The latest pre-trade deadline rumblings from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe:
- The Royals, Red Sox and Yankees are among the teams that have scouted Phillies reliever Pat Neshek, according to Cafardo. They join the Nationals as clubs with known interest in the right-handed Neshek, who is likely on other bullpen-needy teams’ radars, too. The 36-year-old Neshek joined the Phillies last offseason in a salary-dumping deal with the Astros, but the $6.5MM man should warrant a much stronger return at the deadline. An impending free agent, Neshek is in the midst of his second All-Star season, having logged a 1.31 ERA, 8.91 K/9 and 1.31 BB/9 over 34 1/3 innings.
- With the Rays in the thick of the American League playoff race, it appears soon-to-be free agent righty Alex Cobb will finish the season in Tampa Bay. “If we’re in it, I don’t think Alex Cobb is going anywhere,” a Rays official told Cafardo. The Rays will likely lose Cobb for nothing at season’s end, then, though moving him this summer would seemingly be a blow to their playoff hopes. In Cobb’s first extensive action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2015, the 29-year-old has put up a 3.75 ERA (4.13 FIP), 5.93 K/9, 2.34 BB/9 and a 45.4 percent ground-ball rate across 115 1/3 frames.
- The Red Sox and Yankees have checked in on Marlins third baseman Martin Prado, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today previously reported, but Cafardo relays that Boston and New York have concerns over the 33-year-old’s contract. Prado is due roughly $34MM through 2019, which is problematic for both teams because they’re trying to stay under the $197MM luxury tax threshold. As such, the Red Sox and Yankees have asked the Marlins to eat some of the money on Prado’s deal. Injuries have limited Prado to just 123 plate appearances this season, and he has hit a meager .282/.309/.402. Nevertheless, both the Sox and Yankees admire his “leadership, hustle, and devotion to the game,” writes Cafardo. The Bombers are already quite familiar with Prado, of course, as he spent the second half of the 2014 campaign in the Bronx.
Yanks should consider moving Pineda to the pen and calling up a kid to be their #5. Could be their answer for the 7th inning. Pineda might be ok with it the way relievers have been getting paid and how lousy he’s looked for 3 years in the rotation
Good idea. Chance Adams is better than anybody in that rotation and the bullpen needs some new blood that’s not at the expense of the farm.
How do figure when he hasn’t faced big league batters? Come on guys don’t put the cart before the horse.
Pineda in relief would be a disaster. He fails under pressure as a starter. Putting him in regular pressure situations would be a terrible move.
His stuff could play up in the pen…
Pineda could be good in the pen. I’m tired of his high Ks yet 5+ ERA games over the last couple of years…
Prado barely has the power to play second I know he’s a good hitter and can play multiple positions but he is way over payed
He played well with Yankees. id love to prado back to Yankees, agreed his contract looks like a killer.
Yanks are set with middle infielders.
Is it wrong of me to kind of want Neshek back on the Cardinals? They could always use help in a bullpen that usually gives me a near heart attack night in and night out.
It’s wrong only in the sense the Cardinals should be sellers not buyers.
..282 is meager?
.282 isn’t meager but the .309 on base percentage and the .402 slugging percentage is.
The BA itself no, but the OBP and SLG yes, especially considering he’s mainly a 3B which is a powerful position these days. You gotta consider the whole slash line
Below average obp, average power, 11 percent worse than average according to OPS plus
The slugging and in base, batting average doesn’t really matter
The birthday list at the end of Cafardo’s article many times has a reminder of days past.. Same here with Mike Andrews and how his career ended:
Poor Mike made 3 errors in a WS game for one of Charlie O’s A’s teams.. Forget if it was ’72, or 73.. Anyway.. Charlie didn’t have the class to wait until the series was over, but immediately after the game? Released Andrews who was always a bat 1st 2b to begin with.
Mike was also 2b on ’67 Impossible Dream Sox WS team.
Yankees should look at bringing Prado and Phelps back. If Miami eats some money.
I can see the Phillies and Yankees working out a Multi Player deal, with Phils giving up Neshek and Ist Basemen Tommy Joseph for Two of Yankees Top Prospects and one Major Leaguer .
Both Get what they Need !
if by top prospects you men low leval guys and MLB player you mean elsbury maybe the yankees pick up the phone.
Agreed – no way NYY trades (2) top prospects for Neshek and Joseph
I like the idea but even as a Phillies fan that’s way too much for the Yankees.
Maybe they get 2 top 10 yankee specs (more so 2 in the 6-10 range) and maybe 1-2 15-20 guys.
Unless by two top prospects you mean what I said.
I do think they’d be a nice trade partner for both these guys though.
Maybe like Andujar, Acevedo, and a filler?
I’m going to keep commenting on my own lol. I wouldn’t even mind working out a deal including Franco with them since Andujar would be included but then I’d add like Mateo or something and that filler.
Neshek, Joseph, Franco
For
Acevedo, Andujar, Mateo, bottom15-20 guy.
Too much for the Yankees? Mateo could be changed.
Keep Franco and maybe insert Hellickson and you’re getting there.
Would prefer to keep Franco too. Are you speaking as a yanks or phils fan? I’m
Sure the Yankees would take Franco over Hellickson.
Yankee fan. They need pitching and don’t need two right handed station to station strikeout low average guys.
There’s no chance New York gives up top prospects for those guys
I like it when pitchers have the same ERA and BB/9. Its just pleasing to me
I like the way you think
The Yankees should stay away from any older player on a big contract. They made significant strides in bringing more youth and athleticism on the roster–those players are the ones that are the future, and the most compelling present.
What could the Yankees give up when the Mets realize they can’t resign DeGrom? Doubt the Mets would trade him to to Yankees. Mets have a lot of needs.
“Mets have a lot of needs.”
List begins with a new owner.
I want to see Prado come back home to the Braves. Give us a veteran leader to solidify 3rd for a couple years until Riley or Maiten is ready. We have the prospects to get the Marlins to eat some of that contract. Think the Marlins would do Prado & $5 mill for Touki & M. Cabrera ?
Touki as in the highly touted pitching prospect Touki Toussant?! I think that alone is an incredible overpay even if Miami is paying all of Prados contract
So the Yankees and/or the Red Sox, the two most financially aggressive teams in MLB, are asking the Marlins, one of the cheapest teams in the midst of selling the franchise and currently willing to listen to offers on its best, young, controllable players (the OF) to jettison future payroll committments, to cover cash in a deal?
If that were true, and I doubt it is, Miami could use some of the millions they get from the Yankees and Red Sox each year in competitive balance/luxury tax payments. Don’t cry too hard for Loria, he won’t be crying when he sells them for a fat profit.
Prado’s glove isn’t good enough for second base and his bat isn’t good enough for third. This was why Cashman got rid of him in the first place. Granted, Eovaldi was a bust but German may wind up being the best player in the deal. No way Cashman takes him back at that money. They get better production from Headley and there are better options than Prado already in the system.
Yanks and BoSox wanting Miami to eat contract money is as funny as it gets. Suck it up, Big Boys. You made the paradigm.