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Mariners Targeting Starting Pitching, Infield Help

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The Mariners are seeking starting pitching and infield upgrades in advance of the July 30 trade deadline, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Murray suggests the club sees second base as its biggest area to address, with a right-handed hitter being preferable.

Seattle has somewhat surprisingly hung around the playoff picture all year, entering play tonight 3.5 games behind the Athletics for the final Wild Card spot. Despite having been outscored by 51 runs, the Mariners are six games over .500 at 50-44. They’ll have an opportunity to make up ground when they welcome the A’s for a four-game set this weekend.

The Mariners weren’t generally expected to contend entering the season. While the club has seen plenty of progress as they reach the final stages of their rebuild, much of the roster is still young and unestablished. Despite their place in the standings, they remain a long shot to get to the postseason this year. FanGraphs pegs Seattle’s playoff odds at just 4%.

Thus, it’s not particularly surprising to hear the Mariners front office has indicated to rival teams they’re uninterested in parting with any of their top prospects, according to Murray. Rather than pursuing the top pitching targets on the market, Seattle’s expected to look for stopgap options to aid an injury-plagued rotation. Justin Dunn and Justus Sheffield remain on the injured list, and the team’s reunion with James Paxton didn’t even last two innings before the lefty required Tommy John surgery. That has left the M’s to rely on Yusei Kikuchi, Logan Gilbert, Marco Gonzales and Chris Flexen.

Turning to the infield, each of first and second base have been problem areas for the M’s this year. Seattle’s presumably still committed to Evan White long-term, but the young first baseman won’t play again in 2021 due to a hip injury. At second base, the Mariners have gotten a disappointing campaign from Dylan Moore, who’s hitting just .190/.276/.356 across 243 plate appearances.

It shouldn’t be hard to find an upgrade over that production even if the Mariners are disinclined to part with top players. Speculatively speaking, Jonathan Schoop is having a strong season with Detroit and fits Seattle’s reported target for a righty-hitting second baseman; the switch-hitting César Hernández could be made available by the Indians, as could Josh Harrison of the Nationals.

Of course, there’s still some possibility the Mariners fall out of that solid position in the standings over the coming week. Losing this weekend’s series with Oakland, for instance, might change the calculus. Both Murray and Jeff Passan of ESPN write that the Mariners could yet straddle the line between buying and selling, looking to bolster the roster for this season and beyond while continuing to listen to offers on players like outfielder Mitch Haniger and reliever Kendall Graveman. The M’s don’t seem especially likely to trade Haniger, who’s controllable through next season, but an impending free agent like Graveman seems a more plausible candidate for a midseason move.

Dodgers Designate Andy Burns For Assignment

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The Dodgers announced they’ve designated infielder Andy Burns for assignment. The move creates space on the 40-man roster for the promotion of top pitching prospect Josiah Gray, which has been made official.

Los Angeles selected Burns, a longtime minor league veteran, to the roster last month. He tallied fifteen plate appearances over nine games, his first MLB action since a cameo with the 2016 Blue Jays. Burns has spent the bulk of the year with Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he’s performed quite well. The 30-year-old has a .259/.382/.459 line with five home runs and a massive 16.4% walk rate over 165 plate appearances with the Dodgers’ top affiliate this year.

The Dodgers will have a week to trade Burns or place him on waivers. He has previously been outrighted in his career, so Burns would have the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency if he passes through waivers unclaimed.

Dodgers Promote Josiah Gray

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The Dodgers announced they’ve promoted top pitching prospect Josiah Gray. He’ll make his major league debut during tonight’s game with the rival Giants.

Selected by the Reds in the second round of the 2018 draft out of Division II Le Moyne College, Gray was traded to Los Angeles a few months later as part of the deal that sent Yasiel Puig to Cincinnati. The following season, he emerged as one of the game’s better pitching prospects. He dominated across three minor league levels in 2019, demonstrating a three-pitch mix and surprisingly advanced command for a player who didn’t convert to pitching full-time until his final season at Le Moyne.

Entering the year, Gray appeared on the top 100 prospect lists of each of Baseball America, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs and Keith Law of the Athletic. Longenhagen was the most bullish of that trio, slotting the 23-year-old as the #29 prospect leaguewide. In his scouting report, Longenhagen raved about Gray’s repertoire and strong fastball command, noting that he projects to be a “mid-rotation stalwart” at his peak. BA and Law echoed those sentiments, pointing to Gray’s continued development of his secondary pitches and strong understanding of pitching as reasons for optimism he’ll continue to improve.

Gray has reached Triple-A Oklahoma City for the first time this year, but a shoulder injury sidelined him for two months. He’s only made four appearances because of that, but Gray’s shown no difficulty adapting to the minors’ highest level. He’s allowed just five runs across 15 2/3 innings, striking out 22 while issuing a pair of walks.

Adding rotation help before the July 30 trade deadline figures to be a priority for the Dodgers. Los Angeles trails the Giants by one game in a tightly-contested NL West. Gray pitching well right out of the gate would go a long way towards stabilizing the starting staff, although that’ll likely be a target area for president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and his front office regardless of Gray’s early performance.

Even if Gray is in the majors for good, he won’t reach free agency until the conclusion of the 2027 season. He’s not slated for arbitration eligibility until the 2024-25 offseason. Future optional assignments could push back that service time projection.

Blue Jays Designate T.J. Zeuch For Assignment

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The Blue Jays announced they’ve reinstated catcher Alejandro Kirk from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Buffalo. To clear space on the 40-man roster, Toronto designated right-hander T.J. Zeuch for assignment.

The move might bring an end to Zeuch’s tenure with the Jays, who selected him in the first round of the 2016 draft. The big righty has made thirteen appearances (seven starts) with Toronto over the past three seasons, working to a 4.59 ERA across 49 innings. Zeuch has induced grounders on over half the balls put in play against him, but he’s struggled to miss bats at the big league level. The 25-year-old has only managed a 14.1% strikeout rate, while walking an elevated 10.9% of opponents.

Zeuch has spent the bulk of the year at Triple-A, posting a 4.03 ERA in 58 innings. His production there isn’t all that dissimilar from what he’s managed in the majors. Zeuch has racked up grounders (50.5%) but hasn’t struck out many batters (16.6%). To his credit, the 25-year-old has been better at throwing strikes in Triple-A, doling out free passes to just 5.1% of batters faced.

The Jays will have a week to trade Zeuch or expose him to waivers. It wouldn’t at all be surprising to see another club acquire him in the coming days. Zeuch has a strong minor league track record, and he’s shown the ability to carry his groundball tendencies over to the highest level. He also comes with an additional option year beyond this season. Any club that acquires Zeuch could keep him in the high minors through the end of 2022 so long as he sticks on the 40-man roster.

Kirk, one of baseball’s top catching prospects, has been out since early May with a left hip flexor strain. He’s hit very well in limited big league time to date, but the Jays will stick with the more experienced duo of Reese McGuire and Danny Jansen behind the plate for now.

Rays Sign First-Round Pick Carson Williams

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The Rays announced they’ve come to terms with first-round draft choice Carson Williams. An infielder from a California high school, Williams will receive a $2.3475MM signing bonus, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (Twitter link). That’s a touch below the $2.4939MM slot value that accompanies the 28th overall selection.

A UC-Berkeley commit, Williams drew some disparate opinions from public evaluators. While Baseball America and FanGraphs each slotted the right-handed hitting shortstop among their top 40 prospects pre-draft, Keith Law of the Athletic placed him 101st. Williams has a chance to be a power-hitting shortstop, but it seems there’s some divisiveness regarding the consistency of his hit tool.

Tampa Bay has now wrapped up deals with both of their Day One picks. The Rays signed Competitive Balance Round A selection Cooper Kinney last night.

Mets Designate Jerad Eickhoff For Assignment

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The Mets announced they’ve designated right-hander Jerad Eickhoff for assignment. The move creates roster space for righty Robert Stock, who has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to start tonight’s game against the Reds.

It’s the second time this season New York has designated Eickhoff. The veteran starter was selected to the big league roster last month, re-signed with the organization after being passed through waivers, and was again brought back to the majors two weeks ago. Between his pair of stints, Eickhoff has tossed 16 1/3 innings of 4.96 ERA/5.71 SIERA ball. He’s thrown strikes at a strong rate, but Eickhoff hasn’t missed many bats and he’s been tagged for six home runs in his limited work.

The Mets will have a week to trade Eickhoff or expose him to waivers. If he clears outright waivers — as he did in June — he can reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency.

Dodgers Sign First-Round Pick Maddux Bruns

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The Dodgers have agreed to terms with first-round draft pick Maddux Bruns, reports Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com (Twitter link). The high school southpaw will receive a $2.2MM signing bonus that lands a bit shy of the $2.4246MM slot value that accompanies the 29th overall pick. Bruns had been committed to Mississippi State University. He’ll forego an opportunity to join the reigning college national champions and instead sign on with the defending World Series winners.

Most public evaluators pegged Bruns as an early-mid second round talent, so it’s not a huge surprise he landed a bit underslot despite being part of a demographic (prep pitching) that often demands above-slot bonuses. Each of Baseball America, Keith Law of the Athletic, and Eric Longenhagen and Kevin Goldstein of FanGraphs placed Bruns between 45th and 60th on their pre-draft rankings.

The Alabama native has among the best raw stuff in the class, with a mid-high 90’s fastball and a high-spin power curveball. But his delivery has a bit of violence that concerns some evaluators, with his control less consistent than that of many of the class’s other top arms. Los Angeles will now get an opportunity to add a high-upside pitcher to the system while saving a bit of bonus pool space to distribute to their Day Two selections.

Phillies Activate Aaron Nola, Place Zach Eflin On Injured List

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The Phillies have reinstated starting pitcher Aaron Nola from the injured list to start this evening’s game against the Yankees. Rotation mate Zach Eflin landed on the 10-day IL with patellar tendinitis in his right knee in a corresponding move.

Nola landed on the COVID-19 IL on July 11 as a close contact of third baseman Alec Bohm, who had tested positive for the virus. (Bohm has also been cleared to rejoin the team, manager Joe Girardi told reporters — including Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer — but won’t be activated until he works himself back into game shape). That cost Nola his July 11 start, but he winds up only missing a single turn in the rotation thanks to the intervening All-Star Break.

It’s not clear precisely how long Eflin will be out, but the Phillies don’t believe his injury to be a long-term concern (according to Breen). That’s welcome news considering Eflin’s history of knee issues, which includes a season-ending 2016 surgery to repair the same patellar tendon.

The Phils can ill afford a long absence from Eflin, who’s been one of their more productive starters over the past couple seasons. The 27-year-old has a typically solid 4.17 ERA/3.79 SIERA across 105 2/3 frames this year. At 47-45, Philadelphia trails the Mets by just 2.5 games in the NL East, so a prompt return from Eflin is of critical importance.

Marlins Select Luis Madero

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The Marlins have selected the contract of right-hander Luis Madero, Christina de Nicola of MLB.com was among those to relay. To create space on the 40-man roster, infielder José Devers has been transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list.

Madero has bounced on and off the 40-man roster a couple times this year, making his first two major league appearances in the process. He has spent the majority of the season with Triple-A Jacksonville, working mostly as a starting pitcher. The 24-year-old has tossed 29 innings over eight appearances (including six starts) with the Jumbo Shrimp, working to a strong 3.41 ERA. Madero has struck out an above-average 25.6% of batters faced against an average 9.8% walk percentage.

Devers was originally placed on the IL with a right shoulder impingement on June 14. Today’s transfer rules him out for sixty days from that time, so the young infielder won’t be back in the big leagues until at least mid-August. Devers has picked up his first 46 MLB plate appearances this year.

Orioles Activate John Means

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The Orioles announced they’ve reinstated left-hander John Means from the 10-day injured list to start this evening’s game against the Rays. Outfielder Ryan McKenna was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk to clear active roster space.

Means has missed around six weeks after landing on the IL with a shoulder strain. That was an unfortunate development that halted what has been a breakout season for the 28-year-old. Through 71 innings, Means has worked to a sterling 2.28 ERA/3.80 SIERA. He’s missing bats at a career-best 25.7% rate and has continued to avoid free passes (4.9% walk percentage). He’s had plenty of success with all three of his offerings (fastball, slider and changeup) and racked up swinging strikes at a lofty 14% clip (against an 11.6% league average).

Along with that strong performance came some questions about Means’ long-term future. With the Orioles still rebuilding and not particularly close to contention, it’s not out of the question Baltimore could give some thought to moving Means for a haul of younger talent. There’s only ten days remaining until the trade deadline, though, so there’s not much time for Means to demonstrate to contenders he’s back to peak health and form.

That’s not to say teams won’t be in contact with O’s general manager Mike Elias over the next week-plus. There’d still surely be plenty of interest in Means if Baltimore were to make him available, particularly given the lack of other top-of-the-rotation arms expected to be on the trade block this summer. Still, there’s no urgency for the Orioles to move Means at this point, so other clubs can’t bank on his recent injury reducing the asking price. The O’s can keep Means in Baltimore via arbitration through the end of the 2024 season.

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