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Twins Outright Neil Ramirez

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The Twins announced to the media following today’s win over the Tigers that right-hander Neil Ramirez has been outrighted to Triple-A Rochester (Twitter link via Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press). Left-hander Buddy Boshers has been recalled in his place, giving the Twins a third lefty alongside Taylor Rogers and Fernando Abad.

[Related: Updated Minnesota Twins Depth Chart]

Ramirez, 27, was claimed off waivers from the Brewers in mid-June. Minnesota is Ramirez’s third team since Opening Day (Cubs, Brewers), but the former top prospect has struggled at each stop this season. He’s been designated for assignment by both Chicago and Milwaukee, but he never cleared outright waivers when those organizations attempted to sneak him through. The Twins were successful in doing so, meaning they’ll retain the rights to Ramirez but free up a 40-man roster spot. That spot won’t need to go to Boshers, as he’s already on the 40-man and has pitched for the Twins earlier this year.

With the Twins, Ramirez logged a 6.14 ERA with an 11-to-10 K/BB ratio in 14 2/3 innings of work. He’s posted a combined 6.00 ERA with a 24-to-18 K/BB in 24 innings this season between the three clubs. While those numbers are clearly not appealing, Ramirez did record a sparkling 1.87 ERA with 10.6 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 in 57 2/3 innings for the Cubs from 2014-15 after coming over from Texas as part of the Matt Garza trade. Ramirez dealt with shoulder woes throughout his minor league tenure, though, and has had similar issues crop up in the Majors in addition to triceps and abdominal injuries. His average fastball is down 2.3 mph from his debut season, likely as a result of those problems, but he’ll look to get back on track with Minnesota’s minor league affiliate.

Rich Hill Doubtful To Make Next Start

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Athletics lefty Rich Hill is doubtful to make a start on Sunday, the next open day in Oakland’s rotation, manager Bob Melvin told reporters including MLB.com’s Jane Lee (Twitter link). Hill left his most recent start after only five pitches when a blister on his left middle finger popped.

It seems that the ill-timed blister is still not responding well enough to get Hill back on the bump. Oakland now has a razor-thin margin for error in getting the southpaw back in action before the trade deadline. While it’s theoretically possible that he could be traded without making another start, there’s little question that it would seriously hamper his value — particularly given the 36-year-old’s lack of a big league track record.

Hill is already a highly unconventional trade candidate, having resuscitated his career late last season. He has been nothing short of masterful, though, since signing with the A’s over the winter, and carries a 2.25 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 over 76 frames on the year.

Oakland surely felt it had dodged a bullet when Hill made it back from an earlier groin issue without any ill effects. In his first two starts of this month, he delivered 12 innings over which he permitted just three earned runs on seven hits and four walks, striking out 16 along the way. Excepting that most recent, truncated outing, however, he has now gone two weeks without pitching.

MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk recently examined the potential market for Hill’s services, discussing the impact of the blister — which now seems only to be rising in relevance. As the list of potentially available starters shows, there’s a significant dearth of pure rental rotation additions out there for the taking. But at this point, Hill won’t be able to log two more starts unless he’s able to make an appearance early next week. Odds are, it seems, the A’s will be banking quite a bit on a single remaining outing before accepting final bids on the unique lefty.

Nationals Designate Nick Lee For Assignment

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The Nationals have designated lefty Nick Lee for assignment, the club announced. His 40-man spot was needed for the promotion of young righty Koda Glover, who’ll ascend to the big leagues for the first time. An active roster slot was cleared by optioning fellow rookie Reynaldo Lopez.

[Related: Updated Nationals Depth Chart]

Lee, 25, had worked to a 4.54 ERA with 9.1 K/9 against 7.6 BB/9 on the year over 35 2/3 Double-A frames. He has shown big strikeout potential during his minor league career, but has obviously yet to rein in his control.

Meanwhile, the promotion caps a stunning run from Glover, who was chosen in the eighth round of the 2015 draft and opened the year at High-A. He earned successive promotions in short order, and now will make it all the way to the majors. Over his 45 1/3 minor league frames on the year, the 23-year-old owns a 2.18 ERA with 10.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9.

Alex Wood To Undergo Elbow Procedure

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The Dodgers have announced that lefty Alex Wood will “undergo an arthroscopic debridement” of his pitching elbow. The southpaw is expected to miss eight weeks after the surgery is complete, per the announcement.

Doing the math, things don’t look terribly promising for a return in 2016. The team’s estimate would put Wood back in action in mid-to-late September, and that’s before considering a full rehab build-up and factoring in contingencies. A post-season return may be hypothetically possible, but that might be an aggressive assignment.

Wood had been building back after being diagnosed with an elbow impingement, with some optimism being expressed recently, but evidently some recent development led to the change in plans. It comes at an inopportune time for a Dodgers team that also lost another starter returning from injury — fellow southpaw Hyun-jin Ryu — to another malady. And that’s before considering the most important lefty of all, Clayton Kershaw, who doesn’t have a timetable to return from his back issues after a recent throwing session didn’t go well.

Wood, 25, had worked to a 3.99 ERA in 56 1/3 innings on the year, but showed promise for more with a rising strikeout rate (9.9 K/9). With a healthy 53.0% groundball rate mixed in, Wood checked in with rather excellent ratings from ERA estimators. He was carrying a 3.27 FIP, 3.31 xFIP, and 3.52 SIERA.

There’s been plenty of discussion about what Los Angeles might do at the trade deadline, though we’ve heard relatively little in terms of clear connections to specific targets. The organization already added righty Bud Norris to shore up the rotation, but the loss of Wood, the continued uncertainty surrounding Ryu, and an increasingly concerning situation with Kershaw may heighten the Dodgers’ desire to add a major starter.

At present, the Dodgers sit 4.5 games back of the Giants in the NL West and lead the Wild Card race. That’s not a bad spot to be in at all, but the club will need to be firing with all cylinders to keep pace in the division — or, if that fails, to hold off some strong pursuers to qualify for the play-in game.

For Wood, the continued absence comes at a particularly unfortunate time. He is set to qualify for arbitration for the first time after the 2016 campaign, but now is destined to have only a partial-season platform. Though his success and prior innings tallies will help boost his earnings, he’ll surely receive far less than he would have with a healthy year.

Giants Designate Ruben Tejada For Assignment

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The Giants have designated infielder Ruben Tejada for assignment, per a club announcement. His roster spot was needed to clear space for the activation of righty Matt Cain.

[Related: Updated Giants Depth Chart]

Tejada, 26, now seems likely to move onto his fourth organization of the year. He was tendered a contract by the Mets, but ended up being released late in the spring before catching on with the Cardinals. That relationship didn’t last long, though, and Tejada ultimately went to San Francisco on a minor league deal.

It’s not hard to see why Tejada hasn’t stuck in the majors in 2016, as he is carrying a .167/.247/.242 batting line in 78 plate appearances. Of course, he has been much more useful than that in the past, as he has rated as a slightly below average hitter and fielder for most of his career. It’s not an exciting profile, but it makes Tejada a sturdy-enough utility infielder when he’s in typical form.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/20/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves, all via Matt Eddy of Baseball America:

  • The Red Sox have released lefty Wesley Wright, per Eddy. Wright, 31, had carved out a role as a useful pen piece, working to a 3.26 ERA in 173 2/3 frames over 2011 through 2015. But he has battled through some shoulder issues and has seen his velocity and strikeout rate plummet of late. Wright was carrying a 5.31 ERA at Triple-A Pawtucket.
  • Catcher Carson Blair has been released by the Athletics. The 26-year-old appeared briefly in the majors last year, and was outrighted off of the 40-man over the winter. He has struggled in limited action at the Triple-A level, but has handled Double-A pitching quite well (.288/.398/.514) in a slightly more robust sample of 136 plate appearances.
  • The Cardinals signed first baseman Efren Navarro, 30, to a minor-league deal. He was hitting just .243/.316/.362 on the year at Triple-A before being released by the Mariners. Navarro has not produced in limited exposure in the majors, but does own a lifetime .308/.371/.438 batting line in 2,672 lifetime plate appearances at the highest level of the minors.

Deadline Rumors: Yankees, Schwarber, Cubs, Rays, Rangers, Dodgers, Indians

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Holding two game-changing trade chips puts the Yankees in an enviable position, and Tyler Kepner of the New York Times argues that the organization should exercise every bit of leverage it possesses. There’s plenty of demand for the southpaw relief duo of Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman, and New York is perhaps uniquely well-suited to sit back and wait for someone to overwhelm with an offer. (After all, the club is within striking distance of contention, can utilize the qualifying offer or extend Chapman, and still controls Miller for two seasons.)

Here’s more on some major trade deadline storylines:

  • We’ve seen rather clear indications that the Cubs won’t be parting with Kyle Schwarber, whether for Miller or anyone else, but that hasn’t stopped the idea from being batted around. Bob Nightengale of USA Today looks at the concept, noting that president of baseball operations Theo Epstein continues to be clear that he has no intentions of moving Schwarber — but also that he is letting teams know that the ballclub is looking for an impact addition. For those interested in all of the dimensions of the Cubs’ decisionmaking on their injured young slugger, this piece is worth a full read.
  • With the Cubs looking at any number of possible means of upgrading at the deadline, GM Jed Hoyer says to “expect the unexpected,” as Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com writes. Hoyer noted that “you can’t have untouchables and you have to be willing to explore bold ideas,” but also suggested the organization will be hesitant to part with certain assets. “We really like our core and I think that’s something that we plan to build around,” he said.
  • We’ve heard plenty of chatter surrounding the Rays, potentially involving just about any player on their roster. They’ve been tied, in particular, to the Rangers (see here and here). But the two clubs have “nothing brewing at the moment,” per Crasnick (via Twitter).
  • One league executive tells ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link) that the Dodgers are “big-game hunting,” indicating that the organization is primarily interested in the kind of “elite-level players” that president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has cited previously. Meanwhile, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi says that the Dodgers and Rays have been in trade talks of late, though it’s not clear where the focus lies in those discussions. (Morosi seemingly suggests that Evan Longoria is of interest to Los Angeles, but says there’s no real chance of him changing hands this summer.)
  • Though the Indians aren’t generally the type of organization to engineer major deadline swaps, that could change this year. As MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti suggested that budget constraints won’t be a problem. “I don’t think economics will have an impact on which players we acquire,” he said. “I think we’ll have the flexibility that we need to acquire a player. I think our difficult decisions are going to come down to what level of talent are we willing to part with to acquire players, and whether or not there’s the right fit out there.” That’s certainly an interesting point to keep in mind as Cleveland works to bolster its roster, as the team might be inclined to take on a somewhat more expensive player than might normally be expected if it helps avoid the loss of significant prospect assets.
  • Antonetti also suggested that the Indians aren’t necessarily particularly focused on their bullpen. Instead, he said, the club is open to improving everywhere but the rotation — where a stacked group is hardly in need of change. Though the relief corps still seems the biggest area of concern, the recent news on Michael Brantley could increase the need for a lineup boost, with Antonetti acknowledging that could be a factor in his approach over the next ten days.

Trade Market For Second Basemen

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While the pitching market is a clear seller’s market this summer, the market for second basemen appears to be another story. The number of potentially available second-base options on losing clubs looks to outweigh the number of clubs looking for a genuine upgrade at second base by a fair margin. The Royals and Blue Jays, for instance, have received poor offensive output from second base as a whole but have strong defenders at those positions right now that are still providing some value. The Pirates haven’t seen much offense at second either but have their fair share of infield depth, and the Cardinals solved some of their second base woes by shifting Matt Carpenter to the position (though Jhonny Peralta’s injury could potentially create a need).

The second base market could be relatively quiet this season barring a notable last-minute injury, but here are some of the possibly available names…

Short-Term Veterans

Steve Pearce (Rays), Eduardo Nunez (Twins)

  • Pearce isn’t a second baseman in the traditional sense of the word, as he’s been more of a fill-in there over the past couple of seasons in Baltimore and Tampa Bay. The Rays are clear sellers, however, and Pearce has mashed at a .322/.393/.540 clip this season. He’s played just 240 innings at second, so asking him to man the spot regularly down the stretch could be a reach, but his bat could offset his lack of experience there. Plus, he’s earning a bargain $4.8MM on a one-year deal.
  • Nunez is reportedly among the most frequently asked-about Twins, which is perhaps no surprise given the numbers he’s put up over the past two seasons. While many still think of him as a utility option, Nunez boasts a .790 OPS, 16 homers and 31 stolen bases across his past 155 games in a Twins uniform. He’s earning a mere $1.475MM this season and is eligible for arbitration one final time this winter before hitting free agency following the 2017 season. Nunez could fill in for a team looking for a regular second baseman or bounce around between second base, shortstop, third base and left field. He doesn’t excel defensively at any of those spots, but the versatility is nice.

Controllable Starting Options

Jed Lowrie/Marcus Semien (Athletics), Jean Segura/Chris Owings (D-backs), Yangervis Solarte (Padres), Logan Forsythe (Rays), Brian Dozier (Twins), DJ LeMahieu (Rockies), Jace Peterson (Braves), Jonathan Villar/Scooter Gennett (Brewers)

  • Lowrie could technically go in the above category as well, but the cheap 2018 club option ($6MM) on his contract prompted me to put him in the “controllable” bucket as opposed to the “short-term” slot. (Plus, I just felt like being than Jeff Todd, who slotted Lowrie into the short-term section of the shortstop trade market.) Lowrie has cooled off as of late, but he’s still hitting .281 with a .333 OBP. His power has been nonexistent for most of the season (.334 slugging, .053 ISO), but he’s affordable, versatile, and owns a .330 OBP over his past five big league seasons. Like Jeff noted when looking at shortstops, I doubt that Semien is actually a likely candidate to be moved, but the A’s are typically willing to listen on everyone but a select few players, so he’s worth at least a mention.
  • It’s not clear that the D-backs would entertain the notion of moving either of their controllable second base options. Owings is currently on the disabled list and has been for quite some time, which could limit his value. As for Segura, he’s keeping the average just north of .300 thanks in part to a pair of massive BABIP spikes in April and June, though it should be noted that he’s also showing a bit more pop and plate discipline than in years past. The D-backs have only shown a willingness to trade relievers thus far, so moving Segura (controlled through 2018 via arbitration) or Owings (2019) would come as a surprise.
  • San Diego has already moved James Shields, Fernando Rodney and Drew Pomeranz, and a versatile, controllable asset like Solarte figures to generate interest as well. He has significant experience at both second and third base and despite his status as a minor league signee with the Yankees prior to his big league debut in 2014, he’s done nothing but hit since arriving in the Majors. Solarte has batted .270/.334/.419 as a big leaguer, and his best work has come this season, when he’s slashed .295/.368/.521 in 212 PAs. He’s controllable through 2019, so perhaps the Padres have a greater temptation to hold, but they’ve already traded one cheap young asset that was controlled through 2018 in Pomeranz.
  • Forsythe has very closely approximated his 2015 breakout in 2016, and he’s combined to bat a hefty .279/.352/.446 with 25 homers in his past 891 plate appearances. He’s fairly pedestrian against right-handed pitching but mashes lefties and plays solid to above-average defense at second (depending on your metric of choice). He’s earning just $1MM this season (the rest of his salary coming via signing bonus), with $5.75MM owed to him in 2017 plus an $8.5MM club option for 2018 that comes with a $1MM buyout.
  • Dozier’s inclusion may or may not be realistic, but now-former Twins GM Terry Ryan said before his dismissal that he felt the need to be open for business and listen on any player. His interim successor, Rob Antony, could very well be reluctant to listen on Dozier, but given the Twins’ standing, teams will almost certainly check in. The 29-year-old is on the cusp of his third straight 20-homer, 10+ steal season. His .247/.332/.454 batting line in 2016 is indicative of his low-average, plus pop skill set, but he’s sliced his strikeout rate and upped his walk rate this season. Dozier is earning $3MM this year and is owed $6MM in 2017 and $9MM in 2018.
  • The Rockies have, more often than not, shown a strong resistance to selling off big league assets in July. However, GM Jeff Bridich moved Troy Tulowitzki last summer and was willing to part with a controllable outfielder this winter in Corey Dickerson. There’s no contractual need to move LeMahieu, who is arbitration eligible and controllable through 2018. He’s really upped his offensive game over the past two seasons, though, which should make him appealing to other clubs.
  • There’s no indication that the Braves are looking to move Peterson, but they’ll listen on virtually anyone and project to have Dansby Swanson and Ozzie Albies as their long-term double-play tandem as it stands. Peterson could be a fine utility player, but if a club believes his .313/.395/.473 line since being recalled from a demotion to Triple-A is in any way sustainable, the Braves could net a nice piece for a player with four years of control beyond 2016.
  • Villar has had a breakout season with Milwaukee and is cheap and affordable for another four years following the 2016 season. Orlando Arcia will push him off shortstop soon, but Villar can play third base once that happens. A better question would be if Milwaukee would entertain the thought of moving Scooter Gennett, who is arbitration-eligible this winter and is limited to a platoon role. There’s no urgency to deal Gennett either, but his impending arbitration and lesser club control make him a more plausible option than Villar in my mind.

Reserves and Utility Options

Gregorio Petit/Cliff Pennington/Johnny Giavotella (Angels), Alexi Amarista/Adam Rosales (Padres), Daniel Descalso (Rockies), Andres Blanco/Cesar Hernandez/Freddy Galvis (Phillies), Nick Franklin/Tim Beckham (Rays)

Any of the players listed here could add to a club’s bench mix, but most look like they’d be miscast as starters. There aren’t really any prohibitive salaries in the bunch, and any of the listed names is capable of playing all over the infield, with the possible exception of Giavotella. I don’t think anyone here would fetch much in return, but there’s something to be said for a club deepening its bench in advance of a playoff push.

Big Contracts

Brandon Phillips : Phillips is in somewhat of his own category, as he’s owed $5.26MM through season’s end and another $14MM next year. The Reds would probably love to move him — they tried this offseason but he invoked his 10-and-5 rights to veto the deal — but a 35-year-old hitting .260/.297/.372 with $19.5MM remaining on his contract isn’t going to generate tons of demand. And, as noted before, he hasn’t shown a willingness to approve a trade anyhow.

Rizzo Denies That Nationals Have Interest In Charlie Blackmon

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TODAY: The report on Blackmon “is not accurate,” Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said this morning in an interview with 106.7’s The Sports Junkies (via 106.7’s Pete Medhurst, on Twitter).

YESTERDAY: The Nationals are showing interest in Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com (via Twitter). While it’s not yet clear whether Colorado will deal the center fielder, we heard recently that the club was open to fielding interest on players such as Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez.

It’s not difficult to see the connection here, as Washington has received marginal production out of center fielders Ben Revere and Michael Taylor. Both are controllable for 2017 — Taylor for much longer — but neither have performed to expectations, leaving the Nats with a unit that is playing at replacement level on the year.

The Nationals recently gave top shortstop prospect Trea Turner some time at center at the Triple-A level, and he is currently on the big league roster, but it doesn’t seem that he’s the first choice at present. Otherwise, the organization seems mostly set in terms of its lineup, with the bullpen representing another key area of need.

Blackmon, who just turned 30, is performing at career-best levels. Even after adjusting for the effects of altitude, his .305/.368/.481 batting line checks in at a 110 wRC+. While his glove has never rated particularly well up the middle, that could be due in part to playing at Coors. Plus, strong baserunning helps to make up any lost value in the field.

As a controllable asset, Blackmon won’t come cheap. He’s playing on a $3.5MM deal this year and is eligible for arbitration for two more seasons to come. Though a hefty raise is surely in the cards, Blackmon will no doubt remain quite affordable for a solid, everyday player.

If it’s easy to see why the Nationals would open talks on Blackmon, it also isn’t tough to guess at what the Rockies might target in return. Colorado has been stockpiling young arms, and could certainly look to further bolster the pitching ranks. Baseball America’s just-released, updated prospect ranking for the Nats includes several notable hurlers. Lucas Giolito is surely unavailable; it’s less clear whether that’s the case with regard to high-upside youngster Reynaldo Lopez, though he is now set to make his big league debut as well. Other names that could hold appeal include Erick Fedde, A.J. Cole, and Austin Voth. It seems fair to note, too, that the addition of a new center fielder could make Taylor expendable; other organizations might like a crack at refining his obvious talent.

Giants Prioritizing Relief Additions

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Giants GM Bobby Evans suggested yesterday that his organization is looking hard at relievers, in an appearance on the podcast of ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (audio link). Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, the organization is said to be “blanketing” the market for bullpen arms, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link).

The Phillies and Brewers are among the rival teams being eyed by San Francisco scouts, per Crasnick’s report. It appears that the Giants are paying particular attention to Philly’s Jeanmar Gomez and David Hernandez, as well as Milwaukee’s Will Smith and Jeremy Jeffress. All of those players have featured on MLBTR’s breakdown of the top trade candidates, though only Jeffress has consistently cracked the ranking itself.

Notably, Crasnick adds that the Giants are mostly “lingering” in the market for Yankees’ relief aces Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller. The expectation seems to be that other National League contenders — namely, the Cubs and Nationals — are likely to be bigger players for those two high-octane lefties.

Evans had hinted that there’s a lot of demand to contend with on the market. That was a significant factor in the team’s decision to rely on some younger arms this year, he suggested. “We didn’t realize that half of baseball would be also looking for the same relievers and that the market would be so limited,” he said of the winter’s free agent market, “but that’s where we are.”

The San Francisco GM went on to note that his organization will not just be looking to build out depth in its relief corps. “We have a pretty strong bullpen in the sense of guys that are pretty hard to replace,” he said, “so you’re really trying to replace one guy, and we’ve got to be sure it’s an upgrade. So we won’t be getting a reliever just to get a reliever.”

Evans also touched upon the idea of adding an outfielder, which has often been noted as a possible need. With Hunter Pence nearing a return, the veteran executive indicated that the position isn’t a high priority. It seems that a depth addition could be considered, but isn’t viewed as essential.

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