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Mariners Re-Sign Marc Rzepczynski To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners have re-signed left-hander Marc Rzepczynski to a minor league deal, per Triple-A broadcaster Mike Curto (Twitter link). MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo first mentioned the reunion (also via Twitter).

Rzepczynski, 32, is technically being paid by the Mariners anyhow, as he signed a two-year, $11MM deal with Seattle in the 2016-17 offseason. However, after pitching poorly in each of the first season and a half of that pact, the veteran southpaw was designated for assignment and ultimately released. He landed with the Indians after that and notched 2 2/3 shutout innings before being designated for assignment and released for a second time.

Left-handed relief has been a need for the M’s for much of the season, in part due to Rzepczynski’s own struggles, and he’ll rejoin the organization as a depth piece. However, with James Pazos, Roenis Elias and the newly acquired Zach Duke — picked up in a Monday trade with the Twins — all in the big league bullpen, Rzepczynski won’t have much of a path to the Majors in the near future. In the event of an injury at the MLB level, though, or perhaps as a September call-up, he could potentially return to the big-league level with Seattle.

In 268 innings from 2011-16, Rzecpzynski worked to a 3.56 ERA with 8.6 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9. In parts of 10 Major League seasons, he’s held left-handed opponents to a timid .227/.296/.305 slash in 857 plate appearances.

Johnny Cueto To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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The Giants announced to reporters Wednesday evening that right-hander Johnny Cueto will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow (Twitter link via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). The procedure will end his 2018 season and cost him the majority of the 2019 campaign as well.

Cueto spent two months on the disabled list earlier this season due to an elbow strain but was able to return to the mound in early July. However, after working to a sub-1.00 ERA through the season’s first month, he allowed 16 runs in 21 innings before landing back on the disabled list. Manager Bruce Bochy acknowledged recently that Tommy John surgery was a definite possibility for Cueto, and today’s announcement confirms as much.

The loss of Cueto is a massive blow to the Giants’ 2018 hopes. They’re currently five games out of the lead in the NL West and 4.5 games back of the second Wild Card spot in the National League, though the loss of Cueto and ongoing injury issues with Jeff Samardzija will present them with even more of an uphill battle in their efforts to return to the top of the division.

Cueto, 33 in February, is in the third season of a six-year, $132MM contract after forgoing an opt-out clause after the deal’s second season. While he turned in a brilliant first season in San Francisco back in 2016, his 2017 was marred by injuries, and both the 2018 and 2019 seasons will now fall under that same category. He’ll hope for a return late in the 2019 campaign, though it’s possible that Cueto won’t be able to return to the Giants’ rotation until after his 35th birthday. He’s owed just under $75MM through the end of the 2021 season (including a $5MM buyout of a $22MM option for the 2022 season).

It’s not clear whether the worst-case outcome on Cueto’s elbow will motivate the Giants to subtract any veteran pieces over the course of the month. San Francisco’s front office has been candid about its desire to try to remain competitive on a yearly basis. Certainly, they’d have plenty of pieces who could be attractive to contending clubs if they fall any further out of the race. While the Giants aren’t going to be embarking on any type of full-scale tear down, shorter-term veterans like Sam Dyson, Will Smith, Nick Hundley and Derek Holland could draw interest from teams that are more firmly in the playoff hunt. It’s far from clear, though, that the Giants would make any of those players available later this month.

Athletics Designate Carlos Ramirez For Assignment

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The A’s announced Wednesday that they’ve designated right-hander Carlos Ramirez for assignment. His spot will go to outfielder Boog Powell, who has been activated from the 60-day disabled list and optioned to Triple-A Nashville. Oakland also announced that young outfielder Dustin Fowler has been optioned to Nashville as well.

Ramirez, 27, was claimed off waivers out of the Blue Jays organization earlier this year and appeared in three games earlier this summer before being optioned to Nashville in mid-June. Ramirez has logged 25 innings in the Majors between Toronto and Oakland, pitching to a 2.88 ERA — albeit with a lackluster 19-to-12 K/BB ratio. He’s spent parts of two seasons at the Triple-A level as well, where he’s notched a 3.50 ERA with 9.5 K/9 against 4.5 BB/9 in 46 1/3 innings.

The A’s will have a week to find a taker for Ramirez or run him through outright waivers in hopes of keeping him in the organization. He does have two option years remaining beyond the 2018 season, so he could appeal to other organizations in search of some bullpen flexibility.

International Notes: Yankees, Vargas, Mesa, Marlins, Orioles

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The Yankees have been one of the most aggressive teams on the international free agent market for the past several seasons, and they’ve already put the considerable amount of international funds they acquired in trades with the Cardinals ($1MM) and the White Sox ($1.5MM); New York announced today that it has signed Cuban righty Osiel Rodriguez and Cuban shortstop Alexander Vargas. Rodriguez’s $600K signing had previously been reported, but MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports (via Twitter) that the newly signed Vargas received a whopping $2.5MM bonus. Vargas, 16, ranked eighth on MLB.com’s rankings of this year’s international prospects, drawing praise for his range, arm and instincts both at shortstop and in center field.

A few more notes on the international market…

  • Sanchez also recently took a lengthy look at the latest on the market for top outfield prospect Victor Victor Mesa. While the Cuban-born star has yet to be declared a free agent by Major League Baseball, there’s a fair bit of intrigue as to where he’ll sign once eligible. Victor Victor and his younger brother, Victor Jr., are both training in the Dominican Republic at present, according to Sanchez, but there’s no indication that either has established residency in another a country — a requisite step before being declared a free agent by MLB. Sanchez runs through the teams that are plausible landing spots for the brothers and takes a look at their potential timelines to signing.
  • Interestingly, Sanchez further notes that the Orioles and Marlins could be in line to make a significant play for Mesa (Twitter links). Both teams acquired international money prior to the non-waiver deadline and are interested in increasing their spending on the international front. The Orioles have a hefty $8.25MM they can offer, though it’s worth noting that GM Dan Duquette has suggested they could sign some international prospects as soon as this week (link via MASNsports.com’s Steve Melewski). With the Mesas yet to reach free agency, that’d suggest that they’re not earmarking their entire pool one or both brothers. The Marlins, meanwhile, have $4.35MM to work with at present — the second-most of any team that is not limited to $300K signings. The Athletic’s Emily Waldon reported recently that the Orioles were working hard on a deal with the elder Mesa brother (Twitter link). MASNsports.com’s Byron Kerr tweeted that the Marlins are indeed planning a run at him as well, though he added that the Orioles could be closer. Of course, no deal can be announced until the league declares the Mesa brothers to be free agents, and there’s no real way of knowing when that process will be complete.

Athletics’ Daniel Gossett Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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Aug. 1: The A’s announced that Gossett’s surgery was performed today

July 31: The Athletics announced that right-hander Daniel Gossett will undergo Tommy John surgery, thus ending his 2018 season and potentially causing him to sit out the entire 2019 campaign as well. Gossett, remarkably, becomes the fourth Athletics hurler to require Tommy John surgery in 2018 alone, joining teammates Jharel Cotton, Kendall Graveman and A.J. Puk in that most unwelcome distinction.

Gossett, 25, entered the season in the mix for a rotation spot with the A’s and made five starts over the course of the season before being pulled from his final outing on June 3 due to elbow discomfort. The right-hander has yet to enjoy much in the way of big league success to date, but he’s torn through Triple-A lineups with a 2.87 ERA, 8.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 through 128 2/3 innings in his career. In parts of five minor league seasons, the 2014 second-rounder owns an impressive 3.42 ERA with a 2.99 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 437 1/3 frames.

The A’s have, of course, been thriving without any of their injured pitcher for much of the summer, but the loss of Gossett nonetheless thins out their staff and leaves the team with fewer depth options should any member of the current rotation go down with an injury. At present, that group consists of Sean Manaea and well-traveled veterans Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson and Edwin Jackson — making both Oakland’s contending run and their lack of a rotation addition prior to today’s non-waiver trade deadline both a bit surprising.

Gossett will finish out the year with one-plus years of MLB service time, so he won’t be eligible for arbitration this winter. If Oakland is comfortable dedicating a 40-man roster spot to him all offseason, they can retain him into next year and place him on the 60-day DL as soon as Spring Training opens. The A’s can control Gossett through 2023, so they have plenty of incentive to follow that route if they believe him capable of functioning as either a serviceable rotation piece of bullpen arm down the line.

Rays Designate Adeiny Hechavarria

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The Rays have designated shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria for assignment, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). That opens a roster spot for newly-acquired outfielder Tommy Pham.

Hechavarria, 29, has long been viewed as a talented defender at shortstop but has never hit all that much. While he has at times produced palatable numbers at the plate, he has stumbled to a .258/.289/.332 slash in 237 plate appearances this year in Tampa Bay.

While the Rays shopped Hechavarria around at the deadline, they obviously weren’t able to find a taker. It surely did not help that several other glove-first infielders were also available (and, likely, still are). He’s also earning a relatively robust $5.9MM this year in his final season of arbitration eligibility.

The Rays will owe the remainder of that sum unless he’s traded or claimed. Alternatively, if the veteran ends up reaching the open market and later returns to the bigs with another team, the Rays could save a pro-rated portion of the league-minimum salary.

Whether or not he moves straight onto another MLB roster, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see Hechavarria return to the majors in the near-term as a utility infielder. While UZR hasn’t been as enthused as usual with the veteran’s glovework, DRS still grades him as a clear positive and he has a track record of excellent defending.

The expectation in Tampa Bay is that the team will now give an opportunity to top shortstop prospect Willy Adames. The 22-year-old has struggled with the bat in his first 125 MLB plate appearances, slashing just .200/.256/.296, but is widely considered a dynamic talent and entered the season ranked among the game’s twenty or so best prospects.

Adam Lind Opts Out Of Red Sox Contract

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The Red Sox have released first baseman Adam Lind after he opted out of his contract with the organization, per a club announcement (h/t Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, on Twitter). He’ll again head onto the open market in search of another opportunity.

It came as a surprise when Lind wasn’t able to find a big-league job entering the season. After all, despite his limitations in the field and against left-handed pitching, he destroyed right-handed pitching last year. In his 238 plate appearances with the platoon advantage in 2017, Lind posted a .303/.364/.534 slash with 14 home runs.

It’s possible that some contenders will like the idea of stashing Lind’s bat for consideration as a September bench piece, while second-division clubs in need of veteran gap-fillers might consider him as well. At this point, though, Lind will surely need to show more in the upper minors before he’s able to command a big league roster spot. In 189 plate appearances thus far at Triple-A Pawtucket, he carries only a .216/.270/.398 slash with eight home runs.

MLBTR Poll: Grading The Chris Archer Trade

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If it seems that Chris Archer has been in trade rumors for years, that’s because he has. We’ve seen his name presented for quite some time as a top potential target for teams seeking young, affordable starting pitching. That happened again this summer, though it was far from clear in the run-up to yesterday’s deadline whether he’d be traded.

When the dust settled, Archer was finally on the move — and to something of a surprise destination. He’s heading to the Pirates in a deal that sends outfield prospect Austin Meadows, righty Tyler Glasnow, and a still-unknown player to be named later. Until we know the final piece of the deal, it’s a bit difficult to assess it fully, but indications are that it’s another asset of significant value.

For the Rays, it’s a familiar type of swap, though they’ve typically waited until free agency was a bit closer to ship out pitching assets.  They’ll get three highly controllable assets in return; Glasnow entered the season with less than a full year of MLB service and Meadows just debuted.

There’s risk in the new Tampa Bay talent, of course. Glasnow has shown a big arm but still hasn’t harnessed it. The Bucs have utilized him as a reliever this year and he’s still issuing 5.5 walks per nine. The upside remains tremendous, though. Meanwhile, Meadows can boast of a top-prospect pedigree and a .292/.327/.468 slash line in his first 49 MLB contests. But he hasn’t hit all that much in the upper minors since the start of the 2017 season and had slid down prospect rankings entering the current campaign.

From an organizational perspective, the Rays are increasingly utilizing hybrid hurlers over 200-inning starters. They could see Glasnow as a great fit for a more flexible role. And Meadows could be a long-term asset in the outfield. Plus, there’s still a bonus piece we don’t know about. And with Archer’s commitment off the books, the budget-conscious Rays have plenty of wiggle room financially.

How do you grade this move for the Rays? (Link for app users.)

How do you grade the Rays' side of the Chris Archer deal?
B 41.29% (6,038 votes)
A 38.27% (5,597 votes)
C 14.89% (2,178 votes)
D 3.38% (495 votes)
F 2.17% (317 votes)
Total Votes: 14,625

Meanwhile, Archer has his own risks. He is plenty affordable, but increasingly expensive ($6.25MM this year, $7.5MM next, with $20MM in options to follow for 2020 and 2021). It has been some time now since his bottom-line results have matched up with the shiny peripherals, and Archer is now closing in on his 30th birthday.

At the same time, the righty is a quality performer even if he’s not a front-line starter. Archer has averaged over 200 innings annually from 2014 through 2017. He’s posting career-best 13.6% swinging-strike rate on the year and seems a good bet at least to improve upon his current 4.31 ERA.

Perhaps Archer isn’t an ace and won’t be enough to help the Bucs complete a drive to the postseason (the odds of which still seem long). Still, there’s an argument to be made that this is a sensible baseball swap for a team that knows well the players it is parting with.

How do you see it? (Link for app users.)

How do you grade the Pirates' side of the Chris Archer deal?
B 34.29% (4,368 votes)
C 26.86% (3,421 votes)
A 24.17% (3,078 votes)
D 10.53% (1,341 votes)
F 4.15% (529 votes)
Total Votes: 12,737

How August Trades Work

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Now that the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline has passed, teams can still make trades, only with more restrictions than before.  The full list of rules surrounding post-deadline trades have, of course, been shared elsewhere, most notably in an article by Jayson Stark (then with ESPN.com) from all the way back in 2004, and in greater detail at Cub Reporter. Since the rules surrounding August deals are confusing, though, they’re worth reviewing here.

  • After the trade deadline, a big-league player must pass through revocable waivers before his team can trade him without restriction. These waivers last 47 hours. If no one claims him in that period, his team can trade him anywhere.
  • If a player is claimed, his team can do one of three things. It can trade the player to the claiming team, revoke the waiver request (in which case the player will remain with his original team), or simply allow the claiming team to take the player and his salary (although a player with no-trade rights can block this from happening).
  • A recent example of an August trade that developed from a waiver claim was the Mariners’ acquisition of Arquimedes Caminero from the Pirates in 2016.  The Mariners claimed Caminero and then worked out a deal with the Bucs to bring the right-hander to Seattle for two players to be named later. An example of a claim that didn’t result in a trade occurred in 2015, when an unknown team claimed Brewers reliever Francisco Rodriguez. The two sides couldn’t strike a deal, so the Brewers revoked their waiver request, and K-Rod remained in Milwaukee. Examples of teams simply letting players go via revocable waivers are more rare, particularly with big-contract players. That being said, it is always possible; in 2009, the White Sox claimed Alex Rios from the Blue Jays, who simply let him go to Chicago without a trade. The White Sox were thus responsible for all of the approximately $62MM remaining on Rios’ contract.
  • A team has 48.5 hours to trade a claimed player, and can only negotiate with the team awarded the claim on him.
  • It’s common for teams to place players on revocable waivers, and their having done so does not necessarily mean they have serious plans to trade them. As Stark points out, teams commonly use waivers of certain players purely as smokescreens to disguise which players they really are interested in trading. In fact, sometimes teams place their entire rosters on waivers.
  • If more than one team claims a player, priority is determined by worst record to best record in the league of the waiving team, followed by worst record to best record in the other league. For example, if an NL team places a player on revocable waivers, the team with the NL’s worst record will get first priority on claims, followed by every other team in the NL from worst to best, followed by AL teams from worst to best.
  • If a team pulls a player back from waivers once, it cannot do so again in August. So if a team places a player on waivers for a second time, those waivers will be non-revocable.
  • Players not on 40-man rosters are eligible to be traded at any time without passing through waivers.
  • A player on the disabled list can only pass through waivers if his minimum period of inactivity has passed and he is healthy and able to play at his accustomed level.
  • Teams can still make trades in September, but players acquired after August 31st can’t play in the postseason.

Due to the number of restrictions in place, it has long been relatively rare to see trades of real significance go down in August. But that all changed last year in a wild month of action. A variety of notable players were moved during August of 2017, most famously including Justin Verlander, who ultimately helped lead the Astros to a World Series victory. Justin Upton, Mike Leake, Neil Walker, Jay Bruce, Yonder Alonso, Brandon Phillips, Rajai Davis, Curtis Granderson, Tyler Clippard, and Sean Rodriguez were among the others that were swapped.

While that easily represented the most notable August trade season we’ve yet encountered at MLBTR, in terms of both quality and quantity of action, it didn’t contain the single most monumental transaction in the run-up to a waiver deadline. Rather, the biggest August trade in recent memory remains the nine-player swap between the Dodgers and Red Sox in 2012 that saw Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett head to L.A.  That ground-shifting deal not only launched a Dodgers resurgence, but also allowed the Red Sox to clear tens of millions in salary commitments off their books, paving the way for the team to reload in the offseason and go on to win the 2013 World Series.

This post is adapted from a prior series of posts.

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