Kelvin Herrera

White Sox Designate Ian Clarkin, Announce Kelvin Herrera Signing

By Jeff Todd | January 8, 2019 at 1:05pm CDT

The White Sox announced today that they have designated lefty Ian Clarkin for assignment. His roster spot will go to righty Kelvin Herrera, whose previously reported signing is now official.

Clarkin has already been bounced from the White Sox’ 40-man roster once this offseason, though he found his way back in short order. He was claimed in late November by the cross-town Cubs, only to be re-claimed by the South Siders less than a week later.

We’ll have to see how things play out this time around. The White Sox obviously like the 23-year-old, who was originally acquired in the 2017 deal that sent David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees. At the same time, the club’s numerous winter additions have created some roster pressures. The White Sox’ hope, no doubt, is that Clarkin will clear waivers so that he can be outrighted.

There have been some ups and downs to this point for the 2013 first-rounder, who has yet to crack the big leagues. Clarkin had generally produced promising results in the lower minors, but last year, he struggled to a 4.98 ERA with just 4.6 K/9 against 4.1 BB/9 through 68 frames at the Double-A level.

White Sox To Sign Kelvin Herrera

By Steve Adams | January 7, 2019 at 3:06pm CDT

3:06pm: Herrera’s third-year option is valued at $10MM with a $1MM buyout, tweets Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago / 670 The Score. That indicates that Herrera will earn $17MM between the first two seasons of the deal, with the buyout making up the remainder of that $18MM guarantee. The exact terms of the vesting option remain unclear, though Levine notes that Herrera will need to be healthy in both 2019 and 2020 for it to vest, so it’s likely a combined number of innings pitched or appearances that’ll trigger the third year. As with all vesting options, it’ll revert to a straight club option if Herrera does not meet the designated criteria.

1:45pm: The White Sox are in agreement with free-agent righty Kelvin Herrera on a two-year contract that will promise him $18MM, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (Twitter link). The Wasserman client’s contract will also come with a vesting option for a third season. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that the vesting option could bring the total value of the deal to $27MM.

Given the manner in which Herrera’s season ended, the righty looks to have done quite well for himself in free agency. Herrera was lights out in Kansas City top open the season and was the centerpiece of an early-June trade sending him from Kansas City to the Nationals. Herrera, though, wasn’t as effective in Washington, as the superb control he showed with the Royals regressed and he became uncharacteristically homer-prone.

Those flaws might’ve been little more than a small-sample blip, but Herrera did hit the disabled list for just under two weeks due to a shoulder impingement. More concerning, however, was the foot injury that ended Herrera’s season. The righty tore the Lisfranc ligament in his left foot in late August — an injury that comes with a lengthy rehab process and can have lingering effects down the line. Herrera was said to be jogging in early December but, at that point, had not yet progressed to throwing at full strength. Based on the size of his contract, it seems that the ChiSox are expecting him to be available for the majority, if not all of the 2019 season.

Prior to his hiccup on the mound with the Nats and his subsequent season-ending injury, Herrera looked primed for perhaps the second-biggest payday on the relief market this winter (behind Craig Kimbrel). He only just turned 29 on New Year’s Eve, placing him among the youngest free-agent relievers on the market. He was also nothing short of dominant to begin the season in K.C., pitching to a 1.05 ERA with a pristine 22-to-2 K/BB ratio in 25 2/3 innings. That level of control was likely unsustainable for Herrera, meaning the same applied to his ERA, but he nonetheless looked legitimately dominant. He was averaging better than 96 mph on his heater with a 14.4 percent swinging-strike rate and an otherworldly 40.5 percent opponents’ chase rate on pitches out of the strike zone. Simply put, he looked well on his way to proving that a down season in 2017 was a fluke.

Given his age and a generally excellent track record, we at MLBTR predicted that Herrera would sign a one-year deal with an eye toward reentering free agency in advance of his age-30 season next winter. It’s hard to blame him, though, for preferring the security of a guaranteed multi-year deal — especially considering that he could still once again return to the market before his age-32 campaign even if he maxes out the value of the contract. As pitchers such as Andrew Miller and David Robertson have already demonstrated this winter, it’s certainly plausible for pitchers to secure hefty annual values on multi-year deals even as they enter their mid-30s.

Herrera will pair with trade acquisition Alex Colome to give the ChiSox a dramatic and much-needed upgrade at the back end of the bullpen. That duo, teamed with a hopefully healthier Nate Jones, will give manager Rick Renteria a trio of high-caliber right-handers to deploy in the late innings as the Sox look to begin to emerge from a multi-year rebuilding process. Of course, Chicago still has myriad other needs to address; in addition to questionable outfield mix — Eloy Jimenez looms, but Nicky Delmonico, Adam Engel and Daniel Palka are lined up at present — the Pale Hose will likely need to add some established talent to the rotation beyond already-acquired Ivan Nova if they indeed aim to be competitive in a weak AL Central. They’ll be without top prospect Michael Kopech in 2019 due to Tommy John surgery, while former top prospect Lucas Giolito has yet to prove his mettle in the big leagues.

As for the rest of the lineup, the Sox, as everyone knows at this point, are aiming big. They’ve been prominently linked to Manny Machado and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Bryce Harper. While the addition of Herrera won’t be a tipping point in the Sox’ courtship of either star free agent, it certainly can’t hurt to show the pair that the organization is willing to add some recognizable assets in an effort to turn the tides after several seasons of playoff misses.

Quick Hits: Maxwell, Nats, Marwin, Twins, Herrera, Cubs, DeRosa

By Connor Byrne | December 13, 2018 at 11:32pm CDT

Free-agent catcher Bruce Maxwell hasn’t found a team since the Athletics outrighted him in September, and it doesn’t appear that’s going to change in the near future, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle explains. While Maxwell was arrested on a gun charge in 2017 and later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, he’s unemployed for a different reason, a major league executive told Slusser at the Winter Meetings.

“It’s the kneeling thing that might keep him from getting another job, not the arrest. Owners aren’t going to want to deal with that whole anthem issue,” the executive said of Maxwell, who in 2017 became the first and only major leaguer to kneel for the national anthem in protest of racial injustice.

Conversely, another source contended to Slusser that Maxwell’s not comparable to former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who began kneeling for the national anthem in 2016. Despite a respectable on-field career and a clean off-field record, Kaepernick, 31, has been out of the NFL for two seasons. “This is not a Colin Kaepernick situation,” said the source. “This is if Colin Kaepernick had knelt for the anthem and also been arrested for a gun crime.”

Aside from Maxwell’s arrest, there are concerns over a 2017 incident in an Alabama restaurant, per Slusser, who also notes that the 27-year-old showed up overweight to spring training last season. Both Maxwell’s conditioning issues and a poor spring performance helped ruin his once-decent chance of becoming the A’s starting catcher in 2018. He ended up having a miserable season at the Triple-A level, and has since fired agent Matt Sosnick. As Slusser details, Sosnick reached out to every team multiple times trying to score a minor league deal for Maxwell, but no one bit. Slusser’s piece is worth checking out for Sosnick’s quotes on his ex-client.

Kelvin Herrera Making Progress In Return From Lisfranc Surgery

By Jeff Todd | December 4, 2018 at 9:25am CDT

9:39am: Herrera has evidently taken a few more steps in the right direction, as he has now posted another video to Twitter in which he’s throwing lightly from his pitching motion.

9:25am: Former Royals and Nationals righty Kelvin Herrera had seemed primed to enter this winter’s market as one of the top relief assets, but his 2018 season came to a premature end when he suffered a torn Lisfranc ligament in his left foot that ultimately required surgery. Herrera remains a fascinating part of the relief picture, particularly since, as Rob Bradord of WEEI.com writes, he’s showing progress in his effort to return to the field.

Herrera’s timeline is still not certain, as he’s still clearing hurdles. But there’s a path open by which he could be ready for the start of the 2019 season, per Bradford, even if the smart money perhaps remains on a more conservative schedule. Notably, Herrera could enter the new year ready to participate in baseball activities — if he gets a thumbs-up in an upcoming medical check-up and is able to continue progressing in the meantime.

To this point, Herrera is only capable of light jogging. As he has documented on his Twitter account, though, he has already moved from this to this over the past six weeks — which highlights both the seriousness of the injury and the real strides he has already made.

There’s quite a lot left to learn over the coming weeks, clearly. In addition to the questions of physical progress themselves, Herrera’s own intentions aren’t yet known. The hurler will not turn 29 until New Year’s Eve and obviously possesses an impressive track record on the mound. That leaves him with some possibilities.

In terms of a contract, it feels likely that Herrera will look for a pillow deal rather than trying for multiple years — though perhaps that latter scenario cannot be ruled out entirely. MLBTR pegged Herrera to land a one-year, $8MM deal on the open market. It seems reasonable to expect that his contract would also include some other elements, with the recent deal inked by Tommy John rehabber Trevor Rosenthal serving as a potential model.

The Rosenthal situation offers some other potential similarities but also some important distinctions. He, too, is a still-youthful flamethrower (albeit a less consistent performer) who’s coming back from major surgery. Rosenthal had work done to his arm, which could conceivably be more concerning — though Herrera’s much more exotic injury (for a pitcher) is perhaps a greater unknown. In his case, though, he was able to throw for scouts and show that he was more or less back to full health, with his full velocity and arsenal of pitches nearly at hand.

For Herrera, waiting to take the hill to show his stuff to scouts would present some risks and possible rewards. The downside scenario would be one in which Herrera really isn’t at full speed and teams have already spent up much of their available payroll. But the upside is that he’d represent something of a late-breaking addition to the market who could spark a spring bidding war.

No doubt Herrera’s reps are weighing all the options and engaging with clubs in some preliminary chatter. And it’s notable that, as Bradford writes, there’s a real possibility that this winter’s market for relievers could develop over a broad timeline. With a fair number of matches yet to be made, and little in the way of clear matches, Herrera could increasingly be a factor as the puzzle takes shape. The Red Sox are at least a hypothetical suitor, Bradford notes, given the “industry speculation” that the organization will be “waiting out the relieving market” this winter. Other clubs, certainly, could take a similar approach.

Kelvin Herrera Diagnosed With Torn Ligament In Foot

By Steve Adams and Jeff Todd | August 27, 2018 at 3:47pm CDT

Nationals right-hander Kelvin Herrera has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with a torn Lisfranc ligament in his left foot, the club announced Monday. Right-hander Ryan Madson was reinstated from the 10-day DL in a corresponding move.

The timing of the injury could hardly be worse for either Herrera or the Nationals. The 28-year-old Herrera was fresh off the disabled list for an unrelated shoulder issue when he incurred his foot injury over the weekend and is just weeks away from his first crack at free agency.

It’s not yet clear how long Herrera will need to get back to full health or just what his outlook is. Of course, it’s all but certain he’ll miss the rest of the season, as Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com notes on Twitter. Herrera is headed for a second opinion before deciding on a course of treatment.

Generally, Lisfranc injuries aren’t all that quick to heal. Neither are they always straightforward. Issues with that particular ligament played a role in the downturn of the career of Chien-Ming Wang, for example, though there’s really no indication that the cases are analogous.

Hopefully, Herrera will be able to rest up over the winter and enter the spring ready for a full camp. Even in the best case, though, his free-agent outlook is not as promising as it was when the Nats dealt for him in mid-June. As the injuries woes have arisen, Herrera has struggled on the mound. He carries a 4.34 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in his 18 2/3 frames with the D.C. organization.

As for the Nationals, they’ve already sold off veterans Daniel Murphy and Matt Adams this month, and Herrera stood out as a reasonable candidate to be dealt in exchange for some prospect help between now and Friday’s postseason eligibility deadline. Instead, it’s another negative turn in a bitterly disappointing season. Washington will owe Herrera the balance of his $7,937,500 salary.

Nationals Notes: Herrera, Harper, Trades

By Mark Polishuk | August 26, 2018 at 6:07pm CDT

Kelvin Herrera had to be removed from the field on a cart after suffering a potentially serious left foot injury in the ninth inning of the Nationals’ 15-0 win over the Mets today. Herrera took a bad step while fielding a ground ball, and fell down on the ground after completing the out at first base. Manager Davey Martinez told MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman and other reporters that Herrera’s foot was the issue, not the right-hander’s Achilles. Results aren’t yet known from x-rays taken on Herrera after the game, though he was seen in the clubhouse on crutches and wearing a protective boot. Herrera ranked sixth on MLBTR’s recent list of the top 20 August trade candidates, though today’s unfortunate news may make it unlikely that Herrera returns to the field at all this season. [UPDATE: X-rays were negative, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reports. Herrera will undergo further tests tomorrow to check for any ligament damage.)

Here’s more D.C. baseball chatter…

Reports indicated that the Dodgers’ claim of Bryce Harper was meant to block other NL contenders from obtaining the star outfielder, though ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that the Dodgers “also placed some expensive veterans on the waiver wire” when they put in their claim for Harper. Clearly, L.A. had to prepare itself for the possibility, however remote, that the Nationals might’ve simply let Harper go on waivers without a trade, which would’ve left the Dodgers over the luxury tax threshold. Since the Nats seemingly had no intention of parting ways with Harper, though, it ended up being a moot point. While it isn’t unusual for teams to put most, or even all, of their players on waivers as a matter of procedure in August, it is interesting to speculate who the Dodgers could’ve tried to deal or simply let walk on a waiver claim if they had been forced to make room for Harper — Yasiel Puig or the slumping Matt Kemp come to mind, given that Harper would’ve stepped into an everyday outfield role.
Also from Olney’s column, he takes a broader look at the Nationals’ disappointing season, and speculates about the club’s unusual transaction strategy over the last month. If the Nats weren’t going to sell at the trade deadline, it would’ve made more sense for Washington to buy, particularly to address a bullpen that has been a season-long issue. When the team did decide to sell (i.e. the trades of Daniel Murphy and Matt Adams), rival executives were reportedly curious about the timing, since there’s still time before August 31 and the Nationals aren’t totally out of the race. Beyond the past month, however, Olney also believes the Nats have a bigger-picture issue to solve, as “it would be helpful if they work to figure out why so many players have left the organization speaking of an unusual and sometimes counterproductive clubhouse culture.”

Injury Updates: Altuve, Nationals, Red Sox, Brewers

By Connor Byrne | August 18, 2018 at 7:34pm CDT

Here’s the latest key injury news from around Major League Baseball:

Astros second baseman and reigning American League MVP Jose Altuve will play a rehab game at the Triple-A level on Sunday, and it’s possible he’ll be back in the majors Monday, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Right knee soreness has kept Altuve out of action since July 25, and the Astros have gone just 7-12 without him and fallen out of sole possession of first place in the AL West. They lost to the Athletics on Saturday, putting the two teams in a first-place tie atop the division.
There is a chance that starter Stephen Strasburg and reliever Kelvin Herrera will rejoin the Nationals during their next series against the division-rival Phillies, which begins Aug. 21, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com writes. Strasburg has been out since July 20 with a pinched nerve in his neck, while Herrera hasn’t pitched since Aug. 7 because of a right rotator cuff impingement. Starter Jeremy Hellickson and reliever Ryan Madson have joined those two on the DL this week, making it all the more important for the disappointing Nats to get back both Strasburg and Herrera as they try to make up a seven-game deficit in the National League East.
Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright, out since June 26 with left knee inflammation, is closing in on a rehab assignment, manager Alex Cora told Christopher Smith of MassLive.com and other reporters. Wright will work out of Boston’s bullpen when he does return, Cora added. The 33-year-old Wright has served as a reliever in six of 10 appearances this season and registered a 3.38 ERA/4.49 FIP with 6.98 K/9, 4.5 BB/9 and a 53.2 percent groundball rate in 40 innings.
While Brewers GM David Stearns and manager Craig Counsell indicated Wednesday that Jimmy Nelson probably won’t pitch this year, the righty said Saturday that he still hopes to return in 2018 (via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). “I’m still doing everything in my power,” said Nelson, who hasn’t taken a major league mound since Sept. 8, 2017, because of shoulder problems. Nelson’s absence has robbed the Brewers of someone who was seemingly turning into a front-line starter before he went down, but they’ve still managed a 68-56 record and a half-game lead on a wild-card spot without him this season.

Nationals Place Kelvin Herrera On DL, Recall Koda Glover

By Jeff Todd | August 8, 2018 at 3:50pm CDT

3:50pm: An MRI revealed no structural damage in Herrera’s shoulder, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post tweets.

1:45pm: The Nationals announced today that they have placed reliever Kelvin Herrera on the 10-day disabled list with a right rotator cuff impingement. He’ll be replaced by Koda Glover, who’ll make his MLB season debut.

Needless to say, this represents a disappointing development for a Nats club that already failed to capitalize on a chance to make up some ground in the division yesterday. The club lost a game that Max Scherzer started, with Herrera surrendering the go-ahead runs before leaving the mound with a trainer.

The loss of Herrera is particularly worrying with first-choice closer Sean Doolittle already on the shelf. That said, the 28-year-old has not dominated to the extent expected when the Nationals picked him up earlier in the season from the Royals.

Over 17 innings in D.C., Herrera has allowed nine earned runs on 23 hits with 7.9 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9. His 1.824 WHIP sits quite a bit higher than the elite 0.818 mark he carried earlier in the year with the Kansas City organization.

This represents the latest change in the composition of the relief corps. Beyond the temporary absences of Herrera and Doolittle, the Nats recently parted ways with Brandon Kintzler and Shawn Kelley while adding Greg Holland and now Glover.

Though Glover has been seen as a potentially significant late-inning contributor by the organization, he has faced some roadblocks. He was carrying a 5.12 ERA last year, despite much more promising underlying numbers, when he went down with back and arm issues.

Glover’s next MLB appearance will be his first since June 10th of last year. He has shown some promising signs of late, however, throwing eight innings of 2.25 ERA ball with a 10:2 K/BB ratio thus far at Triple-A Syracuse.

Red Sox Pursued Trade For Kelvin Herrera

By Connor Byrne | July 31, 2018 at 4:26pm CDT

Although the Red Sox didn’t add to their bullpen prior to Tuesday’s non-waiver trade deadline, they were connected to several relievers in recent rumors. Add the Nationals’ Kelvin Herrera to the group of relievers who landed on the Red Sox’s radar, as Alex Speier of the Boston Globe and Rob Bradford of WEEI tweet that the team had been after the right-hander.

Herrera would have been a significant pickup for Boston and a major loss for Washington, the latter of which has disappointed this year but still didn’t make any huge moves leading up to the deadline. The Nationals did deal reliever Brandon Kintzler to the Cubs, though they otherwise kept their 52-53 team intact and will continue trying to make up a 5 1/2-game deficit in the NL East. Herrera will be part of that group, but the 28-year-old hasn’t performed as well as hoped since the Nats acquired him in a headline-grabbing trade with the Royals on June 18.

When the Nationals picked up Herrera, he had worked to a near-spotless 1.05 ERA with 22 strikeouts against a mere two walks in 25 2/3 innings. Since then, the 28-year-old has logged a still-solid 3.29 ERA with 12 punchouts and six walks in 13 2/3 frames. Given that Washington’s general manager, Mike Rizzo, continues to hold out hope the club will rally this year, he wasn’t willing to flip Herrera for anything other than a compelling return.

Despite their subpar season thus far, the Nats didn’t view dealing Herrera as a must. However, they could now lose the pending free agent for nothing in the offseason. Because he was already part of a trade this season, Herrera won’t be eligible to receive a qualifying offer over the winter. Perhaps the Nationals will try to deal Herrera in August if they continue to stumble, then, but his track record and reasonable salary (the rest of a ~$7.93MM commitment) mean he may not clear waivers. If a team does claim Herrera, the Nationals would only be able to work out a trade with that club.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, may keep seeking bullpen upgrades over the next month, and it should help that they’re unafraid to incur the penalties that come with exceeding a $237MM payroll. Whether they truly need help is up for debate, though. Boston owns the majors’ best record (75-33) and a six-game lead in the AL East, thanks in part to a relief corps that ranks fourth in the majors in fWAR, sixth in ERA and 10th in K/BB ratio.

Nats Fielding Offers On Rental Relievers, Also Still Involved In Realmuto Negotiations

By Steve Adams | July 30, 2018 at 3:24pm CDT

3:24pm: Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets that the Nationals are indeed taking offers on impending free-agent relievers such as Herrera, Madson and Kelley. However, Rosenthal adds that Washington is trying to pry more away from rival teams than it gave up to acquire Herrera in the first place, seeking top-tier prospects in return.

Passan, meanwhile, tweets that he’s heard even further since writing this morning’s column that the Nationals’ clubhouse is a growing problem, and organizational confidence in Martinez has faded. Nationals ownership has been notoriously fickle with its managerial preferences, and the reported discord between Martinez and higher-ups is merely the latest data point in that bizarre trend.

Beyond all that, Janes now reports (via Twitter) that the Nationals and Marlins have held “extensive” negotiations regarding Realmuto in recent days, but Washington still deems the price tag to be too high. At the same time, they’re also listening to offers on rental players whose subtraction would help to reduce payroll, she adds.

1:27pm: The 52-53 Nationals have emerged as one of the most interesting teams to watch with just under 26 hours remaining before the non-waiver trade deadline. The presumptive NL East favorites sit six games back in a divisional race that has seen them outplayed by the upstart Phillies and Braves to this point in the season.

It was reported late last week that the Nats were preparing for the possibility of selling some veteran pieces in the event that their four-game set against the Marlins didn’t go well. Washington took the first two games of that series, only to see Miami rally and salvage a 2-2 split. The Nats have actually made up a game in the standings since the time of that report, but the talk of a potential sale persists.

For instance, Yahoo’s Jeff Passan kicks off his weekly 10 Degrees column with a lengthy, fascinating exploration of the apparent disarray in the clubhouse of a Nationals team that has underperformed in a transitional year both in terms of on-field management (where rookie skipper Dave Martinez replaced veteran Dusty Baker) and in terms of ownership (after owner Ted Lerner ceded control of the organization to his son, Mark). One source bluntly told Passan that the Nats’ clubhouse “is a mess,” and three others backed that sentiment. The details are well worth a full read-through for anyone, though Nats fans in particular should take a look.

Broadly speaking, Passan goes on to suggest that the Nationals had hoped to win three of four games in the series they split with Miami this weekend, and though the one-game difference may not prove to be pivotal, ownership will be involved as the club weighs potential trades of short-term veterans. There’ll be a substantial swath of names for decision-makers to consider, with Kelvin Herrera, Ryan Madson, Shawn Kelley, Gio Gonzalez, Mark Reynolds, Matt Adams, Daniel Murphy, Brandon Kintzler and Jeremy Hellickson all serving as potential free agents.

The Nationals have not, to this point, given any real consideration to trading Bryce Harper, Passan adds, which aligns with last week’s comments from Mike Rizzo to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman, in which the general manager suggested that it’d take “something extreme” in order to consider trading Harper. Heyman, meanwhile, tweets that rival teams believe there’s virtually no chance the Nats will consider moving Harper, whom they hope to retain long-term.

Heyman adds, though, that other clubs expect the Nats to “investigate” possible trades of Herrera, Madson, Kelley and Of course, with so many relievers available on the market, it’s worth wondering just how much the Nationals could even extract for the majority of those bullpen rentals.

Given the sheer volume of rental players the Nationals could potentially peddle to other clubs, it’s also unlikely that there’d even be time to orchestrate an all-out sale. To that end, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post tweeted even after yesterday’s loss that she’d still be “stunned to see a major fire sale.” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that other teams expect the Nationals to largely stay the course, perhaps preferring to try to pass some players through waivers next month. It’s possible that some smaller-scale moves will come together, but it hardly seems that the Washington front office is prepared for any type of significant tear-down.

In fact, it seems it’s not yet entirely out of the question that the Nats would make a significant addition. Heyman tweets that they haven’t completely closed the door on a late push for Marlins star J.T. Realmuto. More interestingly, he suggests that the Nationals would at least consider parting with prized outfield prospect Victor Robles or top shortstop prospect Carter Kieboom, but the Marlins have been pushing for both to be included in a deal (as MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reported Saturday). Whatever talks have taken place have not been serious enough that anything has been brought to Marlins ownership, tweets Craig Mish of SiriusXM.

Though this isn’t any real indication that a Realmuto deal has a legitimate chance of coming to fruition, Josh Norris of Baseball America tweeted last night that Miami had vice president of player development and scouting Gary Denbo in Durham, where Robles and the rest of the Nationals’ Triple-A club squared off against the Rays’ top affiliate. As ever, it’s probably best not to read too much into one specific scouting assignment, but the timing of the two reports is of at least some note.

Suffice it to say, the Nats seem to have a number of avenues they can explore. While trading short-term veterans and acquiring a big-name player such as Realmuto would seemingly run counter to one another, the two ideas could coexist. Adding Realmuto would give the Nationals a boost for two years beyond the current season, as he’s controllable through 2020. Trading some veteran rentals, meanwhile, would modestly supplement the farm while saving some money that could be put toward adding to a core of Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Juan Soto, Adam Eaton, etc. this coming offseason. With just over a day to make so many crucial decisions, the Nats will be at the center of much of the intrigue surrounding the 2018 deadline.

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