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Nationals To Acquire Roenis Elias

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After first picking up reliever Daniel Hudson from the Blue Jays, the Nationals have reached an agreement to acquire lefty Roenis Elias from the Mariners. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was first to report a deal was close, with Joel Sherman of the New York Post indicating that Elias had indeed been traded to the Nats.  Minor leaguers Elvis Alvarado and Taylor Guilbeau will head to Seattle in the deal, according to Rosenthal.

Elias, 31 tomorrow, broke in as a starter with the Mariners in 2014 and was re-acquired by the club in April 2018 after a two-year stint with Boston.  Working exclusively out of Seattle’s pen this year, he has a 4.40 ERA, 8.6 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 1.53 HR/9, and 34.1% groundball rate in 47 innings.  He’s faced 60 left-handed hitters in 2019, and they’ve teed off to the tune of a .353/.441/.549 batting line.  He’s been much more effective against lefties in the past.  With Hunter Strickland going down with a lat injury in April, Elias was able to slide into the Mariners’ closer role and rack up 14 saves in 16 opportunities.  Elias is earning $910K this year and is under team control through 2021.

The Nationals notoriously own the worst bullpen ERA in baseball, with their crew tallying a 5.97 ERA in 321 1/3 innings. Aside from closer Sean Doolittle, they’ve currently got Matt Grace and Tony Sipp coming out of the bullpen from the left side.  Neither has been particularly effective.  The Nationals signed veteran lefty Jonny Venters in late May and selected his contract a month later, but he’s on the IL with a shoulder strain.

Guilbeau, a lefty reliever who was promoted to Triple-A earlier this month, ranked as the Nationals’ 15th-best prospect according to MLB.com.  The site rated him as a 40 grade prospect, suggesting he can ride a mid-90s heater and above-average slider to a career as a left-handed specialist.  Alvarado was signed as an international free agent for $700K out of the Dominican Republic in 2015.  He played right field regularly in 2017 in the Dominican Summer League, moving to the mound in 2018-19 in the Gulf Coast League.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rays Pursuing Zack Wheeler

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Having lost Blake Snell to the injured list last week, the Rays are in pursuit of Mets right-hander Zack Wheeler, Andy Martino of SNY reports.

This isn’t the first time the Rays have been connected to Wheeler, though Snell wasn’t on the IL when Wheeler was initially said to be on the club’s radar. Snell underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery last week, which should shelve him for close to a month. His absence leaves a Rays team already low on traditional starters with Charlie Morton, Yonny Chirinos and the soon-to-be recalled Brendan McKay as its top options.

Despite their lack of conventional starters, the Rays are in possession of a 61-48 record and just a half-game behind a wild-card spot. Acquiring Wheeler may give the Rays the over-the-top push they’re seeking, though the Mets aren’t a sure thing to trade the 29-year-old soon-to-be free agent. They’ve climbed to within five games of a playoff spot thanks to a recent hot streak, and keeping Wheeler along with Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman and Steven Matz would give them one of the best rotations in baseball on paper. Wheeler has provided New York 124 innings of 4.71 ERA/3.65 FIP pitching with 9.92 K/9 and 2.46 BB/9 this year.

Nationals To Acquire Hunter Strickland

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The Nationals will acquire reliever Hunter Strickland from the Mariners, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Lefty Aaron Fletcher’s going to Seattle in return.

Strickland’s the third reliever of the day heading to the bullpen-needy Nationals. He’s the second on his way from the Mariners, who previously traded lefty Roenis Elias to the Nationals. The Nats also landed righty Daniel Hudson from the Blue Jays.

Strickland, a former Giant whom the Mariners signed to a $1.3MM guarantee in the offseason, has barely pitched this year. A lat strain kept him out of action from the end of March until earlier this week. Strickland made his first appearance in almost four months last Sunday, throwing a clean inning against the Tigers.

Considering the 30-year-old Strickland has totaled just 3 1/3 frames this year, there’s not much to glean from his performance. But he was largely an effective option with the Giants from 2014-18, a 226-inning span in which the hard thrower notched a 2.91 ERA/3.40 FIP with 8.4 K/9 and 3.15 BB/9. Strickland also had a memorable dustup with then-Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper during that period, though that’s obviously not a concern now with Harper a member of the Phillies.

Strickland could be a multiyear piece for the Nationals, who will have a chance to control him via arbitration for two seasons after this one. Meanwhile, the hope for the Mariners is that Fletcher will be around for much longer. The 23-year-old, whom the Nationals chose in the 14th round of the 2018 draft, has divided this season among the Single-A, High-A and Double-A levels, pitching to a sterling 1.79 ERA with 10.3 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 60 1/3 innings. Fletcher ranked as the Nationals’ 21st-best prospect prior to the trade, according to MLB.com, which sees him as a potential major league reliever.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Brewers To Acquire Drew Pomeranz, Ray Black

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1:27pm: ESPN’s Jeff Passan tweets that hard-throwing righty Ray Black will also go to Milwaukee.

1:25pm: Lefty Drew Pomeranz is one player headed to the Brewers in the swap, tweets Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. If the Brewers are parting with a prospect of Dubon’s caliber, there’ll surely be other names in play.

1:23pm: The Brewers ad Giants are in agreement on a “significant” trade, reports Robert Murray of The Athletic (via Twitter). The big league players involved in the swap remain unknown, but well-regarded second base prospect Mauricio Dubon is headed from Milwaukee to San Francisco as part of the exchange. Madison Bumgarner is *not* going to Milwaukee, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

In Dubon, the Giants will acquire a Major League-ready 25-year-old who can step directly onto the roster. Dubon’s 2018 season was cut short by a torn ACL, but he’s returned to bat .297/.333/.475 with 16 home runs, 22 doubles, a triple and nine steals in the hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He’ll face a much more daunting offensive environment in the big leagues when he plays his home games at the cavernous Oracle Park in San Francisco.

Scouting reports on Dubon peg him as a hit-over-power prospect, and the move to Oracle Park doesn’t figure to do his power numbers any favor. But he’s never batted lower than .274 in a full minor league season, and he’s maintained strikeout rates south of 15 percent on a year-over-year basis. Dubon doesn’t walk much, but his knack for putting the ball in play should help his on-base skills in the big leagues. He’s considered capable of playing an average or better second base even after last year’s knee injury.

The veteran Pomeranz is the more well-known of the two arms being acquired by the Brewers, but he seems like a secondary piece in this swap. Pomeranz had an awful year in the Giants’ rotation but has garnered some attention following a (very) recent shift to the bullpen. In four relief outings, he’s tossed 5 1/3 shutout frames with just one hit and one walk allowed against eight strikeouts. The lefty has ample experience in the rotation and could return to that role if the Brewers feel he’s a mechanical adjustment or pitch-selection alteration away from returning to hi 2017 form, but his recent success in a return to the bullpen is more intriguing.

Black is already 29 years old but is the more appealing piece for Milwaukee. Durability has been an issue for the right-hander, but if he’s healthy he’ll be among the hardest-throwing pitchers in Major League Baseball. Black has averaged 99.1 mph on his heater in a tiny sample this season and regularly hits triple digits with a fastball that draws 80 grades on some scouting reports. Black has averaged nearly 17 strikeouts per nine innings pitched in his minor league career and might not even finish the season with a full year of MLB service, meaning he can be controlled through 2025.

Angels Reinstate Jonathan Lucroy, Designate Dustin Garneau

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The Angels have reinstated catcher Jonathan Lucroy from the injured list and designated fellow backstop Dustin Garneau for assignment, the team announced.

Lucroy’s back after an awful July 7 collision at home plate with Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick sent him to the shelf. Lucroy suffered a concussion and a broken nose that day. He later had to undergo surgery on his nasal fracture. Before the injury, the 33-year-old former star hit an underwhelming .237/.307/.364 with seven home runs in 264 plate appearances. Lucroy’s once-pristine defense also continued to trend downward.

Garneau, whom the Angels already designated once this year before Wednesday, has performed respectably at the plate this season. The 31-year-old owns a .232/.346/.362 line with a pair of homers in 82 trips to the plate. If Garneau doesn’t end up with another team in the next week, he’ll be able to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency should he choose. For now, he’ll go into DFA limbo as the Angels opt for a Lucroy-Kevan Smith setup at catcher.

Mets Reportedly Plan To Keep Edwin Diaz

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Mets closer Edwin Diaz has frequented the rumor mill this week, but it appears he’ll remain in place beyond the deadline. The “belief” is that the Mets will retain Diaz, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Several teams have shown interest in Diaz of late, but the Mets wouldn’t exactly be selling him when his value’s at its zenith. The Mets already bought high on Diaz last offseason, sending two top prospects – outfielder Jarred Kelenic and righty Justin Dunn – to the Mariners in a deal for Diaz and the $100MM left on second baseman Robinson Cano’s contract. At the time, Diaz was coming off an otherworldly season in which he converted 57 of 61 save chances, logged a 1.96 ERA/1.61 FIP and posted 15.22 K/9 against 2.09 BB/9 in 73 1/3 innings.

This season hasn’t been the same story for the 25-year-old Diaz, who has blown five saves in 28 opportunities, recorded an ugly 5.05 ERA (with a better, albeit not great, 3.93 FIP) and 13.83 K/9 against 3.29 BB/9 over 41 frames. There’s still appeal in the hard-throwing Diaz, who’s making a near-minimum salary and under arbitration control for the next three seasons. But the suddenly surging Mets seem inclined to keep Diaz for at least the rest of the season to see if he can restore some of the value he has lost this year.

Nationals Acquire Daniel Hudson

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2:32pm: This deal is now official. Southpaw Jonny Venters goes on the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot.

12:55pm: The Nationals have struck a deal to acquire righty Daniel Hudson, according to Scott Mitchell of TSN (Twitter link). Minor-league righty Kyle Johnston is going to Toronto in return, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter).

Hudson, 32, emerged as a trade candidate after throwing 48 innings of 3.00 ERA ball for the Blue Jays this year. That’s a nice showing considering that Toronto added him late in camp on a minor-league deal with a $1.5MM base salary and $1.5MM in incentives.

Unfortunately, it’s questionable whether Hudson can sustain that effort down the stretch. He’s averaging a strikeout per inning, but has also handed out 4.3 walks per nine and has benefited from a .258 batting average on balls in play and 80.7% strand rate. While he’s still pumping 96, Hudson is also sitting at a 9.9% swinging-strike rate after topping twelve percent in each of the three prior seasons.

No doubt the Nats don’t expect Hudson to dominate so much as to provide serviceable innings. The club has not had enough of those to this point of the season, creating a need for multiple deadline additions. In all likelihood, Hudson is the first of one or more new relief arms who’ll come to DC in the next two hours.

The 23-year-old Johnston is a former sixth-round pick who’s said to hold some promise as a future reliever. He’s currently working at the High-A level, where he owns a 4.03 ERA in 105 innings with 8.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ken Giles Still “In Play” In Trade Talks

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12:53pm: The Yankees are “considering” Giles, Jon Heyman of the MLB Network tweets. New York lined up on a deadline deal with division-rival Toronto last season when acquiring J.A. Happ.

12:20pm: Blue Jays righty Ken Giles may not be at full health, but he’s still “in play” in trade talks, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). That seemed increasingly unlikely when it emerged yesterday that the closer had undergone a cortisone shot to treat an elbow issue.

The 28-year-old Giles was clearly among the game’s best trade candidates before his recent elbow woes arose. He’s earning a reasonable $6.3MM this year with another arbitration season left to go. Long known for his talent, Giles also had returned to producing exceptional on-field results to begin the 2019 campaign.

When he came to Toronto, Giles was a bounceback asset. He has done exactly that. In his 35 innings this season, he owns a 1.54 ERA with a hefty 14.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. Unlike many pitchers, Giles has successfully limited the long ball, allowing just a pair.

Teams considering an investment of this type want as much certainty as possible. In that regard, the elbow issues are worrying, even if they’ve been deemed non-structural.

That said, the upside is tremendous. Giles carries a monster 20.3% swinging-strike rate this year. He’s averaging 96.9 mph on his fastball, which is down from his peak but still strong. And Statcast thinks he has been a bit unlucky on batted-ball fortune, crediting him with an exceptional .232 xwOBA that’s quite a bit lower than his still-excellent .253 wOBA.

Braves, Nats Pursuing Shane Greene

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12:36pm: The Tigers are still insisting the Nats part with top prospect Carter Kieboom to move Greene, according to Morosi (Twitter link). It’s frankly difficult to imagine that asking price being met with the highly regarded Kieboom dominating Triple-A pitching at 21 years of age. That’s all the more true given that Kieboom could fit on the Nats’ 2020 roster (if not the late-2019 roster) in a variety of ways.

12:07pm: The Braves and Nationals are not just engaged in a key series at the moment. It seems they’re also each pushing for the same relief arms — in particular, Tigers righty Shane Greene.

The Atlanta and Washington organizations are “leaders in the clubhouse” to secure the services of Greene, according to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News (Twitter link). Talks between the Braves and Tigers have “intensified” recently, with Greene “the focus,” per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter).

Greene, 30, is earning a reasonable $4MM this year for the Tigers. That’s nothing for his 38 innings of 1.18 ERA ball and 22 saves, though rival organizations still need to assess whether that’s what they can expect moving forward from Greene, who’ll be eligible for arbitration a final time next year.

Clearly, nobody thinks he’ll be able to sustain that sort of pitching output. But there’s good reason to think that Greene is and will remain a quality late-inning piece. He’s carrying 10.2 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 with a 53.8% groundball rate, with an 11.1% swinging-strike rate that’s substantially better than his prior two seasons.

Yankees, Astros Pursuing Madison Bumgarner, Zack Wheeler

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The Yankees and Astros, two American League superpowers, continue their pursuit of high-profile starting pitchers. Both teams are in on Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner and Mets righty Zack Wheeler, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets. The Astros are also “focused” on Diamondbacks southpaw Robbie Ray, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com. Ray has been on the Yankees’ radar of late, too.

The Astros and Yankees are among the teams on Bumgarner’s limited no-trade list, but that doesn’t mean the pending free agent would block a deal to either club. Of course, it’s not a sure thing the playoff-contending Giants will even move Bumgarner, a franchise icon, by today’s deadline. They’ve been telling teams that they plan to keep him and closer Will Smith, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

This is the second time this week the Astros have been prominently connected to Bumgarner and Wheeler. As is the case with Bumgarner, Wheeler’s a 29-year-old soon-to-be free agent. While Wheeler may be the top trade candidate in baseball, the Mets aren’t guaranteed to part with him. They’ve made something of a charge up the standings of late, and seem prepared to retain Wheeler if they don’t get the type of return they’re seeking for the flamethrower. And whether the Mets would even trade Wheeler to the hated Yankees is also in question.

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