The Red Sox and Astros are among the teams with interest in Reds closer Raisel Iglesias, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Houston, in particular, is “looking hard at Iglesias,” Cafardo writes. The Astros had been eyeing fellow late-game option Kelvin Herrera, per Cafardo, though he’s no longer on the market after the Royals traded him to the Nationals earlier this month. Unlike Herrera, a free agent at season’s end, Iglesias could be a multiyear solution for an acquiring team. The 28-year-old standout is under control through 2020 for affordable salaries ($4.5MM this season, $5MM in each of 2019 and ’20), though he could elect to opt into arbitration over the winter in hopes of securing a raise. Given Iglesias’ track record and remaining team control, the Reds would surely require an impressive haul to consider moving him. It’s worth noting, then, that the Astros have Baseball America’s 10th-best farm system, while the Red Sox’s prospect pool is just 24th.
Here’s more on Boston…
- Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski told Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com and other reporters on Saturday that he’s talking trades with multiple teams, but he suggested he’s content with his roster as it is. Regardless of whether Boston makes more moves (it picked up infielder/outfielder Steve Pearce in a deal with Toronto this week), Dombrowski expects trade action to continue across the league well before the July 31 non-waiver deadline. “I will tell you, as we talk to various clubs, there are a lot more clubs that are motivated to do things quickly from a trading perspective, if they get what they want,” said Dombrowski, who added that the Red Sox’s desire to keep their payroll under $237MM won’t necessarily stop them from making further additions. Should the team exceed that figure, its top pick in the 2019 draft would drop 10 spots.
- First baseman Adam Lind will have a chance to opt out of his minor league deal with the Red Sox on Sunday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic tweets. McCaffrey adds that Dombrowski is hopeful Lind will remain at Triple-A Pawtucket, where he has batted .263/.321/.455 in 109 plate appearances since inking his minors pact May 29. Given the presences of first basemen Pearce and Mitch Moreland – a fellow left-handed hitter – and corner outfield/designated hitter options Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi and J.D. Martinez, major league playing time looks as if it will be hard to come by for Lind if he stays with the organization.
- The Red Sox will activate infielder Michael Chavis, their top-ranked prospect at MLB.com, on Sunday, Dombrowski announced (via Cotillo). Chavis served an 80-game suspension after testing positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, a performance-enhancing drug. The 22-year-old will start with Class-A Lowell and eventually work his way back to Double-A Portland, where he played most of last season.
Less than a week ago, y’all reported the Astros weren’t connected to Herrera…
“The Astros had been eyeing fellow late-game option Kelvin Herrera, per Cafardo”
Yes?
I misread.
I’ll sit down now
Things change…..
Wonder who costs more Iglesias or Hand.
And wonder who actually gets moved 1st.
iglesias for both I think
Hand will cost an arm and a leg….
Hand could be very affordable if the receiving team also agrees to take Will Myers AND his ridiculous contract.
Unless the Pads pay most of Myers’ future costs, they take bad contracts back like the Braves-Dodgers off season transaction or the other team suffers a sudden injury, no one is taking Myers.
If it meant getting hand for absolutely no prospect value I could see a scenario where it’d happen.
An interesting side note to Iglesias is that if he does get traded it’ll probably cost him some serious $. Even though FA has caught up to paying “non-closers” similar to CL the Arbitration process still values Saves astronomically higher than non-saves. If/when he does get moved it might essentially ensure he doesn’t opt into Arbitration and takes the $4.5/$5.5m on his current contract.
Not that I think that will have much of an impact on his market/trade value — But it does highlight an issue with the current rookie contract/arbitration process that probably needs to be updated.
Not if he gets moved to Houston. Boston has an established closer, so he’d be 8th inning guy. Houston he’d step in as closer moving Giles and Rendon to 7th 8th inning guys where each is much better suited (especially Giles). He’d actually probably fare better in Houston due to more save opportunities than Cinci.
About the only acquisition the Red Sox can make is if they pick up some serious money. The farm system is pretty much empty. Certainly not enough to get an Iglesias, etc.
James Shields looks do-able….knows the AL East too……
Why there starters are already better.
“Knows the AL East too”
That was almost 6 years ago. There’s no more Papi, Arod, Joey Bats, etc.
Sox will likely live or die with the starters they presently control.
Iglesias to Houston for Alvarez and bukauskas +? Any thoughts
Cionel Perez will probably in on any deal, feel like he is showcasing right now. Could see Myles Straw as trade bait as well.
I would think Reds would love to go after Astros farm system since it’s loaded with pitching. As a Reds fan who loves the trade deadline I had a thought. What if the Reds packaged Iglesias with Hamilton and Bailey? I was reading an article somewhere that Astros could benefit someone like Hamilton off the bench as a pinch runner. As for Bailey that would offset the return the Reds get but still get a decent haul. So Reds would send Iglesias, Hamilton and Bailey. Astros would send at least a top 5 prospect and 2-3 others with Astros paying some of Baileys contract. Just a thought.
Bailey would kill the return the Reds would receive. Keep Bailey this year then DFA him in off-season
Yeah, Bailey is a negative in that scenario. Astros aren’t going to want anything to do with him
The Astros already have Jake Marisnick. They fo t need another one in Hammilton.
Yep, Reds just need to release Bailey in off-season and try to find anyone that wants Hamilton.
Don’t downgrade return on Iggy just so owner can save some millions. Screw that. He wouldn’t spend it on another FA anyway, just pocket it.
Brad Hand and Will Myers to CLE for Francisco Mejia, Jason Kipnis, Cody Anderson, and Ryan Merritt.
That’s actually a pretty fair trade for both sides but doubt it happens unless they grab scooter or lowrie to play second
Idk how fair that is to the Indians. They give up Mejia and have to pay wil Myers. Kipnis has been playing better lately.
Sox take all of Will Myers along with the Padres taking all of Castillo.The Sox include ERod and get back Hand. Sox send JBJ and get back a very good prospect.
Sox send ERod, Castillo and JBJ.
Sox get Myers, Hand a good prospect or International money.
Rusney Castillo’s salary does not count against Boston’s luxury tax line because he’s off the 40 man. Moving him doesn’t help Boston offset Myers salary at all. Nor would trading an important starting pitcher in Erod be worth getting a reliever. Would just create a hole in the rotation
Castillo’s money is real money–$20 M over roughly 2 years. He may not count toward the Luxury tax for the Sox but it’s not Monopoly money.
It matters not who the Sox get–it could be Yaz’s grandson–or it could be Adam Jones or Will Myers–we could definitely use Britton or Hand or another very capable LH reliever.
Adam Lind has an opt out clause today 7/1–so trade Swihart for cash/PTBNL or Yaz’s baby Grand and replace him with Lind. Lind would be a threat off the bench, a DH and another 1 B.
Castillo has been pretty productive since being relegated to a non roster player. Whether he counts or not they still owe him about 20 M over the next 1.5 to 2 years–not chump change.
Since Myers time with the Rays he was a fav of mine. He would rake with the Monster . In addition he could platoon at 1 B, take his turn in the OF, DH and pinch hit. Include Swi in the deal somehow to free up a 25/40 man slot.
Time will tell.
I’d like Myers–it could be a trade with the O’s for Britton and Yaz’s grandson or
You obviously don’t pay attention to the Red Sox… They just traded for Pierce. So having him and Lind on a bench makes no sense.
Also, Castillo will NOT be called up. This would make the Sox go over 237 and they won’t do that. Yes he is being paid real money but the extra tax implications are worth more then 20 million over two years.
Saw my first game in 1952 against the Yankees @ Fenway. At age 74 I miss only RS West Coast games. I am a diehard Sox fan: the more bats the Sox have in that dugout the more I like it. It’s very comforting for me to have two sticks like Pearce and Lind than Swihart and vazquez in the 8 th and 9 th.
if I can move Castillo to the Padres or anyone else to save even 1/2 his salary and give him another opportunity to play in the bigs go for it.
The problem is, you can find a guy like Castillo on the waiver wire making $500K. Any time that trades for him, they probably wouldn’t agree to take on more than a few million for the 2+ years remaining left. In that scenario, the money the Red Sox keep goes BACK onto their luxury tax, almost all of which will be taxed at 97.5% (and they fall 10 spots in the draft for their 2019 first rounder). So trading Castillo away and another team taking even half of his contract literally doesn’t save the Red Sox 1 penny.
Sucks for the guy I guess, because he almost definitely won’t be back in the majors for another few years yet (maybe as a September callup in 2020 when the remaining money is little). Until then, he has to keep sloshing away in Pawtucket. Hopefully he’s at least picking up the tab for the rest of the Pawsox roster when they get dinner on the road, lol
Lol no
Or red Sox take hand and myers padres take Castillo groome and jbj.
Padres had interest in groome and unless he’s involved theyd just sell hand without myers attached.
I’d take it, though I feel like SD loses too much in such a trade.
There’s no winner in that trade scenario for either team that’s y it’s fair it’s a dump situation that will never happen
Why all the Wil Meyers bashing? Aside from his injuries this year, he had consecutive good seasons with San Diego. I swear Padres fans enjoy the Cellar.
Yordan Alvarez, JB Bukauskas, Corbin Martin for Iglesias?
Houston seemed loathe to part with top prospects last year, I’m not sure how willing they will be to trade Alvarez for another good but not quite elite arm, given they already have like 5 of those.
You can’t say Iglesias isn’t elite. He is a top 10 closer in the game just on a bad team where he gets very little usage. They won’t get him without giving up 1 top 100 prospect. That is their lowest top 100 guy i think that’s pretty good deal
He’d be 5th among Astros relievers in ERA this year, with his peripherals even worse. I don’t see an argument at all for him being any better than Devenski, and I’d probably trust Rondon, Peacock and McHugh over him. I personally don’t think Giles and Harris are any worse either, but I understand others have concerns about them this year.
Not just concerns this year. Remember October/November 2017 how little we saw Giles. Pretty bad when you’re 5th and 6th starters are closing games. Says alot about what you think of the guy that’s supposed to be your closer.
Peacock has been lights out in the pen, and McCullers and Morton both have the stuff to match any relievers, so I don’t think it’s bad that the Astros were using them to close games. Even if you don’t think Giles is as good as Iglesias, there’s still 4 relievers on the team that have unquestionably outperformed him this year. track record matters, but it’s a fair question to ask how much he’ll upgrade the team, especially when you consider they’ll get a chance to put a starter in the pen for the playoffs and bring up Whitley.
Not a knock on Morton or Mcullers. Thank goodness they had them, but Boston for instance ain’t runnin’ starters out to close games in the World Series. If you are then that’s your weakness.
the Astros pen is inarguably better than the Red Sox’s so maybe they should consider it
What makes you think the Reds would part with a top end Closer like Iggy, unless they were getting a significant return. He is under team control through the 2020 season.
well, our moronic front office did part with Chapman for pennies on the dollar, so don’t be shocked.
I will be pissed if they don’t get a top 3 prospect from another team (or top prospect if that team has a fairly poor farm system).
I’d be thrilled with any of the top 4 or so prospects from Houston, but they already have a solid pen, so I can see them not giving up any of their high-ceiling prospects and talking our silly GM and staff into to taking four crappy prospects (like #10, #13, #25 and unrated), you know, quantity over qaulity.
I want quality over quantity, but the Reds GMs (Jocketty and Williams) the past few years seem to get talked into 3 or 4 for 1 deals and out of getting back a high-end prospect. Sigh, tough being a freaking Reds fan watching our bumbling FO the past 40 years. The Big Red Machine and Bob Howsam (GM) and great scouting and farm system are SOOOOOO long ago.
Not all 3. I could see Alvarez as a key piece now with Beer moving quickly through the farm. Alvarez looks great in his short stint. Also Astros have a lot of AAA/AAAA guys like White, Reed, Straw, Fisher, Davis, and now Jones that could start and be productive for a lot of teams. Alvarez, a young lower level pitching prospect and one of those AAAA guys mentioned. Another intriguing guy is Cesar blocked at 3B.