The Twins and Brewers have had some preliminary trade chats, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports (Twitter links). It is not clear precisely what players were under discussion, though Berardino indicates that Milwaukee lefty Neal Cotts could hold some appeal to Minnesota.
  • Some opposing clubs believe the Braves could be interested in selling high on outfielder Cameron Maybin this summer, Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. Olney had previously indicated on Twitter that Atlanta was not interested in parting with Maybin, who’s been quite a pleasant surprise since coming over as part of the salary swaps in the Craig Kimbrel deal. But he could have significant appeal to teams in need of an outfielder, particularly if the market ends up being largely devoid of bats.

Angels, A’s Talked Reddick, Zobrist Before Dipoto Resignation

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10:16pm: The A’s gave the Halos “a flat ’no'” when Reddick was brought up, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports adds. Notably, per the report, Los Angeles also inquired about Ben Zobrist, adding to the laundry list of teams with at least some interest in the useful veteran.

5:44pm: The Angels have been on the lookout for corner outfield help, and MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez reports that the team had discussions with the Athletics regarding Josh Reddick prior to the resignation of now-former Angels GM Jerry Dipoto (all links to Twitter). According to Gonzalez, the Angels tried to get the Red Sox involved to act as a liaison — acting in a similar fashion to the Dodgers in the team’s essential three-team Howie Kendrick trade this winter — but Boston wasn’t interested.

Specific names that were discussed haven’t been revealed, but Gonzalez reports that talks never got too far off the ground. However, the report is interesting in light of Reddick’s more recent comments regarding the Athletics’ front office and his playing time (or lack thereof) against left-handed pitching. Via CSN Bay Area’s Joe Stiglich, Reddick expressed frustration recently that he’s been held out of the lineup against left-handed pitching. In a radio appearance with Ray Fosse on 95.7 The Game in Oakland, Reddick was not shy about voicing some displeasure:

“It doesn’t come from anywhere in this clubhouse. Everybody knows what situations our general manager puts up there. … There’s probably so many numbers they could dig into their computers with and try to find one just to keep me out of the lineup. … I know [manager] Bob [Melvin]’s in there fighting for me. The other day I was supposed to play against De La Rosa, and Bob texts me at around 1:30 and told me he had been ‘trumped,’ was the word he used. I understood right away. … It still frustrates me beyond belief when I don’t play.”

Melvin told Stiglich that he is the one responsible for the lineup card, not the front office, and that he “got ahead of himself” in telling Reddick he’d be playing that day. “…I backtracked and told him you’re not playing now. And maybe to an extent he thought I was so-called trumped.”

Reddick did walk his comments back slightly, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports, though he did not waver from his feelings on playing time. “Bottom line, I want to be out there every day, no matter who’s on the mound,” said Reddick. “That was the message. How it came out may not have been how I wanted it to come out. Some miscommunication between me and Bob. I probably just assumed too much. … Who knows at this point how things are worked out? But I talked to Bob and we got a handle on it between the two of us.”

Platoons have long been commonplace in Oakland, and it seems that players there generally buy into the idea of part-time roles, though it’s not surprising to hear that any player would want to be in the lineup on a more regular basis. Reddick’s struggles against left-handed pitching, though, have been extensive. He’s batting .329/.384/.527 against righties this year but just .159/.227/.232 in 75 plate appearances against lefties. While a 75-PA sample is far too small to make a full assessment, Reddick’s lifetime slash line against same-handed pitching is .220/.283/.379, and the vast majority of that production came back in 2011-12. It’s certainly possible that fewer reps and more limited exposure to left-handed pitching have caused his skills in that regard to diminish, of course, but dating back to 2013, Reddick is hitting .198/.276/.296 in 328 turns at bat vs. lefties.

To what extent the Angels will remain interested following the abrupt departure of Dipoto isn’t known. The team still has a need to acquire left-handed bats and has received only a collective .220/.279/.319 batting line from its left fielders in 2015. Reddick is primarily a right fielder — and a good one at that, though defensive marks are a bit down on him in 2015 — so perhaps Kole Calhoun could slide to left field in the event that the division rivals match up down the road.

As for the A’s, it remains to be seen how interested the club will be in dealing away Reddick if it comes time to sell. The 28-year-old is controllable for another season through arbitration after earning a rather reasonable $4.1MM this year. Players like Ben Zobrist and Scott Kazmir have received more attention as possible trade pieces, in large part because they will become free agents after the season. But Oakland will surely at least entertain the possibility of a move involving Reddick, who could be in fairly high demand.

Ricky Nolasco To Undergo Ankle Surgery

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Twins GM Terry Ryan announced today that starter Ricky Nolasco will undergo surgery on his right ankle, as MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger was among those to report. Nolasco has missed the last five weeks with an ankle impingement, and had been attempting to avoid a procedure.

While Nolasco’s timeline remains unclear, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets that a six-to-eight week absence seems to be the best-case scenario. It’s not clear whether that estimate would include the necessary rehab period, but regardless, it seems that Nolasco won’t have much of an impact until the tail end of the year — if at all.

That’s obviously disappointing news for a Minnesota club that was expecting to get steady, if unspectacular, production out of Nolasco when they signed him to a four-year, $49MM deal before the 2014 campaign. Now 32, Nolasco has contributed 191 2/3 innings of 5.40 ERA pitching to the organization.

The Twins have lagged a bit over the last several weeks since peaking at 11 games over .500, but are very much still in the postseason picture as the trade deadline nears. Particularly with Nolasco down, the rotation contains some questions. Mike Pelfrey has faded of late, while hurlers such as Kyle Gibson and Tommy Milone have outperformed their peripherals by notable margins.

While there surely is some impetus for an addition, the club did just plug Ervin Santana back into the staff. The veteran returned from his PED suspension yesterday and turned in quite a strong outing.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/6/15

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • The Mariners have released utilityman Willie Bloomquist, the club announced (via MLB.com’s Greg Johns, on Twitter). Bloomquist was designated for assignment recently after a tough .159/.194/.174 start to the season. Seattle will owe the versatile defender the rest of his $3MM salary for the year.
  • The Red Sox outrighted right-hander Zeke Spruill after recently designating him, per a club announcement (h/t to Tim Britton of the Providence Journal, via Twitter). As he’s never before been outrighted and has little service time, Spruill did not have the opportunity to elect free agency after clearing waivers. The 25-year-old will continue working at Triple-A, where he’s worked 53 1/3 innings with a 5.40 ERA with 3.9 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9 over 53 1/3 innings for Pawtucket.

Tigers Claim Marc Krauss From Rays

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The Tigers announced that they’ve claimed first baseman Marc Krauss off waivers from the Rays. Tampa Bay had designated Krauss for assignment over the weekend.

The claim of Krauss is a fairly logical move for the Tigers, who learned this weekend that they’ll be without two-time AL MVP Miguel Cabrera for the next six weeks due to a calf injury. Krauss, 27, hasn’t hit much in the Majors over parts of the past three seasons, but he does have some power, with 11 homers in 402 big league plate appearances and a career .198 ISO in the minors. With this move, he’ll join his fourth organization of the past seven months. The Angels claimed Krauss off waivers from the Astros back in December then traded him to the Rays earlier this season.

A’s Acquire Aaron Kurcz From Braves

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The Braves announced that they’ve traded right-hander Aaron Kurcz to the Athletics in exchange for an international bonus slot that’s valued at $167K. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that this latest trade will allow the Braves to sign Venezuelan shortstop Juan Morales.

The Braves have been the most active team in terms of trading for international bonus money. They’ve moved right-handers Cody Martin, Caleb Dirks and Garrett Fulenchek in addition to outfielder Jordan Paroubeck and now Kurcz in order to acquire an additional $1.299MM in bonus money to sign Morales, Dominican shortstop Derian Cruz and Dominican outfielder Christian Pache. By making these trades, the Braves have avoided incurring spending restrictions in the 2016-17 signing period, and Ben Badler of Baseball America tweets that the organization plans to spend aggressively in next year’s class.

An 11th-round pick by the Cubs in 2011, Kurcz went to the Red Sox as part of the compensation package for Red Sox GM turned Cubs president Theo Epstein. Boston traded him to the Braves in the offseason deal that sent Anthony Varvaro to the Red Sox. Kurcz, 24, missed the 2013 season due to Tommy John surgery but has otherwise posted consistently low ERA marks and gaudy strikeout totals with questionable control. He has a lifetime 2.87 ERA in the minors with 11.6 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9, with his BB/9 rates worsening as he’s ascended he minor league ladder.

Trade Market For Catchers

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The Rays, Twins, Angels and Rangers all represent teams that above or near the .500 mark despite scarce production from the catcher position. Beyond that quartet, the Mariners, Marlins, Braves and White Sox have all received poor production, with none of the four definitively declaring itself a selling club yet. Many teams are in need of catching reinforcements, be it an upgrade of their primary catcher or an improved reserve option. We’ll kick off the 2015 Trade Market series here at MLBTR by running down a list of some players that could reasonably stand out as trade chips:

Starters

Jonathan Lucroy (Brewers), Stephen Vogt (Athletics), Derek Norris (Padres), Austin Hedges (Padres), Nick Hundley (Rockies), A.J. Pierzynski (Braves), Brayan Pena (Reds), Kevin Plawecki (Mets), Andrew Susac (Giants)

  • Lucroy’s offense in 2015 has been slowed somewhat a broken toe he suffered early on, but his track record and team-friendly contract make him a highly desirable asset. He’s earning $3MM in 2015, $4MM in 2016 and has a $5.25MM club option for 2017. The Brewers aren’t going anywhere this year and could be a long shot to contend in 2016, so listening to offers makes sense. Lucroy has batted .291/.345/.370 since coming off the DL.
  • Vogt has homered just twice since June 1 and slashed .245/.336/.355 in that time. Even that production is solid for a catcher, though, and his season line is still a robust .290/.380/.502. He’s homered 13 times despite calling O.Co Coliseum home, and Vogt is controllable through 2019. Though he’s been speculatively mentioned as a trade chip, those hoping to acquire the slugger (and the epic “I believe!” chants that come with him) may be doing some wishful thinking; GM Billy Beane has candidly said he’s not trading Vogt. Skeptics will point out that Beane’s comment is more than a month old and that the A’s expressed similar reservations about dealing Josh Donaldson last October. (Granted, those comments were made anonymously and not on-record by the GM.) I find a trade unlikely.
  • The 26-year-old Norris might be another long shot to be moved, as he’s controllable through 2018. The Padres parted with Jesse Hahn and R.J. Alvarez to land Norris this offseason, and he’s provided league-average offense for a San Diego club that is further down the standings than they’d hoped to be. GM A.J. Preller has proven to be quite aggressive and could conceivably move Norris, paving the way for Hedges as the catcher of the future.
  • Hedges hasn’t hit a lick in the Majors, but he’s a premium defender who hit quite well in 21 Triple-A games this year prior to his call-up. Some scouts have questioned whether or not he’ll ever hit in the Majors, however, and he wasn’t terribly impressive at the plate in Double-A last season. The Pads could theoretically move Hedges over Norris if they don’t feel that Hedges will develop at the plate enough to profile as a starter.
  • Hundley’s a classic trade candidate — a veteran hitter on a short-term deal that is enjoying a productive season for a last-place club. Signed to an affordable two-year, $6.25MM deal this offseason, Hundley’s slashing .296/.341/.458 with six homers. Most of that production has come at Coors Field, of course, but his road line of .264/.319/.364 is above average for a catcher.
  • The Braves are in contention, so trading Pierzynski may not be high on their to-do list, but he’s a productive veteran on a one-year, $2MM deal, so it has to be mentioned. Atlanta could flip Pierzynski and re-install Christian Bethancourt behind the plate. They could also move Pierzynski and acquire a different young catcher, as they’ve reportedly been asking rival clubs about young backstops. Either way, Pierzynski, who is hitting .267/.304/.416, isn’t a long-term piece.
  • Pena’s not an elite option, but he’s in the final season of a two-year deal with the struggling Reds and has a track record of hitting for a decent average. This season’s been arguably his best; Pena is batting .298/.366/.340 in 215 plate appearances and has a modest $1.4MM salary.
  • Plawecki and Susac make the list only because their team has other long-term options on the roster. Both strike me as long shots to be moved, but either could be used as a major chip in acquiring an established veteran to fill a need for his current club. Buster Posey can continue to handle catcher in the short-term for San Francisco (even though some feel he’ll eventually move to an infield corner full-time), and Travis d’Arnaud may still be the favored long-term option in Queens. d’Arnaud is currently injured but could return this month.

Backups/Struggling Veterans/Former Starters

Michael McKenry (Rockies), Carlos Ruiz (Phillies), Alex Avila (Tigers), Geovany Soto (White Sox), Dioner Navarro (Blue Jays), Jarrod Saltalamacchia (D-Backs)

McKenry finds himself in a similar situation to teammate Hundley; he’s an affordable option that is hitting well for a last-place team. His production comes mostly against left-handed pitching. Navarro’s DHing for the Blue Jays but has voiced a preference to return to full-time catching, even if it means via trade. The Jays could probably use an upgrade over his bat at DH anyhow. Avila’s future at catcher is cloudy due to his concussion issues, and the Tigers could turn things over to James McCann full-time if he’s moved. Ruiz, Soto and Saltalamacchia aren’t hitting much but have done so in the past and could be change-of-scenery candidates that can be had on the cheap.

Currently in the Minors

Steve Clevenger (Orioles), Christian Bethancourt (Braves), Josmil Pinto (Twins), Gary Sanchez (Yankees), Austin Romine (Yankees), Austin Barnes (Dodgers), Max Stassi (Astros), Tony Sanchez (Pirates), George Kottaras (White Sox)

Clevenger’s excelled against Triple-A pitching in 2015 and reportedly improved his throwing, but the Orioles don’t have a spot behind Matt Wieters and Caleb Joseph. It seems like a waste for him to be in Triple-A, though there’s value in quality depth. Bethancourt looked like a building block for the Braves, but their reported interest in acquiring a young catcher could indicate that their restructured front office isn’t as high on him as the previous regime. Gary Sanchez is blocked by Brian McCann, but some feel he’s not defensively sufficient behind the plate anyhow. The same could be said of Pinto, who is currently sidelined by a concussion but has raked in the minors when healthy. The out-of-options Romine cleared outright waivers earlier this year but is hitting well at Triple-A. Barnes is another promising young catcher who is blocked on his Major League roster (Yasmani Grandal). Stassi, 24, has ranked among the top 20 prospects for the A’s and Astros for six seasons (per Baseball America), but he’s blocked by Jason Castro and Hank Conger, and he’s struggling at Triple-A this year. Tony Sanchez has never lived up to his No. 4 draft slot and hasn’t hit much in the upper minors, but he could be a buy-low or backup option. The veteran Kottaras is no stranger to the bigs and is enjoying a monster season at Triple-A.

Latest On Braves’ First-Rounder Kolby Allard

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The Braves have signed all of their top picks with the exception of first-round selection Kolby Allard, and David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that it’s looking like there’s a “legit chance” that Allard will honor his commitment to UCLA rather than sign with Atlanta (Twitter links). O’Brien does add that there’s a chance this could be posturing in an attempt to get a bit more money out of the Braves.

Selected with the No. 14 overall pick in this year’s draft, Allard’s slot comes with a value of $2,842,200. However, Allard was at one time speculated to be selected within the top 10, if not top five picks of this year’s draft before a stress reaction in his back cost him about two months of his senior season at San Clemente High School in California. As such, it’s possible that Allard’s advisers are pushing for a bonus that’s more commensurate with higher draft slots.

The Braves were assigned a bonus pool of $10,684,100 (via Baseball America) heading into this year’s draft, and they’ve saved a total of $87,500 on the rest of their picks from the top 10 rounds, per MLB.com. The Braves can also exceed their allotted bonus pool by 4.99 percent before incurring the loss of a pick in next year’s draft, which comes out to about $533K. Paired with the $87,500 they’ve saved on their other top picks, that means the Braves could afford to offer Allard up to $3,462,000 (roughly $620,600 over slot) without losing a future pick. That value would be just slightly below the slot value of the No. 8 overall selection ($3,470,600).

Allard ranked sixth on the Top 100 of ESPN’s Keith Law heading into the draft, while MLB.com rated him 16th, and he placed 18th on the draft lists of BA and Fangraphs. Allard was considered the top prep arm in this year’s class thanks to a plus curve and an above-average fastball before injuring his back, per Law. Should Allard indeed end up attending UCLA, the Braves would be awarded with the 15th overall pick in next year’s draft (one slot lower than that of the failed signing).

Central Notes: Richard, Tigers, Verlander, Royals, Cueto

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The Pirates’ trade of minor league starter Clayton Richard to the Cubs might not seem like huge news on the surface, but the move could prove to be significant if the Bucs have injuries in the rotation, Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. With Richard out of the picture and the team’s rash of injuries, the Pirates’ organizational starting depth has been compromised.  Manager Clint Hurdle is not yet terribly concerned about it, saying “I still think we are in a place where we are covered.  If something were to happen here and we lost two starters, that might change. We have lost our surplus. We had great depth at one point, now our depth isn’t as deep.”  Richard, 31, was a productive starter for the Padres before shoulder issues derailed his career. In both 2010 and 2012, he put up 200+ innings with a sub-4.00 ERA. He last appeared in the big leagues in 2013, struggling badly before ultimately going under the knife.

A few more notes from the game’s Central divisions…

  • Just one week ago, the Tigers were locks to be buyers at this year’s trade deadline, but James Schmehl of MLive.com examines the possibility that they could become sellers in the wake of Miguel Cabrera’s injury. As Schemehl notes, the Tigers have a number of appealing trade chips in David Price, Yoenis Cespedes and Rajai Davis — each of whom is set to hit free agency at season’s end. However, Schmehl also notes that the team has made a significant investment in winning this season and may be more likely to add a pair of relievers with an eye on the postseason. Asked about the possibility of becoming a deadline seller, manager Brad Ausmus replied, “That’s not really my call, but I’d be surprised.” Given the Tigers’ win-at-all-costs approach over the past few seasons, it would be a surprise to me as well to see them as deadline sellers, though perhaps they’ll take a similar route to 2014 and deal from their big league roster as a means of strengthening the current on-field product.
  • The New York Post’s Joel Sherman makes a bleak comparison for Tigers fans, writing that Justin Verlander has become Detroit’s version of CC Sabathia. Verlander is in the first year of a five-year, $140MM extension and has struggled to deliver any form of positive results over the past two seasons while dealing with injuries. He notes that GM Dave Dombrowski even talks about Verlander in the same manner that his Yankees counterpart, Brian Cashman, discusses Sabathia. Sherman quotes Dombrowski: “We don’t think you will see MVP-season Justin, but he can still be a very good pitcher and that would be really big for us. … He has just been a little inconsistent. We just need him to get more comfortable.” Verlander’s not showing quite the depleted velocity that Sabathia has, however, so perhaps there’s hope for him yet.
  • The Royals should make an aggressive play to acquire the Reds’ Johnny Cueto prior to the deadline, opines ESPN’s Christina Kahrl. She feels that the Royals are already strong favorites to win the AL Central, but adding Cueto gives them the rotation depth necessary to be a force in shorter playoff series. With Cueto and perhaps a returning Kris Medlen in the fold, Kahrl notes, the Royals can be shielded from the need to start Jeremy Guthrie in a pivotal postseason contest.

Cubs Looking For Starting Pitching, Lefty Outfield Bats

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The Cubs have had more talks about acquiring starting pitching than they have position players, though they would also like to add a left-handed hitting outfielder if the price is right, FOX Sports’ Jon Paul Morosi reports.

Jake Arrieta, Jason Hammel, Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks have all posted good to excellent results as Chicago’s top four starters, though the fifth spot has been a problem area.  Tsuyoshi Wada has been effective when healthy but the southpaw is currently on the DL for the second time this season, while Travis Wood struggled in seven starts.  Clayton Richard was acquired from the Pirates on Friday and threw a quality start on Saturday, though it’s hard to see Chicago counting on Richard as a stable option.

It’s possible the Cubs could target a big name on the pitching market, as Morosi writes that the team hopes to have an ace in the fold by the start of next season.  To this end, the Cubs would prefer to acquire a pitcher under contract beyond this season (i.e. Cole Hamels) rather than a rental like Johnny Cueto, as if they get their top-of-the-rotation arm now, that would save them having to spend more time and money pursuing the likes of David Price in free agency this winter.

Morosi cites the Brewers’ Gerardo Parra and the Padres’ Will Venable as “two names to watch” as possible Cubs targets for their outfield need.  Either would spell the switch-hitting Dexter Fowler against right-handed pitching.  Fowler carried a tough .232/.308/.379 line into today’s action thanks in large part to a .660 OPS in 281 plate appearances against righties (but a healthy .833 OPS in 55 PA against lefties).  Given the abundance of right-handed starters in the NL Central, a righty-mashing bat is a clear need for the Cubs.

Shortstop has become another problem area, as Starlin Castro’s below-replacement level season (-0.3 fWAR entering today) makes Morosi wonder if Chicago would consider getting a veteran middle infielder to pair with Addison Russell.  The problem is that Castro has minimal trade value right now given his poor performance and the roughly $41MM owed to him through the 2019 season.

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