Blue Jays righty Aaron Sanchez left his start today after coming down with another blister, as MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm reports (Twitter links). While the 25-year-old says he is holding out hope of avoiding another DL stint, that may be optimistic. Sanchez had only just returned from a lengthy absence prompted by the same injury, though it does not appear to have occurred in precisely the same place. Ongoing uncertainty with such a key player doesn’t help the already murky outlook for Toronto, which fell to eight games under .500 with a loss today. It seems reasonable at this point to anticipate at least a minor sell-off of short-term veterans, though most of the players the team would be most willing to move have struggled in 2017.
Here’s more from the American League:
- The Red Sox now have Giants infielder Eduardo Nunez atop their list of possible third-base targets, a source tells MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link). Indeed, the clubs have discussed Boston’s interest in both Nunez and reliever Hunter Strickland, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports. It seems the Sox are also still engaged with the Marlins on third bagger Martin Prado (as well as reliever David Phelps) along with Pirates infielders David Freese and Josh Harrison. Of course, it’s worth bearing in mind that Prado is on the DL, while the Bucs may be hesitant to deal given the team’s improved outlook. All told, it still seems to be a wide-open search.
- It’s not clear if talks have occurred between the Indians and Giants, but Cleveland is scouting Nunez as well, per ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (via Twitter). With the defending AL champs still battling for a postseason spot, they can’t just wait idly for second baseman Jason Kipnis to return from the DL. And a player such as Nunez would also improve the team’s bench once Kipnis is back.
- The Indians also got some bad news on the pitching front today, as lefty Boone Logan departed his appearance with an injury to his lat muscle, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets. Logan owns an ugly 4.95 ERA on the year, but he’s producing 12.2 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 with a 49.0% groundball rate, with a .360 BABIP helping to explain the disconnect. Ryan Merritt is on hand to give the team another southpaw matchup option to go with relief ace Andrew Miller, though it’s possible to imagine the Indians weighing alternatives if Logan’s injury turns out to be serious.
- With Todd Frazier now in pinstripes, the Yankees intend to work Chase Headley in at first base, manager Joe Girardi told reporters including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (Twitter link). The switch-hitting Headley will pair with new addition Garrett Cooper for the time being, though that duo doesn’t promise to deliver the kind of offensive output that might be hoped for from the position. It remains to be seen whether the Yankees will continue to dabble in the market for first basemen.
Wanted the tribe to target Nunez last year, would be a great fit. He should be able to start over Kip!
he would be, but can you really see antonetti making meaningful trades back to back years?? that’s unheard of for this team lol. (but i hope it happens)
I hope he does too, they really need too especially with a tighter race than anyone would have thought. The central is still up in the air. Need a bat more than an arm.
Especially with Nunez being a FA after this season. So frustrating watching Indians getting bullied around.
i hear you there. it’s beyond maddening.
I can picture them reaching down to Columbus for the king of jack-of-all-trades himself……….Michael Martinez.
oh god don’t even go there lol
Hehehe.
goat
if the red sox are thinking about getting martin prado, they might as well stick with their current 3b options. just as productive.
also, indians will be a lot of talk but no action.
Prado would be more productive and had a much better track record.
2 HRs, 12 RBIs on the season. Disabled list multiple times this yr…. hasn’t reached 10 HRs since 2013
Sox need to call up Devers now. He’s been killing it all season in AA and now even more in AAA. Don’t let DD sell away the entire farm system.
I think we already heard from someone a few weeks ago here in the MLBrumors blogs that Sanchez of the Jays blister days weren’t over…todays injury is no surprise. There needs to be some movement in the Jays front office. Let’s start with replacing Pete Walker as pitching coach and bumping him upstairs to player development and getting rid of Cherrington. The next step would be to get rid of Atkins; far too many mistakes this year with the MLB level roster and far too many things not done at the MLB level. Where is AA when you need him?
Everyone seems to dump on Alex Anthopolous now, but it was his decisiveness that effectively ended 20+ years of irrelevance which led to the postseason runs in 2015 & 2016. I’m not among the chorus of folks who claim that AA ‘leveled the Jays farm system’ either. That’s the price of business for supplementing a would-be contender & I don’t think the controllable pre-arb years of Jeff Hoffman & Danny Norris were more important than taking a definitive stab at actual contention.
It’s easy to forget now just how utterly irrelevant Toronto was from 1994 through 2014 in the AL East . I don’t think they were ever in a post-ASB pennant race in earnest until August 2015., if memory serves.
If you look at all the best teams in MLB, their core comes from players they drafted and developed. This is not the case with the jays, so their core is older and expensive, this wasn’t the front offices fault as it’s the team they inherited.
I’m not sure where the hate for Cherington comes from.
Mindless banter
Yup, the jays core comes from trades because they have done a poor job of drafting and developing to MLB level. Ounsa, Pillar, Tepara, Barnes, Stroman are exceptions. Cherrington was fired from the bosox for many reasons [Panda and Ramirez signings among them] and I am told that it was him who recommended Salty for the Jays out of spring training. That worked well. It is not hate, he needs to go. Pete Walker would be an excellent replacement, his time as pitching coach of the Jays is about done. there needs to be a change there too. -Mindful banter.
Salty signed on a minor league contract. Jays didn’t spend tens of millions of dollars on him. Every team makes dozens of minor league signing each offseason, and to call for someone’s removal based upon a minor league signing not panning out is a little ridiculous
Nunez to Boston. Sandoval to SF. Hilarious.
What’s even funnier: it’s all on the Red Sox dime.
Tribe needs help with their pitching, too.
Why oh why do the Red Sox still have interest in Prado??? He’s not much of an offensive upgrade, on DL for 2nd or 3rd time this yr… OH and he’s owed $40 million through 2019. Can you say expensive bench player?
Sox like Prado for his leadership and clubhouse presence. They have to get Marlins to eat some of Prado’s contract because they want to avoid luxury tax penalty.
Prado has 2 more years left on a terrible contract. If DUMBrowski trades for him he is even dumber than Cherington! The Red Sox need to nut up and make a deal for a Iglesias/Cozart package from Cinci.
They ask for Devers as the starting point of that return package bud. You sure you want to do that?
To fix their third base option, they need to trade for a shortstop? Are you high?
The Red Sox got Mike Lowell from the Marlins for Josh Beckett and Hanley Ramirez so Martin Prado for a future SP and Infeilder nit named Devers could work.
Beckett come to Boston with Lowell
The trade was Becket, Lowell (basically a salary dump), and Guillermo Mota for Hanley, Anibel Sanchez (who threw a no hitter the next season), and 2 other minor league players who never amounted to anything.
There is ZERO chance that a 1/2 year rental of Cozart and a reliever trade starts at the #3 prospect in all of baseball. Are you out of your mind? You could get that deal done with a Chavis/Johnson package.
Yeah because Cozart could never play 3B. Use your head.
You must not know anything about Raisel Iglesias then little dude
No, you really couldn’t, Kevin. Iglesias has tremendous value. Chavis and Johnson gets you a quick hang up. Oh, and Devers is not #3 in all of baseball. He’s top 10, but not #3.
Just play Devers now at 3rd!!
Prado is wanted for his leadership and veteran presence in clubhouse
Is leadership and clubhouse presence worth $40 million these days!
No wonder a beer and a dog is $30 at the ballpark in 2017.
They have plenty of “veteran presence”,that term is tired.
That’s one EXPENSIVE bench player & clubhouse presence… they need friggin OFFENSE
What the heck is Sanchez doing that he keeps getting blisters? There has to be something in his grip that causes it. Why can’t the Jays figure it out? It is a little bit concerning that the Jays staff can’t come up with a solution to prevent Sanchez from getting blisters
It’s the balls they changed the seam recently
The circumstantial evidence around the league re:blisters-new ball correlation is tough to ignore, yes.
I hadn’t realized that. It’s intriguing, to say the least. Could you explain what’s different about the balls to cause blisters?
It is not the baseball or many more pitchers would have blisters not just Sanchez. It has nothing to do with a new baseball design.
To answer your question, Sanchez has so much torque on the arm becuase of his body structure, when extra pressure is applied to the finger on the curveball, his skin on the finger can’t handle the force and the skin breaks. There are 4 possible solutions:
1. find a medical/science soln that hardens the skin and resists the forces of energy coming against it. The Jays don’t have that solution at this time.
2. Put him in the bullpen where there aren’t as many pitches and make sure his outings are short and there is ample healing time between outings.
3. Change his delivery so that torque is reduced and therefore forces on the finger reduced but this would affect control, and velocity etc.
4. Change his grip and/or find another off-speed pitch that he can use like a splitter.instead of a curveball.
Any or all of the above in combination.
5) Ask Moises Alou for some of his secret sauce.
Dr. Dookie to the rescue.
Sheesh, what a shame it would be to have to move a talent like Aaron Sanchez to relief full time (at or near this juncture of his career). We’re talking about a kid who matched Chris Sale in bWAR in 2016 at 23/24.
No kidding, an arm like Sanchez’s should be a front of the rotation starter. The process I would try to fix his situation are, of course, the med science options, then try a knuckle curve grip, then some sort of a splitter or forkball, then bullpen.
Knowing DD he will trade for Prado witch is such a bad move I know DD has brought in some good peace and some bad ones but he has traded away to many of are top prospects we had a good 3 baseman but he had to trade him for a Relief picture that is now out for the yr all because he thought fat boy lost enough weight be able to play
Prado is the ideal Sox target–injury prone veteran leader. Nunez is the guy they are serious about and shouldn’t cost but a modest prospect after DFA Pablo who will probably be in San Fran before Aug.1.
The Sox need to play .500 ball the rest of the way and put both Bogaerts and Moreland on the DL to heal up hand and broken toe issues. Nunez could do 3B or SS and Travis and Hanley can fill in at 1 B.
Devers should be called up in Sept if not by mid Aug. He is a young, baby faced version of David Ortiz. He’s going to be another of the home grown Sox. They will be really fun to watch next season as they are right now.
*Buys gas.
To cashier: how much do I owe you?
Cashier: Well, normally it’d be $23.17, but my cows produced more milk this morning, so it’s only $7.50.
Moral of the story: The acquisition of Sandoval has zero to do with the price tag of Nunez.
Indians what Nunez and Strickland?? What they got??
No need for the Red Sox to trade for a 3rd baseman now that Brock is back!
Yeah that .167 ba with 0 extra base hits can really carry a lineup. Do you people even watch baseball?
Wooooosh!!!!
Another blister? Come on!?
I say Pirates can afford to move Freese but not JaHay. Won’t get much, but a pen guy would help.
Boston should go after Nunez and 2 relievers. Strickland/Reed/Neshek/Ziegler should be targets. Ziegler is having a bad year and will cost next to nothing, but may be able to recapture some of his Boston success. Neshek is a good option to use who’s just different than the rest of the guys in the pen, and the other guys are just good targets for all playoff teams.
What do you want EVERY submarine pitcher in MLB?
The Red Sox should be trading for cozart…he’s a rental and is out performing any of those options this year.
He can handle third no problem and bring a lot more offense than Nunez or Prado…
I mean, Zack has never played 3b in pro ball (a smattering of time at 2b early in his minors career) so I don’t see it. I know Boston likely wouldn’t do this, but Xander Bogaerts is an inferior defender to Cozart – even at this stage of the latter’s career – so he would make more sense to move to 3b in the unlikely event that Cozart was to be moved to the Red Sox.
I don’t know why any sox fan would want cozart. If you shift him over to 3rd you take away half his value as an elite defensive shortstop.
I still think they should take a swing at Stanton. He’s expensive, but if you take on all his salary, he might not cost all that much in terms of prospects. He gives you that middle of the order thump they’re missing, and as a DH, he’d likely stay off the DL. Speaking of which, that would be where Moreland goes, and you play Hanley at 1st. I’d also try to sweeten the deal, and pry Gordon away from them as well. I think he’s plenty athletic enough to play 3rd, and if you bat him leadoff, you’re also able to move Mookie down into the heart of the order, giving him more RBI opportunities. You’ve now pushed your weakest bats down two slots in the order…and really, at that point it’s just the catcher who’s playing that day. This would put them WAY over the tax threshold, but if Henry’s OK with paying it, this might be the best lineup in the league again.
I have been a proponent of entering the Giancarlo sweepstakes. once again.
If Miami wants Mookie it will cost $125 M or $ 100 M for Bogaerts or $75 M for Bene. So we get Stanton less $75 to $125 M .
For some reason, and this would be the time to do it, DL both Bogaerts and Moreland until both are healthy..
We have some very capable arms in the minors for short relief. I have total confidence in Maddox and Beeks at AAA and two solid arms at AA Grover and Kelly. These kids can light it up.
I would bring up Devers instead of trading for Cozart. Devers could be platooned if JF feels he’s not quite ready to face tough lefties.
I would not move any of the current core for Stanton. Betts, Benintendi and Bogaerts are the future of the club. If I’m able to take advantage of the Marlins financial issues and the Sox’ deep pockets, that’s what I’m looking to do. I’d package players after Groome and Devers, and I’d take on all the financial burden. If the Marlins are looking to move Stanton, it’s because they don’t want to pay him, not because they want to restock with another star. If one of the core players, including any of the outfielders, is their price, I’m walking away from the table.
what do you think about Boston getting Nick Castellanos and J.Wilson from Detroit?? any thoughts?
Cozart to Red Sox for a non-top 100 prospect. They won’t have to out bid anyone else for a SS. Boegarts played 3b in 2017 WBC and 2013 WS.
I like your thoughts on Cozart–I also like a real 3B in Castellanos. Justin Wilson would be a great pick.
Are you reading comments DD–3 great picks. Castellanos would be a nice bat in that lineup as would Cozart if you could extend him.
Detroit would want to much for that Devers is nearly ready probably be up in August just stay the course DD. Cozart makes no sense because they aren’t moving Xander off short. The Tigers would want Devers plus for Castellanos and Wilson.