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Central Notes: Cubs, Candelario, Gonsalves, Sano

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Have the Cubs emptied their farm in a worrying way? It’s not quite that simple, Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago writes. With a youthful and controllable core of position players, GM Jed Hoyer says, “we’re an incredibly healthy organization from a young-talent standpoint.” While the front office will still need to replenish the ranks in the long run, despite lower draft positions and new limitations on international spending, it does indeed seem reasonable not to focus too much on the fact that the club has lost so much from the top of its system (much of it to graduation, not trade).

  • One player that just moved out of the Chicago system — new Tigers corner infielder Jeimer Candelario — is heading right up to the majors, as Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press writes. While GM Al Avila says he hopes Candelario will push for a regular role next year, it seems he won’t shoulder that burden in his first MLB stint with his new club. Indeed, he may just function as a bench piece for the time being, manager Brad Ausmus suggests and Evan Woodberry of MLive.com tweets.
  • The Twins have moved lefty Stephen Gonsalves up to Triple-A, per an announcement from the team’s top affiliate. The 23-year-old southpaw entered the season as a consensus top-100 prospect leaguewide, and has responded by continuing to dominate the opposition at Double-A — as he did in a half-season there last year. Given the pitching struggles at the MLB level in Minnesota, it’s fair to wonder whether Gonsalves could become an option down the stretch, either to boost the staff if the team stays in the Wild Card hunt or merely to give him a look to see if he’s an option for 2018.
  • Meanwhile, the Twins can breathe easy after seeing Miguel Sano worryingly take a pitch off his hand. As Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reported yesterday, the young slugger received a clean bill of health after undergoing an MRI and CT scan. Sano has missed the last three games but will presumably be able to return once the pain and swelling subside.

Cubs, Mike Freeman Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Cubs have agreed to a minor league pact with infielder/outfielder Mike Freeman, according to the team’s transactions log at MLB.com.

Freeman, 30, was designated for assignment by the Dodgers when they acquired Yu Darvish in a last-minute deadline blockbuster and elected free agency later in the week. The versatile defender has appeared in 41 games between the Mariners, D-backs and Dodgers across the past two seasons, though he’s been more of a defensive replacement than a regular in the lineup. Freeman’s at-bats have been sporadic, and his 63 Major League plate appearances have resulted in just a .123/.206/.193 batting line.

His work in Triple-A has been substantially better. In parts of four seasons and a total of 1385 plate appearances at that level, Freeman has slashed an excellent .315/.379/.422 with nine homers and a near-perfect 35 steals in 36 attempts. He’s played all four infield positions and both outfield corners in the Majors, and he also has 686 innings of center field work under his belt in the minors.

Dodgers Claim Dylan Floro

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The Dodgers have claimed righty Dylan Floro off waivers from the Cubs, the Los Angeles organization has announced. A 40-man spot was opened by moving Franklin Gutierrez to the 60-day DL.

Floro, 26, was knocked around in 9 2/3 innings (over three relief appearances) earlier this year with the Cubs. And he has managed just 4.8 K/9 in his 48 2/3 Triple-A frames on the season.

Still, teams obviously remain interested in Floro’s ability to draw grounders. He has induced worm burners on 61.6% of the balls put in play against him this year at Iowa, where he owns a 3.88 ERA.

Cubs Release David Rollins

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  • Left-hander David Rollins has been released by the Cubs, per the organization’s Triple-A affiliate (on Twitter). Rollins garnered plenty of headlines this offseason when he was claimed off waivers five different times and designated for assignment a sixth time in one offseason before finally clearing waivers and being assigned to the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in Iowa. He struggled there this season, though, totaling 42 innings with a 5.79 ERA, 8.4 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9. He posted a much better year with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate in 2016 (3.77 ERA, 6.4 K/9, 1.2 BB/9) and also has 34 1/3 innings of experience in the Majors — all coming with Seattle from 2015-16.

Deadline Retrospective: How Astros Lost Britton; Why Padres Held Hand

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The Astros’ lone move this past Monday was the acquisition of Francisco Liriano from the Blue Jays, but multiple reports indicate a significant reason for their lack of activity is due to the fact that an agreed-upon deal for Zach Britton fell through at the eleventh hour. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (here and here), MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal, and FanRag’s Jon Heyman each reported key aspects of the story. You’ll certainly want to read those links in full for all the interesting details, but we’ll cover some highlights here.

Astros owner Jim Crane said in a radio interview with ESPN 97.5 in Houston that his team had multiple trades that were “agreed to in principle” before medical issues led to those deals getting “vetoed at the top.” The Orioles are known to have the most stringent medical standards of any team in the league, though it’s also interesting that Rosenthal reports that Houston also had a deal lined up for an unidentified “high-end” reliever that would have “surprised the industry” upon being traded.

Per Kubatko and Rosenthal, the Britton deal broke down when the Orioles raised medical concerns over two of the players in the deal — believing one to have a “legitimate medical problem” and deeming another to be somewhat questionable. The identity of the prospects in question isn’t known, though Kubatko says the pair were both pitchers and Rosenthal hears that as many as six to seven Astros prospects were deemed off-limits in trade talks for Britton. Ultimately, the Orioles “went dark” on both the Astros and the Dodgers, who were also in the mix for Britton, for several hours before simply telling L.A. that Britton was off the table about an hour prior to the deadline, Rosenthal continues. Baltimore made a last-minute offer to Houston, but the Astros deemed it too steep.

Heyman writes that while many will place the blame on Baltimore owner Peter Angelos, Orioles officials insisted to him that the medical reports on the players the O’s would have received of great enough concern that no deal was ever even presented to Angelos. Heyman spoke to multiple execs from other teams that suggested Houston is too stingy when it comes to surrendering its top prospects in a deal, and that penchant for hanging onto prized young talent ultimately led to a quiet deadline for GM Jeff Luhnow and his staff.

Of course, the Astros had plenty of reason to be cautious when it comes to Britton. The once-elite reliever has missed most of the 2017 season due to a pair of DL stints tied to a forearm injury and at the time of the deadline had only worked back-to-back days once since being activated off the DL (and once during a minor league rehab stint). He posted an 8-to-4 K/BB ratio in 10 July innings before the non-waiver deadline, though it’s perhaps worth noting that he did work on a third consecutive evening the night of the deadline.

Houston did, of course, have other irons in the fire — including the intriguing mystery reliever noted by Rosenthal as well as Yu Darvish. Indeed, it seems the former only fell through at the ownership level from the other team. And Houston’s front office felt it made a stronger offer for Darvish than did the Dodgers, says Rosenthal, who notes the Rangers simply didn’t see it that way (the front office had authority to deal the righty within the state).

Brad Hand of the Padres, though, seemingly represented the most obvious alternative to Britton — at least, after the Cubs grabbed Justin Wilson, in part owing to a wariness of dealing with the O’s on deadline day. But Houston and San Diego just never saw eye to eye on the southpaw’s value, per Rosenthal and Heyman.

Sources from the Pads indicate the club ultimately backed away from seeking top-100-type talent, though not all rival executives seem to have viewed it that way. It seems that San Diego did at least check down from the top-tier prospects it initially sought, though obviously there was still a gap that was never bridged. Details remain scant, though Rosenthal notes the Astros held the same six prospects off-limits for Hand that they did for Britton; per Heyman, the Nationals were no more willing to discuss Carter Kieboom than their top outfielder prospects and the Dodgers preferred cheaper options even though the Padres would’ve taken a package of multiple prospects outside of the Dodgers’ five best.

Ultimately, the fact that both Britton and Hand stayed with their respective organizations leaves some potentially un-done work for all involved. The Astros obviously had intended to do more at the deadline, and could look to find alternatives this August. There’s also an impact on their plans for 2018 and beyond. That’s all the more true for the Orioles and Padres, who’ll likely shop their lefties this winter.

New Facebook Pages For Fans Of Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Braves, Cardinals

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For the past month, we have been attempting an experiment: five human-curated team Facebook pages.  Under the direction of JP Hadley, Jack Stockless, Stephanie Nevill, Chris Jervis, and Tanner Puckett, our Facebook pages for the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Braves, and Cardinals have become engaging, informative, fun, and up-to-date.  Instead of the previous automated posting of MLBTR content, these pages have team news of all kinds, polls, infographics, interesting links, discussion, and of course hot stove rumors.  These pages have everything a fan could want.  If you follow any of these five teams, please give our new Facebook pages a Like today!

Sonny Gray Trade Rumors: Deadline Day

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With about one hour remaining until the trade deadline, all eyes are on Athletics ace Sonny Gray.  Gray comes with a 3.43 ERA on the season and club control through 2019.  The latest:

  • The Yankees’ dialogue continues on Gray, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports says the Yankees and A’s have had some movement on a trade, but aren’t quite there yet.  Mark Feinsand of MLB.com feels Gray will either go to the Yankees or stay with the A’s.  There is a strong belief within the A’s organization that a Gray trade will get done, tweets MLB.com’s Jane Lee.

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Midday Market Chatter: Nats, Dodgers, Lynn, Panik

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The Nationals have been linked to a variety of relievers even after adding two veterans earlier this month, and Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post tweets that the pursuit continues in earnest today. While it seems a variety of hurlers could be of interest, adding a pitcher capable of taking on closing duties remains a “priority,” per the report. Washington has been connected to Brandon Kintzler of the Twins today, along with a long list of other pitchers.

Here’s some more midday chatter as the non-waiver deadline looms:

  • Some Dodgers front office folks would like to see the club come away with a “wipeout left-handed reliever” today, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets. That has been noted as a strong priority over recent weeks, of course, though the club has also been said to be eyeing top-tier starting pitching as well. At this point, it would seem, Zach Britton of the Orioles is the likeliest target among lefty pen pieces, though it’s still unclear whether he’ll end up being moved.
  • There’s industry chatter linking the Indians to Cardinals righty Lance Lynn, Olney tweets — a connection that was made a few days ago as well. And Cleveland also has some interest in discussing some of the excess young outfielders on the St. Louis roster, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch adds on Twitter. The Cards are said to be willing to listen on some such position players — in particular, Tommy Pham and Randal Grichuk. It’s not immediately clear, though, whether the sides are engaged in earnest today.
  • The Angels have been rumored to be looking at second basemen of late, and recently spoke with the Giants about Joe Panik, per Olney (via Twitter). But those talks evidently did not materialize into anything the sides found worthy of further pursuit, and there’s no indication that Panik is in play today.
  • Both the Cubs and Red Sox appear to have made their moves at this point, per reports from Olney (via Twitter) and Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal (Twitter link). Chicago is, however, still keeping an eye out for controllable pitching depth, while Boston will also “monitor [the] market” up until the deadline.

Cubs Designate Dylan Floro For Assignment

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The Cubs announced that they’ve designated right-hander Dylan Floro for assignment in order to open the necessary roster space to accommodate the acquisitions of left-hander Justin Wilson and catcher Alex Avila from the Tigers.

The 26-year-old Floro has spent most of the 2017 season in the minors but has appeared in three big league games with the Cubs this season. In that time, he’s surrendered seven runs on 15 hits and a pair of walks with six strikeouts through 9 2/3 innings. His minor league work has produced a more palatable 3.88 ERA in 48 2/3 frames, though Floro has also punched out just 26 hitters (4.8 BB/9) in that time.

Cubs Acquire Justin Wilson, Alex Avila

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TODAY: The deal is official, with both clubs announcing it. For Detroit, catcher John Hicks and righty Joe Jimenez will come up to fill the roster openings.

YESTERDAY, 11:45pm: The sides have completed the medical review, though an announcement is still forthcoming, per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links).

10:55pm: The Cubs are finalizing a deal to acquire two more pieces for the stretch run. If the swap is finalized, both southpaw reliever Justin Wilson and catcher Alex Avila will reportedly head from the Tigers to Chicago in exchange for infielder Jeimer Candelario and young shortstop Isaac Paredes, along with cash or a player to be named later.

[RELATED: Updated Cubs & Tigers Depth Charts]

Of course, the Chicago (N.L.) farm has been raided of late, with numerous talented players streaming onto the MLB roster as well as to other organizations. The Cubbies are pushing the pedal to the floor once again, hoping to capitalize on a wave of momentum coming out of the All-Star break that has swept the defending World Series champs back into the NL Central lead.

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Though Wilson has perhaps elevated his profile this year, owing to a move into the ninth inning for the Tigers, he hasn’t really changed his baseline performance level. He still works off of a mid-to-upper-nineties heater and is generally slightly more successful against right-handed hitters than lefties. And ERA estimators still value him as a low-to-mid-3’s performer.

That said, there are some notable changes. Through 40 1/3 innings this year, Wilson carries a career-high 14.3% swinging-strike rate and has averaged 12.3 K/9 — well over any prior full-season mark. He’s also allowing more walks (3.6 BB/9) and home runs (1.12 per nine) than usual, with less grounders (38.4%) than ever before. A general shift northward with his pitch location seems to explain the differences, though it’s hard to say it has made him a materially better pitcher.

Regardless of whether one prefers the Wilson of old or the current iteration, he looks to be a high-quality reliever at a bargain rate. He’ll step into a setup role alongside righties Carl Edwards, Koji Uehara, Pedro Strop, and Hector Rondon. Chicago currently features two other southpaws, Brian Duensing and Mike Montgomery, with the former likely continuing to function as a lefty specialist and the latter as a long reliever. That said, Wilson makes for a ninth reliever when right-handed Justin Grimm is counted, so it seems someone will need to depart the active roster. Edwards and Grimm are both optionable, but the latter is likeliest to go given his struggles this year; his 40-man spot could also be in jeopardy.

Wilson will take home just $2.7MM this year and comes with another season of arb control. Though he’ll surely command a healthy raise, particularly given that he has picked up a few saves in Detroit, Wilson will promise to deliver surplus value over his salary in 2018 as well.

Not to be lost in the shuffle is Avila, who is putting on his best season since 2011 at thirty years of age. He’ll represent a quality option to share time with young stalwart Willson Contreras for the remainder of the year while Victor Caratini goes back down to finish his development at Triple-A. Over 263 plate appearances thus far in 2017, Avila owns a .271/.392/.472 batting line. While he has benefited from a .375 BABIP, Avila has traditionally carried lofty batting averages on balls in play. And he has finally returned to the power he showed as a younger player (11 home runs, .202 isolated slugging) while continuing to carry an outstanding walk rate.

Avila delivered plenty of value to the Tigers for the one-year, $2MM contract he signed over the winter after dealing with health problems in recent campaigns. That deal, of course, was agreed to with his father — Tigers GM Al Avila, who also engineered this swap. Whether the elder Avila can pull off any further trades before tomorrow’s deadline remains unclear, but this is another meaningful deal for an organization that hopes to get younger and trim some salary before the start of the 2018 season.

The aim in Detroit, of course, is to field a contender in the relatively near term without requiring the kind of budget-busting expenditures that had become commonplace in recent seasons. Finding affordable, controllable asset is the key to such an undertaking, and Avila will hope he can accmplish that here.

Candelario currently sits just inside the top 100 prospects leaguewide, according to MLB.com, which calls him a serviceable defender at third who can be a quality offensive threat. He’s also ready to contribute in the majors right now, having briefly cracked the bigs in each of the past two seasons. The 23-year-old owns a .266/.361/.507 slash through 330 Triple-A plate appearances this year.

While Candelario may be seen by some as the headliner, Baseball America recently tabbed the 18-year-old Paredes as the better prospect among the two, reflecting that outlet’s lower grade on the former and higher grade on the latter. A well-regarded defensive shortstop from Mexico, Paredes has slashed .261/.341/.399 with seven home runs this year through 380 plate appearances at the Class A level.

This transaction puts down a notable market marker with several other top lefties still available via trade. Zach Britton of the Orioles is more expensive and comes with equivalent control rights to Wilson, though perhaps Baltimore will hold out for a greater return given Britton’s sheer excellence over the prior two seasons. And the Padres are said to be placing a big asking price on Brad Hand, who comes with an additional season of control and has emerged as a top-quality reliever.

Jon Heyman of Fan Rag first said a deal was close (via Twitter), after Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted the Cubs were “closing in” on Wilson and that Candelario may be involved, with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter link) confirming Candelario’s inclusion. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand noted Avila’s involvement on Twitter, with Ken Rosenthal saying he would indeed go to Chicago (via Twitter). Bruce Levine of 670theScore.com reported the inclusion of Paredes on Twitter. Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press tweeted the cash/PTBNL detail to complete the prospective swap, with Heyman tweeting its finalization.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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