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Archives for July 2015

Latest On Mets’ Pursuit Of Offense

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At least based on reports, the Mets appear to be one of the busier teams as we approach the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Here’s the latest, mostly via FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal:

  • The Mets tried for Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, but they believe Colorado isn’t interested in a trade.
  • The Mets have also looked into utilityman Ben Zobrist and reliever Tyler Clippard of the Athletics, but it appears likely that the Athletics will find better deals for both players, probably in two different trades.
  • New York discussed sending Zack Wheeler to the Reds in a deal for outfielder Jay Bruce, but talks went nowhere. Andy Martino and Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reported yesterday that the Mets had discussed potential Wheeler deals with multiple clubs.
  • The Mets and Brewers have had talks regarding Gerardo Parra, although it appears that there’s enough interest in Parra that the Brewers’ price has increased. That’s consistent with a tweet this afternoon from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Haudricourt, who wrote that the Brewers have had lots of interest in Parra and will have their choice of various offers.
  • The Mets are also interested in Yoenis Cespedes of the Tigers, but so far, they have nothing to show for it, Marc Carig of Newsday tweets.

Yankees Designate Gregorio Petit For Assignment

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The Yankees have announced that they’ve designated infielder Gregorio Petit for assignment. The Yankees also optioned righty Branden Pinder to Scranton. The moves clear space for righty Nick Goody, whose contract the Yankees selected from Triple-A Scranton after 48 1/3 strong innings of relief in the high minors this season.

The 30-year-old Petit collected 47 plate appearances with the Yankees, hitting .167/.217/.238. He’s also played with the Athletics and Astros in parts of four seasons in the big leagues. Petit isn’t a strong hitter, but he does provide versatility in the field, appearing at second and third with the Yankees and also appearing at shortstop in the minors this season.

Pirates Designate Brent Morel For Assignment

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The Pirates have designated third baseman Brent Morel for assignment, MLB.com’s Adam Berry tweets. The move clears space on the Pirates’ active roster for fellow third baseman Aramis Ramirez. The Pirates’ 40-man roster now stands at 39, since the Pirates already designated Steve Lombardozzi to clear space for Ramirez on their 40-man roster, but Morel was out of options, so the Bucs could not merely send him back to the minors.

The 28-year-old Morel is a good defensive corner infielder but a weak hitter, as his career .227/.273/.328 line in the big leagues suggests. Morel was hitting .266/.322/.441 in 326 plate appearances for Triple-A Indianapolis before being pressed into duty in Pittsburgh thanks to injuries to infielders Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer.

Mets, Padres Stalled In Justin Upton Trade Talks

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The Mets and Padres have discussed a possible Justin Upton trade, but talks have since stalled, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman writes. The Padres asked for one or two top prospects in return, and declined to pay any of the approximately $6MM remaining on Upton’s contract. Heyman had previously reported that Upton was a top priority for the Mets.

The identities of the prospect or prospects the Padres sought are unknown. Heyman notes, however, that the Padres want quality and not quantity in their return for Upton. Upton is currently hitting .248/.326/.420 in his last season before free agency eligibility. The Orioles, Pirates and Astros have also recently been connected to Upton.

The Mets are known to be searching for offense, and they’ve also recently been linked to Gerardo Parra of the Brewers. Heyman also lists Carlos Gomez of the Brewers, Jay Bruce and Marlon Byrd of the Reds and Will Venable of the Padres as possibilities. Yesterday, the Mets traded for Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson of the Braves to upgrade their infield, and they also recently promoted top prospect Michael Conforto to help their outfield, although GM Sandy Alderson said that the timing of Conforto’s promotion would not affect their strategy at the trade deadline.

Prospect Notes: Lee, Hultzen, Giolito

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The Dodgers have announced that Zach Lee has been promoted and will make his big-league debut tonight in a start against the Mets. The Dodgers will announce a corresponding move later today. The 23-year-old Lee, a first-round pick in 2010, was a top prospect list staple before a rough season with Triple-A Albuquerque in 2014. He’s bounced back nicely with the Dodgers’ new Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City this season, though, posting a 2.36 ERA, 6.6 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in 68 2/3 innings. He’ll become the 14th pitcher to start for the Dodgers in a season that’s featured tons of rotation injuries. Here are a couple more notes on pitching prospects, both of them former first-rounders.

  • Mariners pitcher Danny Hultzen, the second overall pick in the 2011 draft, has been shut down with shoulder fatigue and is unlikely to pitch the rest of the season, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports (Twitter links). The Mariners hope he’ll be able to pitch in the Arizona Fall League or in instructs. It’s been a very rough ride for the 25-year-old Hultzen, who has missed most of the last three seasons due to shoulder troubles, including a torn rotator cuff and labrum.
  • The Nationals have promoted top prospect Lucas Giolito to Double-A Harrisburg, James Wagner of the Washington Post tweets. Giolito, who turned 21 earlier this month, dominated at Class A+ Potomac, posting a 2.71 ERA, 11.1 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 69 2/3 innings there, displaying excellent velocity and a great curveball. MLB.com, Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus and ESPN’s Keith Law all ranked Giolito among baseball’s top ten prospects heading into the season, and he’s done nothing to diminish that status since then. Law (Insider-only) ranked Giolito the third-best prospect in baseball, behind only the Dodgers’ Corey Seager and the Phillies’ J.P. Crawford, in a recent update to his list.

Mets Have Discussed Trading Zack Wheeler

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The Mets have discussed injured starter Zack Wheeler in trade talks with more than one team, although it remains unlikely that they will actually deal him, Andy Martino and Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News report. One team with whom the Mets reportedly discussed Wheeler was the Reds, although there do not appear to be any active trade talks between the two clubs.

Wheeler pitched 185 1/3 strong innings in his first full season for the Mets in 2014, but underwent Tommy John surgery in March. There’s no reason the Mets couldn’t deal him — the Padres’ inclusion of injured prospect Max Fried in their offseason deal for Justin Upton shows how a team can trade an injured young pitcher for a veteran. While Mets GM Sandy Alderson said earlier this week that the team would not trade any young pitcher currently in the Mets’ rotation, Wheeler is, obviously, not currently in the Mets’ rotation.

Wheeler is 25 and still possesses plenty of upside, so if the Mets were to trade him, the return would surely be considerable. As Martino notes, even if a Wheeler trade is unlikely, the fact that the Mets are discussing him suggests the team could be hoping to land a top hitter at the trade deadline. In the past week, the Mets have been connected to hitters like Ben Zobrist and Josh Reddick, although it does not appear a trade for either one is imminent.

Rangers Focusing On Players Who Could Help Beyond 2015

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The Rangers are exploring a variety of possible routes at the upcoming July trade deadline, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.  They will approach the deadline neither as traditional buyers nor as traditional sellers, and will instead focus on players capable of helping both now and next season, GM Jon Daniels tells Wilson.

“Most of the players we’ve talked about acquiring are multi-year fits, most but not all,” says Daniels. “From an acquisition standpoint, it’s almost more of guys that could fit now but also could fit into a likely off-season plan.”

Nonetheless, the Rangers aren’t yet ready to give up on their season. “We’re realistic about where we are, but we still believe in the team. We’ve got a run in us,” Daniels says.

One player who could fit into the Rangers’ current plans is Cole Hamels, who would help the rotation in 2016, when Yovani Gallardo and Colby Lewis might be gone due to free agency. Wilson suggests, though, that in order for there to be a trade, the Phillies would have to cover a significant chunk of the remainder of Hamels’ contract and would have to accept a return that does not include top young players Joey Gallo or Nomar Mazara. The Rangers could also target Padres starters James Shields and Andrew Cashner as pitchers who could help the team beyond 2015.

Perhaps such moves are unlikely, however. “There’s also a chance we’re boring and don’t do much,” Daniels says. Daniels also notes that the Rangers aren’t close to trading Gallardo despite his impending free agency.

Much remains up in the air, though, and the Rangers’ performance in the coming days could help shape their strategy. The Rangers are 46-49 and well back of both the Angels and Astros in the AL West. They’re 5.5 games behind the Twins for the second AL Wild Card spot. If the Rangers were to lose additional ground in the coming days, that might point them in the direction of trading Gallardo in particular.

Trading Gallardo could be tricky, however, for reasons that go beyond the standings. As FanGraphs’ Dave Cameron wrote yesterday, there’s a high number of starting pitchers potentially available this week. The qualifying also offer creates a potential disincentive to selling. It’s unclear whether the Rangers would extend Gallardo a qualifying offer if they kept him — as Cameron suggests, it’s probably a close call. If they did, though, it could potentially help them patch their rotation for next season.

Week In Review: 7/18/15 – 7/25/15

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Here’s a look back at this week at MLBTR.

Key Moves

Trades

Top Prospect Promotions

Claimed

Designated For Assignment

Outrighted

Released

Key Minor League Signings

Dodgers Inform Yasiel Puig They Won’t Trade Him

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The Dodgers have told star outfielder Yasiel Puig they will not trade him this summer, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports writes. Puig approached the Dodgers about his status amid whispers that he could be traded to the Reds or another team. It is, of course, difficult to say definitively that a player won’t be traded, but a source tells Heyman that the Dodgers currently have no trade talks in the works involving Puig.

The Dodgers have interest in a variety of top starting pitchers, although they’ve been unwilling to deal top prospects Corey Seager or Julio Urias to land an ace. Puig has had a disappointing (though still productive) season, batting just .259/.335/.434 in 212 plate appearances and missing six weeks due to a hamstring injury. There have also been reports that he’s had conflicts with teammates.

In spite of all that, it would be difficult for the Dodgers to get equivalent value for Puig, as FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal explained last night. Puig is 24 and is a highly dynamic player who posted 5.3 fWAR last season, and he’s under control at what should be reasonable prices through 2019. By way of explaining why trading Puig would be tough, Rosenthal reports that he heard a rumor that the Dodgers could deal Puig and prospects for Johnny Cueto and Aroldis Chapman. Rosenthal points out that would make little sense when one considers Cueto is a rental and Chapman will be a free agent after the 2016 season. Puig has much more value than most veteran players, thanks to his talent, years of control, and cost.

Nationals Have Discussed Papelbon With Phillies

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The Nationals have had at least some discussions with the Phillies regarding closer Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports report on Twitter. While Washington is hesitant to take on mid-season payroll, says Rosenthal, the sides could line up if the Phillies covered a big piece of his remaining deal.

While the match is jarring at first glance, and the two teams have rarely matched up on deals of any significance, we’ve seen other clubs eschew fears of dealing within the division in recent days. And with Papelbon’s market reportedly shrinking, it’s not surprising to see the Nationals choose an opportune time to enter the discussion.

Washington’s interest in the late-inning relief market can probably be categorized more as “want” than “need” — Drew Storen has, after all, been excellent — and it seems there could be some limitations on the methods available. But with the Mets announcing their intentions to push after the division title, and the Nationals struggling with a wide variety of injuries, every edge is important. The club’s pen work has actually been rather good, but another shutdown arm would be most welcome with Tyler Clippard long since dealt to Oakland.

From the perspective of the Phillies, while it may sting a bit to entertain the idea of moving Papelbon to the division’s current powerhouse, the reportedly wavering interest means that all options must be considered. Papelbon himself has been increasingly blunt about his displeasure with remaining in Philly, and it’s hard to imagine a smooth August and September if a deal does not get done.

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