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Athletics Designate Santiago Casilla, Select J.B. Wendelken

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The Athletics have made a series of roster moves; most notably among them is the DFA of right-hander Santiago Casilla. The club also selected the contract of 25-year-old righty J.B. Wendelken, while simultaneously optioning righty Ryan Dull, promoting infielder Franklin Barreto and reinstating righty Daniel Mengden from the 10-day DL.

It’s been a solid enough season for the 37-year-old Casilla on the surface, who owns a 3.16 ERA through 31 1/3 innings pitched. But his 4.08 FIP and 5.80 xFIP paint a wildly different picture. He’s also walked nearly as many hitters (20) as he’s managed to strike out (22), in part due to a career-low 9.0% swinging strike rate. As Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle notes, he’s likely to go unclaimed; Casilla is in the second season of a two-year, $11MM deal, and any claiming team would be on the hook for the prorated portion of his salary. He’ll likely be given the choice to accept a minor league assignment.

Wendelken will be making his first appearance in the majors since 2016, when he tossed 12 2/3 rough innings for the Athletics to the tune of a 9.95 ERA. The right-hander ultimately required Tommy John surgery, and remained out of commission until the beginning of this season. Thus far at the Triple-A level, he’s chucked a healthy 28 1/3 innings, managing a 3.49 ERA (2.39 FIP). The most impressive part about Wendelken’s performance this year is a whopping 14.29 K/9 against just 2.54 BB/9; it certainly seems likely that he’ll prove an upgrade over Casilla.

Mengden, 25, hasn’t pitched since June 23rd after suffering a right foot sprain during a start in which he gave up five earned runs across just two innings. While Mengden certainly isn’t known as an overpowering pitcher (5.46 K/9), he limits walks (1.89 BB/9) and has posted a 4.47 ERA on the season thus far in 90 2/3 innings.

Trade Rumblings: Angels, Yanks, Eovaldi, Mets, Odorizzi, Astros, Iglesias

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The Angels, one game over .500 and 10 out of a playoff spot, could elect to sell at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. If that happens, they may have logical trade partners in the Yankees, Jon Morosi of MLB.com observes. The Yankees have been scouting the Angels, per Morosi, who writes that New York “would have interest” in left-handers Tyler Skaggs and Andrew Heaney if were they to become available. Further, there are likely Yankees prospects who would pique the Angels’ interest, given that Halos general manager Billy Eppler had a prominent role in the Bombers’ front office not long ago.

While it’s unclear if either Skaggs or Heaney will hit the block, Rays righty Nathan Eovaldi will likely end up on the move in the next couple weeks. The Yankees, with whom he pitched from 2015-16, have “closely” watched Eovaldi of late, as have the Brewers and Braves (among others), Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports. Eovaldi’s most recent start was a nightmare, as he allowed eight earned runs on nine hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings against Minnesota on Friday. In the process, his season ERA climbed from 3.35 to 4.59 (with a 4.45 FIP) over 51 innings.

More rumblings as the deadline nears:

  • The Mets are unlikely to trade any of Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard or Steven Matz prior to the deadline, Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears. That in itself isn’t surprising, but the Mets’ valuation of Matz is arguably eyebrow-raising. They’re treating Matz more like an ace “than an oft-injured, No. 3 starter” in discussions with other teams, Sherman writes. Assuming Matz stays along with the Mets’ co-aces, the likelihood is that their most valuable trade chips will be righty Zack Wheeler, closer Jeurys Familia and infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, per Sherman.
  • More from Sherman, who reports that Twins righty Jake Odorizzi is “very available.” The Twins acquired Odorizzi fom the Rays during the winter, when they had designs on a second straight playoff trip, but Minnesota has since struggled to a 43-49 record. Odorizzi hasn’t really been part of the solution, having logged a 4.54 ERA/4.63 FIP through 101 innings, but he is controllable beyond this season. The 28-year-old’s on a $6.3MM salary now and has a season of arbitration eligibility remaining.
  • The belief is that the Astros’ front office has a high opinion of Reds closer Raisel Iglesias, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com relays. That’s hardly a shock, as most who follow the game think highly of Iglesias, but it’s notable considering the Astros are in the market for bullpen help. Iglesias would fit nicely into their relief corps or any other team’s, but the 28-year-old – a careerlong Red – would like to remain in Cincinnati. On the subject of trade rumors, Iglesias said through an interpreter: “I’m not paying attention at all to that. I want to stay here. I don’t want to go anywhere else, but I don’t control that. If I could control it, I would stay here and play here for all of my career.”

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/14/18

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Keeping up with the latest minor moves…

  • The White Sox outrighted reliever Bruce Rondon to Triple-A on Friday, per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. Rondon could have rejected the assignment in favor of free agency, but it seems he’ll report to Charlotte. The 27-year-old flamethrower has amassed 40 strikeouts in 29 2/3 major league innings this season, but he has also registered a hideous walk rate (8.19 per nine) and an even higher ERA (8.49). As a result, the Sox designated Rondon on Wednesday and no one took a chance on him via waivers.
  • The Mariners have selected the contract of right-hander Matt Festa from Double-A and optioned fellow righty Christian Bergman to Triple-A, the team announced. Festa is now in position to make his M’s debut two years after they picked him in the seventh round of the 2016 draft. Now 25, Festa has been formidable in relief this year, having pitched to a 3.13 ERA with 12.51 K/9 against 1.99 BB/9 in 31 2/3 innings. He ranks as Seattle’s ninth-best prospect at MLB.com.
  • The Blue Jays selected right-hander Chris Rowley from Triple-A Buffalo and transferred righty Rhiner Cruz (groin) to the 60-day DL prior to Saturday’s game. Rowley’s season debut couldn’t have gone much worse – he surrendered three earned runs on two hits (including a walk-off grand slam to Boston’s Xander Bogaerts) and a walk in a third of an inning.

Rangers Activate Martin Perez, Release Austin Jackson

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The Rangers announced that they’ve activated left-hander Martin Perez from the 60-day DL and released outfielder Austin Jackson. Additionally, they placed reliever Alex Claudio on the 10-day DL because of a left ankle sprain.

Perez will start against the Orioles on Saturday, which will be his first major league outing since April 29. The 27-year-old missed nearly three months with right (non-throwing) elbow problems. Prior to that, Perez got off to a terrible start with a 9.67 ERA, 5.24 K/9 and 4.84 BB/9 in 22 1/3 innings.

This disastrous season aside, Perez has been passable since debuting in 2012, evidenced by a 4.60 ERA/4.40 FIP across 698 1/3 career innings. He also tossed at least 185 frames in each of the previous two seasons. Given Texas’ need for starters, Perez’s track record could influence the team to pick up his $7.5MM option for 2019 when the offseason rolls around. Otherwise, it could try to trade Perez or buy him out for $750K.

As for Jackson, his release comes three days after the Rangers designated him for assignment and ends a very short tenure with the organization for the native Texan. In a trade with San Francisco last weekend, the Rangers agreed to take on Jackson (and his $3MM annual salary through next season) to help clear payroll for the Giants and acquire pitching prospect Jason Bahr.

The Rangers never had any intention of using Jackson, who hit just .242/.309/.295 in 165 plate appearances as a Giant, and weren’t able to flip him elsewhere. Now, thanks to his woeful season thus far, the 31-year-old Jackson may either have to take a minor league deal (if a team offers one) or sit out the rest of 2018.

Braves Place Arodys Vizcaino On DL

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For the second time since last month, Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino is headed to the 10-day disabled list because of right shoulder issues (inflammation, to be exact). The team announced the move, adding that it has reinstated fellow reliever Peter Moylan from the 10-day DL.

Vizcaino previously landed on the DL on June 24 (retroactive to June 21), but he was able to return quickly. However, Vizcaino has dealt with shoulder soreness throughout the year, so it stands to reason the contending Braves will be extra cautious this time around. His loss will once again be a blow to the Braves’ bullpen, as he has managed a terrific 1.65 ERA while converting 15 of 17 save opportunities in 32 2/3 innings this season.

Vizcaino’s absence should mean more save opportunities for A.J. Minter, who has converted on all four tries this season, and could further press general manager Alex Anthopoulos to beef up the Braves’ bullpen this month. With the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaching, Atlanta’s known to be on the lookout for relief help, though it’s reluctant to give up any prospects for rentals. The Braves entered Saturday at 51-41, in control of a wild-card spot by half a game but 1 1/2 behind the NL East-leading Phillies.

AL East Notes: Jones, Jays, Garcia, Red Sox

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Given his status as a pending free agent, center fielder Adam Jones is an obvious trade candidate for an Orioles team with no hope of competing this season. However, as a 10-and-5 player (10 years of MLB service time, five in a row with the same team), Jones would be able to block a trade anywhere. The 32-year-old spoke about his future Friday, saying (via Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com) that “it’s my family’s decision.” Jones noted that back when he signed his $85.5MM extension with Baltimore in 2012, he was able to make the decision himself. But now that Jones has a family, they’ll have a major hand in how his career plays out going forward. Whether the Jones family will have to make a key choice on the player’s future in the next couple weeks will depend on if the Orioles find a taker for him via trade. So far, the O’s haven’t approached Jones about his 10-and-5 status, Kubatko reports.

Here’s more from the AL East:

  • Red Sox southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez left his start Saturday against Toronto after 5 1/3 scoreless innings with an apparent right knee injury, per Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com. That’s the same knee Rodriguez had surgery on last October, McAdam points out, making this a potentially worrisome situation for first-place Boston. So far this season, Rodriguez has helped form an excellent 1-2-3 atop the Red Sox’s rotation with Chris Sale and Rick Porcello, having logged a 3.44 ERA/3.56 FIP with 9.46 K/9 and 2.75 BB/9 in 104 2/3 innings. [Update: It’s a right ankle sprain, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic tweets. X-rays came back negative, but the Red Sox are continuing to evaluate Rodriguez.]
  • In further unfortunate news for the Red Sox’s staff, knuckleballer Steven Wright’s recovery from left knee inflammation is “taking longer than expected,” manager Alex Cora said Saturday (via Christopher Smith of MassLive.com). Wright, who went on the DL on June 26, is continuing to deal with soreness in that knee – which he had surgically repaired in May 2017. As a result, the Red Sox will have to continue awaiting his return. When healthy earlier this season, Wright notched 40 innings of 3.38 ERA ball and a 53.2 percent groundball rate, though he also posted underwhelming strikeout and walk rates (6.98 K/9, 4.5 BB/9).
  • Blue Jays lefty Jaime Garcia, out since June 23 with shoulder tenderness, is nearing activation from the DL, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com writes. He’ll work out of the bullpen upon his return, though, Chisholm adds. The demotion continues a disappointing 2018 for Garcia, whom the Jays signed to a one-year, $10MM contract over the winter. Long a solid back-end starter, the 32-year-old has put up a 6.16 ERA in 61 1/3 innings this season.
  • Back to Boston, which promoted veteran infielder Brandon Phillips from Low-A to Triple-A on Saturday, the Red Sox’s top affiliate in Pawtucket announced (h/t: Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic). The 37-year-old Phillips, who signed a minors deal on June 27, collected 26 PAs at the Low-A level. He’ll continue trying to work his way back to the majors and serve as a helpful second/third base piece for the Sox.

NL Injury Notes: D-backs, Cards, Cervelli, Mets, Cespedes

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Diamondbacks right-hander Shelby Miller went on the disabled list Friday with elbow inflammation, though the club’s hopeful he dodged a major injury. The D-backs don’t believe Miller re-injured his ulnar collateral ligament, manager Torey Lovullo told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and other reporters. Miller previously missed most of 2017 and some of this year after tearing his UCL and requiring Tommy John surgery. Arizona won’t know more on Miller’s status until next week when renowned orthopedist Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed Miller’s surgery, looks at the results of his MRI. If Miller’s able to return to the mound this season, he’ll try to shake off a dreadful four-start, 15-inning stretch in which he yielded 19 earned runs on 24 hits.

With Miller out for now, Arizona is set to reinstall righty Clay Buchholz into its rotation after the All-Star break, per Piecoro. Buchholz has been out since June 25, the day the Diamondbacks activated Miller, on account of a strained left oblique. The minor league signing looked like an excellent buy-low pickup before he went on the shelf, having pitched to a 2.56 ERA in his first 38 2/3 innings and seven starts as a D-back.

  • Righty Michael Wacha likely won’t return to the Cardinals for at least another month, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests. Wacha has already missed nearly a month with a left oblique strain, depriving the Cardinals of someone who had thrown 84 1/3 innings of 3.20 ERA ball before going on the DL. Meanwhile, righty Adam Wainwright will also be out into August, Hummel adds. Wainwright, who’s currently on the 60-day DL, has sat out just over two months with elbow problems, making this the second straight injury-shortened year for the former ace.
  • Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli is headed to the seven-day concussion DL for the second time in less than a month, the team announced. Pittsburgh recalled backstop Jacob Stallings to take the place of Cervelli, who’s dealing with post-concussive symptoms. This continues a long history of head injuries for Cervelli and marks the fourth time since June 2017 that he has gone on the concussion DL. Although good health has been all too rare for Cervelli, the 32-year-old has been one of the majors’ best catchers in 2018 when he has taken the field.
  • Rehabbing Mets infielder T.J. Rivera suffered a setback in the minors on Friday, Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Rivera, who’s working back from September 2017 Tommy John surgery, exited Triple-A Las Vegas’ game early on account of “discomfort” in his right arm, Helfand writes. “His arm was not feeling the way it should have so we’re going to reevaluate him tomorrow, see what the plan is,” manager Tony DeFrancesco said. Rivera hasn’t appeared in a major league game in nearly a year (July 26, 2017).
  • In better news for the Mets, manager Mickey Callaway told reporters (including Tim Britton of The Athletic) on Saturday that left fielder Yoenis Cespedes could make his long-awaited return as early as next weekend. Cespedes, who has been out with a hip strain since mid-May, “could ramp up his rehab in the coming days,” Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets.

Indians Interested In Mychal Givens

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The Indians have shown interest in Orioles position players Manny Machado and Adam Jones leading up to this month’s non-waiver trade deadline. Orioles reliever Mychal Givens has also landed on the Indians’ radar, as Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets that the two teams “have discussed” the right-hander.

With Cleveland a near-lock to win the AL Central, it’s likely going to have to upgrade its bullpen in order to make some noise in the playoffs. While the Indians have been successful on the whole, their relievers rank last in the majors in ERA (5.39) and second last in fWAR (minus-1.2). Moreover, with both injured setup man Andrew Miller and closer Cody Allen set to hit free agency after the season, the Indians’ bullpen may be a major point of emphasis over the winter.

Acquiring Givens could give the Indians an immediate upgrade and a long-term solution in one fell swoop. The 28-year-old has been an effective reliever since debuting in 2015, and he’s controllable via arbitration through 2021. However, Givens – like the Indians’ relievers – has had difficulty preventing runs this year, having run up a 4.40 ERA in 47 innings after combining for a 2.75 mark in 183 1/3 frames from 2015-17. He’s also walking a career-worst 4.4 batters per nine, up from 3.29 over the previous three years, and has never generated many ground balls (38.7 percent).

To the hard-throwing Givens’ credit, he has collected 10.53 strikeouts per nine this year (close to his 10.82 career figure) and logged a 2.73 FIP. Givens has also encountered some poor fortune in 2018, it seems, as his batting average on balls in play (.347) is well above the .279 mark hitters posted against him from 2015-17. That bloated BABIP has hardly come as a result of hitters scorching the ball against Givens. To the contrary, he ranks 18th in the majors in average exit velocity against (85.6 mph) and has put up a .286 xwOBA against, beating out the .301 real wOBA hitters have recorded when facing him.

Not only does Givens continue to look like a quality reliever, then, but with the O’s way out of contention, he’s a logical trade candidate. However, it’s far from certain Givens will leave Baltimore in the coming weeks. In fact, the Orioles are “extremely reluctant” to trade Givens, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.

Trade Notes: Machado, Braves, Shark, Yanks, Andujar, Rangers, Cards

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The Braves have reportedly made an offer for Orioles superstar Manny Machado, but it doesn’t appear the shortstop will end up in Atlanta prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. The Braves “are strictly on the fringes” of the Machado sweepstakes, tweets ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, who adds that they’re more concerned about upgrading their rotation.

More on the trade front…

  • The Giants are willing to part with right-hander Jeff Samardzija, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports, adding that they specifically informed the Yankees he’s available. However, the Yankees aren’t sure if he’s the right fit for their stadium, per Nightengale. Sending Samardzija anywhere would be a tall task for San Francisco, as he’s due $19.8MM per year through 2020 and is in the midst of a rough season. The longtime workhorse, 33, has missed time with pectoral and shoulder problems, and when Samardzija has taken the mound, he has only managed a 6.42 ERA/5.47 FIP over 40 2/3 innings.
  • More on the Yankees, whose starting third baseman, Miguel Andujar, has been in the rumor mill of late. The Rangers and “several” other teams have made more than one inquiry regarding Andujar in the past, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. And “multiple executives” informed Sherman that the Yankees are now trying to drive up Andujar’s value so they can sell high on the 23-year-old. General manager Brian Cashman shot that down, though, saying: “That is completely false. I think [Andujar] is a hell of a player. We have said ‘no’ to him [in trade talks] not just this year but from Double-A on up. I have not included him any deals and that should say how I feel about him.” Cashman goes on to defend Andujar’s questionable defense in Sherman’s piece and adds, “Where he was and where he is now, I feel vindicated not moving him.”
  • With the Cardinals sitting at a mediocre 47-45, 6 1/2 games out in the NL Central, they’re not in position to make any bold rental pickups. Rather, any acquisition(s) would likely have to be capable of helping the Redbirds beyond this season, president John Mozeliak suggested to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com and other reporters Friday. “Ultimately we want to do what’s best for this organization, not just in the sense of a Band-Aid [but] long term,” Mozeliak said. “If we thought there was sort of that one magic bullet to change the trajectory of the season, we might chase that. If not, I think looking at it in a broad sense might make the most sense. The ebb and flow of the season, the ebb and flow of the next few weeks always [dictates] the types of deals you make.”

Brewers Place Eric Thames, Junior Guerra On DL

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The Brewers announced that they’ve placed first baseman/outfielder Eric Thames (right hamstring) and right-hander Junior Guerra (forearm) on the 10-day disabled list. To take their places, the club reinstated left-hander Brent Suter from the DL and recalled infielder Nate Orf from Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Fortunately for Milwaukee, Thames’ injury doesn’t appear to be serious. After he departed their loss to the Pirates early on Friday, Thames told Mason Wittner of MLB.com and other reporters that his ailment isn’t “too bad.” With the All-Star break set to run for most of next week, the short-term loss of Thames shouldn’t be particularly damaging for the Brewers. Although Thames previously missed significant time with a torn thumb ligament, he’ll wrap up his first half with a stellar .250/.344/.556 line and 13 home runs in 183 plate appearances.

It’s unclear how long Guerra will be out, but the location of his injury is ominous. He’s also fresh off the worst performance of his season, having yielded six earned runs on nine hits in four innings on Friday. That aside, it was a successful first half for Guerra, who pitched to a 3.23 ERA with 8.85 K/9 and 3.59 BB/9 in 97 2/3 innings. ERA estimators FIP (3.96), xFIP (4.32) and SIERA (4.22) suggest he was fortunate in terms of run prevention, but each metric still paints Guerra as a useful starter.

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