Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for 2019

Athletics Release Nick Hundley

By | at

The Athletics have released catcher Nick Hundley, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The veteran catcher was designated for assignment last week.

The move marks the end of a disappointing Athletics tenure for Hundley, who signed with the club on a minor-league contract last winter. He slashed an underwhelming .200/.233/.357 in just 73 plate appearances. That lack of production, coupled with injuries that limited his availability, left Hundley falling behind the A’s other catching options in Chris Herrman and Josh Phegley.

Despite his struggles, Hundley’s experience should earn him another chance with a team in search of depth behind the plate. Prior to this season, he served as a capable backup for San Francisco’s Buster Posey. He’s the owner of a career .703 OPS—certainly an acceptable mark for a reserve catcher—but defensive metrics see his framing and control of the running game as below-average.

Trade Notes & Rumors: Padres, Jays, Chang

By | at

While Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler and Trevor Bauer may be dominating the headlines, numerous under-the-radar names are also being bandied about as the trade deadline approaches. We’ll round up a few here.

  • Unsurprisingly, the Padres have been getting calls on some of their top prospects. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports interest in infielder Luis Urias among teams who believe he can be a capable everyday shortstop. Urias has continued to play predominantly shortstop in the minors, but the position is obviously filled in Petco for the forseeable future by Fernando Tatis, Jr. Most public outlets believe second base to be a better fit for Urias regardless, but there’s little concern he can’t handle the increased offensive demands of the keystone. The 22 year-old is laying waste to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League and is a consensus top-50 prospect. While not necessarily related to any interest in Urias, Rosenthal further notes the Friars have been on the lookout for a left-handed bat to help balance their lineup.
  • Urias isn’t the only San Diego high-minors farmhand piquing interest. Amidst speculation about a three-team Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman trade, the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee tweets the Blue Jays have interest in Padres’ left-hander Adrian Morejon. The 20 year-old was a high-profile Cuban signee as an amateur and has flown through the minors. While he’s not likely a future ace and has a bit of a spotty injury history, Fangraphs’ Eric Longehagen and Kiley McDaniel note that Morejon’s stuff and command give him a chance to be a mid-rotation starter.
  • Speaking of the Jays, Rosenthal reports interest on an under-the-radar relief option. In addition to the commonly-speculated Ken Giles and Daniel Hudson, Rosenthal notes there have been some calls on right-hander Joe Biagini. The 29 year-old has a 3.42 ERA, 23.9% strikeout rate and 7.6% walk rate in 47 relief appearances. While he won’t be anyone’s headline acquisition, he also comes with three years of team control beyond this season at likely affordable rates.
  • The Padres aren’t the only team with a high-minors prospect sparking leaguewide demand. Cleveland infielder Yu Chang is drawing some calls, per Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com. Soon to turn 24, the Taiwnese infielder is a bat-first prospect who made his MLB debut this season but could have a hard time breaking into a loaded left side of the Cleveland infield. He’s slashing a solid, if unspectacular .273/.344/.448 this season in Triple-A.

Astros Reluctant To Deal Kyle Tucker For Noah Syndergaard

By | at

Houston has been involved in this week’s Noah Syndergaard rumor extravaganza, but at last check, the Astros were said to be “pessimistic” about acquiring him. It turns out the team has “backed off” in its pursuit of Syndergaard partly because of a hesitance to trade high-end outfield prospect Kyle Tucker, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (subscription required).

Now 22, Tucker has been considered one of the game’s premier prospects since the Astros drafted him fifth overall in 2015. Baseball America (subscription required) ranked him as the game’s 12th-best farmhand in its most recent update, while ESPN’s Keith Law (subscription) placed him 19th. Tucker’s lone taste of major league action last year went horribly – he hit .141/.236/.203 in 72 homer-less plate appearances – but Law explains there’s little cause for panic. At the same time, though, BA and Law each suggest he may be a candidate for a change of scenery.

There is no immediate opening for Tucker in Houston, which has Michael Brantley and Josh Reddick as its primary corner outfielders, superlative rookie Yordan Alvarez at designated hitter and Yuli Gurriel at first base (where Tucker has been getting work of late). Nevertheless, indications are that Tucker’s an Astro to stay. Two weeks ago, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic (subscription) wrote that “it would be a major upset” to see the Astros ship him out for a starting pitcher by Wednesday’s deadline. General manager Jeff Luhnow explained to Kaplan at the time that the Astros still regard Tucker as a cornerstone in the making.

Although he stopped short of calling Tucker “untouchable,” Luhnow noted, “I see Tucker as a part of this team going forward.” He added that “it would be very difficult for us to move one of the top prospects in the game who is just starting his career and is still young and looks like he’s going to have a lot of upside.”

Tucker, for what it’s worth, has slashed .261/.344/.558 with 26 home runs and 22 stolen bases in 403 Triple-A plate appearances this year. Those look like exceptional numbers on paper, but Tucker’s output has only been 10 percent better than average in the offensive gantlet known as the Pacific Coast League, according to FanGraphs’ wRC+ metric. Tucker was an incredible 55 percent superior to the league mean when he hit .332/.400/.590 with 24 HRs and 20 steals in 465 PA during his first try at the Triple-A level in 2018. He has since upped his strikeout rate from 18.1 percent to 24.1.

Despite his downturn in production this year, doubters in Tucker’s long-term potential are few and far between. And if the Astros don’t want to move Tucker for Syndergaard, arguably the most valuable starter on the trade market, then it stands to reason he’s not going anywhere.

Yankees Place CC Sabathia On IL

By | at

The Yankees have placed left-hander C.C. Sabathia on the 10-day injured list and recalled utilityman Tyler Wade from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the team announced. Sabathia is dealing with right knee inflammation.

This continues a brutal week for New York’s pitching staff, which has taken beatings at the hands of the Twins and Red Sox over the past several days. Archrival Boston has been especially hard on the Yankees, having outscored them 38-13 in the first three games of the teams’ series. The Red Sox pounded Sabathia on Saturday and will try to sweep the series Sunday.

The Yankees still boast the AL’s top record (66-38) and an eight-game lead over the Red Sox in their division. Still, pitching’s a significant concern for the Yankees leading up to the July 31 deadline, and Sabathia’s health and performance issues could further put the onus on general manager Brian Cashman to bring in outside help.

This is the second IL placement this year because of right knee inflammation for Sabathia, who has undergone multiple knee surgeries in his career. When Sabathia has taken the mound this season, the potential Hall of Famer has looked his age (39). Now in the last season of his career, Sabathia has pitched to a 4.78 ERA – nearly a full run higher than he combined for from 2016-18 – with a 5.93 FIP in 90 1/3 innings.

Brewers Considering Trading Moustakas, Grandal For Pitching

By | at

Only one game back in the NL Central but featuring one of baseball’s worst farm systems, the Brewers are kicking around ideas to address their beleaguered pitching staff. Per Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic, Milwaukee has had internal discussions about moving one of its productive big leaguers, Yasmani Grandal or Mike Moustakas, to bolster other areas of the roster. As Rosenthal notes, each player is scheduled to hit free agency after this season.

To be clear, such a move would not be part of a broad sell-off. Instead, Milwaukee would consider moving a veteran position player only to add to a starting rotation in desperate need of aid. Injuries to ace Brandon Woodruff and Opening Day starter Jhoulys Chacin in the past week have dealt a blow to what was already the roster’s weak point, while Gio Gonzalez left Friday’s start with shoulder tightness (although fortunately he appears to have avoided another serious injury). Even with Woodruff’s stellar contributions, Milwaukee’s rotation ranks 20th in park-adjusted ERA and 17th in park-adjusted FIP. The current crop of Gonzalez, Zach Davies, Chase Anderson and Adrian Houser hardly inspires much confidence as Milwaukee looks to remain afloat in a crowded NL playoff field.

While there’s little harm in considering creative solutions, it remains difficult to imagine this working in practice. Any club acquiring Moustakas and Grandal would need to be contending this year themselves, since both players are rentals. Given every contender’s reluctance to thin out their pitching depth, it’s hard to find a match on paper. (Indeed, Rosenthal notes it’s possible these discussions haven’t actually led Milwaukee’s front office to contact any potential trade partner yet).

Further, it’s not entirely clear moving one of their top performers would be anything more than a lateral move for Milwaukee. Grandal and Moustakas trail only Christian Yelich among Brewer position players in Fangraphs WAR in 2019. Each has been a strong hitter; Grandal’s 126 wRC+ has been fourth-best among regular catchers, while the Moose’s 119 wRC+ might finally have him poised for the multi-year contract that has so long eluded him.

Replacing Grandal, one of baseball’s best pitch framers, might also have cascading effects on the questionable pitching staff inspiring these talks in the first place, to say nothing of the clear offensive downgrade to backup Manny Pina and/or any veteran stopgap Milwuakee could bring in to replace Grandal behind the dish. Moving on from Moustakas could be easier, Rosenthal opines, with rookie second baseman Keston Hiura raking and veteran Travis Shaw on hand at the hot corner. Shaw, though, has had a woeful offensive season that led Milwaukee to demote him to Triple-A just last month. While he hit well in the minors since then and was an above-average player in each of his first two years in Milwaukee, handing a player sporting a season .160/.273/.283 line a full-time job with little depth on hand may prove too risky.

Given the challenges, it seems more likely than not Milwaukee will hold Grandal and Moustakas and make smaller additions to the pitching staff by moving lower-level prospects. General manager David Stearns and his front office have had success over the past few years turning such seemingly marginal acquisitions (including Shaw himself) into productive big leaguers, so it may be best to hope the player development group can work some more magic. Nevertheless, it’s at least noteworthy to hear the club exploring nontraditional ways to improve. The addition of Grandal and Moustakas to the trade market, if it does end up happening, could change the outlook of the crowded National League race.

Twins Designate Carlos Torres

By | at

The Twins have designated right-handed reliever Carlos Torres for assignment, per Besty Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via Twitter). The move clears roster space for fellow righty Sergio Romo, who was acquired from the Marlins yesterday.

The Twins’ ongoing bullpen shuffle ends Torres’ brief tenure in Minnesota. His contract had just been selected Wednesday to replace fellow reliever Blake Parker, who was himself designated for assignment. Torres, 36, never got into a game for the Twins, but he did pitch in four games earlier this season for Detroit, showing a low-90’s fastball. He’s also pitched in the Padres’ organization this season and again figures to draw interest on a potential minor-league deal once he (presumably) clears waivers.

Reds Activate Alex Wood, Designate Ryan Lavarnway

By | at

The Reds have activated left-hander Alex Wood from the injured list and designated catcher Ryan Lavarnway for assignment, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic tweets.

As expected, the 28-year-old Wood will finally make his Reds debut against the Rockies on Sunday. He joined the Reds in the offseason as part of a radical makeover of their rotation. In addition to Wood, whom the Reds acquired from the Dodgers, they brought in fellow starters Sonny Gray and Tanner Roark via trades. Gray and Roark have performed well, which has helped lead to a vastly improved Cincy staff, but back problems have prevented Wood from pitching this year. The pending free agent will now try to rebuild some of his stock as he gears up for a potential trip to the open market in a few months.

Lavarnway, 31, just signed with the Reds on July 18 after the Yankees released him. Cincinnati added Lavarnway to help cover for catchers Curt Casali and Kyle Farmer, who went on the IL that day, but the team activated Farmer on Sunday.

Once a top prospect with the Red Sox, Lavarnway has struggled considerably over 445 major league plate appearances with several teams since he debuted in 2011. He did mash in a small sample size with the Reds before they designated him, though, as Lavarnway hit .278/.316/.722 with two home runs in 19 plate appearances. However, Lavarnway batted an uninspiring .213/.333/.315 with three HRs in 129 PA with the Yankees’ highest minor league affiliate before they let him go.

White Sox Designate Jose Rondon, Activate Eloy Jimenez

By | at

The White Sox have designated infielder Jose Rondon for assignment, tweets the Athletic’s James Fegan. In a corresponding roster move, the club has activated rookie corner outfielder Eloy Jimenez from the 10-day injured list.

Rondon, 25, has seen action in three MLB seasons but tallied just 289 career plate appearances. The majority of those have come this season, but he’s limped to a .197/.265/.282 line in 2019. A light-hitting utilityman, Rondon did slug 18 home runs in 2018 with Chicago’s International League affiliate, but that power outburst was unprecedented and he hasn’t managed to follow up on it this year. Given his age and reputation as an above-average defensive infielder, perhaps he’ll draw some interest league-wide, but any claiming team would have to keep him on its active roster, since he’s out-of-options. It seems likely he’ll clear waivers and return to Triple-A Charlotte.

Jimenez spent the minimum ten days on the IL with a right elbow contusion. The former top prospect hasn’t amazed in his rookie season, but his .244/.307/.483 line is more-than-adequate for a 22 year-old. The prodigious power hitter has popped 17 home runs on the year and still projects as a focal point of the club’s rebuild, even if he’ll need to refine his plate approach to tap into all of his immense offensive upside.

Yasiel Puig, Scooter Gennett Among Reds Who Are “In Play”

By | at

Along with the previously reported Raisel Iglesias and Tanner Roark, Reds outfielder Yasiel Puig and second baseman Scooter Gennett are “in play” as Wednesday’s trade deadline nears, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required).

The Reds have all but faded out of the playoff race, but they could still buy as well as sell in the next few days, Rosenthal writes. It would be logical to deal anyone who’s down to his last year of control, which includes Roark, Puig and Gennett. Puig’s the only member of the trio who’s a potential qualifying offer candidate, so the Reds could consider holding the ex-Dodger if they’re dissatisfied with the offers that come in for him. Alternatively, the club could attempt to extend Puig – something general manager Nick Krall has suggested they’re open to doing.

After a glacial start to the season, his first as a Red, Puig has come much closer to resembling his usual self over the past several weeks. Puig owned a sub-.650 OPS at the beginning of June, but the number has climbed about 150 points since then. The 28-year-old now owns a .260/.309/.489 line with 22 home runs and 13 steals on 18 tries. Puig has also once again graded out respectably in right field, where he has accounted for 3 Defensive Runs Saved and a 0.7 Ultimate Zone Rating.

Puig’s collecting a $9.7MM salary, while Gennett’s making a bit more at $9.775MM. That looked like a reasonable figure entering the season for Gennett, who transformed from waiver fodder into one of the game’s most valuable second basemen from 2017-18, yet this has been a nightmare of a campaign for the 29-year-old. It began inauspiciously at the end of March when Gennett suffered a severe groin strain – one that kept him out of action until June 28.

While it’s a small sample size, Gennett has come back to hit a stunningly subpar .185/.211/.222 with zero homers (he combined for 50 from 2017-18) over 57 trips to the plate in the past month. That production has been good for a single-digit wRC+ (9), owing in part to a horrid K:BB ratio of 17:1. There’s time for a rest-of-season turnaround for Gennett, but his trade value has surely dropped to a considerable degree this year.

A’s Interested In Syndergaard, Wheeler

By | at

At 59-47, the A’s sit right in the thick of a crowded AL Wild Card race. They already signaled their willingness to upgrade the 2019 roster by bolstering their bullpen, but the team is at least considering much bigger targets than Jake Diekman. Per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the club has made inquiries on Mets’ starters Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler. Slusser notes that the A’s have also reached out to the Tigers to inquire about Shane Greene.

The trade candidacies of all three hurlers have been discussed ad nauseum in recent days. Syndergaard’s is the most fascinating of the trio, as we’ve heard conflicting reports on how determined the New York front office is to move him and head-scratching ideas of a three-team trade that would net the Mets Marcus Stroman, with the Wilpons’ questionable willingness to approve any Thor deal lurking in the background. It’s clear the fireballer would have a broad market if the Mets decide to make him available. While his 4.33 ERA this season is higher than average, his peripherals paint the picture of at least a solid mid-rotation starter. On top of that, Syndergaard comes with two and a half years of team control, a pre-2019 track record of dominance and still-overpowering stuff.

The cases of Wheeler and Greene are more straightforward. Wheeler’s a pending free agent on a non-contending club, so it’s no surprise to see his name being bandied about. While we’ve heard some speculation the Mets could pursue a Wheeler extension in hopes of contending in 2020, he still looks to be one of the more likely trade candidates in baseball. After all, even if the Mets do flip Wheeler, there’s no reason to believe they couldn’t reengage with his representatives on a long-term deal after he hits free agency.

Wheeler would immediately vault to the front of another patchwork A’s rotation, potentially giving them an arm they’d feel comfortable deploying in the AL Wild Card game if they secure a spot. On the other hand, it’s arguable the club should pursue a more moderate starting pitching upgrade, rather than pushing in for perhaps the game’s top rental trade candidate when any hope of winning the division has all but evaporated.

The bullpen doesn’t stand out as a particular area of weakness for Oakland, especially after yesterday’s acquisition of Diekman. A’s relievers rank in the top five in park-adjusted ERA and FIP, making it one of the game’s strongest units. That said, stockpiling bullpen depth could be an alternative to paying a premium for a starter, and it’s worth noting the club bullpened its way through last season’s Wild Card game, which they may be inclined to try again if they get there. (Of course, they lost that game, but one loss doesn’t mean the front office should or will abandon the strategy). Greene’s 1.22 ERA in 2019 is not sustainable, but he’s having a good season no matter which metric you examine and comes with an additional year of team control via arbitration. Nearly every contender figures to check in on the top relievers on the trade market, so it’s unsurprising to hear Oakland continuing to poke around on that market.

Oakland’s top-heavy farm system could make a Wheeler or Greene trade a bit more complicated than would appear at first glance. While any Syndergaard trade would presumably include one of A.J. Puk, Jesus Luzardo, or Sean Murphy, those names would almost certainly be off the table in any trade for a rental or non-elite reliever. To acquire Wheeler or Greene, the A’s would seemingly need to package lower-tier prospects of interest to the Mets or Tigers, respectively, which could make finding a centerpiece of a deal challenging. That’s not to say the A’s couldn’t meet the asking price on either player- they certainly could- but swinging a deal would likely involve multiple low-level pieces not currently among the game’s top 100 prospects.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top