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Archives for July 2019

Nationals Acquire Daniel Hudson

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2:32pm: This deal is now official. Southpaw Jonny Venters goes on the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot.

12:55pm: The Nationals have struck a deal to acquire righty Daniel Hudson, according to Scott Mitchell of TSN (Twitter link). Minor-league righty Kyle Johnston is going to Toronto in return, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter).

Hudson, 32, emerged as a trade candidate after throwing 48 innings of 3.00 ERA ball for the Blue Jays this year. That’s a nice showing considering that Toronto added him late in camp on a minor-league deal with a $1.5MM base salary and $1.5MM in incentives.

Unfortunately, it’s questionable whether Hudson can sustain that effort down the stretch. He’s averaging a strikeout per inning, but has also handed out 4.3 walks per nine and has benefited from a .258 batting average on balls in play and 80.7% strand rate. While he’s still pumping 96, Hudson is also sitting at a 9.9% swinging-strike rate after topping twelve percent in each of the three prior seasons.

No doubt the Nats don’t expect Hudson to dominate so much as to provide serviceable innings. The club has not had enough of those to this point of the season, creating a need for multiple deadline additions. In all likelihood, Hudson is the first of one or more new relief arms who’ll come to DC in the next two hours.

The 23-year-old Johnston is a former sixth-round pick who’s said to hold some promise as a future reliever. He’s currently working at the High-A level, where he owns a 4.03 ERA in 105 innings with 8.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ken Giles Still “In Play” In Trade Talks

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12:53pm: The Yankees are “considering” Giles, Jon Heyman of the MLB Network tweets. New York lined up on a deadline deal with division-rival Toronto last season when acquiring J.A. Happ.

12:20pm: Blue Jays righty Ken Giles may not be at full health, but he’s still “in play” in trade talks, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). That seemed increasingly unlikely when it emerged yesterday that the closer had undergone a cortisone shot to treat an elbow issue.

The 28-year-old Giles was clearly among the game’s best trade candidates before his recent elbow woes arose. He’s earning a reasonable $6.3MM this year with another arbitration season left to go. Long known for his talent, Giles also had returned to producing exceptional on-field results to begin the 2019 campaign.

When he came to Toronto, Giles was a bounceback asset. He has done exactly that. In his 35 innings this season, he owns a 1.54 ERA with a hefty 14.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. Unlike many pitchers, Giles has successfully limited the long ball, allowing just a pair.

Teams considering an investment of this type want as much certainty as possible. In that regard, the elbow issues are worrying, even if they’ve been deemed non-structural.

That said, the upside is tremendous. Giles carries a monster 20.3% swinging-strike rate this year. He’s averaging 96.9 mph on his fastball, which is down from his peak but still strong. And Statcast thinks he has been a bit unlucky on batted-ball fortune, crediting him with an exceptional .232 xwOBA that’s quite a bit lower than his still-excellent .253 wOBA.

Braves, Nats Pursuing Shane Greene

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12:36pm: The Tigers are still insisting the Nats part with top prospect Carter Kieboom to move Greene, according to Morosi (Twitter link). It’s frankly difficult to imagine that asking price being met with the highly regarded Kieboom dominating Triple-A pitching at 21 years of age. That’s all the more true given that Kieboom could fit on the Nats’ 2020 roster (if not the late-2019 roster) in a variety of ways.

12:07pm: The Braves and Nationals are not just engaged in a key series at the moment. It seems they’re also each pushing for the same relief arms — in particular, Tigers righty Shane Greene.

The Atlanta and Washington organizations are “leaders in the clubhouse” to secure the services of Greene, according to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News (Twitter link). Talks between the Braves and Tigers have “intensified” recently, with Greene “the focus,” per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter).

Greene, 30, is earning a reasonable $4MM this year for the Tigers. That’s nothing for his 38 innings of 1.18 ERA ball and 22 saves, though rival organizations still need to assess whether that’s what they can expect moving forward from Greene, who’ll be eligible for arbitration a final time next year.

Clearly, nobody thinks he’ll be able to sustain that sort of pitching output. But there’s good reason to think that Greene is and will remain a quality late-inning piece. He’s carrying 10.2 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 with a 53.8% groundball rate, with an 11.1% swinging-strike rate that’s substantially better than his prior two seasons.

Yankees, Astros Pursuing Madison Bumgarner, Zack Wheeler

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The Yankees and Astros, two American League superpowers, continue their pursuit of high-profile starting pitchers. Both teams are in on Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner and Mets righty Zack Wheeler, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets. The Astros are also “focused” on Diamondbacks southpaw Robbie Ray, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com. Ray has been on the Yankees’ radar of late, too.

The Astros and Yankees are among the teams on Bumgarner’s limited no-trade list, but that doesn’t mean the pending free agent would block a deal to either club. Of course, it’s not a sure thing the playoff-contending Giants will even move Bumgarner, a franchise icon, by today’s deadline. They’ve been telling teams that they plan to keep him and closer Will Smith, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

This is the second time this week the Astros have been prominently connected to Bumgarner and Wheeler. As is the case with Bumgarner, Wheeler’s a 29-year-old soon-to-be free agent. While Wheeler may be the top trade candidate in baseball, the Mets aren’t guaranteed to part with him. They’ve made something of a charge up the standings of late, and seem prepared to retain Wheeler if they don’t get the type of return they’re seeking for the flamethrower. And whether the Mets would even trade Wheeler to the hated Yankees is also in question.

Astros Acquire Martin Maldonado For Tony Kemp

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The Astros have acquired catcher Martin Maldonado from the Cubs, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Outfielder/second baseman Tony Kemp is going to Chicago in return, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle.

This is the second trade of the month for Maldonado, whose Cubs tenure was fleeting. They acquired Maldonado from the Royals for left-hander Mike Montgomery on July 15. At the time, the Cubs had just lost their starting catcher, Willson Contreras, to the injured list. He quickly returned, though, making Maldonado a superfluous piece for a team that already had the capable Victor Caratini as its reserve backstop.

The Astros reportedly pursued Maldonado before his trade to the Cubs, and he’ll now head to Houston for the second straight year. The club previously acquired Maldonado from the Angels last July. Maldonado now figures to supplant Max Stassi, who’s out of options and could now be on his way to a trade or a designation for assignment, as Robinson Chirinos’ backup. Stassi’s a quality defender who hasn’t hit this year, which doesn’t make him much different than the 32-year-old Maldonado. However, even Maldonado’s paltry .217/.285/.349 line easily outdoes Stassi’s .167/.235/.211 showing.

Maldonado, who’s earning the balance of a $2.5MM salary, will be a free agent at season’s end. Kemp, on the other hand, could be a multiyear piece for the Cubs. Kemp won’t be eligible for arbitration until after next season, though the Cubs won’t have the option of sending him to the minors without subjecting him to waivers. The 27-year-old’s time in Houston came to an end when it designated him on July 25.

Kemp, to his credit, had been amid his second straight useful offensive campaign before the Astros booted him from their roster. He has slashed .227/.308/.417 with seven home runs, four steals and a terrific 15.6 percent strikeout rate across 186 plate appearances this year, also logging 25-plus appearances at second and in the outfield.

The Cubs had been seeking help at second and in the outfield prior to this trade. Whether Kemp will be enough to satisfy those needs remains to be seen. The club could acquire further help at either position in the next few hours, but it does expect to get second baseman/outfielder Ben Zobrist back from the restricted list later in the season.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Brewers, Rays Agree To Swap Aguilar, Faria

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The Rays and Brewers have agreed to a trade sending first baseman Jesus Aguilar from Milwaukee to Tampa Bay, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter links). Milwaukee is acquiring right-hander Jake Faria in return.

Jesus Aguilar | Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports

Aguilar, 29, is in the midst of a down season at the plate but was an All-Star who bashed 35 home runs as recently as 2018. The 26-year-old Faria, similarly, looked to be a pitcher on the rise with a terrific rookie campaign in 2017 but has struggled to replicate that success in 2018-19.

Both players are fairly logical change-of-scenery candidates whose skill sets more closely align with the current needs of their new organizations. The Brewers have been hit hard by pitching injuries this season and currently have three rotation pieces on the injured list. The Rays, meanwhile, have been searching for a right-handed bat for quite some time and were linked to Aguilar more than a week ago.

It’s been a tough season for Aguilar, whose outstanding .274/.352/.539 output in 2018 has given way to a woeful .225/.320/.374 slash line in 2019. Aguilar’s strikeout and walk rates have both improved, but his line-drive, fly-ball and hard-hit rates have all taken a step back. That said, Statcast still likes Aguilar as a potential bounceback candidate based on the quality of the contact he’s made, as his expected wOBA of .342 dwarfs his actual .304 wOBA. He’s swinging a hot bat in the month of July as well, raking at a .298/.346/.574 clip in a small sample of 52 plate appearances.

Jake Faria | Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Faria debuted with the Rays in ’17 and immediately contributed 86 2/3 innings of 3.43 ERA ball while averaging 8.7 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 with a 38.3 percent ground-ball rate as a 23-year-old. It wasn’t an elite arrival on the big league scene, but it was certainly heartening enough to view him as a potential long-term piece in the rotation.

Instead, however, Faria’s K/BB rates trended in the wrong direction in 2018 as he limped to a 5.40 ERA in 65 MLB frames. He’s moved to the bullpen this year and allowed three runs in 10 MLB innings. As a reliever with Triple-A Durham, he’s logged 45 2/3 innings of 2.17 ERA ball with a 54-to-19 K/BB ratio.

Both players arrive in their new organizations as potential long-term fits. Aguilar will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter and can be controlled through the 2022 season. Faria hasn’t reached two years of big league service yet but quite likely will before the end of the year. Assuming he accrues the remaining time he needs, Faria would be arbitration-eligible after the 2020 season and controllable through 2023.

Latest On Red Sox Bullpen Pursuits

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The Red Sox may not be able to land Mets closer Edwin Diaz by the trade deadline, so they’re turning their attention to other relievers on the market. San Francisco closer Will Smith is the reliever who has “most intrigued” the Red Sox over the past week, Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com tweets. The Red Sox have also shown interest in Diamondbacks left-hander Andrew Chafin, per McAdam, and Blue Jays right-hander Daniel Hudson, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription link).

Smith would clearly give the Red Sox the stable game-ending option they’ve lacked this year, but it doesn’t appear the team will be able to swing a deal for him. They’ve found the Giants’ asking price for Smith to be prohibitive, McAdam reports. Smith isn’t signed past this season – one of the reasons the Red Sox aren’t aggressively pursuing him – though it’s no surprise the Giants want a haul back for him. They’re still in playoff contention, for one, and Smith’s eminently affordable ($4.225MM) and highly effective. The 30-year-old has logged a 2.72 ERA/2.77 FIP with 12.82 K/9 and 2.14 BB/9 in 46 1/3 innings this season. He has also converted 26 of 28 save opportunities.

Meanwhile, either Chafin or Hudson could help improve the Red Sox’s setup situation. This is the latest in a growing line of solid seasons for the 29-year-old Chafin, who has pitched to a 4.17 ERA/3.69 FIP with 11.05 K/9 and 3.19 BB/9 across 36 2/3 frames. He also ranks second among all relievers in infield fly rate (24.2 percent), has held left-handed batters to a subpar .272 weighted on-base average, earns a relatively meager salary ($1.945MM) and comes with another year of arbitration control. Unsurprisingly, Chafin’s drawing plenty of interest from around the league – not just Boston – Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Hudson, 32, would be the easiest reliever in this trio to acquire. He’s had a productive year, though peripherals don’t quite back up his above-average run prevention, and would be a pure rental for his next team. Nevertheless, Hudson’s the cheapest of the group ($1.5MM salary) and has been popular in the rumor mill leading up to the deadline. The hard-throwing journeyman has notched a 3.00 ERA/4.21 FIP with 9.0 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 over 48 innings. Righties have mustered a weak .276 wOBA off him.

Blue Jays Fielding Interest In Aaron Sanchez

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The Blue Jays are generating a high volume of interest in righty Aaron Sanchez, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter). With “lots of hits” on the 27-year-old, there’s now a “real chance he moves” today via trade.

While Sanchez has long featured as a possible trade candidate, it’s rather surprising to hear of this degree of interest at this stage. Sanchez has dealt with control problems and a variety of finger issues in recent years, changing his once-promising career trajectory.

This year, Sanchez carries an ugly 6.07 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 over 112 2/3 frames. It’s promising to see the innings tally — the highest since his excellent 2016 season — but not much to be encouraged about otherwise. Sanchez’s average fastball velocity is under 94 mph for the first time in his career. He’s still generating swinging strikes at only a 8.7% rate, with a groundball rate (47.0%) well off of his once-lofty levels.

Sanchez did just turn in a ten-strikeout performance in his most recent start, though he also whiffed eleven in a mid-May outing and did not carry that forward. His 27:7 K/BB ratio over the past month is an improvement over his ugly June showing (16:19), but hardly earth-shattering. And Sanchez has actually lost velo of late.

All that being said, there has always been a perception that Sanchez has intriguing stuff. He’s earning $3.9MM this year, which is hardly an unmanageable sum, with another season of arb control remaining. It’s not implausible to imagine that a few creative front offices have ideas on how they can re-mold Sanchez’s raw tools and perhaps turn him into an effective arm. Bumping him into a relief role — he has thrown exclusively as a starter since 2015 — might well be an avenue worth exploring.

It’ll be interesting to see how things shake out over the next few hours. If offers aren’t good enough, the Blue Jays can certainly afford to hang onto Sanchez in hopes that he’ll finally turn the corner, with the idea of carrying him on the roster next year or spinning him off in an offseason trade.

Rangers Acquire Nate Jones

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The Rangers announced that they’ve acquired right-hander Nate Jones, international bonus allotments and cash from the White Sox in exchange for minor league right-handers Joe Jarneski and Ray Castro.

Nate Jones | Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

It’s an unexpected swap, as Jones landed on the 60-day IL earlier this summer after undergoing right forearm surgery. However, Texas will have a $3.75MM option on Jones for the 2020 season and a $4.25MM option on him for the 2021 campaign. Both of those come with a $1.25MM buyout, so the option on Jones this winter is effectively a net $2.5MM decision.

For Jones, that’s an eminently affordable price. The 33-year-old could very well be regarded as one of the game’s better relievers … if he were ever able to stay on the field. Injuries have decimated the right-hander, though, as evidenced by the fact that he’s topped 30 innings just once dating back to the 2015 season. Lack of durability notwithstanding, Jones has also pitched to a 2.67 ERA with 10.4 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and 1.2 HR/9 over his past 141 2/3 big league frames. If — and it’s a substantial “if” — he can remain healthy, he’d be a boon to the Texas relief corps.

With Texas eyeing a competitive 2020 campaign, it’s not a shock to see them proactively adding some potential contributors. At the same time, if Jones’ recovery isn’t progressing as hoped, the Rangers can pivot and buy out his option, knowing that they still picked up some value with the international funds included by the South Siders.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets that Texas will pick up $1MM in international allotments, which is a fairly notable sum to change hands on the trade market. International allotments must be traded in blocks of $250K, but it’s more common for clubs to exchange $250-500K than to make seven-figure swaps. That newly acquired pool space will allow the club to finalize its signing of top international prospect Bayron Lora, tweets T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com; Lora ranked as the market’s No. 3 prospect this signing period, per MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez.

As for the ChiSox, they’ll bid adieu to one of the organization’s longest-tenured players. While they’re including some cash in the deal, Grant implies that the buyout on the option would be the Rangers’ responsibility, so the Sox are still saving a bit of money. They’re also adding a pair of young righties who’ve spent the season pitching in Rookie ball.

Jarneski, 19, was the Rangers’ 12th-round pick in 2017 and has returned to the field in 2019 after missing the ’18 season due to injury. He’s made 10 appearances and posted a 1.62 ERA with a 16-to-11 K/BB ratio in 16 2/3 innings in the Arizona League. Castro, 22, is in his second season with the Dominican Summer League, having pitched to a 2.02 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 35 1/3 innings. He’s old for the level at which he’s currently pitching, though. Neither is considered to be among the Rangers’ best farmhands.

Noah Syndergaard Reportedly “Off The Trade Market”

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WEDNESDAY, 10:25am: The Mets took Syndergaard “off the trade market last night,” according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links). While the club is still talking about Wheeler — the Mets “have a price” that’ll need to be met in order to move him — it seems they are now all but closed off to a deal involving Thor.

The roller-coaster ride of the Mets has continued unabated. While the club has a legitimate shot at sneaking into a Wild Card slot, it still needs to leapfrog some other teams to get there. After weeks of rumors regarding Syndergaard and Wheeler — following an offseason in which the former, especially, was batted around in trade chatter — it seems the New York org will attempt once again to build around the former and may even hang onto the latter.

6:42am: There’s still at least some possibility of a deal with the Padres, but it “feels like a long shot,” per Jon Heyman of MLB network (via Twitter). It seems the asking price is just too great at the moment, with the Mets seeking a package that includes “both major league pieces and prospects.”

12:50am: Rival executives who have spoken with the Mets believe a Syndergaard deal has indeed become “less likely,” Robert Murray of The Athletic reports. At least for now, it “appears” Syndergaard will remain a Met, per Murray.

TUESDAY, 11:42pm: Right-handers Marcus Stroman and Trevor Bauer have already ended up on the move prior to Wednesday’s trade deadline. Righty Noah Syndergaard, the most popular player in the rumor mill in recent days, could join them. But Syndergaard expects to remain a Met beyond the deadline, as he told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com and other reporters Tuesday.

“I think I’m staying put,” said Syndergaard, who DiComo notes has been in contact with the Mets’ front office.

The Mets started Syndergaard against the White Sox on Tuesday, which they likely wouldn’t have done if they were closing in on a trade. Syndergaard proceeded to turn in one of his finest performances of the season, tossing 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball (unearned) with five hits allowed and 11 strikeouts against one walk. The 26-year-old now owns a 4.10 ERA/3.48 FIP with 9.2 K/9, 2.49 BB/9 and a 48.8 percent groundball rate in 134 innings.

Syndergaard’s 2019 production hasn’t been as great as we’ve come to expect from him since he debuted in 2015. That isn’t to say it’s unimpressive, though, as it does somewhat rival the numbers Stroman and Bauer have put up this year. Stroman, an ex-Blue Jay who’s now teammates with Syndergaard, netted two decent prospects in a trade over the weekend. Bauer returned a haul to the Indians on Tuesday in a trade that also involved the Reds (his new team) and the Padres.

The Mets would be within reason to hold out for even more than Bauer brought back. After all, compared to Bauer, Syndergaard is younger, several million dollars cheaper, under control for a year longer and in possession of a superior track record. New York’s undoubtedly exorbitant asking price for Syndergaard may wind up as too rich for the rest of the league.

The Padres, for one, are seemingly out of the race. Talks between the Mets and Padres “are completely dormant,” Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. Franmil Reyes was reportedly among the players the Padres were willing to trade for Syndergaard, but the Friars sent him to the Indians in Tuesday’s blockbuster.

If Syndergaard does remain in place Wednesday, the Mets could still deal another high-profile starter in fellow righty Zack Wheeler. The 29-year-old pending free agent may be the most obvious trade candidate in baseball heading into the deadline.

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