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Archives for July 2017

West Notes: Hand, Harris, Wilson, Melancon, Richards

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About half of the teams in the league have expressed some level of interest in Padres lefty Brad Hand, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union Tribune reports. Evidently, those discussions have yet to get truly serious, as Lin adds that the Friars aren’t believed to be closing in on any swaps. A significant portion of the rest of the pitching staff has received attention of some kind, too, Lin adds. There are a few other interesting pitching trade candidates on the San Diego roster — Trevor Cahill chief among them, perhaps — and it wouldn’t be surprising to see several deals go down before the deadline.

Here’s more from out west:

  • The Astros announced that reliever Will Harris is headed to the 10-day DL with right shoulder inflammation (h/t Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle, via Twitter). That’s somewhat troubling news at first glance, though Harris says he doesn’t anticipate a significant layoff (video via MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, on Twitter). The 32-year-old has continued his stellar run in Houston, compiling 34 2/3 innings of 2.86 ERA ball on the year — with 10.1 K/9 against just 1.3 BB/9. Clearly, he’s a key member of the pen and a big part of the team’s planning the rest of the way. (Harris is also controlled through 2019 at very appealing rates.)
  • Meanwhile, the Astros are likely focused on adding a starter and a lefty reliever. As regards the latter, the team is said to have an eye on Tigers lefty Justin Wilson, per Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network (via Twitter). The teams discussed Wilson over the winter, per Rosenthal, and the southpaw’s quality effort early over the first half surely hasn’t reduced the interest. Wilson currently carries a career-high 12.8 K/9 with 3.4 BB/9 along with a 2.36 ERA over his 34 1/3 innings.
  • Giants closer Mark Melancon seems unlikely to make it back before the trade deadline, likely removing him from consideration as a trade candidate, as Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News writes. The veteran righty, shelved for the second time this year with a forearm issue, has been able to pick up a baseball. But skipper Bruce Bochy suggested the team plans to bring him along slowly. As Baggarly suggests, it never seemed particularly likely that Melancon would end up being dealt regardless. For what it’s worth, though, I would add that Melancon would represent a very plausible August trade candidate if that proved desirable.
  • Angels righty Garrett Richards still hasn’t been cleared to throw, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes. The unfortunate hurler discussed the frustrations of his long-running effort to get healthy, telling Fletcher that he is at least encouraged that his current problem (with a biceps nerve) has improved somewhat — and that it doesn’t implicate his elbow, which he says still feels great. “Nobody knows anything about this injury,” said Richards, who says it isn’t clear when he’ll be deemed ready to begin throwing again. “I can’t worry about getting all caught up in playing right now,” he added. “I’ve got to worry about getting healthy first. When that happens, I’ll be ready.” Meanwhile, Fletcher notes that both Andrew Heaney and Tyler Skaggs are continuing to progress while working off of a mound, which seems to hold out some real promise of bolstering the team’s injury-riddled rotation in the relatively near future.

NL East Notes: Albies, Braves, Mets, Volquez, Phelps, Vizcaino, Motte

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The Braves aren’t done looking for a controllable starter after missing on Jose Quintana, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (links to Twitter). Atlanta pushed hard for the southpaw, per the report, with the team dangling Ozzie Albies as a headliner — though Passan’s source makes clear that talks never reached an advanced stage. It’s interesting to hear that Albies was offered up, but that was surely a prerequisite to get in the door on Quintana. Whether the intriguing young middle infielder could also be on the block in trade concepts involving other pitchers isn’t clear, but it seems that the Braves are still looking to be aggressive in adding arms for 2018 and beyond.

Here’s more from the NL East:

  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson acknowledged that his organization will remain in a selling position unless things go “exceedingly well” before the deadline, as Marc Carig of Newsday writes. As the team sits eight games under .500, reaching a realistic position of contention would likely require a prolonged winning streak combined with stumbles from one or more front-running teams. Alderson reiterated that the club will not be looking to do more than cash in some expiring veterans, saying that a trade involving a core veteran would be “exceedingly unlikely.” Alderson also addressed some of his broader roster-building philosophies, including the relative value of defense in player evaluation, which you can read about at the above link.
  • It seems that righty Edinson Volquez may not be so quick to return to the Marlins rotation as had been hoped. As Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports on Twitter, MRI results on the veteran’s balky left knee showed patellar tendinitis. Skipper Don Mattingly suggested that it doesn’t look to be a significant long-term problem, but Volquez also won’t return from the DL on Sunday. There hasn’t been much suggestion that he’s likely to factor as a trade piece, though the injury further clouds that possibility. Given his hefty salary for 2018 ($13MM), Volquez could also certainly be moved in August.
  • One Marlins player who very clearly is in demand is right-handed reliever David Phelps, as Spencer also reports. He’s “drawing far more interest” than is closer A.J. Ramos, per the report, with about ten teams inquiring on the former and only two or three asking about the latter. It sounds as if both have a good chance of changing hands, ultimately, but it’s not all that surprising to hear that the steady Phelps is in greater demand. Indeed, he could even be seen as a possible rotation candidate for 2018 by some organizations that would be interested in adding him to their pen down the stretch.
  • Braves righty Arodys Vizcaino could well factor in trade talks as well. He’s throwing off a mound today and seemingly won’t be far off from a return, per David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). It had been a bit unclear just when he’d return, but it seems as if the talented — if somewhat enigmatic — reliever ought to have plenty of time to display his form for possible suitors. Veteran right-hander Jason Motte, though, may be headed in the other direction. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that Motte is heading to the DL with a back strain. He may have held some interest to contenders, though his peripherals lagged his results in Atlanta (and the ERA had begun to creep northward anyway).

Trade Market For Second Basemen

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Second base is rarely a hot spot of trade deadline activity, but it seems even less likely to be an area of focus this time around. Few possible contenders have clear needs at the position, while those that could stand stand to upgrade — say, the Angels and Royals  — don’t appear to be particularly likely to swing a major trade. Still, that situation could still change, or another organization could get creative.

Here are the players that could be available:

Rentals

Brandon Phillips, Braves | $1MM in 2017 (Reds pay remainder of $14MM salary)

Phillips could surely be had if there’s demand; while the Braves are in second place in the NL East, they face very long odds of reaching the postseason. Still, the organization clearly likes the idea of keeping a competitive product on the field, so it may not dump Phillips for a marginal return. The 36-year-old has fallen back to a rather typical .280/.326/.411 batting line for the year, making him a useful player but not a first-division regular. Also, Phillips can still block trades to a dozen teams and has been rather picky in the past.

Howie Kendrick, Phillies | $10MM in 2017

Kendrick is nursing a hamstring injury, though he’d represent a plausible August trade chip even if he doesn’t make it back quickly. H’s hitting as well as ever right now at 34 years of age. While he has mostly appeared of late in left field, Kendrick has seen recent action at second and has drawn solid-enough grades for his work there.

Eduardo Nunez, Giants | $4.2MM in 2017 

Nunez isn’t a terribly exciting player, either, but he holds some significant advantages over Phillips. He’s younger, rates much better on the bases, has hit a bit more in recent years, and has plenty of experience on the left side of the infield. In fact, Nunez hasn’t spent much time at second in the majors — just 29 games — but will likely be considered among these players. (Yunel Escobar of the Angels is another player in that general situation, though he hasn’t played second in a major league game since way back in 2007.)

Neil Walker, Mets | $17.2MM in 2017

The 31-year-old was playing at a very high level when he was lost to a significant hamstring injury. He’s starting toward a return, though the best-case timeline will likely see him made available in August rather than at the non-waiver deadline. Walker has been a consistent source of both patience and power over the past two seasons and could be a rather impactful trade addition for the right organization.

Darwin Barney, Blue Jays | $2.8875MM in 2017

Realistically, Barney is a possible utility candidate. But he has spent the bulk of his career at second base. The 31-year-old is off to a brutal .231/.277/.295 start to the 2017 season, though, so it’s tough to imagine a lot of interest.

Controllable Through 2018

Ian Kinsler, Tigers | $11MM in 2017; $10MM club option ($5MM buyout) in 2018

Unlike Brian Dozier, who likely won’t be dealt by the division-rival Twins (at least barring a total collapse over the next two weeks), Kinsler seems eminently available. His partial no-trade clause may complicate things, though perhaps at this point he’d welcome a chance to move to a contender. If the season ended today, Kinsler would own a below-average batting line for the first time in his career. While his top-level output from 2016 likely won’t be repeated, his .251 BABIP suggests there’s some positive regression coming. And Kinsler still rates quite well as a fielder and baserunner.

Jed Lowrie, Athletics | $6.5MM in 2017; $6MM club option ($1MM buyout) in 2018

The A’s have already promoted Lowrie’s likely replacement, youngster Franklin Barreto, and are surely readying to bring him back once the switch-hitting veteran is traded. With good health and a productive .279/.346/.458 batting line through the season’s first half, the 33-year-old is in good position to land with a contender. He’s probably best suited to playing second at this stage, but could serve on the left side of the infield, adding to the appeal.

Asdrubal Cabrera, Mets | $8.25MM in 2017; $8.5MM club option ($2MM buyout) in 2018

It’s still anybody’s guess just how the Mets will proceed with Cabrera, who could still be retained for 2018. He’s hitting at a league-avreage rate (.250/.332/.404), though that’s not nearly as impressive as he was last year. Cabrera also doesn’t typically rate well with the glove; that has held true of his prior time at second, which he last played extensively back in 2014.

Longer-Term Assets

Cesar Hernandez, Phillies | $2.55MM in 2017; arb-eligible through 2020

Hernandez posted a breakout 2016 season, with glowing defensive metrics pushing him up to 4.4 fWAR. The hitting work was more solid than great, as Hernandez has little power, but he was an above-average offensive player on the whole. What we’ve seen thus far in 2017 is something of a lite version of that, with slightly less exciting glovework and a slightly below-average batting line. Hernandez is still a nice player, and ought to draw interest when he’s back from the DL, but it seems unlikely he’ll be dealt this summer.

Joe Panik, Giants | Arb-eligible through 2020

It has been a solid overall campaign for Panik, who dealt with injury issues and a performance decline in 2016. He’s hitting right near the league average while playing a quality second base. Still, the overall output has lagged his excellent 2015 showing. San Francisco will listen to offers, but it’ll put a lofty asking price on Panik.

Dee Gordon, Marlins | $7.5MM in 2017; $38MM through 2020 (including $1MM buyout on 2021 club option)

Given the presence of so many other solid, but non-superstar second basemen, it’s a bit tough to see immense market value in Gordon’s contract. He has played well enough this year that it looks to be a reasonable enough rate, but Gordon may never again approach the immense 2015 seasons that earned him the deal in the first place. If Miami decides to pare its future payroll, though, perhaps it can find a taker for most of the commitment.

Jonathan Schoop, Orioles | $3.475MM in 2017; arb-eligible through 2019

There’s no real reason to think that Schoop will be made available, but he’s outperforming just about everyone else on this list. Through 352 plate appearances entering the All-Star break, Schoop owns a .295/.347/.536 slash with 18 long balls. That’s not quite sustainable, and the dingers will boost his arb earning power, but he’s an appealing asset if the O’s decide to consider something drastic.

Yangervis Solarte, Padres | $2.5MM in 2017; $4MM in 2018; 2019-20 club options

While he’s perhaps thought of mostly as a third baseman, since that’s where he played when he broke into the majors, Solarte has mostly lined up at second this year. A solid player on a nice contract, he’ll come with a fairly high asking price — once he returns from an oblique strain, at least.

Josh Harrison, Pirates | $7.5MM in 2017; $10MM in 2018; 2019-20 club options

Many teams would love to have the hyper-athletic Harrison bouncing around the field and the lineup as needs dictate. Given his All-Star worthy output to open the season, and the Bucs’ future need for just such a player, he’s not going to be cheap.

Nationals Place Joe Ross On 10-Day DL; Jayson Werth Rehab Slowed

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The Nationals have emerged from the break with two difficult pieces of injury news. Righty Joe Ross was placed on the 10-day DL, the club announced. Meanwhile, manager Dusty Baker said that outfielder Jayson Werth has not advanced as rapidly as had been hoped, as Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post tweets.

Ross was pulled from his most recent start after showing worrying velocity readings and command problems. While the DL placement isn’t a major red flag in and of itself, the accompanying details aren’t terribly encouraging.

For one thing, the team announced the injury as an elbow sprain; previously, it had been labeled triceps discomfort. For another, Baker hinted at significant concern, as Castillo also tweeted. “We’re preparing for it to be a longer situation,” he said while indicating that the club is awaiting the results of an MRI.

While the Nationals have some options to take innings while Ross is out — A.J. Cole, Jacob Turner, Austin Voth, and even old favorite Edwin Jackson —  none seem like particularly exciting replacements if there’s an extended absence. The Nats likely won’t feel the need to add another starter to a prospective postseason rotation, and have a comfortable division lead, but could now look to add another starter at the deadline — particularly if that player would profile as a relief arm in the playoffs.

As for Werth, it doesn’t seem there has been a drastic change. But his toe injury hasn’t progressed as quickly as the team anticipated, leading Baker to suggest there’s still some healing to do before Werth will be ready for a rehab stint. For an older player with such a lengthy injury history, there’s perhaps a bit of added concern here.

It’s not clear whether Werth’s status will really change the club’s deadline plans, but there’s an argument to be made that it should. While the Nats have enjoyed stronger-than-expected performances from Michael Taylor and Brian Goodwin, the former is on the DL himself, and those two are perhaps best deployed as a platoon in center. (After all, the team is already covering for the loss of Adam Eaton, and it’s reasonable to anticipate some regression from those two homegrown assets.) Though veteran righty bats Chris Heisey and Ryan Raburn are still on hand as well, there’s some room for an addition to the outfield (or, perhaps, a utility type that could also help make up for the absence of shortstop Trea Turner).

Ultimately, there are quite a few more moving parts to the Nationals’ deadline than had been expected. While the club can reasonably assume that some of its injury woes will resolve over the coming weeks, the additional problems revealed today seem to boost the uncertainty.

With Ross heading to the DL and lefty Sammy Solis destined for an optional assignment to Triple-A, where he’ll try to solve his problems since returning from a lengthy DL stint, the Nats have promoted two new relief arms. Righties Austin Adams and Trevor Gott — both acquired in deals from the Angels over the past two years — will become the latest hurlers to attempt to aid the beleaguered unit.

White Sox Release Everth Cabrera

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The White Sox have released veteran shortstop Everth Cabrera, according to Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago (via Twitter). He had been playing with the team’s Triple-A affiliate.

Cabrera, 30, had hoped to make a comeback with the Sox after sitting out the 2016 season. Things obviously did not turn out that way for the fleet-footed switch-hitter, leaving his future in doubt.

Through 202 plate appearances in the minors this year, Cabrera carries only a .196/.279/.240 batting line. He is now far removed from a productive 2013 season that was ultimately marred by a PED suspension. Cabrera has appeared in just 119 MLB contests since that time.

Andrew Triggs Undergoes Season-Ending Hip Surgery

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Athletics right-hander Andrew Triggs has undergone surgery to repair the labrum in his left hip yesterday, the Athletics announced on Friday (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Jane Lee). Triggs had previously told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he if he ultimately had the surgery, the expectation was that he’d be throwing off a mound in time for Spring Training 2018 (Twitter link).

It’s a tough break for the 28-year-old Triggs, who was sensational through his first eight starts in 2017 before turning in uneven results the rest of the way. Through mid-May, Triggs had worked to a 2.12 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a 54 percent ground-ball rate, but he allowed six or more runs in each of his final four starts before landing on the disabled list due to hip pain that will now ultimately cost him the remainder of his season.

An unheralded waiver claim out of the Orioles organization, Triggs quietly emerged as a promising starting option for the A’s last season when he pitched 56 1/3 strong innings. Though his 4.31 ERA didn’t appear all that encouraging on the surface, Triggs averaged 8.8 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 with a 51 percent ground-ball rate as a rookie in 2016, prompting metrics like FIP (3.20), xFIP (3.29) and SIERA (3.29) to forecast considerable improvement in 2017.

Triggs will spend the remainder of the season on the 60-day DL (once the A’s need to place him there to open a 40-man spot, that is), and will hope for better health in 2018. He’ll gain a full year of service time this season, pushing his career total to one year, 123 days. That trajectory means that he’s unlikely to be eligible for arbitration until after the 2019 season (post-2018 is possible, but unlikely, and will depend on the Super Two cutoff). The A’s can control Triggs via arbitration through the 2022 campaign.

Ankle Surgery An Option For Greg Bird

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The Yankees revealed to reporters earlier today that Michael Pineda has a partial UCL tear and has been recommended to undergo Tommy John surgery, and the bad injury news doesn’t stop there. Via Andrew Marchand of ESPN.com, GM Brian Cashman also elaborated on Greg Bird’s ankle injury today and revealed that the young first baseman may require surgery.

Bird is dealing with an ailment called “os trigonum” syndrome — an excess bone growth that could require surgical removal. Bird is headed for another opinion on his ankle and will have further discussions with medical professionals, the team and his agents before deciding on a course of action. The surgery would sideline Bird for “at least another two months,” per Marchand. One alternative is a second cortisone shot, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (on Twitter).

With Bird and Tyler Austin ailing and Chris Carter cut loose after struggling, the Yankees swung a trade to acquire 26-year-old Triple-A first baseman Garrett Cooper from the Brewers yesterday. Cashman tells reporters that Cooper will be brought directly onto the roster to make his MLB debut — moving Pineda to the 60-day DL would open a roster spot — for this weekend’s series at Fenway Park. At the very least, the right-handed-hitting Cooper will see at-bats against left-handed pitching this weekend, tweets Brendan Kuty of NJ Advance Media. Through 320 plate appearances in Triple-A this year, Cooper was hitting .366/.428/.652 with 17 homers, although those numbers came in the extremely hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League (specifically, in the launching pad that is Colorado Springs).

Henderson Alvarez To Sign With Long Island Ducks

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Right-hander Henderson Alvarez has agreed to a deal with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (on Twitter). The BHSC client will look to showcase his health on the indy circuit in an effort to find his way back onto a Major League roster in the season’s second half.

The Marlins received their share of scrutiny for non-tendering Alvarez prior to the 2016 season. The righty had missed most of the preceding season with shoulder issues but could’ve been retained for around $4MM when he was just a year removed from 187 innings of 2.65 ERA ball. Miami’s read on Alvarez’s health struggles proved shrewd, however, as Alvarez didn’t throw a single big league inning in 2016 after signing an offseason deal with the A’s. After spending the whole year trying to work his way back to the mound, Alvarez underwent shoulder surgery for the second time in 14 months last September.

Alvarez’s results in the Atlantic League and the subsequent interest in him will be interesting to track. Though it’s now been more than two calendar years since he threw a Major League pitch and nearly three since he completed a full MLB season, he looked every bit the part of a promising young righty with a good future when healthy. He never missed many bats, but from the time of his MLB debut as a 21-year-old with the Blue Jays through the end of the 2014 campaign, he pitched 540 2/3 innings with a 3.70 ERA and a ground-ball rate of roughly 55 percent. That includes a two-year run in Miami with a 2.98 earned run average, 5.2 K/9, 1.9 BB/9 and a 53.7 percent grounder rate.

Though he has two recent shoulder operations on his record, a healthy Alvarez could be an intriguing low-cost option for a contender in need of rotation augmentation — assuming he shows well with the Ducks. And, as a bonus, since the now-27-year-old Alvarez currently has five years and 51 days of big league service time, he’d be controllable this offseason via arbitration one last time if he does prove capable of once again pitching in a big league rotation.

Cubs Remain Interested In Sonny Gray After Quintana Trade

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The Cubs swung what might be the biggest deal of the summer yesterday by acquiring Jose Quintana for a prospect package headline by Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease, but they’re still interested in A’s right-hander Sonny Gray, reports Jon Morosi of MLB.com (Twitter link). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and MLB Network tweets the same sentiment, that the Cubs are “pursuing” Gray despite having already added Quintana.

The Cubs’ acquisition of Quintana left them without two of their top prospects, though the Cubs still have a number of appealing young players. Infielder Jeimer Candelario ranks among the game’s Top 100 prospects over at MLB.com, and ESPN’s Keith Law recently noted that pitching prospect Adbert Alzolay and Oscar De La Cruz have seen their stock rise quite a bit this season.

Chicago also has a number of young position players already at the MLB level, though there’s been considerable doubt cast on their willingness to deal players that have already played their way into prominent roles on the Major League roster. If the team is to make a serious run at Gray, however, that may well be what is required of president Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer.

It’s not necessarily clear that the Cubs are aggressively chasing Gray, who is controllable via arbitration through the 2019 campaign. Rosenthal tweets that it’s not yet known how hard they’ll push to bring Gray into the fold, though their openness to the notion is interesting all the same. Acquiring both Quintana and Gray would line the Cubs up for a rotation featuring that pair, Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks for at least the next three years, and while Gray’s price figures to rise, it should be more manageable than filling the spots of Jake Arrieta and John Lackey via free agency when that pair reaches the open market this offseason. That could be a key for the Cubs, who will see Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Javier Baez, Hendricks, Kyle Schwarber, Carl Edwards Jr. and others reach arbitration eligibility in the next two years.

Nationals Release Francisco Rodriguez

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The Nationals have released veteran closer Francisco Rodriguez, reports Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com (via Twitter). The 35-year-old righty had inked a minor league pact with Washington following his release from the Tigers.

K-Rod was clobbered for a 7.82 ERA through 25 1/3 innings with the Tigers this season, though he yielded only one run in five minor league frames while in the Nats’ system. Then again, he picked up only two strikeouts against three walks in that time while also throwing a wild pitch. The Nationals never viewed Rodriguez as a definitive help to their ailing bullpen, and apparently weren’t impressed enough in to give him a look in the Majors. K-Rod reportedly had a July 12 opt out in his minors deal with the Nats, though it’s not clear if he exercised that pact or if the Nationals simply cut bait.

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