NL Central Notes: Cozart, Piscotty, Brewers, Montero

While Zack Cozart still stands out as a logical on-paper trade candidate, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that it doesn’t seem that much of a market has developed for the 31-year-old. That puts the Reds in a difficult position, as if no trade materializes, they’ll need to weigh whether to make Cozart a qualifying offer that’ll likely be worth a bit more than $18MM. Cozart’s sensational defense and huge step forward both in terms of power and plate discipline make that seem like a reasonable offer for the Reds. However, the lack of a clear market for shortstops and the draft compensation to which he’d be tied could make Cozart at least ponder accepting a theoretical QO, Buchanan notes.

More from the NL Central…

• Cardinals outfielder Stephen Piscotty, who was recalled from Triple-A Memphis for yesterday’s doubleheader, will stick with the club moving forward, tweets MLB.com’s Jen Langosch. First baseman Luke Voit has been optioned to Memphis in his place. The 26-year-old Piscotty, who signed a six-year deal in April but was sent to Memphis after some considerable struggles, tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that he feels the demotion was beneficial in the long run. “It was a shot in the arm, and I needed it,” said Piscotty. The brief trip to the minors allowed Piscotty to “get back to basics,” in the outfielder’s words, and the fact that he obliterated Triple-A pitching over an eight-game stretch certainly had to help his confidence. In 38 plate appearances, Piscotty mashed to the tune of a .313/.421/.781 batting line with four homers and three doubles.
• The catcher position has been an unexpected strength for the Brewers in 2017, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Following last summer’s trade of Jonathan Lucroy and the offseason trade of Martin Maldonado, Milwaukee entered the year with the unheralded trio of Manny Pina, Jett Bandy and Andrew Susac competing for playing time. An injury to Susac almost immediately took him out of the picture, and Bandy faded after a hot start. Pina, though, has continued to produce on both sides of the ball, and his .285/.328/.451 batting line places him among the game’s most productive backstops. The 30-year-old was acquired with little fanfare, coming over from the Tigers as a player to be named later in the Dec. 2015 Francisco Rodriguez trade, but he’s become an invaluable asset for the Brewers.
• Miguel Montero told Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times that he doesn’t have any hard feelings toward the Cubs organization — neither the front office nor his former teammates — following his abrupt dismissal earlier this summer. On his final day as a Cub, Montero called out Jake Arrieta and other Cubs hurlers for being slow to the plate with their deliveries, and the Cubs quickly designated him for assignment. Former teammate Anthony Rizzo went on to suggest that Montero’s comments were those of a player that was being “selfish.” Montero called Rizzo a “great player” and a “good teammate” and said that he harbors no ill feelings toward him for the comments, even if he does disagree with the sentiment. Montero revealed that five clubs were in touch with his agent about a possible fit in anticipation of him potentially being released, though that never happened, as the Cubs agreed to a trade that sent him to Toronto before waiving him. “If I was really that bad guy they said I was, the teams aren’t interested in bad guys,” said Montero.