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Archives for July 2021

Nationals Select Humberto Arteaga

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The Nationals announced they’ve selected the contract of infielder Humberto Arteaga. He’ll get the nod at shortstop tonight against the Dodgers. Fellow infielder Jordy Mercer has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 1, with a right quad strain. To clear 40-man roster space, right-handed pitching prospect Steven Fuentes was placed on the 60-day IL due to a strain in his throwing shoulder.

Washington has been lacking infield depth in recent days. Star shortstop Trea Turner is still day-to-day after jamming his finger diving into third base on a triple on Wednesday, and Mercer has been unavailable with his leg issue. That forced Washington to start catcher Alex Avila at second base last night. While Avila held his own, that’s obviously not a scenario the Nationals wanted to rely on for multiple days.

Arteaga has 135 major league plate appearances to his name, all with the 2019 Royals. He hit just .197/.258/.230 in that brief look. He’s been better at the plate throughout his minor league career, but has struggled immensely with Triple-A Rochester this season. The right-handed hitter has a .288/.321/.379 career mark at the minors’ highest level, but he’s slumped to .227/.266/.280 in 79 trips to the dish with the Red Wings in 2021. He should, however, at least offer a capable defensive option on the dirt while the regulars recover.

Washington selected Fuentes to the 40-man last October. He has yet to make his major league debut, appearing in four games for Rochester this season. Entering the year, Baseball America named the 24-year-old the #20 prospect in the Nationals system, praising his low-mid 90s sinker and quality changeup.

Pirates Select Wilmer Difo

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3:33 pm: Pittsburgh has officially selected Difo and placed González on the 10-day IL. Righty Trevor Cahill was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day IL to clear 40-man roster space for Difo. Cahill went on the IL with a left calf strain on June 12 that’ll apparently require an extended absence. He’s out for 60 days from the date of his original placement, so he won’t return until at least mid-August.

2:49 pm: The Pirates are planning to select the contract of Wilmer Difo, manager Derek Shelton told reporters (including Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Fellow utilityman Erik González is going on the 10-day injured list. A corresponding 40-man roster move to accommodate Difo’s selection is forthcoming.

Difo signed a minor league deal with Pittsburgh over the winter and earned a spot on the big league roster when Ke’Bryan Hayes landed on the injured list in early April. He wound tallying 87 plate appearances over the next couple months, hitting .244/.287/.366 while lining up at five defensive positions (including mop-up work as a pitcher). That’s right in line with the switch-hitter’s body of work as a depth option with the Nationals between 2015-20.

González has also bounced around the diamond this season, including picking up some extended run at third when Hayes was out of action. He’s not offered much at the plate, though, hitting just .232/.258/.300 over 229 trips to the dish before leaving yesterday’s game against the Brewers with right side discomfort.

Cam Bedrosian Elects Free Agency

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JULY 2: Bedrosian has cleared outright waivers and elected free agency, the A’s announced.

JUNE 29: The Athletics announced they’ve selected the contract of first baseman Frank Schwindel. To crate active and 40-man roster space, Oakland designated right-hander Cam Bedrosian for assignment. Additionally, the A’s reinstated righty J.B. Wendelken from the injured list and optioned infielder Vimael Machin to Triple-A Las Vegas.

The promotion makes for a nice birthday present for Schwindel, who turns 29 years old today. The big right-handed hitter earned the call with a monster season at Las Vegas. Schwindel, whom the A’s signed to a minor league deal over the winter, has hit .324/.369/.643 with sixteen home runs across 203 plate appearances with the Aviators. Triple-A West is a hitter’s paradise, and Vegas is especially offense-friendly. Even in that context, Schwindel’s performance was notable. His 1.013 OPS ranks twelfth among the league’s 86 hitters who have taken 100-plus trips to the dish.

Schwindel’s only other major league experience came with the 2019 Royals. He picked up 15 plate appearances over six games, collecting one hit. Schwindel has a .301/.339/.531 line in parts of four seasons at Triple-A. Matt Olson obviously has first base accounted for in Oakland, but Schwindel can back him up on occasion while seeing some time at DH and as a righty power bat off the bench.

The A’s are the second team to move on from Bedrosian this year. The 29-year-old began the season with the Reds, but he was cut loose after getting off to a horrid start. Oakland signed him to a minor league deal shortly thereafter and selected him to the big league roster last month. He appeared in nine games for the A’s, tossing as many innings and allowing just two runs (on a pair of homers) with eight strikeouts and four walks.

Bedrosian has certainly performed better in Oakland than he did in Cincinnati, but his overall numbers remain lackluster. He’s worked to a 5.52 ERA across 14 2/3 frames in 2021, striking out just 21.1% of opposing hitters while walking a lofty 14.1%. Bedrosian posted a stronger 2.45 ERA with the Angels last season, but his strikeout and walk numbers were similarly poor. He looked like a budding relief ace back in 2016, but he’d settled in as more of an average middle-innings arm from 2017-19 before his downturn over the past couple seasons.

The A’s will have a week to trade Bedrosian or place him on waivers. He’d have the right to elect free agency if he clears outright waivers, as he did when the Reds designated him for assignment back in April.

Mets Acquire Anthony Banda From Giants

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2:22 pm: The Mets have announced the trade.

2:06 pm: The Mets have agreed to a deal acquiring left-hander Anthony Banda from the Giants in exchange for minor league third baseman Will Toffey, reports Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).

Banda, 27, was once one of the game’s top pitching prospects but has battled injuries and begun to bounce around the league in journeyman fashion. He’s spent the 2021 season with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, where he’s struggled to a 6.86 ERA with a 22.2 percent strikeout rate, a 9.5 percent walk rate and a 50 percent ground-ball rate. Most of the damage done against Banda in 2021 has come in three outings (a pair of six-run drubbings and a particularly rough seven-run game).

It hasn’t been a great year for Banda, but the same can be said of the 26-year-old Toffey, who has posted just a .178/.317/.386 batting line with a sky-high 38 percent strikeout rate in 123 Double-A plate appearances. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranked him 28th among Mets farmhands heading into the season, noting that he’s a solid defender at the hot corner with a plus arm but questioning his lack of power and bat speed.

In Banda, the Mets will get a lefty with some big league experience — 51 1/3 innings, 5.96 ERA, 3.67 FIP — to help shore up their depth after a staggering number of pitching injuries have taken their toll on the organization. The Giants, meanwhile, are buying low on a prospect of a bit of note. Toffey has batted just .220 and slugged .379 in parts of three Double-A seasons, but his keen eye at the plate has produced a .354 OBP at that generally pitcher-friendly level.

Report: D-backs Telling Teams Ketel Marte Won’t Be Traded

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Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte will be one of the most coveted names on this summer’s trade market, but unlike impending free agents Eduardo Escobar and Asdrubal Cabrera, Marte is far from a lock to be traded. To the contrary, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the D-backs have plainly told multiple clubs that Marte won’t be traded. It’s always possible there’s some posturing in such statements, and a large enough offer can make any team consider moving even the most “untouchable” of players. Still, it’s telling that to this point, Arizona apparently hasn’t seemed particularly inclined to listen.

In that same vein, D-backs assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye spoke with the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro about the team’s general approach at the deadline. Broadly speaking, Sawdaye expresses reluctance to trade any long-term, core pieces (e.g. Marte) while also noting that there could be “different dynamics at play in the offseason than there might be in the next three or four weeks.”

Just who the Diamondbacks consider to be core pieces can be debated to an extent, but Marte, who is signed through 2024, is clearly at the forefront of that group. Right-hander Zac Gallen is controlled through the 2025 season, while catcher Carson Kelly is controlled through ’24 and infielder Josh Rojas through ’26. Lefty Caleb Smith, who has pitched quite well since moving into the rotation last month, is perhaps more attainable given that’s controlled through the 2023 campaign.

While Marte is currently on the injured list thanks to a strained hamstring, it’s nevertheless been a brilliant season for the versatile 27-year-old. A switch-hitter capable of playing second base or anywhere in the outfield, Marte is out to a .370/.419/.556 start with four homers and 13 doubles through 148 plate appearances. He’s walked at a respectable (albeit slightly below-average) 8.1 percent clip while striking out at a 14.2 percent rate that is nearly 10 percent lower than the league average. This season isn’t a random outlier, either; Marte slashed .329/.389/.592 in a full season back in 2019 and has combined for a very strong .302/.362/.507 line in his past 1551 plate appearances dating back to 2018.

Marte’s play alone is enough to make him one of MLB’s most sought-after trade candidates, but the contract extension he signed prior to the 2018 campaign has sent his trade value through the roof. That five-year contract guarantees Marte $24MM in total and also includes a pair of club options valued at $10MM (2023) and $12MM (2024).

Those yearly salaries make Marte affordable enough for even small-market clubs, and the $4.8MM annual value is enormously appealing to clubs who find themselves in the vicinity of the luxury-tax barrier. To this point in the season, Marte has been speculatively linked to both New York clubs at length, though there aren’t really any contending clubs who couldn’t find a way to work Marte into their lineup and payroll.

Sawdaye’s comments, while somewhat vague, do suggest that the D-backs will be a bit more open to exploring trades of this magnitude (though not necessarily Marte himself) in the offseason. Trades of controllable, high-end players are typically complex in nature — the sort that teams are reluctant to rush while simultaneously juggling other trade negotiations (as the D-backs will be doing this month with Escobar, Cabrera, Merrill Kelly, David Peralta and others). A wider base of teams also figures to inquire over the winter, as current rebuilders and/or non-contenders look to change their fortunes in advance of the 2022 campaign.

As always, this sort of topic is one that shouldn’t be addressed in absolutes. Even the best and most valuable players in the game are only “untouchable” until the right return is offered. It’s notable that the D-backs aren’t planning to actively shop Marte themselves, though, and seems likely that an interested party would need to approach the Diamondbacks with a particularly sizable offer to even get talks rolling. Regardless of their current stance, other clubs will surely try to sway the Arizona front office’s mindset in the four weeks between now and the July 30 trade deadline — and if that doesn’t bear fruit, we can probably expect an offseason full of rumblings on the Ketel Marte front.

White Sox Promote Jake Burger, Option Yermin Mercedes

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11:38am: The White Sox announced that they have indeed recalled Burger from Triple-A Charlotte. Chicago has also reinstated Adam Eaton from the injured list. In a pair of corresponding roster moves, they’ve optioned righty Zack Burdi and, most notably, designated hitter Yermin Mercedes.

The 28-year-old Mercedes was the talk of baseball when he started the season 8-for-8 and generally decimated big league pitching for the first six weeks of the season. Mercedes batted .368/.417/.571 through the season’s first 38 games, producing at a Herculean level even as hitters throughout the league struggled so extensively that MLB finally began to crack down on pitchers’ use of foreign substances.

In his next 31 games, however, Mercedes has seen his offensive production completely evaporate. The endpoint here, admittedly, is rather arbitrary, but Mercedes is hitting just .150/.220/.196 across his past 118 plate appearances. Understandably, the Sox have begun to cut back on his playing time, and he’s now Charlotte-bound, where the team will hope he can get a reset of sorts to round back into the form he displayed early in the 2021 campaign.

11:00am: The White Sox are calling up infield prospect Jake Burger for his big league debut today, tweets The Athletic’s James Fegan. Scott Merkin of MLB.com suggested last night (via Twitter) that Burger was likely to be with the club in Detroit this weekend, and the White Sox themselves have even tweeted a not-so-subtle indication that Burger is getting the call — though they’ve yet to make a formal announcement and reveal the corresponding roster moves.

It’s the culmination of a remarkable journey for the 2017 first-rounder, who has twice torn his Achilles tendon and endured grueling, months-long rehabilitations. Burger didn’t play in a single minor league game from 2018-19 (or in 2020, for obvious reasons). Making the jump from Class-A to Triple-A after a three-year layoff from competitive games is impressive in itself, but Burger has done far more than simply make that leap — he’s absolutely torn Triple-A pitching apart. In 185 plate appearances over 42 games, the former No. 11 overall pick has mashed at a .322/.368/.596 clip, swatting 10 homers, 15 doubles and a triple along the way.

Burger only recently turned 25, so despite the considerable injury hurdles he’s had to clear in his journey to this point, his age lines up nicely with the rest of an increasingly impressive core of young White Sox stars. He’s played primarily third base in the minor leagues, but the Sox began getting him some looks at second base when Nick Madrigal went down with a season-ending hamstring tear. For the time being, however, Burger could get a look at his primary position at the hot corner, as Yoan Moncada sustained a hand injury on a slide into third base yesterday.

Burger’s early performance could be pivotal for the White Sox. While they’re comfortably in command of the American League Central, they’ve still reportedly been discussing a trade centering around D-backs infielder Eduardo Escobar. While those talks have apparently slowed as other teams jump into the Escobar bidding, Burger’s performance could conceivably curb Chicago’s own interest.

If Burger storms out to a hot start and Moncada comes back healthy sooner than later, the Sox could just let Burger run with the second base role and forgo an infield upgrade entirely. Conversely, if Burger looks overmatched, the Sox might be more interested in pursuing a short-term upgrade at a clear position of need on a win-now club — be it Escobar or another trade candidate.

Multiple Teams Now Showing Interest In Eduardo Escobar

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July 2: While a deal sending Escobar to the ChiSox was in the works recently, Heyman tweets that multiple other clubs jumped into the mix this week and began showing interest, which has slowed the process. An eventual Escobar trade still feels inevitable, given his status as a pending free agent on MLB’s worst club.

June 28: The White Sox and Diamondbacks have been discussing a potential Eduardo Escobar deal for the past week, and it seems as though talks could be accelerating. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, who initially reported the talks between the two sides, suggests in his latest notes column that the D-backs are “on the verge” of starting a sell-off that will begin with an Escobar trade. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets this morning that the two sides have made “progress” in a trade that would send Escobar from the D-backs to the ChiSox — the organization that originally signed Escobar out of Venezuela back in 2006.

Escobar is a sensible target for a Sox club that has lost Nick Madrigal for the season and now faces a notable hole at second base. The 32-year-old Escobar has spent more time at third base in recent years but has logged 227 innings at second base in 2021 and carries 849 career innings at the position. He’s also emerged as a reliable source of power and, over the past six weeks, been on a tear at the plate.

The switch-hitting Escobar fell into a considerable slump in early May, with his OPS bottoming out at .655 on May 14. In 152 plate appearances since that time, he’s mashed at a .306/.342/.563 clip with 10 homers, five doubles and a triple. That hot streak has boosted his season batting line to a respectable .253/.298/.481 and bumped his 2021 home run total up to 17. Escobar’s walk rate is down to 6.1 percent — a drop of some note from its 8.2 percent peak in 2018 — and he’s striking out at a career-high 22 percent clip. That’s still below the league average in today’s brand of strikeout-centric baseball, however.

Escobar is earning $7.5MM in 2021 — the final season of a three-year, $21MM contract extension he signed with Arizona in lieu of his first trip to the free agent market back in 2018. There’s still about $3.9MM yet to be paid out on that salary between now and season’s end. While rental players aren’t always ideal for contending clubs, it’s a rather sensible route for the Sox to take with regard to their infield needs. Yoan Moncada is locked in as the long-term answer at third base in Chicago, and the White Sox expect Madrigal back in 2022.

If a deal does ultimately get pushed across the finish line, Escobar would figure to be the first of multiple additions for a White Sox team that is in first place despite several injuries to key contributors. Eloy Jimenez hasn’t played in a game this season after suffering a ruptured pectoral tendon during a Spring Training game, and Luis Robert has been out since early May with a Grade 3 hip flexor strain. Fellow outfielders Adam Eaton and Adam Engel, meanwhile, are on the shelf owing to hamstring strains — the second of the season in Engel’s case.

As for the D-backs, Escobar is one of many veteran pieces who could change hands between now and the July 30 trade deadline. Asdrubal Cabrera, another pending free agent, seems all but assured to move. Outfielder David Peralta and right-hander Merrill Kelly are both affordably signed through the 2022 season. Backup catcher Stephen Vogt and reliever Joakim Soria aren’t having their best seasons, but they’re both impending free agents with solid track records and reasonable $3.5MM salaries. Ketel Marte, of course, is the Diamondbacks’ premier trade chip, as he’s controlled all the way through the 2024 season. That said, he’s also dealing with a hamstring issue and is undergoing additional imaging today as the team continues to evaluate that injury.

Indians, Wilson Ramos Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Indians and Wilson Ramos are in agreement on a minor league contract, Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base reports (via Twitter). Presumably, the Octagon client will head to Triple-A Columbus once the deal is formally announced.

Ramos, 34, inked a one-year deal worth $2MM with the Tigers over the winter and opened the season as their primary catcher, but his production crumbled after a hot start to the year. The former All-Star homered in six of his first nine games with the Tigers, batting .281/.343/.875 through his first 37 plate appearances with the club. He wasn’t able to sustain anywhere near that level of offensive output, however, and over his next 91 plate appearances the veteran slugger managed only a .170/.198/.216 batting line.

Ramos made two trips to the injured list due to back strains during his short time with the Tigers organization. He was designated for assignment upon being reinstated from his second IL stint, and he was released five days later after clearing waivers.

For several years, Ramos was regarded as one of the better-hitting catchers in the game. His peak performance, from 2016-18, saw him post a combined .298/.343/.483 slash in 1163 plate appearances. That offensive ability helped to balance out a dwindling defensive reputation, but in recent years, the downturn in his glovework has become more glaring as his offense has also begun to deteriorate. Ramos was a roughly league-average hitter in two seasons with the Mets but began to lose playing time to the defensively superior Tomas Nido. Over the past three seasons, Ramos carries just a 16 percent caught-stealing rate, sub-par framing metrics and an overall -16 mark in Defensive Runs Saved.

Ramos’ early surge in 2021 offered a glimpse of life in his bat, and he’s only a couple years removed from a .288/.351/.416 showing as the Mets’ primary catcher. The Indians are currently relying on the defensively strong but offensively challenged combination of Austin Hedges and Rene Rivera behind the plate; Ramos brings something of the opposite skill set to their depth chart, although it’s been a couple years since we’ve seen sustained production from him at the plate. Roberto Perez, the Indians’ starter behind the dish, has been out since early May after undergoing surgery to repair a broken finger, but he’s been working through a minor league rehab assignment and could return in the coming days.

Diamondbacks Trade Tim Locastro To Yankees

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The Yankees and Diamondbacks announced an agreement on a trade sending outfielder Tim Locastro from Arizona to New York in exchange for minor league right-hander Keegan Curtis.

Tim Locastro | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Locastro, 28, is one of the fastest players in the Majors and gives the Yankees a potential outfield option, though he’s in the midst of a rough year at the plate. After slashing .290/.395/.464 in 82 plate appearances with the D-backs in 2020, Locastro is hitting just .178/.271/.220 in 133 trips to the plate so far in 2021.

Overall, the fleet-footed Locastro a career .234/.339/.324 hitter who has gone 31-for-34 in stolen base attempts. Locastro strikes out at a below-average clip but doesn’t walk as much as one might expect; rather, the source of his OBP is a penchant for getting plunked (as explored at length and in entertaining fashion in one of the many indispensable videos at Foolish Baseball). For a player with Locastro’s speed, getting to first base by any means necessary is particularly valuable, as he’s always a threat to swipe a base.

It’s not the impact move most Yankees fans would hope to see with the their first move of deadline season, but Locastro gives the club a strong glove and some needed depth. Aaron Hicks has already been lost for the season, and fellow outfielder Clint Frazier is now undergoing testing after exiting last night’s game due to dizziness. Locastro can still be optioned for the remainder of the 2021 season and is controllable through the 2024 campaign via arbitration.

For the D-backs, Locastro figures to be the first of several players traded between now and July 30. They’ve been MLB’s worst club by a wide margin and are generally expected to be willing to listen on veteran players as they look to restock the farm system.

The 25-year-old Curtis, while not regarded as one of the Yankees’ top prospects, does give the Snakes an interesting arm to add to the upper levels of their system. Since being selected in the 22nd round of the 2018 draft, Curtis has tallied 65 2/3 innings out of the bullpen and pitched to a 3.29 ERA across three levels in the Yankees’ minor league ranks. He’s currently at the Double-A level, where he’s posted a 3.94 ERA while punching out 27 of the 69 batters he’s faced (39.1 percent) against seven walks (10.1 percent).

Lindsey Adler of The Athletic (Twitter link) first reported the terms of the agreement.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/1/21

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Today’s minor moves from around the game:

  • The Reds announced that outfielder Scott Heineman has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Louisville. He’ll remain in the organization as non-roster depth. Cincinnati acquired Heineman from the Rangers over the winter, but he struggled in a brief look at the major league level before they designated him for assignment this week. The 28-year-old has a .172/.249/.325 line across 173 career MLB plate appearances, but he owns a much stronger .302/.368/.458 mark in parts of three Triple-A seasons.
  • The Yankees announced they’ve acquired outfield prospect Aldenis Sanchez from the Rays. The move completes the teams’ June 17 trade that sent first baseman Mike Ford to Tampa Bay. Sanchez, 22, joined the Rays out of the Dominican Republic during the 2016-17 international signing period. He has yet to make it beyond rookie ball. Sanchez never appeared on a Rays system ranking at Baseball America; in March 2020, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs called the right-handed hitter a “speedy (prospect) with some contact skills.”

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