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Dodgers Acquire Dylan Floro, Zach Neal From Reds; Designate Daniel Corcino

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The Dodgers have acquired right-handers Dylan Floro and Zach Neal from the Reds, as per a team press release.  Los Angeles will also receive some international bonus pool space from Cincinnati in the trade, and right-hander Daniel Corcino has been designated for assignment to create a 40-man roster spot.  The Reds will receive minor league right-handers Aneurys Zabala and James Marinan in the trade.

After signing a minor league deal with Cincy over the winter, Floro emerged as a solid bullpen piece for the Reds, posting a 2.72 ERA, 2.25 K/BB rate, and a 6.7 K/9 over 36 1/3 innings this season.  While he doesn’t miss many bats, Floro has consistently been able to keep the ball on the ground over his seven-year pro career, including a 56.8% grounder rate in 2018.  He has also done a good job of limiting contact, as his .282 xwOBA is notably lower than his .307 wOBA.

Floro’s skillset makes him a logical fit in a Dodgers bullpen that has had some issues keeping the ball in the park, as the L.A. relief corps ranks in the bottom half of all bullpens in HR/9.  Dodgers relievers generally rank around the middle of the pack in most categories, and the team was known to have been looking around (particularly at the Marlins) for some bullpen help to bolster a unit that has been thinned by injuries.  It wouldn’t be surprising if the Dodgers weren’t done with their relief shopping prior to the deadline, as while Floro has been effective this year, he isn’t a proven commodity with only 61 career Major League innings under his belt.

This is actually the second time Floro has been in the Dodgers’ system, as the club selected him off waivers from the Cubs last summer before letting him go as a free agent after the season.  Neal is another former Dodger, who was dealt to the Reds back in April as part of a three-player trade.  The 29-year-old Neal saw lot of action (70 innings) right out of the gate in his 2016 rookie season as a member of the A’s, though he has since tossed just 15 2/3 big league frames.  He’ll likely continue to pitch in Triple-A, potentially replacing Corcino as minor league relief and swingman depth if Corcino is lost on DFA waivers.

Corcino tossed four innings for L.A. this season, which marked his first bit of MLB action since 18 2/3 innings for the Reds back in 2014.  The 27-year-old has a 4.06 ERA, 8.2 K/9, and 2.05 K/BB rate over 838 1/3 minor league innings in the farm systems of the Reds, Cubs, and Dodgers.

This is the Reds’ second trade of international bonus pool space in the last three days.  Cincinnati can’t spend more than $300K on any single international prospect in this year’s July 2 class due to past overages (under the old int’l signing rules), and with a large pool of $6,025,400 to work with, it isn’t surprising that the Reds have unloaded some of that cash to the Red Sox and now the Dodgers to obtain some other young talent.  It isn’t known how much Cincy is sending to Los Angeles, though international pool funds can only be dealt in $250K increments.

Marinan is the most notable prospect name in the trade, with MLB.com ranking him 21st amongst Dodgers farmhands (Baseball America had Marinan 24th in their preseason ranking of Los Angeles’ top 30 minor leaguers).  A fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft, Marinan is still just 19 years old, and he has a 1.95 ERA over 27 2/3 innings at the rookie ball level, albeit with a troubling 5.9 BB/9.  MLB.com’s scouting report lists the young righty at 6’5″ and 220 pounds, and describes him as possessing a fastball in the 92-96mph range, a slider, and “an upper-70s curveball that features good depth when he stays on top of it.”

Zabala is another young arm joining the Reds’ farm system, a 21-year-old signed out of the Dominican Republic who is in his fifth season of pro ball.  Zabala has worked exclusively as a reliever since 2015, and he has a career 5.05 ERA, 7.5 K/9, and 1.26 K/BB over 164 innings.

AL East Notes: MASN, Happ, Estrada, Machado

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While the ongoing television rights dispute between the Orioles and Nationals has been out of the news for some time, that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been any action behind the scenes. Jeff Barker of the Baltimore Sun recently provided a notable update on the situation. While the Baltimore organization has “grown weary of battling Major League Baseball over the [MASN] network” and has tried to work out a settlement, there’s still no resolution. At present, there’s no indication that the stalemate will be broken voluntarily; barring a change in that dynamic, the next big event on the calendar is a scheduled arbitration hearing in November.

Here’s the latest from the AL East:

  • The Yankees may be the “main player” for Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ, per Jon Heyman of Fancred (via Twitter). Not only is Happ arguably the best rental starter on the market, but it seems the Yanks hold him in high regard. They won’t be alone in pursuing the Toronto southpaw, however. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets that the Jays are directing some scouting resources toward the Brewers farm system, perhaps in anticipation of interest from the Milwaukee organization.
  • Fellow Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada left last night’s game with a sore hip, as MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm was among those to tweet. For now, the severity isn’t known, though perhaps it’s promising that the Toronto organization made a roster transaction today but did not feel compelled to rush Estrada onto the disabled list. As we recently examined, Estrada’s strong performance of late has made him seem increasingly like a potential trade candidate this summer, but he’ll only be a useful asset for the Jays if he’s in good health.
  • Orioles third baseman Manny Machado is said to be drawing wide and increasingly active interest from a variety of rival organizations. That’s no surprise, as he’s a mid-prime rental asset of rare ability. The Diamondbacks have held “consistent” talks with the Baltimore organization, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (Twitter links), which largely confirms the steady stream of reports we’ve seen on Arizona’s engagement. Morosi adds that the O’s are interested in young D-Backs prospect Jon Duplantier, whose current injury has “complicated” efforts to put together a package that suits both teams. It’s hard to gauge to what extent Duplantier’s status will impact the broader Machado situation, in no small part because it is not apparent whether he’s a player the Snakes would be willing to part with for a rental. Meanwhile, the Braves do have some interest in Machado, Morosi also tweets, but are mostly exploring the market for “controllable relievers” at the moment. Again, that dovetails with what we’ve heard out of Atlanta in recent weeks.

Blue Jays Designate Preston Guilmet; Select Luis Santos, Rhiner Cruz

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The Blue Jays announced some pitching shuffling in advance of today’s game. Righty Preston Guilmet was designated for assignment to facilitate the additions of righties Luis Santos and Rhiner Cruz, whose contracts were selected. An additional active roster spot was cleared by optioning lefty Tim Mayza.

The 30-year-old Guilmet had been plucked off of waivers earlier in the season from the Cardinals. Unfortunately, he has not been able to carve out a permanent role in his first MLB action since 2015. Through eight frames in Toronto,he allowed eight earned runs and four home runs while recording only five strikeouts against four walks.

Santos threw well last year in a brief debut stint for the Jays, but was bombed in his lone outing of 2018. He has gone on to pitch rather well at Triple-A since that time and now owns a 2.52 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings.

As for Cruz, he’s returning from an even longer MLB absence than was Guilmet. Now 31 years of age, Cruz allowed one earned run in 8 2/3 frames at Buffalo before earning the call. He previously appeared in 2012 and 2013 with the Astros.

Angels Place Tyler Skaggs, Chris Young On 10-Day DL

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The Angels have placed lefty Tyler Skaggs and outfielder Chris Young on the 10-day disabled list, per a club announcement. That pair will be replaced by righty Deck McGuire and outfielder Jabari Blash.

In more promising news, right-hander Garrett Richards has been reinstated from his own stint on the DL. He’ll take the active roster spot of utilityman Kaleb Cowart, who was optioned back to Triple-A.

Skaggs has been diagnosed with a strain in his right thigh adductor, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. His placement is backdated to July 1st. It is not clear at this point what kind of absence the Halos expect for Skaggs, but anything more than a brief respite would represent quite a disappointing turn of events.

It has to this point been a breakthrough campaign for Skaggs, who’s preparing to celebrate his 27th birthday later this month. In 92 innings, he owns a 2.64 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9. Unfortunately, health remains a major limiting factor for the talented hurler.

As for Young, he hasn’t been productive at all since joining the Angels on a one-year deal. But he has outperformed Kole Calhoun, who’ll now presumably be spelled against lefties by Blash.

Things had finally seemed to be clicking for the Angels earlier this year. But an ongoing run of injuries has contributed to a slide back to the .500 mark — good only for fourth place in a competitive AL West division.

AL West Notes: Young, Barnette, Carlson, Mariners

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Angels outfielder Chris Young is the latest Halos player to turn up with an injury issue. He left last night’s game with a left hamstring strain. While a full medical assessment likely won’t occur until today, at the earliest, it is likely “going to be a while” until Young is back, skipper Mike Scioscia told reporters including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). Young, 34, has struggled out of the gates, posting a .168/.252/.363 batting line in 128 plate appearances. [Update: Young has been placed on the DL]

Here’s more from the AL West:

  • Similarly, the outlook is a bit concerning for Rangers righty Tony Barnette. He’ll be looked over today but is already believed to be dealing with a potentially worrisome shoulder strain, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Though the Texas organization isn’t contending, and can simply recall just-optioned righty Chris Martin, the potential loss of Barnette is still notable. The 34-year-old had pitched his way into a useful trade piece for the Rangers. Through 26 1/3 innings, he owns a 2.39 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 along with a 51.4% groundball rate. He’s earning only $1.5MM this year, making him a budget-friendly target — if he can avoid a lengthy DL stint in the run-up to the deadline. [Update: Barnette has been placed on the DL; Martin was recalled to take the open roster spot]
  • Mariners prospect Sam Carlson is going to be out for quite some time after undergoing Tommy John surgery, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports. GM Jerry Dipoto explains that the organization made every effort to keep the 2017 second-rounder off of the surgeon’s table. Ultimately, though, there was no alternative to a full replacement of his ulnar collateral ligament. As Dipoto notes, the youngster will still only be twenty years of age when he’s nearing a return, though it’s certainly possible he won’t see competitive action until the 2020 campaign.
  • While the Mariners’ new commitment to Wade LeBlanc will surely have some impact on the team’s near-future rotation planning, Dipoto also says the just-announced extension won’t constrict the organization at the deadline, as MLB.com’s Greg Johns reports. Though Dipoto says he’s rather bullish on LeBlanc’s ability to remain a quality rotation piece, he also says that the club will still consider additions to bolster its starting staff. At the same time, he didn’t sound like he feels compelled to add an arm. “I think if there is an opportunity for us to expand or augment our pitching group, wherever that is, then we’re going to be attentive to that,” says Dipoto. “If there is the ability to go out and find a guy who we feel like either takes some of the inning stress off our starters in the second half or can give us that late punch at the back end of our bullpen, then we’ll go that route. And if that opportunity doesn’t present itself, we probably won’t chase it.”

Cubs Designate Chris Gimenez

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The Cubs have designated catcher Chris Gimenez for assignment, per a club announcement. He’ll be replaced by fellow backstop Victor Caratini, who has been recalled from Triple-A.

Gimenez, 35, has delivered nothing in the way of offense this year for Chicago. Indeed, he has just four singles and three walks in 32 trips to the plate on the season. While the club obviously brought him up for other reasons — namely, his solid reputation as a handler of a pitching staff — that minimal output proved decisive.

As for Caratini, he’ll look to improve on his own tepid offensive work from earlier this season. He has mashed at Triple-A since being demoted, as he did in 2017, so there’s little for him to prove as a hitter at the highest level of the minors.

Rays Select Ryan Weber

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The Rays have selected the contract of righty Ryan Weber, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (Twitter links). Tampa Bay moved fellow righty Wilmer Font to the 60-day DL to create 40-man space.

In other moves, reliever Andrew Kittredge is also coming up to the active roster. To create the two needed openings there, the Rays have placed lefty Vidal Nuno on the 10-day DL and optioned righty Austin Pruitt.

Weber, 27, was up earlier in the year but only made one appearance before being outrighted. He has been successful at Triple-A, turning in 68 2/3 innings of 2.23 ERA ball. Though his combination of 5.8 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 aren’t terribly exciting, Weber has carried a 51.8% groundball rate and functioned in a multi-inning capacity — a consideration of particular importance given the Rays’ unusual staff usage.

NL East Notes: Phillies, Hamels, Marlins, Cespedes

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Phillies GM Matt Klentak discussed his approach to the coming trade deadline with reporters including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. He emphasized a need “to understand how we got here and why we got here, and it’s because of our young players developing not only in the minor leagues, but at the major league level.” At the same time, he said he’ll be looking to “upgrade the team in the short term or long term via trade.” The Phils’ baseball ops point man indicated that he will indeed be willing to pursue pure rental options, though the organization will also need to “make sure that whatever trades we’re contemplating are appropriately balancing now with the future.”

  • It’s still unknown just how aggressive the Phillies will be in their first season of contention under the current front office regime. The club is one of the most interesting buy-side organizations to watch. Jon Heyman of Fancred dangles one intriguing possibility, tweeting that he’s “hearing some chatter” regarding the possible pursuit of Rangers lefty Cole Hamels. That said, Heyman also notes that he’s “unsure how serious the chatter is.” The long-time Philadelphia hurler is a clear trade candidate, though his big remaining guarantee, 2019 option, and 20-team no-trade protection figure to complicate things from the Rangers’ perspective. And it’s fair to wonder if the Phillies would set their sights on a more significant addition if they try to add to their rotation.
  • The Marlins don’t have many clear trade pieces, but certainly have a number of possibilities. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald provides an update on the organization’s approach, writing that there’s a willingness to deal players who are within a few seasons of free agency. At the same time, per the report, the Marlins are no longer especially motivated by trimming salary — which isn’t to say that won’t be a notable consideration, especially for higher-priced players such as Brad Ziegler. The veteran reliever is “most likely to be moved” of all the club’s players, Jackson notes. Of even greater interest, the team’s most valuable asset — catcher J.T. Realmuto — is said to be viewed internally as an extension target as much as a potential trade chip. It’s hardly clear whether a long-term arrangement is a realistic possibility, but there’s little question the Marlins will (and should) seek a hefty return for the mid-prime backstop.
  • While it likely won’t have much of an impact on the deadline, the Mets finally got some promising news yesterday on Yoenis Cespedes, who has been on ice since the middle of May. The veteran outfielder began running, as Mike Puma of the New York Post was among those to tweet, which would seem to suggest that his ailing hip is feeling better. It’s a lost season for the Mets, and Cespedes won’t likely feature as a trade candidate, but that doesn’t mean his return isn’t significant. With salaries of $29MM and $29.5MM for the coming two seasons, Cespedes will be a key part of the picture for the New York organization as it navigates a tricky stretch.

Nationals Designate Tim Collins

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The Nationals have designated lefty Tim Collins for assignment, per a club announcement. His roster spot was needed for the activation of Matt Adams from the 10-day DL.

With the Nats stuck in a brutal run of poor results, they’ll sacrifice some bullpen depth in order to increase their offensive options with the return of Adams. The first baseman had been on the shelf after suffering a minor finger fracture on a bunt attempt.

Collins, 28, has worked to a 2.77 ERA in his 13 innings on the year — his first frames in the bigs since way back in 2014. Unfortunately, he has also managed only eight strikeouts while issuing six walks.

There were some positive signs, too. Collins is working at 93.1 mph with his fastball, right near his career average, and has managed an 11.2% swinging-strike rate. He has been tagged by righties (.455 wOBA) but been equally dominant against lefties (.191 wOBA).

For the Nats, there were simply more pressing needs than another lefty reliever. With Matt Grace on hand and Sammy Solis in reserve at Triple-A, there are other options. Plus, the club could conceivably mix and match in the late innings rather than using southpaw Sean Doolittle exclusively as a closer. Whether another team will value Collins as a MLB roster piece remains to be seen; if not, perhaps he could end up back at Triple-A in the D.C. organization.

Red Sox Activate Tyler Thornburg

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The Red Sox have officially activated right-hander Tyler Thornburg, marking his first appearance on the club’s active roster. Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe tweeted last night that the move was set to be made and the club announced it this morning.

Now 29, Thornburg came over from the Brewers in a Winter Meetings swap in advance of the 2017 campaign. The package delivered third baseman Travis Shaw and prospects Mauricio Dubon, Josh Pennington and Yeison Coca to Milwaukee.

At the time, MLBTR contributor Burke Badenhop — who had once been traded between these same teams — interviewed Thornburg to discuss the move and give him a taste of what to expect. Unfortunately, the anticipated appearances at Fenway Park never took place in the season that followed.

Thornburg came down with somewhat mysterious shoulder troubles during the offseason and ultimately underwent a procedure to address thoracic outlet syndrome in July of 2017. He has been working back ever since.

Despite the uncertainty, the Red Sox staked an additional bet on Thornburg over the winter by tendering him arbitration. He’s earning $2.05MM, a repeat of his 2017 salary, and can be controlled for one more campaign through the arb process.

Thornburg’s first appearances with the Boston organization came on his just-completed rehab assignment. In 16 1/3 total upper-minors innings this year, he owns a 4.96 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9. As those numbers might hint, reports on Thornburg have wavered a bit, suggesting he may still be settling in after a long layoff.

It’s hard to know what to expect at this point, certainly, but Thornburg was quite impressive in his most recent MLB season — a breakout 2016 effort. Sitting at 94 and getting whiffs on about a dozen out of every hundred pitches, he turned in 67 frames of 2.15 ERA ball with 12.1 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 along with a 32.4 percent ground-ball rate.

Now, Thornburg will be trying to reestablish himself at the game’s highest level. The Red Sox, meanwhile, will be watching closely to see if he’s capable of fulfilling an important role down the stretch, perhaps reducing the need for any outside additions to the team’s array of right-handed setup options.

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