Cafardo’s Latest: Gray, A’s, Giants, Twins, Pads
Athletics executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane is elite at maximizing players’ values, opines the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo, who writes that Beane is in prime position to shine as this year’s trade deadline approaches. The last-place A’s, who are likely to sell, have appealing trade chips like outfielder Josh Reddick, starter Rich Hill and relievers Ryan Madson, Sean Doolittle and John Axford. None will be as intriguing as 26-year-old right-hander Sonny Gray if the A’s put him on the block, though. The A’s are unsure about whether to make Gray available, per Cafardo, who reports that double-digit scouts from contenders take in each of his starts.
More rumblings from Cafardo:
- The Giants are aggressively shopping for relief help and a middle-of-the-order hitter to fill the void left by the injured Hunter Pence. Bullpen possibilities include Twins righty Kevin Jepsen and southpaw Fernando Abad, both of whom the Giants have recently scouted. As far as the outfield goes, any of Ryan Braun – whom the Giants have discussed with Milwaukee – struggling Padre Matt Kemp or free agent Carl Crawford could end up in San Francisco. Kemp has recovered at the plate from a nightmarish May this month, but he remains a defensive liability who’s owed $21.5MM annually through 2019.
- Jepsen and Abad aren’t the only Twins who might change uniforms this summer. Third baseman Trevor Plouffe and infielder Eduardo Nunez could also pique contenders’ interest. Nunez is surprisingly excelling this year, hitting .318/.348/.485 with nine home runs and 16 steals – the fifth-highest total in the majors – through 249 plate appearances. He’s on a mere $1.48MM salary this season and is scheduled to make one more trip through arbitration.
- The Red Sox, Royals and Blue Jays are potential landing spots for Padres center fielder Jon Jay, who’s batting a solid .299/.345/.410 through his first 287 PAs of a contract year. Jay, 31, is earning $6.23MM this season.
- With Colorado having designated him for assignment Wednesday, 33-year-old shortstop Jose Reyes will soon be looking for a new home, and the scuffling White Sox are a team to watch. Chicago already released one veteran shortstop, Jimmy Rollins, earlier this week. His replacement, 22-year-old prospect Tim Anderson, has gone 9 of 34 with four extra-base hits, nine strikeouts and no walks.
MLBTR Originals
- Trade Rumors announced the acquisition of Roster Resources on Monday and is pleased to have added RR’s founder, Jason Martinez, to the staff. In his first piece with MLBTR, Jason debuted his “Knocking Down the Door” series – which focuses on Double-A and Triple-A prospects who are making cases to receive major league promotions.
- In the third installment of his weekly top trade candidate series, Jeff Todd analyzed 15 players who could be on the move in the coming weeks.
- With the White Sox having taken several steps back since a red-hot start, Jeff looked into whether it would make sense for the team to continue acquiring outside pieces. The White Sox have made several notable roster moves recently, as Jeff highlighted, with the trade for struggling right-hander James Shields being the biggest.
- Lastly, Jeff checked in on the performances of a slew of players whose teams will have offseason decisions to make on their club options. Some household names include Jay Bruce, Wade Davis, Gio Gonzalez, Matt Holliday and Jonathan Lucroy.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Jays, Cubs, Gurriel, Astros
Given his age (36 in October), defensive issues and dip in offensive production, Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista‘s chances of landing the five-year deal he desires were already dropping before he landed on the disabled list Friday with a sprained toe, reports FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (video link). Further, some teams might not even see Bautista as the most appealing Blue Jay set to hit the free agent market this winter, per Rosenthal, who notes that designated hitter/first baseman Edwin Encarnacion is almost three years younger than Bautista and left fielder Michael Saunders, 29, leads all major league outfielders in OPS (.997).
Here are more rumblings from Rosenthal:
- The Cubs remain unlikely to deal catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in early April and has been the subject of trade rumors. Chicago regards Schwarber as a top-caliber middle-of-the-order hitter whose woes against left-handed pitching will fade. The Cubs are also bullish on Schwarber’s makeup, says Rosenthal, and believe getting him back next season will be like adding a high-end free agent.
- The Dodgers, Mets and Yankees are clear fits for Cuban free agent Yulieski Gurriel, but the Giants are also possible suitors, according to Rosenthal. The 32-year-old second and third baseman might also be able to play left field, where San Francisco could soon have a need if Angel Pagan and Gregor Blanco leave as free agents after the season.
- Having won 16 of 24 to rebound from a 17-28 start, the Astros have gone from prospective sellers to potential buyers. The club still sits 11 games out of first place in the AL West and five games from a Wild Card spot, but it could look to improve both its rotation and offense, Rosenthal reports.
Quick Hits: Mets, Astros, Nats, A’s, ChiSox
Zack Wheeler returning from 2015 Tommy John surgery and replacing Bartolo Colon in the Mets’ rotation, as originally planned, is now far from a sure thing, writes David Adler of MLB.com. Thanks to Colon’s success, “there’ll be a pretty hefty discussion of what’s going to be best for” the Mets’ rotation when Wheeler is set to come back, said manager Terry Collins. The 43-year-old Colon hasn’t shown any signs of his advanced age, having thrown 80 2/3 innings of 3.01 ERA ball and supported that with a 1.45 BB/9. Wheeler could rejoin the team sometime next month, meanwhile, and a six-man rotation is a possibility when he does. “We’ve been [saying] since Spring Training that when Zack gets here, is it the time when we want to add a guy to the rotation anyway, to give guys some time off? Because the days off are going to be a little bit fewer in the second half. Right now I can’t answer where we’d go,” Collins stated.
Here’s more from around the majors:
- The Astros demoted early season slugger Tyler White to Triple-A Fresno on Saturday, tweets Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle. White maintained an OPS above 1.000 for the majority of April, but his production began falling off as the month advanced and continued to plummet in May and June, leading the Astros to send him down. All told, the 25-year-old hit a clearly below-average .211/.296/.386 with seven home runs in 189 plate appearances prior to the demotion. As Roster Resource shows, the Astros are now down to Marwin Gonzalez as their primary first base option. The organization also has highly touted prospect A.J. Reed in Fresno, though he hasn’t produced to expectations in 2016. Former top prospect Jon Singleton hasn’t been great at the Triple-A level this year, either.
- The Nationals are keeping a watchful eye on the amount of innings and pitches 23-year-old right-hander Joe Ross‘ racks up, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post details. Ross has 77 2/3 innings under his belt this year, which is the second fewest among Nats starters. He’s also the only member of their rotation who’s averaging fewer than 100 pitches per start, coming in at 94. Ross amassed 153 2/3 innings between the majors and minors in 2015, and while pitchers often push 200 frames the season after totaling in the 150 range, Janes notes that the Nationals try to avoid that type of one-year jump when dealing with their youngsters. There’s no actual innings limit in place, however, relays Janes (Twitter link). ““His innings are building up, as you can notice, he has the least amount of innings of our starters. We want to take him all the way through September, and hopefully into October,” manager Dusty Baker said of Ross, who has posted a 3.13 ERA, 7.63 K/9 and 2.78 BB/9 this season.
- The Athletics are being careful with injured left-hander Rich Hill as he works his way back from a right groin strain, tweets Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle. The 36-year-old threw a 10-pitch bullpen session Thursday, and there’s no word yet on when the improbable ace/trade chip will return. Hill hit the disabled list on June 9, retroactive to May 30, with the ailment.
- White Sox center fielder Austin Jackson underwent surgery to debride and remove a portion of the medial meniscus in his left knee Friday, according to Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Jackson – who went on the DL with a meniscus tear on June 10 – will be on crutches for two more weeks and will undergo a reexamination in four weeks, per Kane. Jackson batted a weak .254/.318/.343 through 204 PAs before the injury. In his stead, the free-falling White Sox have opted for J.B. Shuck in center lately.
Giants Considering Outside Additions
With the Aug. 1 trade deadline getting closer, the Giants are considering acquiring outside help for their outfield, bullpen and starting rotation, reports Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). They won’t make a panic move for a right-handed-hitting outfielder, tweets Schulman, which comes as no surprise for a 43-26 team that holds a seven-game lead in its division.
San Francisco’s outfield took a significant hit earlier this month in losing right fielder Hunter Pence, who could be shelved until at least August after undergoing surgery on a torn hamstring. With Pence temporarily out of the equation, the Giants have been relying on Gregor Blanco, who has followed up a few solid seasons in a row with an uninspiring .260/.329/.353 line in 169 trips to the plate this year. Brewers star Ryan Braun, whom the Giants have been connected to since Pence went down, would be a clear upgrade over Blanco offensively. However, the Braun-related discussions the Giants and Brewers had didn’t advance beyond a preliminary stage. The Giants are also potential suitors for Cuban free agent Yulieski Gurriel, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported Saturday. The 32-year-old Gurriel – a second baseman/third baseman – might be able to step into the outfield, per Rosenthal, after the right-handed batter slashed .335/.417/.580 with 250 home runs in 5,491 combined plate appearances between Cuba and Japan.
[Related: Updated Giants Depth Chart]
On the reliever front, the Giants’ top four innings leaders – Cory Gearrin, Santiago Casilla, Hunter Strickland and Derek Law – have each performed well this year. All four are righties, though, which would help to explain why the club was mulling the pursuit of dominant Yankees southpaw Andrew Miller as of earlier this month. The Yankees remain in the thick of the American League playoff race, so it’s debatable whether the Bombers would move Miller if they stay in the hunt. In the event the Yankees do make Miller available, he’s likely to draw plenty of interest from contenders. Thus, the demand for his services could price the 31-year-old out of the Giants’ range.
San Francisco’s rotation, meanwhile, doesn’t call for a Miller-esque acquisition – not that a starter of his caliber is likely to be on the market, anyway. Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija have excelled this year, giving the Giants an enviable top-of-the-rotation trio. And while the overall numbers for Jake Peavy and Matt Cain aren’t pleasing, they have mostly served as usable back-end options since beginning the season in brutal fashion. Cain went on the disabled list earlier this week with a hamstring strain, however, and it’s unclear how much time he’ll miss. In his absence, the Giants are turning to Albert Suarez – who allowed three earned runs on five hits (including three home runs) and two walks in 4 2/3 innings of a 6-4 win over the Rays on Saturday.
Draft Signings: 6/18/16
Here are the latest notable draft signings from around the majors:
- The Nationals have signed second-round shortstop Sheldon Neuse to a below-slot pact, tweets Jim Callis of MLB.com. Neuse will rake in $900K, down from the $1,107,000 allotted to the 58th pick. The righty-swinging Neuse profiles as a third baseman, according to Callis, who adds that he can hit 94 mph on the mound.
- The Pirates have agreed to a below-slot deal with second-round pick Travis MacGregor, according to Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com (Twitter link). MacGregor will receive $900K, which is $48,900 less than the value of his pick (68th overall). Baseball America rated the high school right-hander from Florida as the 186th-best prospect available in the draft, noting that the Clemson commit has bumped his fastball velocity from the high-80s into the low-90s; he also possesses an average changeup and some feel for a breaking ball.
- The Twins have agreed to sign supplemental second-rounder Jose Miranda and 11th-round choice Tyler Benninghoff, writes Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Miranda, a Puerto Rican shortstop, will land $775K. That’s a good deal less than the value of the 73rd pick ($878,500). BA had Miranda as the 113th-ranked player in the draft and praised his offensive abilities, though the outlet expects him to move to second or third base. Benninghoff, BA’s 201st-rated prospect, will collect the highest bonus ($600K) thus far of anyone outside of this year’s first 10 rounds. An early season biceps injury weighed down the Missouri high school righty, who BA notes had the potential to go in the first five rounds had he stayed healthy.
- The Angels have signed fourth-rounder Chris Rodriguez, the 126th pick, to a significantly above-slot deal. Rodriguez will collect $850K – not the $464,300 his selection called for – according to Callis (Twitter link). The high school righty from Florida earned the 162nd overall ranking from BA, which Rodriguez impressed with his 93 to 95 mph fastball and hard slider.
- The White Sox have agreed to a $700K deal with sixth-round shortstop Luis Curbelo, per Callis (on Twitter). That’s a far cry from the $286,700 value of the 176th choice. Callis is bullish on the Florida high schooler’s pop at the plate and plus arm, and believes he could be a major league third baseman.
- Third-rounder Aaron Civale has signed a below-slot contract with the Indians, tweets Callis. The Northeastern right-hander, who went 92nd (worth $655,500), will get $625K. Civale’s best offering is his cutter, says Callis.
- The Athletics have agreed to an above-slot deal with fourth-round pick Skylar Szynski, a high school right-hander from Indiana, reports Callis (Twitter link). As the 112th pick, Szynski was in line for a $531,500 bonus, but the A’s will give him $1MM. Szynski sits 90 to 95 mph with his fastball, complementing that pitch with a hard curve and a changeup, according to Callis.
- Third-round shortstop Stephen Alemais, a Tulane product, has signed a below-slot deal with the Pirates, Callis tweets. Alemais will receive $500K, which is $68,400 less than the worth of the 105th pick. The contact-hitting Alemais should be able to stay at short, notes Callis.
- The White Sox have signed third-rounder Alex Call for $719,100, the exact value of his pick (No. 86), relays Callis (Twitter link). The Ball State outfielder mixes pop at the plate with solid running ability and a capable arm, with Callis adding that he has the potential to play center in the majors.
- The Rangers have signed fourth-rounder Charles LeBlanc for $415K, which is $36K below the slot value of his pick – the 129th selection – tweets Mayo. BA ranked the shortstop from Pitt as the 452nd-best player available in this year’s draft, lauding his bat but questioning whether the 6-foot-4 LeBlanc will be able to stick at short.
MLB Announces Suspensions For Yordano Ventura, Manny Machado
JUNE 18, 6:36pm: Machado will begin serving a four-game suspension Sunday, Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com was among those to report (via Twitter). That will end Machado’s consecutive games played streak at 229. While the superstar infielder isn’t pleased that he’ll sit out four games and Ventura will miss just one start, he didn’t like his chances with an appeal, reports Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Orioles manager Buck Showalter agrees with Machado’s stance, telling reporters (including Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com), “A good player doing good things and we won’t have him for four days because somebody hit him with a pitch.”
4pm: MLB has reduced Ventura’s suspension to eight games and he has dropped his appeal, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan tweets.
JUNE 9: Major League Baseball has announced suspensions of Royals starter Yordano Ventura and Orioles infielder Manny Machado. The former gets a nine-game ban, meaning he’ll likely miss only a single outing, while the latter will sit for four contests.
Both players appear set to appeal their punishments stemming from a recent brawl. The melee was sparked when Ventura hit Machado with a pitch, prompting the latter to charge the mound. Both players swung at each other and went to the ground as both dugouts emptied.
The suspensions don’t appear to be major causes for concern for either club, though neither is in great position to deal with a loss at their respective positions. Baltimore is already without shortstop J.J. Hardy, with Machado sliding over from third to cover for him. And the Royals have had plenty of struggles in its starting staff.
This is the second significant set of suspensions relating to on-field fisticuffs in recent weeks. Previously, Rougned Odor led a series of other players from the Rangers and Blue Jays by taking an eight-game suspension (later reduced to seven) for slugging Toronto slugger Jose Bautista.
Cardinals Demote Randal Grichuk To Minors
The Cardinals have optioned starting center fielder Randal Grichuk to Triple-A Memphis and recalled Tommy Pham to take his place, tweets Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. As Goold notes (on Twitter), the Cardinals are hoping Grichuk reacts similarly to a demotion as Kolten Wong did. Despite signing Wong to a $25MM extension during the offseason, the Redbirds sent Wong to the minors June 6 after he got off to a nightmarish start during the first two months of the year. Wong then slashed .429/.529/.929 with four home runs in 34 Memphis plate appearances to regain his spot on the Cardinals’ roster.
Grichuk, 24, was a rookie revelation for the Cardinals in 2015, compiling a stellar .276/.329/.548 line with 17 homers and a .272 ISO in 350 PAs. Grichuk’s production was 37 percent better than the league average in 2015, per wRC+, but he’s down to .206/.276/.392 (20 percent below average) and a .186 ISO in 250 trips to the plate this year. Grichuk’s decreased output has come in spite of improving his walk rate from 6.3 percent to 8.0 percent and striking out at a noticeably lower clip (31.4 percent to 24.0). His batting average on balls in play has tumbled from .365 to .238, however, and he’s hitting fewer line drives and more grounders.
Pham, like Grichuk, was outstanding for the Cardinals last season, putting up a .268/.347/.477 line with five long balls in 173 PAs and providing plus defense. The 28-year-old has spent the vast majority of 2016 in Memphis thanks in part to an early season oblique injury, though, and has hit a disappointing .236/.344/.382 in 128 Triple-A PAs. The right-handed Pham figures to platoon in center with the lefty-swinging Wong, as Roster Resource shows.
Tigers Designate Wynton Bernard, Promote Casey McGehee
The Tigers have announced that they’ve designated outfielder Wynton Bernard. The move clears 40-man space for veteran infielder Casey McGehee, whose contract the Tigers selected from Triple-A Toledo. Since they optioned righty Buck Farmer to Toledo yesterday, they had a spot open on their active roster.
The Tigers added Bernard to their 40-man roster after a strong 2014 season with Class A West Michigan, and he held his own last season at Double-A Erie. He has, however, struggled this year in a season split between Erie and Toledo, batting just .229/.294/.323. He does have good speed, with 113 steals in parts of five minor-league seasons. He has never played in the big leagues.
After struggling for the Giants and Marlins last season, the 33-year-old McGehee has fared well with Toledo in 2016, batting .323/.370/.440 in 270 plate appearances. He should provide the Tigers with a right-handed bat off the bench.
Pirates Designate Cory Luebke For Assignment
The Pirates have designated lefty Cory Luebke for assignment, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes (links to Twitter: 1 2 3 4). They’ve also placed righty Juan Nicasio on the restricted list, due to what manager Clint Hurdle describes as personal reasons, and optioned righty Rob Scahill to Triple-A Indianapolis. The moves clear space for corner infielder Jason Rogers and relievers Curtis Partch and Jorge Rondon, who have all been promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis and are all with the team today.
The moves are intended to address the Bucs’ increasingly beleaguered pitching staff. Luebke’s departure comes as little surprise. After missing the last three seasons while having two Tommy John surgeries, the 31-year-old Luebke signed a minor-league deal with the Pirates and briefly attracted positive attention in Spring Training, with some writers concluding his good stuff and pedigree (he was once a solid youngstarter for the Padres) might make him a candidate to revive his career under the tutelage of Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage. That hasn’t come to pass, however, as Luebke has allowed nine runs and 11 walks in just 8 2/3 big-league innings, including an appearance yesterday in which he faced four batters and didn’t record an out.