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Blue Jays Agree To Terms With First-Rounder JoJo Parker

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The Blue Jays have reached agreement with eighth overall pick JoJo Parker on a $6.2MM bonus, reports Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline. That’s a few hundred thousand dollars below the $6.81MM slot value.

Parker is a 6’2″ infielder who was drafted out of a Mississippi high school. A left-handed hitter, Parker ranked between seventh and tenth on pre-draft rankings from each of MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and The Athletic’s Keith Law. Evaluators uniformly praise him as one of the best hitters in the class. McDaniel, who was highest on Parker among the aforementioned prospect rankers, suggests he could be a plus-plus hitter with average power in his prime.

While he played shortstop in high school, Parker is expected to move off the position by the time he reaches the majors. Scouting reports suggest he could fit at third base, though there’s a chance he’ll need to move to a corner outfield spot. That’d put more pressure on Parker’s bat, but it’s possible he could hit enough to profile as a regular anywhere on the diamond.

Parker had been committed to Mississippi State. He’ll bypass that commitment, but his twin brother Jacob will join the Bulldogs. Jacob Parker was viewed as a solid prospect in his own right, though he was seen as more of a fourth-round talent. He didn’t find a signing bonus to his liking. The Diamondbacks eventually drafted him in the 19th round, but teams only select highly-regarded high school prospects that late in case an agreement with one of their earlier picks falls through (leaving them with unexpected bonus money).

Brewers Place Sal Frelick On Injured List

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The Brewers will open the second half without their starting right fielder. Milwaukee placed Sal Frelick on the 10-day injured list, backdated to July 15, due to a left hamstring strain. Blake Perkins was recalled from Triple-A Nashville to take his spot.

Frelick suffered the injury in Milwaukee’s final game before the All-Star Break. He first showed some discomfort on a stolen base and came out of the game after making a sliding catch in the following half-inning. Isaac Collins finished the game in right field and gets the start tonight against Dodgers righty Emmet Sheehan. The switch-hitting Collins has a solid .259/.363/.389 line with five homers in 228 plate appearances. He’d mostly been playing left field, where Jake Bauers and potentially Perkins could get more playing time.

This interrupts an excellent season for the 25-year-old Frelick. He has seven home runs and is hitting .294/.354/.404 across 385 trips to the plate. Frelick has stolen 17 bases in 21 attempts and is playing his usual plus defense in right field. The Brewers haven’t provided a timetable on his return, though it’s perhaps encouraging that they waited a few days to monitor his progress before making the injured list decision.

Milwaukee concluded the first half on a seven-game win streak. They’re a season-high 16 games above .500 and have pulled within a game and a half of the Cubs in the NL Central. The Brewers hold the first Wild Card spot in the National League and are 4.5 games clear of the Giants, the top non-playoff team in the NL.

Reds Sign First-Round Pick Steele Hall

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The Reds announced that they’ve signed first-round pick Steele Hall. Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports that the 17-year-old infielder receives a $5.75MM bonus. That’s below the approximate $6.51MM slot value for the ninth pick.

Baseball America and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel each had Hall as a mid-first round talent on their pre-draft rankings. Keith Law of The Athletic was quite a bit lower, placing him 36th. The 5’11 Hall” is a right-handed hitter with elite speed. He’s expected to stick at shortstop and is viewed as a hit-over-power player. Both BA and McDaniel write that Hall has an aggressive offensive approach, while Law expressed concern about his ability to handle breaking stuff.

While Hall may be a somewhat divisive prospect, his youth and athleticism made it clear that he’d be picked high enough to sign away from a commitment to Tennessee. His signing bonus is close to the slot value of the 12th pick, so the deal provides the Reds a bit of cost savings for the later rounds. Cincinnati took two other high school players within the top 10 rounds: second-rounder Aaron Watson and fifth-round pick Eli Pitts. It’s likely that one or both players will get an overslot bonus with some of the money saved by cutting a deal with Hall.

Mets Interested In Danny Coulombe

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The Mets are interested in Twins left-hander Danny Coulombe, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post.

Coulombe is a 35-year-old lefty reliever. Though he made his major league debut over a decade ago, he’s currently in the best stretch of his career. Dating back to the start of the 2023 season, he has thrown 107 2/3 innings with a 2.09 earned run average. He has struck out 28.3% of opponents, limited walks to a 5.7% clip and induced ground balls on 44.5% of balls in play he’s allowed. He has recorded five saves and 41 holds in that time.

The first two years of that span were spent with the Orioles. The O’s could have retained him for 2025 but somewhat surprisingly turned down his $4MM club option. The Twins scooped him up with a one-year deal worth $3MM.

In hindsight, that looks like a misstep for Baltimore and a win for Minnesota. Coulombe has thrown 26 2/3 innings this year with a tiny 0.68 ERA. There’s surely some luck in there, as he has a massive 92% strand rate. But his 27.9% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 41.8% ground ball rate are all good figures. His 1.69 FIP and 2.90 SIERA suggest he would be posting good numbers even with more neutral favor from the baseball gods.

His fastball velocity is only 90.2 miles per hour this year but he’s never been a flamethrower. His career high in that department was 91.8 mph in 2023. He’s also mixing in a cutter, sinker, slider and knuckle curve to keep hitters off balance. He doesn’t have massive platoon splits. In fact, lefties have a slightly better line against him this year, with a .208/.240/.229 line compared to a .163/.241/.204 slash when Coulombe is facing a righty.

That kind of performance would look good in any bullpen but it’s especially attractive for the Mets. They had planned to have A.J. Minter and Danny Young as their lefty relievers this year but both required season-ending surgeries by early May.

The Mets have subsequently been cycling through fringe roster guys like Richard Lovelady, Génesis Cabrera, José Castillo and Colin Poche. Today, they reinstated Brooks Raley from the injured list and designated Lovelady for assignment. Raley has some good work on his track record but is 37 years old and is just returning from a lengthy Tommy John surgery layoff.

Adding another lefty ahead of the deadline makes plenty of sense, particularly when considering Coulombe’s fairly modest salary. The Mets are a third-time competitive balance tax payor above the top threshold, meaning they will pay a 110% tax on any money they add to the payroll.

Though Coulombe may make sense for the Mets, that doesn’t mean they can get him. The Twins, like several teams, are hovering around contention in such a way where buying or selling is a tough decision. They are currently 47-49, which puts them four games back of a playoff spot. FanGraphs still gives them a 23.3% shot at cracking the postseason, with Baseball Prospectus slightly more optimistic at 28.3%.

It’s possible that their results in the next few weeks could determine their deadline approach. They start a series in Colorado tonight, then head to Dodger stadium. After that, they return home to host the Nationals and then Red Sox.

If they lean to the sell side, trading Coulombe would make a lot of sense. He’s an impending free agent who will celebrate his 36th birthday in a few months. Perhaps even if they are buying, they could flip Coulombe while bringing in other pieces. However, doing so would subtract the most reliable lefty from the bullpen. The Twins have also occasionally given the ball to Joey Wentz, Kody Funderburk and Anthony Misiewicz this year but no one in that trio has an ERA below 6.92.

Coulombe’s modest salary is also surely valuable to the Twins. They clearly didn’t have a ton of payroll space this winter. They spent a combined $10.25MM on one-year deals for Coulombe, Harrison Bader and Ty France. With the franchise currently for sale, they probably don’t have the ability to take on much more salary at the deadline, which could push them towards keeping an affordable guy like Coulombe for the stretch run.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images

Rangers Select Cody Freeman

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The Rangers announced that they have selected contract of infielder Cody Freeman. Infielder Sam Haggerty was placed on the 10-day injured list due to ankle inflammation, retroactive to July 15th. The club had an open 40-man spot after trading Dane Dunning yesterday. Kennedi Landry of MLB.com was among those to relay the moves prior to the official announcement.

Freeman, 24, will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. The younger brother of Tyler Freeman of the Rockies, Cody was a fourth-round pick of the Rangers in 2019. Offensively, the younger Freeman provides a contact-forward approach. He has stepped to the plate 2,150 times in the minors with a 15.7% strikeout rate.

He has been at Triple-A for all of this year. In 350 plate appearances at that level, he has an 8.9% strikeout rate, 8% walk rate and 12 home runs. Even in the hitter-friendly context of the Pacific Coast League, his .315/.367/.494 slash line translates to a 113 wRC+.

Defensively, he is capable of bouncing around. This year, he has mostly been at third base but has also appeared in the middle infield. He has some work at first base and catcher on his track record but not in recent years.

Last month, FanGraphs gave him an honorable mention on their list of the top Ranger prospects in the “Contact-Driven Profiles” section. The quick mention of Freeman noted that he would have a future value of 40 on the 20-80 scale if he were a better defender.

Haggerty had been serving in a multi-positional bench role and Freeman will perhaps step up to do the same. As this is his first big league call, he has a full slate of options and can be easily sent back to the minors in the future, if needed.

Photo courtesy of Joe Camporeale, Imagn Images

Diamondbacks Sign Sergio Alcántara, Place Ketel Marte On Restricted List Due To Personal Matter

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The Diamondbacks announced a series of roster moves today, including the selection of right-hander Trevor Richards and the recall of catcher Adrian Del Castillo, moves which were reported earlier. They also signed infielder Sergio Alcántara to a major league deal. Right-hander Juan Morillo was optioned during the break, opening one active roster spot. Today, infielder Tristin English was optioned to the minors and second baseman Ketel Marte was placed on the restricted list. Marte opened one 40-man spot for Alcántara. To open another for Richards, catcher Gabriel Moreno was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Per John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix, Marte is “taking some personal days.” Bob Nightengale of USA Today relays that Marte’s home was burglarized while he was away for the All-Star break. Perhaps Marte will be back in just a few days. Regardless, it’s less than ideal for the Diamondbacks, given that their season feels like it’s hanging by a thread at the moment.

The Snakes have been bit really hard by the injury bug this year. They have 11 pitchers on the injured list, many of whom won’t be returning this season due to significant surgeries. Naturally, that has impacted their ability to win ball games. They are currently 47-50 and 5.5 games back of a playoff spot. General manager Mike Hazen has said he would like the team to play its way into buyer position but it has felt like they might be drifting towards sell mode. Losing Marte for any amount of time doesn’t help, given that he’s one of the best all-around players in the game.

Blaze Alexander is perhaps the favorite to take over at the keystone in the interim but Alcántara will give them a fresh body on the roster. He got into one game with the Giants this year, going hitless in four at-bats. He has otherwise been in Triple-A, producing a tepid line of .206/.319/.252. He shouldn’t be expected to provide much with the bat but can play the three infield spots to the left of first base.

Moreno’s transfer to the 60-day IL is also less than ideal for the D’Backs. He was placed on the 10-day IL June 20th due to a hairline fracture in his right index finger. This transfer means the club doesn’t expect him to be able to return in the next month or so. They have been using José Herrera and James McCann behind the plate but will now go with a three-catcher setup. Del Castillo has great minor league numbers on a rate basis but has only played 14 Triple-A games this year due to injuries. He was reinstated from the minor league IL on July 1st.

Now that he’s healthy, perhaps he’ll get a chance to get some big league playing time while Moreno isn’t a near-term option. Del Castillo hit .313/.368/.525 in his major league debut last year. He’s hitting .288/.386/.559 in Triple-A this year but, as mentioned, in a fairly limited sample. Herrera’s line this year is just .197/.302/.268. McCann has a monster .375/.516/.708 line but in just nine games, as he was just added to the roster recently. He slashed .224/.279/.352 over the previous four seasons.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Lee, Imagn Images

Fantasy Baseball: Anticipating Bullpen Holes

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Hello, friends.

With the All-Star break in the rearview mirror, the trade deadline on July 31 looms large. Players will be moved, but until we know where to, it can be hard to judge how much their value will change, given the importance of their new surrounding casts and/or home ballpark to that increased/decreased value. However, while we don't know where everyone will be going, we have a much better idea of who will be going.

If you know where the holes are going to be, you can at least make some reasonable guesses on who will likely fill them, whether it's a bench hitter moving into a more full-time role, or a top prospect being summoned to take a newly opened spot in the rotation. Or, in today's case, we can look at which bullpens are about to be carved up to be divided among the contenders, and which former setup men are about to get their shot at closing glory.

We'll look next week at potential holes in rotations and lineups, but let's start in the bullpen, as old relievers getting new roles can quickly swing the Saves landscape in your league. Are you still in the mix for a league title but have a Saves category mired in mediocrity? Now's your time to shine.

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Rockies Place Thairo Estrada On IL With Thumb Sprain

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The Rockies announced today that infielder Ezequiel Tovar has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. In a corresponding move, fellow infielder Thairo Estrada goes the other way. He’s been placed on the 10-day IL due to a sprained left thumb, retroactive to July 11th.

It’s a notable development for Estrada and the Rockies, as he is one of the most obvious trade candidates this month. He’s a veteran playing for the worst team in the league, so all signs were pointing to him being on the block.

Unfortunately, his value was already low due to a previous injury. He signed a one-year, $3.25MM deal with the Rockies in the offseason but then broke his right wrist on a hit-by-pitch during spring training. Since he missed time in 2024 due to left wrist sprains, it was a less than ideal development for him.

He was reinstated from the IL at the end of May. Since then, he stepped to the plate 125 times with a .284/.312/.397 batting line. That looks okay at first glance but translates to an 83 wRC+ due to the favorable conditions of Coors Field.

Estrada had a strong three-run with the Giants from 2021 to 2023. He slashed .266/.320/.416 for a 105 wRC+ over those seasons, stealing 45 bases in the process. But he hit just .217/.247/.343 last year while battling those wrist issues. That got him bumped from the roster, which led to his deal with the Rockies.

If he had been able to bounce back to that 2021-23 form, he would have been an intriguing piece at this year’s deadline. Unfortunately, he’s now coming up on two years of being hurt and fairly ineffective. Given that the IL stint is backdated, he could come back in a week. But even in that best-case scenario, that doesn’t give him much time to change his trade value. He can be retained for 2026 via arbitration but is trending towards a non-tender.

Photo courtesy of Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images

Ryan Burr To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

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Blue Jays right-hander Ryan Burr will undergo season-ending surgery to address a capsule injury in his throwing shoulder. That was one of many updates that manager John Schneider provided about players on the roster. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet was among those to pass the info along.

Burr, now 31, had a solid showing with the Jays last year. He tossed 32 2/3 innings with a 4.10 earned run average. He struck out 33.6% of opponents and had a walk rate of 8.6%. If it weren’t for a .329 batting average on balls in play, he could have fared better, which is why FIP had him at 3.07 and SIERA at 2.66.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to build on that here in 2025. He started the year on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation. He eventually got healthy enough to be reinstated in early July. But after just two appearances, he was quickly placed on the 60-day IL with a rotator cuff strain.

He’ll stay on the IL for the rest of the year. He has passed three years of service time and will qualify for arbitration but the Jays may not tender him a contract. His results last year were good but he’s out of options will be coming off a lost season.

That wasn’t the only unfortunate news about the club’s bullpen depth. Right-hander Yimi García, who is on the 15-day IL due to a left ankle sprain, is experiencing ulnar nerve symptoms in his right elbow.

It’s a bit ominous, as elbow problems were a factor in his 2024 season. Right elbow ulnar neuritis sent him to the IL for about a month in June/July. He then returned to the IL in late August due to right elbow inflammation, after having been traded to the Mariners, and finished the season there.

The Jays nonetheless brought him back on a two-year, $15MM deal. He has tossed 21 innings with a 3.86 ERA this year, working around an IL stint for a right shoulder impingement, the recent ankle issue and now this elbow trouble.

With less than two weeks until the deadline, it’s possible these updates increase the motivation to add some fresh arms. Most contending clubs look for relief help ahead of the deadline and the unfortunate health developments could push the Jays farther in that direction.

There were unfortunate updates about Bowden Francis and Anthony Santander as well. Francis is on the IL with a shoulder impingement and will be shut down for ten days due to feeling “a bit cranky” in that shoulder. Santander is on the IL due to a left shoulder subluxation. He is still not swinging a bat and is set for further evaluation.

Though those are unfortunate updates, they may not have too much of an impact on the deadline. Francis posted a 6.05 ERA before hitting the IL, so the Jays probably weren’t going to be relying on him too heavily for the stretch run. Getting peak Santander back would be a nice boost for the lineup but the Jays have been getting good results from George Springer as the primary designated hitter and have a fairly crowded outfield mix consisting of Addison Barger, Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw, Joey Loperfido and Davis Schneider, with Daulton Varsho on a rehab assignment and on pace to rejoin the club soon.

Image courtesy of Dan Hamilton, Imagn Images

Max Kranick To Undergo Elbow Surgery

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5:35pm: Per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Kranick could avoid a full Tommy John and undergo flexor tendon surgery instead. That would still be a major operation but it’s possible Kranick could come back with a slightly less severe timeline.

3:21pm: Mets reliever Max Kranick is slated to undergo Tommy John surgery, per Newsday’s Laura Albanese. It’ll be the second time he’s undergone Tommy John surgery in the past 37 months.

It’s a brutal blow for Kranick, who’s finally in the process of establishing himself as a solid big league arm after a lengthy layoff from his first UCL procedure, performed back in June of 2022. Kranick, then with the Pirates, missed nearly all of the 2023 season.

The Mets claimed Kranick off waivers in January 2024 and kept him on in the minors all last season. He got his first look with them in 2025 — his first MLB work since 2022 — and has been quite effective. In 37 innings, he’s recorded a 3.65 ERA. Kranick’s 16.9% strikeout rate is well below average, but his 3.4% walk rate is the fifth-best among the 347 big league pitchers who’ve tossed at least 30 innings in 2025.

Given the timing of the procedure and the fact that it’s his second Tommy John, Kranick could miss the entire 2026 season. At best, he’d be a candidate to return next September. He’s arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter, so there’s a decent chance the Mets will decline to tender him a contract. Keeping him would mean dedicating a 40-man spot to Kranick all offseason, as there’s no 60-day injured list in the winter.

For the time being, Kranick will head to the 60-day injured list the next time the Mets need to open a 40-man roster spot. He’ll continue accruing major league service time and pay for the remainder of the current season. If the Mets opt to keep him on the roster all winter, they can immediately place him on the 60-day injured list when camp opens next spring. Kranick can be controlled through the 2028 season.

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