- The Cubs asked the Tigers about Justin Verlander and Alex Avila earlier this week, and Fenech reports that Chicago is indeed interested in having Avila fill the spot left behind the plate by Miguel Montero. In regards to Verlander, however, “the Cubs’ interest is more smoke than fire.”
- Verlander’s big contract limits his number of suitors, and Fenech lists just the Cubs, Dodgers and Astros as potential trade partners, though all have some drawbacks. Los Angeles may look to address other needs than its rotation, while an Astros move for Verlander “would be out of their character.” Still, Fenech figures Houston will at least check in with Detroit about the former Cy Young Award winner.
[SOURCE LINK]
Cubs Rumors
Cubs Agree With First-Rounder Alex Lange
Thirtieth overall draft pick Alex Lange has agreed to a $1.925MM bonus to join the Cubs, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (Twitter links). Whether the sides would find common ground came into question today due to as-yet-unreported medical concerns.
Evidently, the health issues weren’t enough to scuttle the deal, though Lange will take home less than the slot value of $2,184,300. The righty had the option of spending another year at LSU, but that’d have left him facing another year of injury risk with little in the way of anticipated leverage for next year’s draft.
Sixth-round pick Jeremiah Estrada will take home a well-over-slot $1MM bonus, Callis tweets. That bonus level wouldn’t have been possible absent agreement with Lange, Callis notes, unless Chicago was willing to give up a first-round pick next year as a penalty. The Cubs also landed fifth-rounder Nelson Velazquez, Callis tweets. His status had been uncertain as well with the signing deadline looming.
Medical Issue Reportedly Complicating Talks Between Cubs, No. 30 Pick Alex Lange
An issue with No. 30 overall draft pick Alex Lange’s physical has thrown a wrench into negotiations, reports FanRag’s Robert Murray. The two sides are still talking about a deal that’d come in under the slot value of $2,184,300, but it’s possible that the righty could return to Louisiana State University for his senior season as well, tweets FanRag’s Jon Heyman. The Cubs and Lange’s camp will have until 5:00pm to work out a deal.
The hard-throwing Lange ranked 23rd among draft prospects, per Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, but concerns about an eventual move to the bullpen had him further down other boards. Baseball America pegged him 34th, while Fangraphs had him 39th and ESPN listed him 45th. Chicago has already agreed to terms with its top pick, No. 27 overall selection Brendon Little. Lange, meanwhile, was selected with the compensatory pick they received when Dexter Fowler signed in St. Louis.
If the Cubs are unable to sign Lange, they’ll lose the $2.184MM value of his slot from their bonus pool, so the funds won’t be able to be redirected elsewhere. However, they’d also be entitled to a comp pick in next year’s draft, assuming they ultimately do make him an offer worth a certain percentage of the slot’s value. Lange and Reds top pick Hunter Greene (No. 2 overall) are the top picks that remain unsigned.
Theo Epstein On Cubs' Deadline Plans
- Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein warned today that outside additions won’t solve the club’s woes, as Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com was among those to report. Epstein says the defending World Series champs “can’t force anything” at the trade deadline. Whatever changes to the roster are ultimately made, he says, the organization’s “biggest fixes are inside the clubhouse.” That hardly establishes (or even really suggests) that Chicago won’t look to improve at the deadline, of course. And it certainly doesn’t hint that Epstein lacks in confidence in the existing talent. Indeed, he also says he expects the club to return to the high level of play it has carried over the past two seasons. Caveats aside, Epstein did indicate that the Cubs aren’t exactly looking to structure any deadline blockbusters. “We’ll do what we can to look to augment that,” he said, “but there’s not going to be a fundamental shift in the player personnel that we have.”
Marlins Notes: Trade Targets, Volquez, Sale Progress
Here’s the latest out of Miami:
- With the team set to be sold at some point in the near future, the Marlins appear to be lining up for some significant moves at the deadline. As Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports, the Fish appear to be targeting a few organizations in particular as they look to shop their biggest contracts. Marlins scouts are taking a hard look at the systems of the Yankees, Red Sox, Brewers, Rockies, and Cubs, per the report. Whether that’s based upon demand coming from those organizations or instead Miami’s own interest in certain prospects isn’t entirely clear; obviously, plenty of other teams will likely end up engaging with the Marlins in what is shaping up to be an interesting deadline period.
- Miami is not concerned about righty Edinson Volquez, Spencer also notes. Though he experienced left-knee discomfort in his most recent start, skipper Don Mattingly suggested the veteran will be ready to go after the All-Star break. He could well be one of the players dangled in trade talks over the next few weeks.
- The less-than-straightforward Marlins sale process remains in flux as the organization prepares to host the All-Star Game. Bidding groups led by Tagg Romney, on the one hand, and Derek Jeter, on the other, have each run into issues, according to a report from Claire Atinson, Ken Davidoff, and Josh Kosman of the New York Post. In fact, the Romney group may even have pulled out of the process altogether, per the report. Jeter’s group, meanwhile, no longer has the backing of one key investor. That could place a third bidder, Jorge Mas, in position to make a deal. But it’s also possible that Jeter could try to “convince MLB to push back a decision date … possibly to the end of the season in October,” sources tell the Post.
- Mas has attempted to get the Marlins to agree to an exclusive negotiating window, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag, but that has yet to occur. Still, the report suggests, the process could be only weeks away from completion. While Mas is said to be in the driver’s seat, Heyman hears that the Romney-led group may still be involved.
Cubs To Recall Kyle Schwarber, Place John Lackey On DL
7:55am: Rogers now tweets that the Cubs will place John Lackey on the 10-day DL due to plantar faciitis, though it’s possible that due to the off-time afforded by the All-Star break, Lackey won’t even miss a start. Lackey started yesterday’s game for the Cubs and wasn’t in line to make another appearance in the first half anyhow.
7:36am: The Cubs will recall Kyle Schwarber from Triple-A Iowa today after a brief demotion to the minors, reports ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers. He’s expected to be available for today’s game against Milwaukee.
The 24-year-old Schwarber got off to a dreadful start in 2017, hitting just .171/.295/.378 through his first 261 plate appearances. While Schwarber did belt 12 homers in that time, he also struck out in nearly 29 percent of his plate appearances and hit 10 infield flies to go along with a lowly 12.3 percent line-drive rate.
Schwarber’s demotion was never expected to be especially lengthy in nature, however, and he’s clobbered Triple-A pitching in 11 games following the quick mental respite. In 44 plate appearances, the former No. 4 overall draft pick hit .343/.477/.714 with four homers and a double. He did strike out 12 times (27 percent), but he also drew eight walks.
Jon Jay has seen the bulk of the playing time in left field since Schwarber was sent down and has hit well (.268/.318/.463 in 44 PAs), but Schwarber figures to reclaim the majority of playing time in left upon his return. The corresponding move for Schwarber’s return isn’t yet known, but there are no obvious demotion candidates on the position-player side of the equation, and the Cubs are currently deploying an eight-man bullpen.
Cubs Activate Jason Heyward From DL
- The Cubs have activated Jason Heyward from the 10-day DL. Infielder Jeimer Candelario and righty Felix Pena were optioned to Triple-A, while left-hander Jack Leathersich was called up in corresponding moves. Heyward has missed two weeks due to a left hand abrasion, his second DL stint of the season after missing time due to a sprained finger in May. The injuries haven’t helped Heyward’s goal of regaining his former offensive consistency, as the outfielder has a .258/.315/.399 slash line over 217 PA this season. [Updated Cubs depth chart at Roster Resource]
Cubs Asked Tigers About Availability Of Verlander, Avila
The Cubs have made contact with the Tigers about veteran righty Justin Verlander and catcher Alex Avila, according to a report from MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (Twitter links). At this point, though, no real trade talks appear to have taken place.
While there’s little indication that anything is particularly likely to come together, it’s nevertheless notable to hear of the interest from the defending World Series champs. Chicago has struggled badly out of the gates, with its rotation representing a particular area of concern. And the team recently parted with left-handed-hitting backstop Miguel Montero, potentially making the similarly situated Avila an appealing target.
Of course, Verlander himself hasn’t exactly been pitching like an ace through the first half of the season. The Cubs sent a scout to watch his most recent outing, which represented a new low (no strikeouts, seven earned runs in 3 1/3 innings) for the longtime ace. Through 98 frames on the year, Verlander now carries a 4.96 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9.
Never has Verlander allowed so many walks over a full season. And his swinging-strike rate (9.1%) and strikeout rate (8.4 K/9) are both down after a bounceback 2016 campaign. Still, Verlander was excellent last year and is throwing about as hard as ever (95.4 mph average fastball), so it’s not hard to see a team taking a chance. There are only two years left on his contract, though it also includes $56MM guaranteed after the conclusion of the current season. Word is he’s increasingly available, with Detroit potentially willing to keep some of the cash that’s still owed — though the veteran righty also has full veto power over any deals.
As for Avila, he has improved his stock as much as any player in baseball. Through 204 plate appearances this year, he’s mashing at a ridiculous .310/.431/.571 clip with 11 home runs and a 17.2% walk rate. While his .427 BABIP surely won’t last, Avila looks to be quite a useful piece as a left-handed-hitting catcher.
For the Cubs, young switch-hitting receiver Victor Caratini looks to be a long-term piece, but it seems the team may not quite be willing to rely on him too heavily in 2017. Avila, then, could take his place as a complement to second-year man Willson Contreras, the regular behind the dish. The youthful Contreras hasn’t been quite as impressive this year as last at the plate, perhaps increasing the team’s desire to pursue a quality veteran complement.
Blue Jays Acquire Miguel Montero
The Blue Jays announced that they’ve acquired catcher Miguel Montero and cash considerations from the Cubs in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Darrell Ceciliani has been moved to the 60-day DL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. FanRag’s Jon Heyman reported last week that the Jays had interest in Montero after the Cubs had designated him for assignment.
Montero, 34 this weekend, sounded off on teammate Jake Arrieta and the rest of the Cubs’ pitching staff last week for slow delivery times, citing that as the reason that the Nationals were able to steal seven bases against the Cubs in one game. While Arrieta undoubtedly carried his share of the blame in that instance, the Cubs didn’t take kindly to Montero’s candid assessment with the media; Montero was designated for assignment roughly 12 hours later.
President of baseball operations Theo Epstein told reporters after the fact that the organization considered that an instance of Montero “not being a good teammate,” while Anthony Rizzo offered some pointed criticism of Montero in a radio interview the next morning. Said Rizzo on ESPN 1000 (Twitter link): “When you point fingers you’re a selfish player. We have another catcher that throws everyone out.”
At the plate, Montero figures to give the Jays a boost in production. Toronto catchers have posted a putrid .168/.280/.280 batting line in 2017 on the whole. While Russell Martin isn’t hitting for average, he’s still getting on base and showing a bit of power, as evidenced by his .213/.369/.368 line. However, the combination of Luke Maile, Mike Ohlman and Jarrod Saltalamacchia has been a black hole for the Jays, from an offensive standpoint, hitting a combined .108/.140/.162 in 136 plate appearances. Montero isn’t the hitter that he once was, but he’s still touting a .286/.366/.439 batting line in 2017, albeit in a small sample of 112 plate appearances (just 13 of which have come against fellow lefties).
From a defensive standpoint, there are more questions with Montero. While he’s long rated as a plus framer and again has positive marks in 2017, he’s also thrown out just one of the 32 men that have attempted to steal a base against him this year. Last season he managed to halt a mere 11 percent of stolen base attempts against him, and he was at just 20 percent with the Cubs back in 2015. While there’s assuredly some level of truth to Montero’s comments — many stolen bases, after all, are swiped primarily at the expense of the pitcher — Montero certainly isn’t without blame. As Rizzo alluded to, Montero’s now-former teammate, Willson Contreras, has managed to throw out 35 percent of his opponents over the past two seasons.
Montero is earning $14MM this season in the final year of a five-year, $60MM contract extension that he signed with the Diamondbacks in 2012. Of that $14MM sum, approximately $6.96MM remains. Unsurprisingly, FOX’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Cubs will pay the “vast majority” of the sum that remains on that deal as a means of facilitating the deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NL International Signings: 7/2/17
Here are some notable National League international signings not yet covered elsewhere on MLB Trade Rumors. All signing information can be found in these invaluable compilations of the initial flurry of July 2 action from Baseball America’s Ben Badler and MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez; the information here is from those sources unless otherwise credited…
- The Mets agreed to deals with Dominican shortstops Ronny Mauricio and Adrian Hernandez. Mauricio will get a $2.1MM bonus while Hernandez receives $1.5MM.
- The Phillies reached agreement with Dominican shortstop Luis Garcia on a deal with a $2.5MM bonus.
- The Marlins have agree to sign Ynmanol Marinez, a shortstop from the Dominican Republic. The exact figures on Marinez’s bonus aren’t known, though the 16-year-old will get in the neighborhood of $1.3MM-$1.5MM.
- The Brewers agreed to sign Dominican outfielder Larry Ernesto for a bonus in the range of $1.7MM-$1.8MM (BA had the lower figure, MLB.com the higher). Milwaukee has also reached a deal with Venezuelan outfielder Carlos Rodriguez for a $1.355MM bonus.
- The Cubs agreed to sign Mexican shortstop Luis Verdugo for a $1MM bonus.
- The Diamondbacks have an agreement with outfielder Kristian Robinson. The 16-year-old native of Nassau, Bahamas will receive $2.5MM from Arizona.
