AL Notes: Sox, Rays, Hill, Mariners, Indians

Given that they’re in the same division as the Red Sox, the Rays wanted no part of trading any of their controllable arms to Boston before the latter picked up Drew Pomeranz from San Diego earlier this week, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI. The Red Sox might have had interest in Tampa Bay’s young starters had it been open to a deal, Bradford writes. Meanwhile, both the Athletics’ asking price for 36-year-old southpaw Rich Hill and his status as a pending free agent prevented Boston from trying to reacquire him, according to Bradford.

More from Boston and a few other AL cities:

• The White Sox, who are 4 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot, are looking to buy in advance of the Aug. 1 trade deadline, general manager Rick Hahn said Friday (via Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com). Hahn conceded that deals could be difficult to come by because, at least as of now, “it’s a strong seller’s market.” Chicago already made one trade earlier this season – acquiring right-hander James Shields from the Padres – signed first baseman Justin Morneau, and promoted shortstop prospect Tim Anderson and young righty Carson Fulmer. In regards to those changes (and future moves), Hahn stated, “Already this year, you’ve seen us change 40 percent of the rotation, change the shortstop, add various players to the bullpen, and we’re going to continue to operate in that manner.”
• Thanks to his season-long struggles and the Pomeranz trade, Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz is now in the bullpen and he realizes his lengthy tenure in Boston might end by the deadline. “They’re going to do everything they can if it’s going to make them better, and if that involves moving me somewhere, that’s what it is. I don’t have any control over that,” he told Ian Browne of MLB.com. “I think of myself as a starting pitcher, and that’s a crowded bunch right now,” continued Buchholz, who acknowledged that he has put himself in this situation by performing poorly. The 31-year-old, whom the Red Sox drafted in 2005, has logged a 5.91 ERA, 5.91 K/9 and 4.13 BB/9 through 80 2/3 innings this season. Buchholz is playing on a $13MM club option this year and has another, for $13.5MM, in 2017.
• Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto discussed his team’s recent struggles with Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times and voiced confidence that a healthy iteration of the club can compete for the postseason. As Divish notes, the Mariners are 17-26 over their past 43 games, but they’ve seen Felix Hernandez, Taijuan Walker, Wade Miley, Leonys Martin and Ketel Marte all spend time on the disabled list over the life of that stretch. Injuries in the rotation, in particular, have taxed the club’s bullpen. “Good teams find a way in struggles to persevere, to get through,” said Dipoto. “You are going to go into streaks and starts and stops and slumps, but you can’t turn it into a death spiral.”
• With a dreadful .163/.198/.310 batting line, Yan Gomes has the worst wRC+ (29) among players with at least 250 plate appearances this season, but the Indians’ catcher isn’t in danger of losing his job, writes Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com. The Indians value Gomes’ defense too much to demote him, per Hoynes. Plus, despite Gomes’ problems with the bat, the Tribe still entered Saturday an above-average fifth in the AL in runs scored. Defensively, Gomes’ framing has drawn minus grades in 2016, but he has thrown out a solid 11 of 30 attempted base stealers and – whether in part because of Gomes or in spite of him – the Indians have a premier pitching staff.