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Archives for July 2015

Rosenthal’s Latest: Hamels, Cueto, Kazmir, Gomez

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The Dodgers, Cubs, Rangers, and Red Sox are among the clubs still interested in Cole Hamels, reports Ken Rosenthal in his latest video for FOX Sports. Boston is expected to scout Hamels’ start tomorrow, and we can assume other clubs will have a heavy presence as well. Talks with the Rangers aren’t dead, but Texas does expect other teams to make a better offer.

Interestingly, we’ve recently seen speculation that the Phillies could opt to keep Hamels past the July deadline. Other clubs wonder if uncertainty in the front office has hampered their ability to finalize a deal. As Rosenthal notes, Jonathan Papelbon should have been traded by now. Here’s more from Rosenthal:

  • Health will affect the markets of Johnny Cueto and Scott Kazmir. Both hurlers have missed time with various ailments and will be free agents at the end of the season. It can be difficult to justify trading a talented prospect for 12 starts, especially when the player involved is at an increased risk to not make those starts.
  • Short of an impressive streak in the second half, Pat Murphy is unlikely to manage the Padres next season. Rosenthal suggests that the culture change from Bud Black was too great. Murphy could join Craig Counsell’s staff in Milwaukee if he is relieved of his duties.
  • As we now know, the Astros are open to adding a bat at the trade deadline. One star they’ve scouted is Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez. Houston prefers a right-handed hitter, but may target lefty swinging Gerardo Parra due to a lower acquisition price. The Astros are open to trade Jon Singleton.

Texas Notes: Cashner, Ross, Corporan, Luhnow, Andrus

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The Astros and Padres have discussed starting pitching, reports Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. It’s believed that Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross were the subjects of the talks. Lin characterizes the conversations as “preliminary.” He believes the Astros are performing due diligence in case their pursuit of Johnny Cueto goes awry. The Rangers are also known to have interest in both pitchers. Cashner is a free agent after the 2016 season while Ross is club-controlled through 2017.

  • The Rangers have placed catcher Carlos Corporan on the disabled list and recalled Tomas Telis, reports T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Corporan is sidelined with a sprained left thumb. The news comes just a couple days after we learned the Rangers were open to trading Corporan to clear space for Telis. The 24-year-old prospect saw 71 plate appearances last season and has hit relatively well in the minors. This year, he’s managed a .291/.327/.404 line at Triple-A.
  • Astros GM Jeff Luhnow is remaining open-minded heading into the trade deadline, he tells Brian McTaggart of MLB.com in an interview. Specifically, he’s looking for a piece that can help the team reach the postseason and succeed in October. Beyond that, he mentioned the rotation, lineup, and bullpen as areas that can be improved. Luhnow also suggested that some talks could drag into August. The interview does make one thing clear – the Astros would like to buy, but they’ll keep an eye on the long term implications as they do it.
  • A change of scenery could be in order for Elvis Andrus, opines Frank Cesare of GammonsDaily.com. The 26-year-old has declined to replacement level production since signing an eight-year, $120MM contract that expires after the 2022 season. Andrus was once known for above average defense, speed, contact ability, and plate discipline. He’s hitting a career worst .245/.303/.328 even though his peripherals are comparable to his career rates. His defense has dropped below average over the last season and a half. Undoubtedly, the Rangers would be happy to escape his contract, but there is a dearth of obvious suitors? A change of scenery may be ideal, but unless Texas ate a large portion of his contract, a trade is exceedingly unlikely.
  • With the Rangers seven games back in the AL West and five games below .500, the club needs Martin Perez to perform immediately, writes Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News. Perez returned from Tommy John surgery this past Friday with a five inning outing. Aside from Yovani Gallardo, the club has received little value from their starters. The team’s starters have combined for a 4.14 ERA – 12th worst in the league. Martin has a career 4.16 ERA and 4.07 FIP.

Podcast: National League Overview

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MLBTR’s Steve Adams helps Jeff survey the entire National League, looking at pieces for every team that could be moving at the trade deadline. How aggressive should the Mets be? Should A.J. Preller and the Padres hit the reset button? Is it time for the Cubs to make a significant trade acquisition, or are they better off waiting until 2016? These topics and more on this week’s episode.

Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and please leave a review! The podcast is also available via Stitcher at this link.

The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast runs weekly on Thursday afternoons.

Mariners Unlikely To Add Big-Name Player In Trade

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While the Mariners remain in the market for a backup catcher and perhaps a right-handed reliever, GM Jack Zduriencik makes a move for a significant name between now and the non-waiver trade deadline seem unlikely. Via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, Zduriencik said the team’s acquisition of Mark Trumbo may be its most notable move:

“We did the Mark Trumbo thing. We tried to jump the market and make a deal at the time that we thought could bring in, what we considered, a pretty good power bat for our lineup, to help augment what we already have. I think anything else will probably be moves within the organization. There’s always the possibility something could happen, but you’re not really counting on it.”

The Mariners have aggressively attempted to remedy what has a perennially disappointing offense through both free agency and trades over the past two seasons, but to little avail. Both Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz were signed to significant free agent contracts, while on the trade market, Zduriencik has acquired Trumbo, Austin Jackson, Seth Smith and the since-designated-for-assignment Justin Ruggiano. While Cano was excellent in his first season with Seattle and Cruz is hitting quite well in 2015, the moves, as a whole, have done little to help the Mariners overcome their run-suppressing home environment. And as Divish notes, the decision to part with Welington Castillo in the Trumbo trade is presently haunting the Mariners. Castillo’s bat looks revitalized with Arizona — .289/.366/.533 in 101 PAs — while the Mariners continue to receive little offensive production behind the plate. (Of course, Arizona’s hitter-friendly environment must be considered as well.)

Divish goes on to write that a hot start to the second half could lead Zduriencik to seek ownership approval to make further additions, though current asking prices are beyond what the Mariners have to offer in prospect collateral. Furthermore, continued struggles could lead to the sale of impending free agents such as Hisashi Iwakuma, J.A. Happ and Jackson. Such a fade could also bring into question Zduriencik’s future with the club, Divish notes, as expectations entering the season were high.

One encouraging note for the Mariners and their fans should be the relative ease of their second-half schedule. As ESPN’s Buster Olney noted earlier today in ranking the strength of clubs’ remaining schedules, the Mariners are currently slated to play just 22 of their final 73 games against clubs that carried a record of .500 or better into the All-Star break. The bad news for Seattle, though, is that many of those games will come in the next two weeks. The Mariners took a tough 4-3 loss at Yankee Stadium last night, and after two more games there, they’ll head to Detroit for four games before hosting the Blue Jays for three. The only games they’ll play against a sub-.500 team prior to the trade deadline will be when they host the D-Backs from July 27-29. From there, they head to Minnesota for a four-game set.

AL Central Notes: White Sox, Hagadone, Twins

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The White Sox haven’t made any determinations on which direction they’ll take as the trade deadline nears, GM Rick Hahn told reporters, including the Chicago Tribune’s Colleen Kane. As Kane notes, the South Siders closed out the first half on a 9-3 run, giving the club a bit more optimism about its chances. “Certainly if I did it from an emotional or fan standpoint, we want to be aggressive we want to add,” said Hahn prior to yesterday’s double-header versus the Royals (the two sides came away from the twin bill with an even split). “However, it’s part of the responsibility of this position to be objective and look at the long-term benefit of the club and do what makes the most sense objectively given the situation that we’ve played ourselves in.” Jeff Samardzija’s name, at present, is the most commonly mentioned as a possible trade chip for Chicago.

Here’s more from the AL Central…

  • Indians left-hander Nick Hagadone suffered what appears to be a serious elbow injury when pitching in a rehab assignment for Class-A Mahoning Valley this week, writes Cleveland.com’s Zack Meisel. Hagadone, who was rehabbing from a minor back injury that landed him on the DL, had Tommy John surgery in 2008. “It looks like he did it again,” Cleveland skipper Terry Francona told Meisel. “…This isn’t something that’s [just] a week with no throwing.” Hagadone will seek a second opinion on his elbow before any determination is made, though the present outlook certainly appears to be grim.
  • Twins general manager Terry Ryan expressed disappointment that the team wasn’t able to reach an agreement with second-round pick Kyle Cody, who will return to Kentucky for his senior season, writes MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger. There’s been some speculation that health concerns impacted the negotiation, but Ryan said otherwise: “That wasn’t the most important thing. We just couldn’t come to a conclusion, is all. He’s healthy. It’s not a factor.”
  • Also from Bollinger, Twins right-hander Ricky Nolasco underwent his ankle surgery as planned on Monday during the All-Star break. Nolasco has a bone fragment removed from his right ankle and will be fitted with a walking boot. The team won’t know until the boot is removed whether or not Nolasco will be able to pitch again in 2015, and Bollinger characterized that evaluation as “weeks away.” Whether he pitches again this season or not, 2015 will mark a second straight disappointing season for Nolasco, who signed a four-year, $49MM contract with Minnesota prior to the 2014 season.

Rays’ Second-Round Pick Betts Requires Tommy John

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JULY 18: Betts will require Tommy John surgery, reports MLB.com’s Bill Chastain (via Twitter). As Law notes (also on Twitter), there were some rumors circulating prior to the draft that Betts had an issue in his throwing elbow, which would explain the reason that he slipped to the mid-second round despite being regarded as one of the best catching prospects in this year’s draft.

Betts becomes the second top pick in the past 24 hours to require Tommy John surgery, as Dodgers first-rounder Walker Buehler, who signed yesterday shortly before the deadline, also reportedly needs the operation. Of course, the two will have different paths to recovery; Betts is a catcher while Buehler is a pitcher.

JULY 16: The Rays have agreed to terms with second-round selection Chris Betts, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). ESPN’s Keith Law reports (on Twitter) that Betts will receive a $1.485MM signing bonus, which comes in above his No. 52 slot’s value of $1,160,500. Betts, a high school catcher out of California, is being advised by MVP Sports Group.

Yesterday, MLB.com’s Jim Callis wrote that Betts had first-round aspirations entering the draft and, as such, may have had a higher price tag than his slot, which now looks to indeed be the case. Even by going over slot for Betts, however, the Rays will avoid forfeiting a future first-round pick as well as incurring any luxury taxes on the deal. As Callis noted, the team had saved $448K on other picks, so Betts’ additional $324,500 will keep the Rays in the confines of their allotted pool.

Heading into the draft, Betts rated 16th on the respective rankings of ESPN’s Keith Law and Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel. Callis and MLB.com colleague Jonathan Mayo ranked Betts 25th, and the staff at Baseball America ranked him 28th on their Top 500.

In his writeup, Law noted that fellow prep catcher Tyler Stephenson had more impressive all-around tools, but Betts is presently a more advanced hitter/receiver. Both Law and McDaniel note similarities between Betts and Brian McCann — a bat-first catcher — though clearly there’s a long way to go before Betts realizes that type of ceiling. Callis and Mayo note that he makes consistently hard contact with a left-handed swing that can eventually produce above-average power, and he’s slimmed down this year. BA writes that his receiving improved this offseason after working out with Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki (coincidentally, a teammate of Aaron Hicks — another first-rounder to come out of Betts’ Woodrow Wilson High School).

Now that Betts has come to terms with the Rays, seven players selected in the top two rounds remain unsigned. Most notable of course, is No. 1 overall selection Dansby Swanson, although there’s been little to indicate that the D-Backs are in serious jeopardy of not signing the Vanderbilt shortstop. Others that have yet to sign include Dodgers’ top picks Walker Buehler (No. 24) and Kyle Funkhouser (No. 35); Brewers Competitive Balance (A) pick Nathan Kirby (No. 40); Blue Jays second-rounder Brady Singer (No. 56); Orioles second-rounder Jonathan Hughes (No. 68); and Twins Competitive Balance (B) pick Kyle Cody (No. 73).

Adding Offense A “Growing Point Of Focus” For Astros

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Much has been made of the Astros’ pursuit of a rotation upgrade — specifically of the top-of-the-rotation variety — but general manager Jeff Luhnow said today that adding another bat to his lineup is a growing point of focus, tweets MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart.

Recently, when previewing Houston’s trade deadline approach, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle noted that an upgrade at first base was something the Astros were considering, but pitching, at the time, was said to be a priority. Luhnow’s comments, it should be noted, came even before Chris Carter exited tonight’s game with a sprained right ankle (as McTaggart wrote tonight). Carter was able to walk off the field under his own power, and said after the game (also via McTaggart) that while he’s swollen and sore, he hopes to avoid the disabled list. Houston also has Jon Singleton as an option to step in at first base.

Neither Carter nor Singleton has been particularly productive this season, though. Astros first basemen, in fact, collectively batted just .189/.296/.372 in the season’s first half. Both corner infield spots were problematic, as Houston third baseman slashed .208/.289/.418. Luis Valbuena, though, for all of his batting average woes, is showing the best power of his career. And, the Astros also have Jed Lowrie on the mend, who one would think could take some at-bats at the hot corner now that Carlos Correa has cemented himself as the club’s shortstop.

Both center field (.224/.284/.364) and designated hitter (.240/.279/.436) have collectively resulted in below-average production for their positions as well.

It would seem that the Astros are positioning themselves to be one of the most active clubs on this year’s trade market. Luhnow himself has now stated a growing desire to add a bat, a desire to add a front-of-the-rotation starter and an openness to adding bullpen pieces (specifically, a pitcher with well above-average velocity). Luhnow and the Astros are in a new position as buyers on the summer trade market, so this will be the first opportunity we have to see how aggressive an approach the Houston front office will take when it comes to adding big league talent.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/17/15

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Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league…

  • The Red Sox have signed third baseman/outfielder Dustin Lawley to a minor league contract, MLBTR has learned. The 26-year-old Lawley was released by the Mets earlier in the week. Formerly a 19th-round pick by New York (2011), Lawley has a career .252/.308/.457 batting line in the minor leagues. Lawley briefly reached Triple-A in 2013 but spent all of 2014 and the first half of 2015 at the Double-A level.
  • Catcher Luke Carlin has agreed to a minor league pact with the Cubs, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). The 34-year-old Carlin has had a few brief stints of big league action, totaling 156 plate appearances with the Padres, Diamondbacks and Indians from 2008-12. Carlin is a career .241/.358/.352 hitter in parts of 10 Triple-A seasons but struggled with Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate this year. Slusser notes, however, that he was very popular with the pitching staff.
  • The Mets have signed former Twins top prospect Joe Benson to a minor league deal, tweets Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. Benson, a former second-rounder, was long one of Minnesota’s most highly touted prospects and cracked Baseball America’s Top 100 list in 2011 and 2012. However, the center fielder struggled after reaching the Triple-A level, where he’s hit just .202 in 116 games and struck out in 26 percent of his plate appearances. The 27-year-old Benson will report to Double-A Binghamton, according to Eddy.
  • Also from Eddy (Twitter link), the Phillies have signed former Nationals prospect Destin Hood. The 25-year-old Hood is a former second-rounder as well, and he played quite well for Washington’s Triple-A affiliate in 2014, slashing .294/.344/.482 in 334 plate appearances. Hood, however, did not repeat that success with Cleveland this season, as he slashed .169/.222/.271 in 17 games with their top affiliate in Columbus before being released.

Trade Notes: Hamels, Pitching, Mets, Johnson, Beede

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Two weeks from this writing, the non-waiver trade deadline will be firmly in the rear-view mirror. Rumors pertaining to trades and actual trade activity should pick up substantially here over the coming 14 days, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports previews the deadline for all 30 clubs, examining each buyer’s biggest need, each seller’s greatest asset and what will determine the course of the teams that have yet to plot a course of action. Similarly, ESPN’s Buster Olney took a look at the biggest questions surrounding each of the 30 teams heading into the second half — many of which have revolve around trade deadline strategies (ESPN Insider subscription required).

General overviews aside, here’s the latest trade chatter from around the league…

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post is surprised by the number of executives he’s spoken to that feel the Phillies will not trade Cole Hamels this summer, barring a no-brainer offer (Twitter links). Sherman says that many within the industry feel that new Phillies president Andy MacPhail may wait until the Winter Meetings to shop Hamels, as he’ll by then be more comfortable with the scouts that are giving him advice and have input from a more functional analytics department.
  • Newsday’s Marc Carig writes that while names like Justin Upton, Carlos Gomez and Jay Bruce would all have appeal to the Mets, each would also come with a steep prospect price. Such transactions aren’t commonplace for the Mets, Carig notes, but the addition of a versatile outfielder such as Will Venable or Gerardo Parra could help improve the club’s production at a lower cost. And, as ESPN’s Buster Olney notes (on Twitter), the Mets should be highly motivated to add pieces, as 17 of the team’s final 39 games come against a pair of selling clubs: the Phillies and Braves.
  • Sherman also hears that the Dodgers, Astros, Royals and Blue Jays are the four teams that are most aggressively trying to add pitching at this juncture (Twitter link). The Royals and Blue Jays scouted the Reds, who are said to be ready to move both Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake, heavily before the break.
  • Part of the reasoning behind the Braves’ signings of right-hander Jason Frasor and left-hander Ross Detwiler is that the team wanted to add some veteran leadership to a bullpen that will likely soon be without Jim Johnson, tweets MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. Johnson, in Bowman’s estimation, is very likely to be traded in the near future.
  • Giants prospect Tyler Beede’s name is in high demand in trade talks, manager Bruce Bochy tells Peter Gammons (Twitter link). Per Bochy, Beede’s name is the first one mentioned by opposing clubs in the majority of the Giants’ trade talks. San Francisco selected Beede with the No. 14 pick in the 2014 draft, and he has a 2.91 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 89 2/3 innings between High-A and Double-A in his first full pro season.

Jesse Hahn Shut Down For More Than A Month

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JULY 17: Hahn told reporters, including MLB.com’s Jane Lee, that upon receiving a second opinion, it’s been confirmed that there’s no ligament damage in his elbow (Twitter link). Hahn is still, however dealing with inflammation — specifically in his forearm, per the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser (on Twitter). He’ll be shut down from throwing for more than a month.

JULY 16: Athletics right-hander Jesse Hahn will be sidelined indefinitely and spend a “somewhat extended stay” on the disabled list with a flexor tendon injury, GM Billy Beane told John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group.

“We’re going to be conservative with Jesse,” said Beane. “And the tough thing with is starters is once they’re shut down, it take a while to build back up. So it’ll be longer rather than shorter.”

In the meantime, Hickey notes, right-hander Chris Bassitt is likely to be recalled from Triple-A to step into the club’s rotation (once a fifth starter is needed on July 25). Both Hahn and Bassitt were acquired in offseason trades, with Hahn coming from San Diego by way of the Derek Norris deal and Bassitt coming over from the White Sox as part of Oakland’s compensation for Jeff Samardzija.

Hahn has been largely excellent while working out of the Athletics’ rotation — 3.35 ERA, 6.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 52.6 percent ground-ball rate — making the loss a reasonably large one for Oakland. Bassitt has handled himself well in a trio of spot starts and a handful of relief appearances, compiling a 2.93 ERA, but he’s an extreme fly-ball pitcher that has been fortunate in terms of home runs allowed, leading sabermetric stats to forecast a far gloomier picture (4.05 FIP, 5.44 xFIP, 4.96 SIERA).

The Athletics currently sit in last place in the AL West, eight and a half games back from the division-leading Angels and eight games behind the current Wild Card leaders — the Twins and Astros. Hahn’s injury comes at a critical time for an Oakland team that is widely expected to become a selling club but still hopes to claw its way back into the division race prior to the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31.

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