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Mariners To Select Leonys Martin’s Contract

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Three months after the Mariners designated Leonys Martin for assignment, the outfielder will rejoin the club. The Mariners will select Martin’s contract prior to Sunday’s game, reports the Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish, who adds that they could designate right-hander Cody Martin to create a 40-man spot.

As far as the 25-man roster goes, Leonys Martin will take the place of fellow outfielder Mitch Haniger, who’s going to the 10-day disabled list after suffering a scary injury Saturday. Haniger took a 95 mph fastball to the face from Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom, video of which is available in Divish’s story, and departed with a mouth contusion. Fortunately, that’s not a catastrophic injury. Nevertheless, it will force Haniger to undergo plastic surgery, general manager Jerry Dipoto said after the game, and shelve him “for a little while,” per the executive.

Haniger’s injury is a disappointing development for a Seattle team that’s 52-53 and out of a wild-card spot by 3.5 games. Haniger, whom the Mariners acquired from the Diamondbacks in the teams’ offseason Jean Segura–Taijuan Walker trade, has batted a respectable .255/.355/.425 in 246 plate appearances this season. However, the 26-year-old’s output has declined significantly since he landed on the DL in late April with an oblique strain that kept him out until early June. Haniger was hitting an incredible .342/.447/.608 prior to his return.

It’s unclear how much playing time the 29-year-old Martin will garner in his second go-around with the Mariners this season, as they still boast three capable outfielders in Jarrod Dyson, Ben Gamel and Guillermo Heredia. Martin was a satisfactory option in his own right as recently as last year, when the then-starting center fielder posted a .247/.306/.378 line with 15 home runs, 24 stolen bases and a 2.2 fWAR across 576 plate appearances, but he got off to a horrid start this season. Before the M’s booted Martin off their roster at the end of April, he batted .111/.172/.130 in 58 PAs. Martin, who’s on a $4.85MM salary, then cleared waivers and eschewed free agency in favor of an outright assignment to Triple-A Tacoma, where he has slashed .312/.352/.506 with 11 HRs and 24 steals in 373 trips to the plate.

Cody Martin, meanwhile, just rejoined the Mariners on Wednesday after spending the first few months of the season in Tacoma. The swingman registered a 3.81 ERA, 11.75 K/9 and 2.54 BB/9 over 28 1/3 innings there and hasn’t gotten into a major league game this season. That wasn’t the case in 2016, though, as the 27-year-old pitched to a 3.86 ERA and logged 5.26 K/9 against 3.16 BB/9, with a 47.5 percent ground-ball rate, across 25 2/3 frames in Seattle. The Mariners then outrighted Martin to Tacoma in January.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Yanks, Red Sox, Royals, Braves, Brewers

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This week in baseball blogs:

Submissions: ZachBBWI @gmail.com

Sonny Gray Rumors: Saturday

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With two days left before the deadline, here’s the latest on the market for Athletics starter Sonny Gray, with the most recent updates at the top.

  • Gray to the Yankees is “somewhere between likely to inevitable,” according to Sherman, who reports that the trade could happen Sunday. An executive who has been involved in Gray talks told Sherman that the Yankees are “holding firm” in what they’re willing to offer because they’re not convinced there are any other serious bidders. In case their negotiations with the A’s collapse, the Yankees are discussing starters with other teams as fallback options, per Sherman.

Earlier updates:

  • Neither the Astros nor Brewers are “serious players for Gray,” writes MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal, who adds that the Braves and Cubs also don’t look likely to acquire him. The Dodgers are the biggest threat to the Yankees in this sweepstakes, but Gray isn’t LA’s main focus, per Rosenthal. With that in mind, Rosenthal expects the Yankees to land Gray, though it might not happen until Monday. Gray to the Bronx makes sense, opines Rosenthal, who notes that the Yankees need answers in their rotation beyond this year (only Luis Severino and Jordan Montgomery are locks to return in 2018) and want to get under the $197MM luxury-tax threshold next season. Acquiring the affordable Gray would help them on both fronts.
  • Heyman, Sherman, Bob Nightengale of USA Today and Buster Olney of ESPN (on Twitter) each report that the A’s and Yankees are making progress in Gray talks. There’s “optimism” a deal will happen, per Nightengale.
  • As expected, Oakland has pushed Gray’s next start from Sunday to Monday, reports Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports California (Twitter link).
  • The A’s talks centering on Gray have been heavier with the Yankees than any other team over the past 48 hours, per Morosi (Twitter link).
  • Gray will, in fact, skip his start tomorrow if he hasn’t been traded by then, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. Bob Klapisch of USA Today previously tweeted that the A’s were likely to pull Gray from his scheduled start tomorrow due to requests from teams interested in trading for him.
  • The Yankees’ reluctance to part with Torres or Frazier is not currently holding up talks with the A’s about Gray, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets. The two sides are currently discussing other players and still have not reached an agreement. In fact, Morosi tweets that the A’s prefer another Yankees prospect, Estevan Florial, to Frazier because of his center field defense.
  • Only after the A’s trade Gray will there be a flurry of activity surrounding other starters, Jon Morosi writes for MLB.com. Teams in the pitching market are primarily seeking multiyear assets like Gray rather than rentals, Morosi writes. That means there are more teams interested in Gray than in rentals like Yu Darvish or Lance Lynn.
  • The Brewers and Athletics have hit an impasse in their discussions about Gray, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets. The hangup, it seems, is that the A’s want top young outfielder Lewis Brinson, and the Brewers don’t want to trade him. Brinson arrived last winter in the Jonathan Lucroy deal and made his big-league debut last month.
  • The Yankees still have interest in Gray, but are now looking to rental options like Darvish, Lynn and Jaime Garcia, FanRag’s Jon Heyman writes. (A report earlier today also connected the Yankees to Dan Straily.) As was previously reported, the Yankees do not want to part with Gleyber Torres or Clint Frazier. Still, teams expect Gray to be traded before Sunday, when he’s scheduled to start.
  • The Yankees “might take” first baseman Yonder Alonso to help “facilitate” a Gray deal, but they aren’t currently focused on first base, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick writes (Twitter links). If the Athletics don’t reduce their price for Gray, the Yankees are prepared to look elsewhere. To state the obvious, Alonso is a terrific asset in his own right, and does not fit the profile of a player a team would take merely to facilitate a trade. The first baseman is batting .262/.360/.525 with 21 home runs this season.

East News & Rumors: Hellickson, Kim, Yanks, Rays

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Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson changed clubs when the Phillies traded him to the Orioles on Friday, but a car crash has delayed his arrival to meet his new teammates, reports Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com (on Twitter). Hellickson was rear-ended on his way to the airport to fly to Texas, where the Orioles are playing, and he and his girlfriend had to go to the emergency room as a result. Fortunately, it seems the two avoided major injuries. “I think Jeremy is OK, but his girlfriend had to go to the emergency room,” manager Buck Showalter said Saturday (via Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com). “I know Roger (McDowell) has talked to him a couple of times. If everything stays…if she gets cleared, they’ll be in Baltimore tomorrow. No reason to come here (to Texas) now. We’ve got a catcher set up tomorrow in Baltimore.”

The Phillies received little-used outfielder Hyun Soo Kim in the package for Hellickson, and the 29-year-old’s playing time won’t increase with his new team, writes Matt Breen of Philly.com. “I don’t know how much time I’ll be able to get for Kim,” admitted manager Pete Mackanin. “It’s a conundrum.” With Aaron Altherr and Nick Williams flanking center fielder Odubel Herrera, the Phillies have younger options entrenched in starting roles. That’s unfortunate for Kim, who hit .302/.382/.420 in 346 plate appearances as a rookie last year. The free agent-to-be took massive steps backward this season before the trade (.232/.305/.288 in 142 tries), and he won’t have an opportunity to improve his stock in the next couple months. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams suggested Friday, including Kim and his $4.2MM salary in the trade was a money-driven decision by the teams.

The latest on a couple of Baltimore’s AL East rivals:

  • The Yankees made Double-A right-hander Zack Littell a healthy scratch from his start on Saturday, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter). Sherman believes the move has something to do with Monday’s trade deadline, and it’s worth noting that the Yankees and A’s are deep in talks regarding Oakland right-hander Sonny Gray. Speculatively, Littell could end up in the package going to Oakland if the Yankees acquire Gray (or as part of another deal). MLB.com ranks the 21-year-old Littell as New York’s 22nd-best prospect.
  • More from Sherman, who writes that the Yankees may trade hot-hitting Triple-A outfield prospects Billy McKinney and Jake Cave by the end of August as a way to alleviate the 40-man roster crunch they’re slated to face in the offseason. Neither player is on the Yankees’ 40-man right now, and the team is already well off in the outfield. In lieu of protecting the McKinney-Cave tandem over the winter, then, the Yankees could do what they did with outfielder Ben Gamel last year and deal one or both of them. Gamel wasn’t on the 40-man for New York when it traded him to the Mariners last Aug. 31 for a pair of pitching prospects. While Gamel’s now enjoying an excellent rookie season in Seattle, odds are that he wouldn’t have gotten the chance to shine as a major leaguer this year had he stayed in the Yankees organization.
  • In regards to the low-payroll Rays’ trading spree this season, owner Stuart Sternberg told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times: “The impetus? This is a special group of guys who have the talent and are hungry.” Sternberg has picked up $7MM in salary via trades this year – though Colby Rasmus’ departure did save the team $2.5MM, as Topkin points out – and is looking to make more additions to the Rays’ playoff-contending roster. “The money and the talent we no longer have hurts, and makes us a bit weaker in the future,” continued Sternberg. “In a perfect world there will be more to do to improve the club. It’s hard to see how that presents itself, though I have confidence (we) will explore any and every opportunity.”

Yu Darvish Rumors: Saturday

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Here’s the latest on the trade market for Rangers star Yu Darvish:

  • The Yankees don’t seem likely to land Darvish, suggests Heyman, who tweets that they haven’t gotten “deep” into talks centering on the 30-year-old. The Rangers should be able to get a better return from another team, adds Heyman, who points to the Dodgers as a “logical” fit.

Earlier updates:

  • A Darvish trade is “becoming increasingly likely,” Jon Heyman of FanRag writes. It was previously unclear whether the Rangers, who have been on the fringes of the Wild Card race, would trade Darvish, but teams interested in trading for Darvish now suggest that negotiations have become more intense lately. (FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported earlier this week that the Rangers would trade Darvish.) Darvish is a rental, but the Rangers are, perhaps understandably, seeking a top prospect in return. The Yankees, however, have indicated they won’t trade Gleyber Torres or Clint Frazier, and there is no indication the Dodgers would trade Alex Verdugo or Walker Buehler. The Rangers have also received interest in Darvish’s fellow starter Andrew Cashner, Heyman writes.
  • The Dodgers’ three top targets are Darvish, Sonny Gray and Zach Britton, Rosenthal tweets. He indicates, however, that the team’s preference is “not necessarily in that order,” and that the team’s plan will likely be dictated by asking prices for each player. (The latest rumors about Gray suggest the A’s are seeking top young talents, like Milwaukee’s Lewis Brinson, in return, just as the Rangers seem to be doing with Darvish.)

Astros Interested In Lance Lynn

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The American League-leading Astros have shown interest in a bevy of starting pitchers leading up to Monday’s trade deadline, and the latest is Cardinals right-hander Lance Lynn, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB Network. While the teams were recently embroiled in a hacking scandal that resulted in Major League Baseball forcing the Cardinals to send two draft picks and pay a $2MM fine to the Astros, the clubs are “comfortable” dealing with each other, per Morosi.

As Morosi points out (on Twitter), Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow is quite familiar with Lynn, having been in St. Louis’ front office when the team used a first-round pick on the hurler in the 2008 draft. Lynn has enjoyed a nice career with the Cardinals since debuting in 2011, but with his contract up at year’s end and the Redbirds sitting at 51-52 (3.5 games out of the National League Central lead and seven back of a wild-card spot), he could move in the next couple days.

With the exception of 2016, which he missed on account of Tommy John surgery, the 30-year-old Lynn has typically been good for 30-plus starts and at least 175 innings of strong work per season. That has been the case again this year in his return from the procedure, as Lynn has logged a 3.21 ERA, 7.98 K/9, 3.06 BB/9 and a 44 percent ground-ball rate across 120 2/3 frames (21 starts). Lynn has also registered an 11 percent infield fly rate, which ties him for 20th among starters, and posted a 9.1 percent swinging-strike mark that’s right in line with his career mark (9.2). Additionally, per Statcast (via Baseball Savant), Lynn’s terrific .305 expected weighted on-base average against is in line with his actual wOBA allowed (.298).

On the negative side, Lynn’s velocity hasn’t gotten back to its previous levels, and there’s some luckiness behind his stellar run prevention. FIP (4.83), xFIP (4.45) and SIERA (4.39) indicate there could be regression coming, and both Lynn’s .225 batting average on balls in play and 82.3 percent strand rate look likely to trend in the wrong direction as the season progresses.

Regardless of any red flags, Lynn’s track record and results this year have put him on several teams’ radars as Monday approaches. If the Astros win the derby for the $7.5MM man, he’d presumably join Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers and Charlie Morton to comprise their top four starters, though Brad Peacock and Mike Fiers have pitched so well out of their rotation over the past couple months that it would be unwise to discount them.

Dodgers Acquire Luis Ysla From Red Sox

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The Dodgers have acquired left-hander Luis Ysla from the Red Sox for cash considerations, per announcements from both teams. Ysla will report to Double-A Tulsa.

The 25-year-old Ysla’s time with the Red Sox all but ended when they acquired infielder Eduardo Nunez from the Giants on Wednesday. The Red Sox subsequently designated Ysla for assignment to open up a spot for Nunez, leading to their trade with the Dodgers. Ysla pitched himself out of the Boston organization’s plans by logging a 5.05 ERA, 8.5 K/9 and 6.2 BB/9 over 46 1/3 innings with its Double-A affiliate this season.

The Dodgers created 40-man roster room for Ysla by moving first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to the 60-day disabled list, retroactive to June 12, with a lumbar disc herniation. Thanks to his ailing back, the 35-year-old Gonzalez has appeared in just 49 games this season and hit an uncharacteristically weak .255/.304/.339 in 182 plate appearances.

Deadline Chatter: Marlins, Rockies, Dodgers, Jays, Rangers, Angels

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The Marlins “are extremely open to discussing” a Dee Gordon trade, reports Jerry Crasnick of ESPN (Twitter link). Gordon has been on teams’ radars in recent weeks, but now there’s “not much traffic” regarding the second baseman, per Crasnick. With roughly $41MM coming his way through 2021, the 29-year-old isn’t cheap, nor has he regained the effectiveness he showed from 2014-15. Gordon missed half of 2016 thanks to a performance-enhancing drug suspension and has slashed a meek .282/.323/.347 in 783 plate appearances dating back to last season. He has stolen 67 bases over that time, though, including 30 this year, and drawn plus marks in the field from defensive runs saved (eight) and Ultimate Zone Rating (8.1).

While a Gordon trade before Monday’s deadline may not be in the offing, it seems Marlins reserve catcher A.J. Ellis will switch uniforms. Along with the previously reported Cubs, the Rockies are in on the 36-year-old, tweets Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. With a .233/.314/.411 batting line, Rockies catchers have posted the worst wRC+ (45) in the majors this season. They’re looking for help behind the plate as a result, but Ellis hasn’t been a whole lot better than their choices with the bat (.232/.300/.341 in 91 PAs). Defensively, Ellis has had a rough pitch-framing season, per StatCorner, though he has outdone Rockies starter Tony Wolters in that regard. It seems the right-handed-hitting Ellis and the lefty-swinging Wolters would form a platoon.

More as the deadline nears:

  • While the Dodgers have come up as a potential landing spot for Yu Darvish, Sonny Gray or Justin Verlander, it appears for now that they’re likelier to acquire an impact reliever than a high-end starter, relays Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). On the subject of the Tigers’ Verlander, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports (on Twitter) that Los Angeles has focused less on him than reliever Justin Wilson in trade talks with Detroit. That isn’t surprising, as Verlander is on an onerous contract and unlikely to move before Monday.
  • The Blue Jays were reportedly “highly unlikely” to trade left-hander J.A. Happ as of two weeks ago, but now they’re open to offers, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag. The Jays aren’t aggressively shopping the 34-year-old, however, as he’s in the midst of another fine season and under control next season for a reasonable $13MM salary.
  • This season has been a struggle for Rangers first baseman/designated hitter Mike Napoli, but he’s garnering interest nonetheless, per Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan, who tweets that “teams love him in the clubhouse.” The powerful Napoli has slugged 22 home runs and put up an excellent .258 ISO, though his .208/.287/.466 line through 336 PAs isn’t pretty. But the 35-year-old has gotten hot at the right time, having slashed .260/.329/.658 in 82 PAs this month. Napoli’s on a $6MM salary this year and has an $11MM club option (or a $2.5MM buyout) for 2018.
  • Calls have come in on the Angels’ resurgent relief trio of Bud Norris, David Hernandez and Yusmeiro Petit, and the Halos are willing to deal all of them, tweets Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. MLBTR’s Jeff Todd broke down their 2017 performances Friday in a piece focusing on available righty relievers.

Brewers, Marlins Discussing Dan Straily

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The Brewers and Marlins are “engaged in ongoing dialogue” about Miami right-hander Dan Straily, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network (on Twitter). Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald first noted the Brewers’ interest in Straily.

A report Friday indicated that the Marlins had taken Straily off the market after briefly shopping him, yet they continue to discuss him as Monday’s trade deadline nears. In theory, Straily should represent a cheaper alternative to the Athletics’ Sonny Gray, the most desirable controllable starter available. However, one National League executive told Jon Heyman of FanRag that the Marlins have placed a “Sonny Gray type price” on Straily, whom they seemingly want to keep.

Straily is “no Sonny Gray,” one rival exec told Heyman, but he’d still bring back a legitimate return in his own right. The 28-year-old is an established major league starter who’s making a near-minimum salary now and comes with arbitration eligibility through 2020, so moving him would help the Marlins restock their fallow farm system.

After logging appealing results in Cincinnati last year, where he registered a 3.76 ERA, 7.62 K/9 and a 3.43 BB/9 over 191 1/3 innings, Straily went to the Marlins in an offseason trade involving righty Luis Castillo and has fared well again in 2017. Straily has thrown 117 1/3 frames and recorded a 3.84 ERA, 8.21 K/9 and a 2.53 BB/9. While Straily’s ground-ball rate is at just 34.4 percent (up from 32 percent a year ago), he has offset that with a 14.4 percent infield fly mark that ranks No. 1 among major league starters.

As was the case last year, ERA indicators such as FIP (4.38), xFIP (4.65) and SIERA (4.32) aren’t really buying into Straily’s success, and he’s once again benefiting from a low batting average on balls in play (.272 this season, .239 in 2016). Statcast data paints a rosier picture, though: Straily’s weighted on-base average against is a strong .318, but his xwOBA is an even better .298, per Baseball Savant (Gray’s is a strikingly similar .296).

Thanks to Straily’s performance and affordable control, it’s easy to see why teams – including the Brewers – would want him. Milwaukee has lost nine of 14 since the All-Star break to fall to 55-50 and lose its grip on the National League Central, which the Cubs now lead by a half-game, and seen its playoff odds dwindle significantly. While a postseason trip might not be in the cards for the upstart Brewers this year, acquiring Straily would give them a third proven big league starter who’s under wraps at palatable costs through 2020. The team already has Chase Anderson, who’s soon to return from a lengthy absence stemming from an oblique injury, and Jimmy Nelson. Adding Straily to that duo would ostensibly increase the Brewers’ chances to contend this season and in future years.

Nationals Focused On Britton, Wilson, Hand

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The Nationals remain open to upgrading their rotation, but their main priority now is the bullpen, and they’re especially interested in lefties Zach Britton, Justin Wilson and Brad Hand, FanRag’s Jon Heyman writes. Of the three, Britton might be the highest priority, Heyman writes. There appears to be considerable interest from other clubs, however (the Astros and Dodgers have both been closely connected to Britton), and it’s unclear whether the Orioles would trade Britton to a local rival.

We noted the Nationals’ strong interest in Wilson earlier today. The Tigers lefty has attracted plenty of interest from other clubs as well in a season in which he’s posted a 2.75 ERA, 12.6 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 while throwing his fastball at a career-high average of 96.1 MPH.

The Padres have said that they might hold onto Hand, who isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2019 season, and Heyman added in a tweet this afternoon that the Padres haven’t been overly impressed with the offers they’ve received and could consider keeping Hand. He’s in the midst of a second straight dominant season, however, with a 2.00 ERA, 11.7 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 over 54 innings, and his value might never be higher.

The Nationals have already bolstered their bullpen with the additions of Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle, and have at least one big hole in their rotation due to injuries to Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross. (The team recently promoted Erick Fedde, who might be able to capably fill one of those vacancies, but they still have Edwin Jackson in the other.) It appears they could be counting on a relatively quick return from Strasburg. As Heyman notes, they don’t want to trade top prospects Juan Soto or Victor Robles. Focusing on bullpen rather than rotation help, then, might be a way of limiting somewhat the prospect price they’ll have to pay for upgrades — while, of course, increasing the chance of avoiding some of the high-profile late-inning troubles they’ve had in recent playoff runs.

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