May 16: The Twins announced that they’ve designated right-hander Addison Reed for assignment. The veteran setup man had been pitching on a rehab assignment in Triple-A Rochester after opening the season on the injured list due to a thumb sprain, though Dan Hayes of The Athletic tweets that Reed’s velocity was topping out at 88-89 mph in recent appearances.

It’s a disappointing outcome for both the Twins and Reed, whose initial two-year, $16.75MM pact with Minnesota looked to be a relative bargain. Reed got out to a terrific start last season, pitching to a 2.36 ERA with 9.1 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and 1.01 HR/9 through his first 26 2/3 innings. However, he began to struggle and landed on the shelf due to triceps discomfort and an elbow impingement in July. He struggled in his return while demonstrating the same type of velocity loss Hayes mentioned in reference to Reed’s rehab assignment. He finished up the season with a cumulative 4.50 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 1.77 HR/9 and a 31.6 percent ground-ball rate.

Minnesota will have a week to trade Reed, release him or pass him through waivers. He’s likely to clear, given this season’s $8.5MM salary, and even if the Twins try to outright him to Triple-A, Reed could reject the assignment in favor of free agency.

His spot on the 40-man roster will go to right-hander Austin D. Adams, whose promotion to the Major Leagues was reported last night. Adams’ contract has now been formally selected, per the Twins’ announcement.

• The progress has been steady for Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett, as MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reports. He’s still at least a week or two away from on-field activities; there’s good reason not to rush his return from a significant groin strain. Gennett indicates that he’s doing well with walking and jogging, but feels weakness and is still avoiding quick directional changes to avoid aggravating the injury.
• Righty Addison Reed is launching a rehab assignment as he returns from a left thumb strain, as LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune was among those to report. Given the nature of the injury it would stand to reason that Reed could work back quickly, but it doesn’t sound as if the team is in a particular rush. GM Thad Levine explained that the club assigned Reed straight to Triple-A in order to give him a long look at advanced competition. Beyond the injury, the veteran reliever is looking to regain his form after a subpar 2018 season.
• In another update from the Twins organization, it doesn’t sound as if there’s a huge rush to move slugger Miguel Sano back up the ladder. He’s currently working at Double-A. In that case, though, there’s a May 20th deadline to wrap up the rehab assignment.
• Cardinals righty Carlos Martinez is moving his rehab assignment up to Triple-A, as MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch tweeted. It seems promising that he’s heading right to Memphis after one game at the class A level. Martinez could be a MLB option rather soon; given that he’s returning in a relief capacity, he won’t need to build up his pitch count.

10:09am: The Twins announced that they have placed righty Addison Reed on the 10-day disabled list. He’ll be replaced by Alan Busenitz, who has been recalled from Triple-A.

Reed is said to be dealing with right triceps tightness. It’s not clear at this point whether this is a worrying injury for the veteran reliever. He certainly has not been himself of late.

It seemed entering the season that the Twins had done quite nicely to land Reed for only a $16.75MM guarantee over two seasons. And through the month of May, he had more than held up his end of the bargain, despite disappointing overall results for the team.

Since the calendar flipped to June, though, Reed’s numbers are well off their typical levels. In ten outings that month, he allowed nine earned runs and recorded just four strikeouts against four walks. He made two solid appearances to open July but has surrendered four more runs — including a pair of long balls — in his two most recent outings. Along the way, he has exhibited some worrying velocity trends.

That poor run may already have taken Reed out of trade consideration, though his track record is good enough that teams surely would have considered him if he had bounced back. Now, even if Reed is able to return to action before the end of July, he’ll be carrying quite a bit more uncertainty.

Regarding his own free agency this past offseason, while there were some early rumblings connecting him and the Pirates, Walker tells reporters that there’s “no validity” to those rumors and that he and his agents “didn’t hear from them once the entire offseason” — even when it was clear recently that he’d come at a rather affordable rate (via Elizabeth Bloom of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).

More out of the game’s Eastern divisions…

• Addison Reed tells Alex Speier of the Boston Globe that playing for the Red Sox and pitching at the hallowed grounds of Fenway Park exceeded his expectations in 2017, adding: “…and I expected it to be pretty damn good.” However, Reed openly admits that a return to Boston wasn’t high on his list as he headed into free agency this winter. While he had nothing against the Red Sox and spoke glowingly of the organization, his preference was to end up with a Midwest team. (Speier notes that his wife is from Ohio.) Reed achieved that feat by landing a two-year deal with the Twins, and while he took a shorter deal than most predicted, it seems possible that that outcome was in part due to his self-imposed geographic limitations.
• Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo acknowledged to reporters today that right-hander Koda Glover’s shoulder is taking longer to heal than the team anticipated (Twitter link via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post). Glover’s uncertain status notwithstanding, Rizzo doesn’t feel the team needs to go outside the organization for additional bullpen help, Janes notes. The GM said he likes what he’s seen from right-handers Trevor Gott and Austin Adams this spring, and the Nats of course have deepened their bullpen over the past nine months with the acquisitions of Ryan Madson, Sean Doolittle, Brandon Kintzler and, earlier this spring, Joaquin Benoit.
• Janes also tweets that Rizzo was adamant that the Nationals “would never” keep top outfield prospect Victor Robles in a bench role. While many Nats fans may be hoping that the ballyhooed 20-year-old can make the roster in a reserve capacity, Rizzo’s comments further reinforce the idea that the Nats will keep Robles in a regular role with Triple-A Syracuse until an everyday opening presents itself at the big league level.
• The Orioles’ roster further took shape yesterday with the news that outfielder Joey Rickard has been optioned to Triple-A and veteran infielder Ruben Tejada was assigned to minor league camp. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com looks at the team’s utility infielder opening, noting that Engelb Vielma, Luis Sardinas and Danny Valencia are all candidates. While Valencia, of course, doesn’t have shortstop experience, the O’s have two viable shortstop options on the roster in Manny Machado and Tim Beckham. Kubatko adds that the O’s could take a look at Erick Aybar if he doesn’t make the Twins’ roster this spring, and he notes that Baltimore could also pursue a reunion with Ryan Flaherty if he does not break camp with the Phillies.
• Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tackles a host of Rays roster scenarios as he strives to project the 25-man unit that’ll break camp for Opening Day. Interestingly, he paints veteran lefty Dan Jennings as a potential trade candidate and doesn’t project him to make it to the Opening Day roster, instead projecting starting pitching prospects Yonny Chirinos and Ryan Yarbrough (a fellow lefty) to crack the Opening Day bullpen. Topkin runs through playing time scenarios in the outfield and all around the infield, so Rays fans in particular will want to take a look at one of the more educated guesses you’ll come across for how things will shake out between now and Opening Day.

Here’s more from around the American League…

• The Twins’ acquisition of Addison Reed is chronicled by Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, who writes that Reed put a high priority on joining a team in the Midwest, close to his wife’s hometown of Akron, Ohio.  The Indians “were high on” a short list of preferred destinations Reed gave to his agent, though Cleveland didn’t have the payroll space to add to its bullpen.  Sensing an opportunity to further reinforce their bullpen, the Twins circled back to Reed (an early offseason target) and were ultimately convinced after Minnesota special assistant Michael Cuddyer heavily endorsed Reed due to their time together on the 2015 Mets.  Reed turned down at least one three-year deal to sign his two-year, $16.75MM deal with the Twins.
• The Blue Jays roster is broken down by Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi, who feels that another move or two might be in the offing given a lack of 25-man spots.  Aledmys Diaz, for instance, may have to start the year in the minors if the Jays are to fit five outfielders and Kendrys Morales on the roster.  Moving an outfielder is a more realistic option than trading Morales, as a rival executive “couldn’t envision a possible landing spot” for the veteran hitter.  Morales is coming off a sub-replacement season (-0.6 fWAR) last year and is owed $23MM through 2019, giving him very little trade value.  Toronto still has some more moves to come on the pitching side, and Davidi speculates that Seung-hwan Oh or Tyler Clippard could fit the Jays’ needs in the bullpen.
• In a set of 18 predictions about the 2018 Royals, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star opines that Eric Hosmer will re-sign with his former club due to a lack of clear rival suitors for the free agent first baseman.  There is maybe only a 30-40 percent chance of a reunion between the two sides, “but for now, that might make the Royals the favorite” in Dodd’s view.  Other predictions include Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas signing elsewhere, and the Royals suffering a 90-loss season as they begin a rebuilding phase.

The fact that the Twins will reel in Reed on such a short-term commitment comes as a surprise. MLBTR had projected a four-year pact for the right-hander, and most pundits had him pegged for at least a three-year commitment prior to the onset of free agency. Reed had three-year offers on the table at times this offseason, but his desire was to join a team in the Midwest, per Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan (Twitter link). The 29-year-old now joins Fernando Rodney and Zach Duke as veteran additions to the Minnesota bullpen. Like Rodney, Reed brings ninth-inning experience, having saved a combined 125 games since debuting in 2011.

[RELATED: Updated Twins Depth Chart]

Pitching has been the main focus this offseason for the Twins, who are coming off their first playoff campaign since 2010. The club’s 85-victory year came in spite of underwhelming pitching, including a relief corps that ranked 22nd in the majors in ERA (4.40) and 29th in strikeout rate (7.66 K/9). Reed’s lifetime output indicates he’ll significantly help the Twins’ cause over the next couple years, as he has pitched to a 3.40 ERA and posted 9.5 strikeouts per nine across a 402 2/3-inning career with the White Sox, Diamondbacks, Mets and Red Sox.

While Reed is coming off a career-low season in terms of velocity, he nonetheless registered an impressive 2.84 ERA across 76 innings between New York and Boston. It was the second straight year with at least 76 frames for Reed, who ranks fifth among relievers in innings since 2016 (153 2/3). His success has come thanks in part to an aversion to doling out free passes, including in 2017, when he issued 1.78 walks per nine. At the same time, he logged a solid K/9 (9.0) and recorded his highest full-season swinging-strike percentage (13.7).

The Reed signing is the first time Minnesota has given a multiyear deal to an outside reliever, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press notes on Twitter. With Reed, Rodney and Duke in the fold, it’s possible Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine are done making notable improvements to the team’s bullpen this offseason. But they’re sure to add starting pitching help between now and the opening of the season, and it’s perhaps worth noting that their top free agent target, righty Yu Darvish, shares an agency with Reed.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the agreement (Twitter link). Jon Heyman of FanRag tweeted the exact terms.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

• To this point, the Cubs and Cardinals have shown the most interest in free agent right-hander Jake Arrieta, according to Levine. The Cubs reportedly may be willing to offer a four-year, $110MM contract to the soon-to-be 32-year-old Arrieta, who mostly thrived with the team from 2013-17.
• Elsewhere on the pitching market, the Cubs remain in contact with Yu Darvish and Alex Cobb, per Levine, though he casts doubt on them being the favorites to sign the latter. They’re wary of Cobb’s asking price, which appears to be in the $17MM to $19MM range per annum, Levine relays.
• Along with the previously reported Chris Archer, the Cubs are interested in swinging a trade for Pirates righty Gerrit Cole, Levine writes. This is the first reported connection of the offseason between the Cubs and Cole, who has mostly been linked to the Yankees. Talks between the Yankees and Pirates simmered last month, though, which could pave the way for another team to swoop in and land the 27-year-old. Given that Chicago and Pittsburgh are in the same division, the Cubs are obviously quite familiar with Cole. The Scott Boras client is under control for the next two seasons, and he’ll earn a projected $7.5MM in 2018.
• Looking beyond starting pitching possibilities, Levine doesn’t rule out more additions to the Cubs’ bullpen or position player group. With Wade Davis having signed with the Rockies, the Cubs could be in the market for a closer if they don’t want to turn the ninth-inning reins to either of the just-signed Brandon Morrow–Steve Cishek tandem or another in-house option. But whether the team bids on a top free agent like Greg Holland or Addison Reed could depend on how much spending room it has left after it picks up another starter, per Levine. Further, it’s possible the Cubs could try to trade for Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich, who would likely cost them fellow center fielder Albert Almora Jr. in a deal, Levine contends. He also lists free agent center fielder Lorenzo Cain as a name to watch for the Cubs.

More out of Queens…

• Sherman’s colleague, Mike Puma, writes that Wilpon was “irate” upon learning of the Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton acquisition. Wilpon frequently gets upset when seeing his crosstown rivals make blockbuster acquisitions, suggesting that business model to be unsustainable (despite the Yankees operating at the top of the payroll chain for decades). Additionally, Puma notes that big-name free agents haven’t been a consideration at any point this offseason and also lists Addison Reed (along with Tommy Hunter and Bryan Shaw) among bullpen options that have been deemed too costly.
• Puma also tweets that the Mets are still interested in a reunion with Jay Bruce, though they haven’t made him an offer to this point. Given the payroll constraints portrayed in the above-linked columns from the Post duo, it’d be difficult to imagine the Mets winning any sort of bidding war for Bruce. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo wrote yesterday that the Mets’ interest in Bruce would be contingent on his asking price dropping from its current point — a four-year guarantee.
• Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (subscription required and recommended) that one creative means of dealing with their limited resources could be to trade reliever AJ Ramos for a second baseman and then sign another reliever to step into his place. The Record’s Matt Ehalt also hears that the Mets are willing to move Ramos in order to address other needs on the big league roster — second base chief among them. The Mets and Indians “do not have anything brewing” with regard to Jason Kipnis at present, however, and Ehalt also notes that Starlin Castro doesn’t appear to be a target, either (as others have previously reported). Ramos, 31, will be a free agent next year and comes with a projected arbitration salary of $9.2MM, per MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. In 58 2/3 innings last year, Ramos posted a 3.99 ERA with a hefty 11.1 K/9 rate against a more troublesome 5.2 BB/9 mark.

Suffice it to say, the bullpen is a clear point of focus for a Rockies front office that watched Holland, McGee and Pat Neshek all hit the open market as free agents this offseason. At one point, the Rox were reportedly in advanced talks about a deal to bring Holland back to Denver (even after agreeing to sign both Shaw and McGee), but there’s been very little information on that front in the past week. As of last Wednesday, the Rox had reportedly made what they felt to be a “strong” offer to Holland (per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post), but to date it doesn’t seem to have been enough to sway Holland and agent Scott Boras.

Pivoting to Reed could give the Rox a potentially more affordable late-inning option that is actually coming off a superior year to the one Holland just completed. In 76 innings split between the Mets and Red Sox, Reed worked to a 2.84 ERA with 9.0 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, 1.3 HR/9 and a 40.8 percent ground-ball rate. The spike in home runs allowed was something of an anomaly for Reed, who entered the 2017 campaign with just 0.9 HR/9 in his career.

Reed won’t turn 29 until next week, making him one of the youngest available free agents on the market — certainly the most youthful among established relievers. He’s worked as both a closer and a setup man throughout his big league tenure with the White Sox, D-backs, Mets and Red Sox, compiling an overall 3.40 ERA with 9.5 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a 36.3 percent ground-ball rate in the Majors. MLBTR ranked him third among relievers (in terms of earning power) and 16th overall, ultimately predicting that he could secure a four-year deal on the open market.

Elsewhere, the Padres seem to be making some headway in their efforts to add a shortstop, Lin tweets. GM A.J. Preller says the club has at least narrowed the list of possibilities to a handful or so. They’ve been connected to the likes of Freddy Galvis, Zack Cozart and Alcides Escobar (Hosmer’s teammate in Kansas City) recently.

More from around the majors as the meetings wind down…

• Just-acquired Angels second baseman Ian Kinsler was only willing to waive his 10-team no-trade clause for them, Tigers general manager Al Avila told reporters. Avila added that he had talks with three other teams on Kinsler’s no-trade list Wednesday, noting that he “had no leverage” because of the second baseman’s limited NTC. The executive’s not upset with Kinsler, though, as he realizes the player was fully within his rights prevent certain deals from happening (all Twitter links via Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press and Evan Woodbery of MLive.com).
• The Nationals and various right-handed relievers have had “serious” talks today, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports. While Janes doesn’t include any names, Jon Heyman of FanRag lists Addison Reed, Brandon Kintzler and Steve Cishek as relievers who are on the team’s radar (Twitter links). Wade Davis and Hector Rondon have also been mentioned in connection with the Nats during the meetings.
• The Twins are also seeking bullpen help, and they have an offer out to a free agent reliever, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. That’s not J.J. Hoover, whom they’re uninterested in but who’s “squarely in the mix” for the Brewers, per Wolfson. The Twins also weren’t in on Juan Nicasio before he signed with the Mariners on Wednesday, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press writes (Twitter links here).
• The sharks are circling the aforementioned Royals, who are looking to get their payroll below $110MM, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). As things stand, K.C. will be north of that amount, so clearly the club will need to pare back. GM Dayton Moore discussed the situation on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (Twitter link), saying there’s a need to rebuild the team’s farm while also not giving up on the possibility of retaining top free agents or otherwise remaining competitive.
• Free agent catcher Nick Hundley told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle he’s “optimistic” that he’ll re-sign with the Giants (Twitter link). Hundley, 34, inked a $2MM deal to serve as Buster Posey’s backup last winter and proceeded to hit .244/.272/.418 in 303 in plate appearances. He was a mixed bag defensively, throwing 29 percent of would-be base stealers but earning minus marks as a pitch framer.
• Still looking for rotation pieces, the Reds could have some interest in veteran free agent Yovani Gallardo, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets. The soon-to-be 32-year-old Gallardo is coming off a miserable two-season stretch in which he posted a 5.57 ERA and log 6.48 K/9 against 4.38 BB/9 across 248 2/3 innings with Baltimore and Seattle.

• The Nationals are one of the suitors for Wade Davis, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (via Twitter), though the team isn’t close to signing any relievers.  D.C. hadn’t thought to have been looking for any major bullpen upgrades this winter after the team landed Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson last summer, though the combination of Davis with those two relievers would make for a formidable end-game trio.  Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post hears that the Nats haven’t yet officially started to go afte Davis, though several representatives for free agent relievers feel Davis is one of Washington’s top offseason targets.
• In another tweet from Janes, she reports that the Nationals weren’t in on Bryan Shaw, who agreed to a three-deal with the Rockies tonight.
• Fernando Rodney’s name has been increasingly mentioned in recent days, with the Mets and Tigers the latest teams to express interest in the veteran reliever, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets.  New York and Detroit join the previously-reported Twins, Diamondbacks and Rangers as candidates for Rodney’s services.  Rodney posted solid numbers as Arizona’s closer last season, and likely wouldn’t require a multi-year commitment given that he turns 41 in March.  Detroit could install him at closer with Shane Greene moving back to a setup role, and Rodney could also become a trade chip for the rebuilding Tigers at the deadline.  Rodney might not close with the Mets, but he would further augment a back-of-the-pen mix that includes Jeurys Familia, AJ Ramos and Jerry Blevins.
• Speaking of Mets relief targets, the team is still in on Addison Reed, Newsday’s Marc Carig tweets.
• The Orioles are receiving lots of calls on Mychal Givens, Dan Duquette tells Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun and other reporters.  The hard-throwing Givens has posted strong numbers in his first three big league seasons and is still a year away from arbitration eligibility, so it isn’t any surprise that he is a popular target.  Of course, he also has great value to an O’s team that likely prefers to unload costlier relievers like Zach Britton or Brad Brach if they do choose to make a bullpen trade.
• Francisco Rodriguez is hoping to keep pitching for his 17th big league season, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman writes.  After years as an effective closer, K-Rod suffered through a disastrous 2017 campaign that saw him post a 7.82 ERA over 25 1/3 IP for the Tigers.  He pitched in the Nationals’ farm system on a minor league deal before being released last July.

7:13pm: The Phillies are closing in on a three-year contract with right-hander Addison Reed, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports (Twitter link).

Reed, who’ll soon turn 29, has been a lights-out reliever ever since he joined the Mets in the middle of the 2015 campaign. He just wrapped up a 76-frame campaign, split between the Mets and Red Sox, in which he carried a 2.84 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9.

Though Reed’s elite control is perhaps his most notable attribute, he also jumped to a career-high 13.7% swinging-strike rate in 2017. All told, with youth on his side and loads of late-inning experience in multiple roles, it’s no surprise that Reed has drawn interest from a number of organizations (such as the Cardinals, Mets, and Cubs).

The Phils already inked veteran Pat Neshek to a two-year pact, so bullpen improvement is obviously a priority. While that is arguably a bit of a surprise for an organization that is coming off of a 66-win season and has more evident need in the rotation, it’s important to note that the Phillies have loads of available salary capacity to work with and have shown an inclination in recent years to spend on veterans even while rebuilding. Plus, it’s far too soon to count the club out of yet more significant starting pitching acquisitions.

More on the Giants and a few other National League clubs:

• The Cardinals have had talks with the agents for relievers Addison Reed and Brandon Morrow, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. At one point this offseason, there was “momentum” toward a deal between Reed and the Cardinals, a source told Goold, but it seems this winter’s slow-to-develop relief market has helped prevent an agreement from coming to fruition. Whether he signs with the Cardinals or another team, the soon-to-be 29-year-old Reed is in position to end up as one of this winter’s richest relievers.
• A lack of financial wiggle room could prevent the Diamondbacks from doing anything significant in free agency, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. Arizona needs bullpen help, for instance, but several agents informed Piecoro that the club’s not showing much willingness to spend. The Diamondbacks “think they’re going to get by spending $5 million” total on bullpen upgrades, an agent for a second-tier reliever told Piecoro. In order to free up payroll space, the D-backs could deal left-hander Patrick Corbin and/or center fielder A.J. Pollock, Piecoro suggests. Both players are only under control for another year – MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projects an $8.3.MM arbitration award for Corbin and an $8.5MM salary for Pollock.
• The Giants will reportedly pursue the top free agent third baseman available, Mike Moustakas, but Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle casts doubt on the possibility (via Twitter). The club is wary of going after free agents who have rejected qualifying offers because of the compensation it would have to give up to land them, Schulman notes, and Moustakas is part of that class. Signing him would cost the Giants two draft picks (their second- and fifth-highest choices) in 2018 and $1MM in international bonus pool space.
• The Braves will hire Alex Tamin as their director of major league operations, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets. Tamin was previously the Dodgers’ director of baseball operations, serving in the same front office as new Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos. While with Los Angeles, Tamin “handled rules and transactions” and was “heavily involved” in advance scouting, according to Rosenthal, who adds that he’ll perform similar tasks in Atlanta.

More items from Queens…

• Marc Carig of Newsday throws some cold water on the idea of a Mets-Marlins deal involving Castro. He tweets that although it’s possible the Mets could check in on the Marlins’ newest acquisition, it’s “not likely” that a deal will come together. The Mets reportedly prefer other second base options, so it sounds as though Carig’s sources believe they would exhaust those options before engaging in any serious negotiations with Miami.
• In news of other Mets pursuits, Carig reports that the Mets are interested in a reunion with Addison Reed (Twitter link). The two sides apparently discussed an extension last spring, and for good reason; Reed was perhaps at his best during his tenure in New York. The righty reliever struck out 139 batters 126 2/3 innings with the Mets while walking just 19. His ERA was a pristine 2.20 during that time, though his xFIP (3.28) suggests there was some luck involved. Still, a 4.47 WPA is a great mark for a reliever over a season and a half, and Reed’s 12.1% swinging strike rate is impressive as well.
• In a third tweet, Carig reveals that the Mets are open to trading any of their starting pitchers besides Jacob DeGrom and Noah Syndergaard. While there’s nothing brewing yet, Carig speculates that the Amazins could shop a starter in exchange for a second baseman. From my perspective, this hypothetical strategy could prove difficult. The Mets have reportedly shown interest in Jason Kipnis, but the Indians’ rotation is an area of great strength for the them and they don’t need to trade for another starter. The Tigers and Marlins are in the early stages of rebuilds, so they might be looking for minor league returns for Ian Kinsler and Starlin Castro, respectively, rather than players already at the MLB level. The Mets have shown reported interest in Josh Harrison of the Pirates as well, and the Bucs could use some help in the rotation; perhaps they’d be the best partner for this theoretical strategy.