With MLB’s trade deadline just two weeks away, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Are more mid-season extension negotiations on the horizon?
While players and clubs typically try to avoid in-season extension talks, that occasionally changes in the run-up to the trade deadline. The Braves signed catcher Travis d’Arnaud to an extension yesterday, and last year’s deal between the Padres and Joe Musgrove stands as another recent example of two sides coming together on an extension in the midst of trade season. While d’Arnaud isn’t the only player for whom an extension has been a recent topic of discussion, other rumored extension possibilities come with roadblocks. The Red Sox reportedly have interest in an extension with young right-hander Brayan Bello, but Bello has indicated he prefers not to negotiate in-season. On the other hand, veteran hurler Marcus Stroman has expressed a desire to stay with the Cubs, but the club’s front office does not appear to reciprocate that interest.
2. Marisnick to undergo MRI:
Dodgers outfielder Jake Marisnick is set to undergo an MRI with the expectation that he’ll require a trip to the injured list, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Marisnick has appeared in just four games with the Dodgers since signing with the club on a major-league deal last week after stints with the White Sox and Tigers earlier in the season. If Marisnick winds up missing significant time, that would only increase pressure on the Dodgers to add a right-handed outfielder prior to the trade deadline, as the club has begun to rely on a fully lefty outfield of James Outman, David Peralta, and Jason Heyward with Mookie Betts and Chris Taylor taking on more infield work in recent days. In the meantime, Ardaya reports the Dodgers are expected to recall outfielder Jonny Deluca to take Marisnick’s spot on the roster.
3. Recent DFAs to monitor:
Cardinals lefty Genesis Cabrera and Rays right-hander Yonny Chirinos were designated for assignment earlier in the week, and both are more established names than the typical DFA fodder. Cabrera has had a rough stretch in 2022-23 but notched a 3.41 ERA and 28.7% strikeout rate in 92 1/3 innings from 2020-21. Command has always been an issue for him (career 12.2% walk rate), but lefties who average 96 mph and miss bats don’t grow on trees; it’s feasible that the DFA could accelerate talks on a potential trade. Chirinos, meanwhile, has posted a career-low 11.8% strikeout rate this season but nevertheless sports a respectable 4.02 ERA in 66 2/3 innings. Tommy John surgery wiped out most of the past couple seasons for the right-hander, but back in 2018-19 he gave Tampa Bay 223 innings of 3.71 ERA ball with a 21% strikeout rate and terrific 5.9% walk rate. There are workload concerns after he missed so much time from 2020-22, but Chirinos stands as a possible trade candidate who could help teams in need of rotation depth.
Both players’ DFA windows will extend to July 24, but it’s likely the Rays and Cardinals are in ongoing talks with other clubs on the pair of experienced hurlers.
It’s really not a bad time to extend key players, if the player is not amenable to extend, you can always flip them at the trade deadline.
Dodgers can pickup Patrick Wisdom from Cubs plays 3rd and OF
Not bad; I was thinking the Cardinals could use the threat of trade to possibly extend Jordan Montgomery. I think most players would prefer to stay put, if they get a reasonable offer.
Montgmery won’t be back with the Cards, and won’t consider an extension offer when Free Agency is close at hand for a BORAS ORG client. Boras never takes money now when there might be more on the table in just a few months. And his clients rarely sign in the same city they were playing in just before free agency. One of the Boras Org’s tactics is to use the current team only as a starting point and a counter offer before the final deal from out of town.
It won’t cost much. K. Hernandez back to LA makes sense. He can definitely still shine in the OF and who knows? A fresh start could allow him to recover his bat so he becomes useful on the roster.
He has a whopper of a K rate, but he has been red hot since the ASB. Streaky hitter deluxe
What happen to Jake Marisnick? I liked him with the Tigers recently. He was so great defensively, running balls down and making some great catches. Hopefully he is not out long. I was thinking great pickup for the Dodgers .
Hamstring. Unclear how he hurt it but apparently it had been bothering him for awhile. He came out in the middle of an inning and not after a play.
Since when is a 4.02 ERA respectable? Even 3.71 isn’t good.
Have you not been watching baseball for a while? 4.02 is very respectable. 3.71 is solid. Are either “good?” Depends on what else you have. Many teams are sending out starters with 5+ ERAs. That’s just the current state of pitching.
10 yrs ago a 4.02 SP ERA would get you demoted to AAA. Today, it is respectable and “serviceable” most certainly. Baseball has clearly changed in many ways.
4.02 never got you demoted except possibly to the pen. It was mediocre to average.
4.01 was nearly dead on league average 10 years ago.
Chirinos’ 4.02 ERA is 16% better than average during his career, which certainly seems respectable.
4.02 was bad when games took 2 hours and 1 minute (in the early 1940’s). Now that games take 3 hours and 47 minutes, an ERA of 6.94 is bad
You’ll notice the rate of run scoring hasn’t changed, but now the games take too long and the pitchers really, really stink.
As you were.
Games this year are averaging 2 hours and 38 minutes. mlbrun.com/mlb-average-length-of-game
League average ERA in the ’40s ranged from 3.51 to 4.21. ERA the last 10 years has ranged from 3.74 to 4.49. The scoring environment affects what a “good” ERA is. A 6.94 ERA is bad in any era.
Game time are down ~25 minutes this year vs. last.
Also pitchers don’t stay in games very long. Very few rack up the innings any more.
WVT,
Pitchers don’t throw as many innings largely for two reasons.
1. Teams have learned pitchers often aren’t as effective facing a lineup a third time, so they bring in fresh arms. 2. Every pitcher is being asked to throw with maximum effort every pitch, so they tire more quickly.
Just about every batter can hit the ball over the fence, so pitchers can’t coast through the bottom third of the order like they could 50-60 years ago.
His peripherals didn’t support his ERA. High strand rate and FIP
League average is 4.32.
The usual Atlanta “Master Class” in team building; they’re giving the other teams the template or road map for success.
Connor Joe to the Dodgers for a AAA pitcher makes a lot of sense for both sides. Joe hits lefties well (.911 ops this year) and the Bucs could certainly use an arm, among other things. Would be a relatively low cost acquisition for the Dodgers. They seem to always have plenty of pitching depth.
Chirios to the cards back end starter
Meanwhile can’t be in the middle of the sentence. It needs to start the sentence.