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Latest On Juan Soto Trade Talks

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5:16PM: The Nationals want “four to five top young players” for Soto, Ken Rosenthal said during a FOX Sports interview today.  This “monstrous ask” consists of star prospects and/or players who have only recently made their MLB debuts, and thus are under control for several years.  Given the size of this expected trade package, “at this point….it’s not really a negotiation.  The Nationals are saying ’either you express a willingness to meet our price, or we just go to the next club,’ ” Rosenthal said.

As an example, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that if the Giants were to bid for Soto, the Nats would want left-handed pitching prospect Kyle Harrison back as part of the return.  Harrison was the Giants’ third-round pick in the 2020 draft, and his great 2022 numbers have elevated him in midseason prospect rankings — Baseball America has Harrison rated 22nd on their latest list of baseball’s top 100 minor leaguers, while MLB Pipeline has him 25th.

11:20AM: The possibility of a Juan Soto trade has dominated MLB headlines for the past week, but the Nationals haven’t been impressed with the offers they’ve seen so far, per the Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli. Finding a suitable trade package for a well-decorated 23-year-old superstar is complicated enough, but the Nationals’ ownership situation adds another confounding wrinkle.

With current owners, the Lerner family, looking increasingly likely to sell the club, the desires of any new potential owner have to be considered in any Soto deal, as well. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, some potential buyers would prefer to have Soto on the roster. Given that Soto is by far the Nats’ best baseball asset, it’s not surprising that a new ownership group would want him in the organization.

It’s hard to imagine that the club would be more attractive to potential buyers without Soto on the roster. There is the possibility of a new ownership group preferring a clean slate while letting the Lerners take the public relations hit that will come with dealing the team’s most popular star. Still, despite all the trade hubbub, it would not at all be shocking to see Soto still on the payroll when the Lerners find a buyer. A new owner would still be able to trade Soto with two full years of team control remaining, even if that sale doesn’t happen until the offseason.

So long as the possibility of a deal remains viable, teams will continue to check in with Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo. The Yankees are Mets are two of the foremost contenders for Soto. The Yankees are the more likely destination, however, given the Nats’ understandable reticence to deal Soto to a division contender, notes Andy Martino of sny.tv. The Nationals already have to live with former stars Bryce Harper and Max Scherzer in the same division. Nationals fans would certainly not be thrilled to face off with Harper and Soto within the division for the next decade. The Mets can’t be crossed off the list, but they should be counted as long-shots for now.

Eduardo Rodriguez Begins Throwing Program, Targeted To Return In Late August

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Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez has been in contract with Tigers GM Al Avila, manager A.J. Hinch, and pitching coach Chris Fetter in recent days, and Avila and Hinch told reporters (including MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery) that plans are in motion for Rodriguez’s return.  The hurler has already started a throwing program and is then slated to work out at the Tigers’ spring facility in Lakeland before embarking on some minor league rehab starts.

As Hinch put it, Rodriguez “has to go through another Spring Training” given all of his missed time, and thus the organization will take a “methodical” approach.  For now, Rodriguez is being targeted for a late-August return to Detroit, Avila said.  Rodriguez last pitched for the Tigers on May 18, as he spent close to a month on the injured list due to a ribcage strain before he was placed on the restricted list on June 13 due to unspecified personal matters.

The situation took a somewhat mysterious turn earlier this month when Avila and Hinch said they hadn’t heard from Rodriguez, and that the left-hander hadn’t been responding to the team’s overtures.  However, Avila said today that “he expressed to me that he’s working hard, his personal situations are being taken care of and at some point he’ll be over that.  He’s looking forward to re-joining the team and helping us win.”

The Tigers signed Rodriguez to a five-year, $77MM free agent in November, one of several major transactions made by a Detroit club that felt it was ready to end its rebuild.  Unfortunately, the Tigers have stumbled to a 38-56 record, due to both a near-total lack of hitting and several injuries to the rotation.  Rodriguez also got off to a slow start (4.38 ERA in 39 innings) before hitting the injured list, and his status on the restricted list has added an unusual twist on a lost season in the Motor City.

Rodriguez’s absence has come at a significant financial price, as he hasn’t been paid during his time on the restricted list.  Assuming he does get activated in late August as planned, the southpaw will have lost roughly $5.5MM of his $14MM salary for the 2022 season.

Michael King Suffers Season-Ending Elbow Fracture

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TODAY: Boone confirmed that King won’t pitch again in 2022, the manager told The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler and other reporters.  King will also undergo further tests for further elbow damage beyond just a fracture.

JULY 22: Yankees reliever Michael King has a fracture in his throwing elbow, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links). The team will know more after further testing tonight, but Sherman adds the club currently anticipates the injury will end his season. King departed tonight’s outing against the Orioles with elbow pain, and Bryan Hoch of MLB.com tweeted shortly after the game ended the Yankees were preparing to replace him on the roster.

Assuming further testing confirms the initial diagnosis and timetable, the Yankees will play the remainder of the season without one of the league’s best relievers. The 27-year-old has been an excellent multi-inning weapon for skipper Aaron Boone, working 51 frames across 34 outings. King owns a sparkling 2.29 ERA with the peripherals to match. He’s punched out an elite 33.2% of opposing hitters, induced ground-balls at an above-average 47% clip and only walked 8% of opponents.

The disappointing news will likely increase the front office’s urgency to add to the late-game mix before the August 2 trade deadline, although no one they acquire could reasonably be expected to replicate King’s production. Clay Holmes remains on hand as an elite weapon, but King had been a pivotal arm to bridge the gap between the starters and Holmes. He’d mostly assumed a role in which Chad Green has thrived for the past few seasons after the Yankees lost Green to Tommy John surgery in May.

Jonathan Loáisiga and Aroldis Chapman have been Boone’s two other primary high-leverage arms. Both hurlers have strong pre-2022 track records, but neither has been good this season. Loáisiga has a dreadful 7.45 ERA through 19 1/3 innings, while Chapman has an untenable 17.2% walk rate and a personal-low 24.7% strikeout percentage. Wandy Peralta has been a reliable ground-ball specialist from the left side, but the right-handed group prior to Holmes looks lackluster with Green and King out and Loáisiga struggling.

There are always a host of middle innings relievers available at the trade deadline, and general manager Brian Cashman and his staff figure to scour that market over the next ten days. Old friend David Robertson and Mychal Givens (Cubs), Michael Fulmer (Tigers) and Anthony Bass (Marlins) are among the shorter-term veterans who figure to be available, while players like Scott Barlow (Royals), Kyle Finnegan (Nationals) and Jorge López (Orioles) have longer windows of remaining club control.

As for King, it’s no doubt a crushing blow to see his breakout season likely come to a close early. He’d been a solid swing option last year, working to a 3.55 ERA through 63 1/3 frames, but this year’s emergence was on a different level. King will be eligible for arbitration for the first time after this season, and he’s under control through the 2025 campaign.

Yankees Select Shane Greene, Call Up Clarke Schmidt

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With Michael King’s season ended by an elbow fracture, the Yankees officially placed King on the 60-day injured list today.  Outfielder Tim Locastro was also optioned to Triple-A after yesterday’s game, creating two roster spots that will be filled by right-handers Clarke Schmidt and Shane Greene.  Schmidt has been called up from Triple-A, while Greene (previously on a minor league deal with the organization) has signed a Major League deal and had that contract selected.

Greene signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers over the offseason, and posted two scoreless innings at the big league level before Los Angeles designated him for assignment back in May.  Quickly catching on with the Yankees, Greene is now back with his first pro organization — New York selected Greene in the 15th round of the 2009 draft, and he debuted with 78 2/3 innings with the Bronx Bombers in 2014.

Dealt to the Tigers in the 2014-15 offseason, Greene has appeared in each of the last eight MLB campaigns, with a pretty wide variance in performance.  Overall, Greene has a 4.50 ERA over 469 2/3 career relief innings, but at his best, the righty has pitched at an All-Star level (with Detroit in 2019) and worked as a closer and in other high-leverage roles.

This inconsistency led to an extended stint in free agency in the 2020-21 offseason, as Greene didn’t land anywhere until signing with the Braves in May 2021, and he perhaps unsurprisingly struggled over 17 innings for Atlanta.  Over 21 innings with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, Greene has a 3.86 ERA, 25.3% strikeout rate, and 9.2% walk rate.

While it will be very hard any pitcher to replicate King’s excellent performance this year, the Yankees are hoping to at least try and fill the gap with a combination of a veteran in Greene and a former top prospect in Schmidt, who is still in only his third Major League season.  It also stands to reason that New York will put more of a focus on adding relief help prior to the August 2 trade deadline.

Marlins Promote JJ Bleday, Place Jorge Soler On Injured List

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The Marlins have selected the contract of former first-round pick JJ Bleday and added him to the active roster, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).  Bleday’s addition to the roster comes in response to Jorge Soler going on the 10-day injured list with lower back spasms.

There isn’t any backdating on Soler’s IL placement, so the veteran slugger will (at minimum) be out of action until the August 2 trade deadline.  Though Miami has several players who could be trade chips by the deadline, there hadn’t been much buzz about the possibility of Soler being traded, which speaks to both Soler’s contract, the Marlins’ longer-term plans, and his tough 2022 season.

Soler, the reigning World Series MVP, inked a three-year, $36MM free agent deal with the Marlins after the lockout.  Soler has the ability to opt out after both this season (leaving $24MM on the table) and after the 2023 season (leaving his $9MM salary for 2024 on the table), though it would seem unlikely that Soler would again test free agency on the heels of an underwhelming year to date.

Soler has hit .207/.295/.400 with 13 home runs over 306 plate appearances, with a 99 wRC+ that reflects slightly below-average production.  Despite the lack of big numbers, there is some evidence that Soler could turn it on in the second half.  After all, it was just last season that Soler went on a tear after being dealt to the Braves at the deadline, and he more or less carried that hot streak all the way through the World Series.

This year, Soler has outstanding hard-contact numbers and a .322 xwOBA that is above his .305 wOBA, even if that .322 mark is only around the league average.  Soler is also walking at an above-average rate but is swinging and missing a ton, as his 29.4% strikeout rate is only in the ninth percentile of all batters.  Teams are playing shifts against Soler 78% of the time, which is stifling his solid contact numbers — Soler has only a .275 wOBA against the shift, and a whopping .411 wOBA when not facing shifts.

Injuries have also played a role in the last few weeks, as Soler missed about two weeks at the start of July with bilateral pelvis inflammation, and played in only five games before this latest return to the IL.  It remains to be seen how much extra time Soler might miss (if more than 10 days), but his absence will open the door for Bleday’s Major League debut.

The fourth overall pick of the 2019 draft, Bleday has hit .229/.365/.470 with 20 home runs over 367 PA at Triple-A Jacksonville this season, his first exposure to Triple-A pitching.  It’s a nice breakout for Bleday, who didn’t hit much in his brief minor league debut in 2019 and then struggled in his first full season of pro ball in 2021.  His lack of results last year cost Bleday a slot in some top-100 prospect rankings, but MLB Pipeline still had him 69th on their preseason list.

Of course, Bleday didn’t play at all in 2020 due to the canceled minor league season, so it isn’t necessarily surprising that it took some time to get back on track.  The 24-year-old’s performance in 2022 has seemingly quieted a lot of questions about his power potential and on-base ability, though Bleday is still not hitting for average and is still swinging-and-missing (99 strikeouts in those 367 PA) at a high rate.

Bleday’s strong throwing arm has made him more of a right-field candidate than his initial center field position, and in Miami, Avisail Garcia could slide over to left field to accommodate regular playing time for the rookie, or Bleday could simply take over left field himself.  With the Marlins perhaps already planning towards 2023, Bleday could very well get a long look as a potential candidate for an everyday spot next year.  Assuming Soler doesn’t opt out, he and Garcia are longer-term options in the corner outfield spots, but the DH is also available to juggle playing time down the road.

Red Sox Place Rafael Devers On 10-Day Injured List

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The Red Sox have placed star third baseman Rafael Devers on the 10-day injured list with right hamstring inflammation, per the team. In terms of corresponding moves, outfielder Jaylin Davis was promoted from Triple-A, and Enrique Hernandez was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Devers, still just 25 years old is putting together another All-Star campaign. To this point, he has hit an undeniable .324/.379/.602 with 22 home runs in 380 plate appearances. With those kinds of numbers, the Red Sox won’t want to be long without their superstar at the hot corner. At 48-46, Boston doesn’t have a whole lot of wiggle room either – not in the crowded AL East.

Kiké Hernandez has already missed 39 games, and he recently was pulled from a rehab assignment. Moving him to the 60-day injured list at this stage doesn’t mean a whole lot, though it does open the spot on the 40-man for the Davis promotion.

Davis, 28, is 2-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts on the year for Boston. This is his fourth season of big league action, the first three coming with the Giants. All in all, he’s had just 72 plate appearances in the Majors. The Red Sox claimed him off waivers from the Giants at the end of April. In Triple-A between the two clubs this season, David is slashing .247/.336/.404 across 268 plate appearances.

In terms of filling in for Devers, there’s little the Red Sox can do to fill that void. Jeter Downs could be given an opportunity for some significant run here in the Majors. Downs, of course, is most noteworthy for being a prime piece in the Mookie Betts deal. That makes him a complicated player for the Red Sox organization, but this might be a small-sample opportunity to let him play through some early ups and downs.

Cubs Designate Daniel Norris, Select Erich Uelmen

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July 23: Daniel Norris has been granted his unconditional release, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). The veteran southpaw is now free to sign with any team.

July 17: The Cubs announced to reporters, including Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, that they have selected the contract of right-hander Erich Uelmen. Lefty Daniel Norris has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Norris, 29, was considered one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball during his time with the Blue Jays. Baseball America ranked him one of the top 100 prospects in the sport in 2012 and again in 2015. He moved to Detroit as part of the package that resulted in David Price going to Toronto, with the Tigers surely hoping that Norris could be a building block in their rotation for years to come.

Unfortunately, Norris couldn’t make the best of the opportunity, registering an ERA north of 5.00 in both 2017 and 2018, followed by a 4.49 in 2019. A move to the bullpen in 2020 seemed to unlock a new gear for him, however, as he put up a 3.25 ERA with a 24.1% strikeout rate, 6% walk rate and 55.7% ground ball rate. The next year, his ERA shot up to 5.89 as a Tiger, though his peripherals were still encouraging enough for the Brewers to take a shot on him, acquiring him in a deadline deal. Things went in the wrong direction, though, as his ERA as a Brewer was 6.64, eventually getting left of the club’s postseason roster.

The rebuilding Cubs took a flier on him for this year, surely hoping that he could right the ship enough to turn himself into a trade candidate. But 2022 has been yet another setback for the southpaw, as he has a 6.90 ERA as a Cub. His 32.1% strikeout rate on the season is very encouraging, but it’s come with a 15.7% walk rate, almost double the 8.3% league average. The Cubs will now have one week to trade him, pass him through waivers or release him. As a veteran with more than five years of MLB service time, Norris can reject an outright assignment without forfeiting any salary.

Uelmen, 26, was a fourth round pick of the Cubs in 2017. He was primarily a starter on his way up but switched to a full-time bullpen role upon reaching Triple-A. His first taste of action with the Iowa Cubs didn’t go so well last year, but he’s having an excellent showing here in 2022, working in a multi-inning role. Through 42 frames in 28 games, he has a 2.79 ERA, 55.3% ground ball rate and 29.1% strikeout rate, though the walk rate is high at 12.8%. He’ll now get a shot to see if he can translate any of that into the big leagues, making his MLB debut as soon as he gets into a game.

Yankees “Serious Contenders” For Andrew Benintendi

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While we know the Yankees have significant interest in superstar Juan Soto, the odds of a deal are long enough that New York has to explore other potential upgrades as well. The latest report pegs the Yankees to be “serious contenders” for Royals’ outfielder Andrew Benintendi, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter).

The Yankees currently have the highest-producing outfield in the Majors by the measure of fWAR, but the group has been buoyed by Aaron Judge’s MVP-type season. An addition could help secure the club against the possibility of injury heading into the postseason. A left-handed outfielder bat would also help to balance a lineup that leans to the right.

Given the struggles of Joey Gallo (88 wRC+), acquiring Benintendi wouldn’t necessarily take the Yankees out of the running for Soto, though that situation is hardly worth a consideration until the Yankees have at least one of the outfielders in hand. Furthermore, the Yankees could simply stick with Aaron Hicks, who has turned it around to post a 110 wRC+ on the year. Hicks has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career, so the Yankees might simply be seeking further depth in the outfield to protect against the worst-case scenario.

With the Royals out of the race and Benintendi heading towards free agency, he should be a relatively low-cost addition for some contender this trade season.  Even considering his strong season (128 wRC+), acquiring Benintendi would cost only a shade of what it would take to acquire Soto.

Of course, it wasn’t long ago that reports had the Yankees out on Benintendi because of his vaccination status. The Yankees only have three games remaining in Toronto, however, so it wouldn’t necessarily become an issue until possibly the postseason.

Angels Not Planning To Move Ohtani

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Although teams are calling the Angels about the availability of two-way standout Shohei Ohtani, the Angels have no plans to move their international superstar, per Jon Morosi of the MLB Network (via Twitter).

The Angels are again mired in a disappointing season, one that has already resulted in the firing of manager Joe Maddon. At 39-54, the Halos are 15 games under .500 and more than 20 games behind the Astros for the division lead. They’re more than 10 games behind the last wild card spot. It certainly would seem like another lost season for Los Angeles.

But holding onto Ohtani is a reasonable position to take, even considering the current state of the club. Ohtani is an All-Star for the second consecutive season, and he’s again producing on both sides of the ball. At the plate, Ohtani is slashing .256/.347/.482 over 386 plate appearances. He also owns a 2.80 ERA/2.41 FIP across 93 1/3 innings. All together, Ohtani could very well be looking at another MVP season.

Mets Acquire Michael Perez From Pirates

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The Mets are acquiring catcher Michael Perez from the Pirates in exchange for cash considerations, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post (via Twitter). This is the second deal consummated between these two sides in the past two days (Yesterday, the Pirates sent designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach to New York for Colin Holderman). In this case, Perez was designated for assignment yesterday, so the acquisition cost for the Mets was negligible.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Mets have designated Travis Blankenhorn for assignment, per Tim Healey of Newsday Sports (via Twitter). Blankenhorn was called up to the active roster yesterday, so his designation clears an active roster spot for either Perez or Vogelbach.

In the short run, Perez serves as catching depth, should Tomas Nido require a stint on the injured list for his bruised hand. In that case, Perez would join with Patrick Mazeika to form the Mets’ catching tandem. In the long run, Perez can be optioned to Triple-A, so he can remain in the Mets’ organization to serve as depth once Nido and/or James McCann return.

For the Pirates, this is simply a way to pick up some extra cash for a player they might have lost anyway. They have Jason Delay and Tyler Heineman handling catching duties with Perez now out of the organization. Veteran Roberto Perez remains sidelined after hamstring surgery back in May.

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