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Cardinals Option Harrison Bader, Promote Lane Thomas

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The Cardinals have optioned outfielder Harrison Bader, per the MLB.com transactions page (h/t Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Twitter links). Lane Thomas will come up to take over for the struggling 25-year-old, per the Dispatch’s Rick Hummel.

This is a disappointing moment for Bader, who turned in a strong 2018 effort but has fallen off quite a bit this year. Through 260 trips to the plate this season, he’s slashing a meager .195/.309/.339 with six home runs. Bader has actually made more hard contact than he did last year and is identified by Statcast numbers as a positive regression candidate. On the other hand, those figures also suggest his 2018 output was due in some part to good fortune on batted balls.

There’s still long-term value here if the Cards — or another team — believe that Bader can figure things out at the plate. He has boosted his walk rate to 11.2%, helping to offset a lofty 28.1% strikeout rate, but there’s work to be done. Importantly, defensive metrics still love Bader’s glovework. He’s curiously grading poorly on the bases despite maintaining excellent speed, though perhaps that’s just a blip.

Notably, by optioning Bader today, the Cards will keep him shy of reaching a full year of MLB service. He’s sitting at 1.161 years at present, meaning he’s eleven days shy of passing a new threshold.

Thomas had previously popped up in trade rumors. Instead, he’ll be installed — at least temporarily — as a piece of the MLB outfield mix for a club that has ever intention of making a run at the NL Central title. Thomas is capable of lining up at all three outfield spots, making him a flexible piece for the Cards.

The 23-year-old Thomas debuted earlier this season but only received a brief run in a reserve role. He has spent the bulk of the season at Triple-A, where he’s again turning in solid results at the plate. Through 304 plate appearances, the right-handed hitter carries a .268/.352/.460 slash with ten long balls.

Drew Pomeranz Drawing Some Interest

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The Giants are suddenly drawing some interest in lefty Drew Pomeranz, tweets Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The 30-year-old southpaw lost his rotation spot a couple weeks back and has been sharp since moving to the ’pen — albeit in a tiny sample of three appearances. Pomeranz has tossed 4 1/3 shutout frames with six strikeouts, one hit allowed and one walk.

It’s obviously unlikely that he’d command a significant return after logging a 6.10 ERA, 5.58 FIP and 4.67 xFIP in 72 1/3 innings as a starter. But Pomeranz has had considerable success as a reliever in the past. He spent the bulk of the 2014-15 seasons in the Oakland bullpen and posted a 3.08 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and 0.9 HR/9. In his career, he’s turned in a 2.86 ERA in 91 2/3 innings of relief, notching a 96-to-34 K/BB ratio and allowing just a .213/.292/.317 batting line in that time.

The situation for Pomeranz isn’t entirely different from that of just-traded former teammate Derek Holland. Pomeranz has also fared much better against left-handed hitters this year, holding them to a cumulative .250/.309/.398 batting line with 11.1 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. Pomeranz also wouldn’t cost much, as he’s playing on a $2MM base salary in 2019. Both pitchers hold appeal as possible left-on-left matchup men who’d also represent swingman depth given their long histories as starters.

For the Giants, moving Pomeranz wouldn’t necessarily have to occur as part of a broader sell-off. If the club decides to hang onto its best relief assets, it’d continue to feature two quality southpaws in closer Will Smith and setup man Tony Watson. At the same time, if the club does forego significant sell-side moves, it probably doesn’t make much sense to part with Pomeranz if he’s seen as one of the club’s best seven relievers. The return isn’t likely to be substantial. But if he just isn’t a part of the San Francisco plans, perhaps there’s a shot of gaining some salary relief.

Nationals Designate Justin Miller

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The Nationals announced today that they have designated righty Justin Miller for assignment. He had been on the 60-day injured list.

Miller, 32, was working back from shoulder issues. Though he was ready to be activated, the club obviously decided that he wasn’t going to be a significant part of the relief mix going forward. The unit has struggled badly as a whole, but is likely going to receive reinforcements in the next two days.

It’s still possible that Miller will end up clearing waivers and landing at Triple-A with the Nats, though he’d have the right to elect free agency instead. He had a strong comeback showing last year in D.C., but never got things going this season.

To open the current campaign, Miller threw 15 2/3 innings of 4.02 ERA ball with 11 strikeouts and four walks. He did rack up 18 strikeouts without a single free pass in his 12 2/3 total rehab frames, but evidently the Nats did not expect that to carry over into the majors.

Phillies Acquire Jason Vargas

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4:46pm: The move is official. The Phillies designated righty Yacksel Rios to open a 40-man spot.

3:51pm: The Phillies have reportedly struck a deal to acquire veteran lefty Jason Vargas from the Mets. Catcher Austin Bossart is going to the New York organization in the swap. The Mets will cover the larger portion of the remaining contractual obligation to Vargas, ultimately saving $2MM.

This long-anticipated trade of Vargas clears a rotation spot for just-acquired righty Marcus Stroman. Though Vargas is far senior to Stroman in age and MLB service, they’re in similar contract situations. The former is earning $8MM this year with a $8MM club option. The latter is taking down a $7.4MM salary in 2019 and stands to earn a nice raise on that amount in the offseason, when he’ll go through the arbitration process for the final time. Viewed in the aggregate, the Mets will still end up taking on added salary (and giving up prospect capital), though they did get $1.5MM in salary relief as part of the Stroman swap. The New York org will remain on the hook for what’s left of Vargas’s remaining 2019 salary along with a $250K assignment bonus. The Phillies will be responsible for a $2MM buyout on the option.

It’s not surprising to see Vargas on the move. It’s mostly a salary-saving transaction, designed to help partially offset the new obligations to Stroman. The 26-year-old Bossart won’t really make up for the prospects sent to the Blue Jays. He’s in the midst of a rough campaign, his second at the Double-A level. In his 236 trips to the plate, he’s slashing just .195/.303/.335 with seven home runs.

The more interesting question for the Mets is whether any of the club’s other starters will end up following Vargas out the door. While there has never been any indication that the club is considering offers on Jacob deGrom, it is said to be interesting in moving Zack Wheeler and/or Noah Syndergaard. The latter two starters are indeed still on the block, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets.

There are questions, too, from the Phillies’ perspective. It seems fair to assume that Vargas will step into the rotation, though it’s not clear where the opening will come from. And it remains to be seen whether the club will also pursue other pitching upgrades.

Vargas, 36, won’t exactly be a marquee addition for the Phils, but he ought to help hold firm up the staff down the stretch. The soft-tossing southpaw has somehow managed to keep opposing hitters off balance despite averaging less than 85 mph with his fastball. He has bounced back from a terrible start to the season and steadily delivered solid work. He carries a 4.01 ERA through 94 1/3 frames, with 7.7 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Andy Martino of SNY.tv first reported that a deal involving Vargas was close (via Twitter). ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reported that the Phillies were the acquiring team (Twitter link). Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter) and Jon Heyman of MLB Network (in a tweet) reported on the return. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweeted that the Mets would be covering some of the remaining cost, with Sherman tweeting the financial details.

Cardinals Acquire Zac Rosscup

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The Cardinals have acquired lefty Zac Rosscup from the Dodgers, per a club announcement. He had been designated for assignment recently.

Cash considerations are going to Los Angeles in return. Rosscup will begin his tenure with his new organization on optional assignment at Triple-A.

Rosscup, 31, has already appeared with three other clubs this season. He owns a 5.16 ERA in 83 2/3 career innings at the game’s highest level, averaging a healthy 12.2 K/9 but also an ugly 5.9 BB/9. The free passes have been a particular issue this season.

In other moves from the Dodgers, utilityman Kike Hernandez is going on the 10-day injured list with a sprained hand. The club optioned down righty Jaime Schultz while activating just-acquired infielder Kristopher Negron and calling up righty reliever Josh Sborz.

Brewers Designate Marcos Diplan

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The Brewers have designated pitching prospect Marcos Diplan for assignment, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy tweets. His 40-man spot goes to righty Jordan Lyles, whose acquisition was just announced.

It’s a bit of a surprise to see the Milwaukee org giving up on a player who was once considered a potential mid-rotation starter. Diplan has never been an elite prospect, but has certainly been on the prospect map for quite some time.

Unfortunately, despite holding a 40-man spot since the fall of 2017, Diplan has yet to earn his way past the Double-A level. He returned there to begin the present season, but continued to struggle. In 114 2/3 total frames at the penultimate level of the minors, Diplan carries a 4.79 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 5.7 BB/9.

It bears noting that the Brewers could still utilize Diplan in a trade. He can be shipped out to another organization before the trade deadline. Otherwise, he could be a possible waiver claim target for a team that likes his long-term outlook.

Nationals Place Max Scherzer On 10-Day IL

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The Nationals have placed ace righty Max Scherzer on the 10-day injured list, per a club announcement. Erick Fedde was called up to take his active-roster spot.

Scherzer is dealing with a mild rhomboid strain, the second seemingly minor upper back/shoulder malady he has come down with this year. The hope remains that the superb starter will not miss too much time, but it was evidently determined he’d be sidelined long enough to warrant a move to bring in another arm.

It’s a balancing act for Scherzer and the Nats. Both would obviously prefer that he be on the mound right now, but the issues he’s experiencing are in a worrying area of the body. The club must also ensure it has Scherzer at full health down the stretch.

Fedde, 26, has delivered 50 1/3 innings of 3.40 ERA ball this year in eight starts and five relief appearances. Unfortunately, he’s also carrying an uninspiring blend of 26 strikeouts and 21 walks. He’ll help hold down the fort for the time being, but the Nats have an obvious need to add hurlers over the next two days.

Brewers Acquire Jordan Lyles

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2:17pm: The teams have announced the deal.

2:02pm: The Brewers have reached a deal to acquire right-hander Jordan Lyles from the division-rival Pirates, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). Milwaukee will send Double-A right-hander Cody Ponce to Pittsburgh in return, tweets Robert Murray of The Athletic.

Jordan Lyles | Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It’s the second straight season that Brewers general manager David Stearns has acquired Lyles, as the Brewers also picked him up in an August waiver deal a season ago. He tossed 16 1/3 innings of 3.31 ERA ball out of the Milwaukee ’pen down the stretch last season before hitting free agency and inking a one-year, $2.05MM deal with the Pirates as a free agent. He’s still owed about $705K of that sum between now and season’s end.

That contract looked like a steal for the first couple months of the season, as Lyles pitched to a 3.09 ERA with a 61-to-19 K/BB ratio in 57 innings through the end of May. He missed time with a hamstring injury last month and has struggled mightily with control issues dating back to early June, however. In 27 innings across his past seven outings, Lyles has been torched for 30 earned runs on 46 hits (including 11 home runs) and 14 walks. He’s still whiffed 34 hitters in that time, maintaining his career-best strikeout tendencies, but the Brewers will obviously be looking for a way to bring back the April/May Lyles rather than the June/July iteration that has manifested.

Clearly, the Brewers aren’t putting much stock in Lyles’ earned run average — few, if any, front offices do at this point — and are instead betting on the career-best strikeout rates and Lyles’ increased reliance on his curveball. It’s a relatively low-profile pickup but one that’ll give Milwaukee a much-needed arm to help stabilize an increasingly worrisome rotation. Brandon Woodruff will be out until September with an oblique strain, and Jhoulys Chacin just hit the injured list within the past few days due to a lat strain. Jimmy Nelson is also on the shelf due to an elbow issue.

Ponce, 25, was the Brewers’ second-round pick back in 2015 but isn’t regarded among the organization’s top tier of prospects. He is, however, in the midst of a strong season in Biloxi, having pitched to a 3.29 ERA with a 44-to-12 K/BB ratio and a 56.5 percent ground-ball rate in 38 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. The 6’6″ inch, 240-pound Ponce ranked as the Brewers’ No. 27 prospect on the offseason, per Baseball America, and BA pegged him 25th among Brewers farmhands on their recent midseason update of their farm system.

Athletics Designate Brian Schlitter

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The Athletics have designated righty Brian Schlitter for assignment, per a club announcement. His roster spot goes to the just-acquired Jake Diekman.

Additionally, the Oakland org announced that right-hander Jharel Cotton has been activated from the 60-day injured list. He was optioned down to Triple-A.

Schlitter, 33, has seen sporadic MLB action since his 2010 debut, appearing in parts of four seasons. This year, with Oakland, he allowed four runs on a dozen hits with six walks and four strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings of work. Schlitter has spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he carries a 3.89 ERA in 34 2/3 frames with 7.0 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9.

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