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Archives for June 2023

Tigers Promote Brendan White

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The Tigers announced that right-hander Brendan White has been recalled to the active roster, with fellow righty Garrett Hill optioned out in a corresponding move. White was already on the 40-man roster but will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.

White, 24, was a 26th round selection of the Tigers in 2019. He made some Rookie ball appearances that year but then the minor leagues were canceled by the pandemic in 2020. He has since jumped up the minor league ladder one rung per year. He spent 2021 in High-A, tossing 101 1/3 innings over 18 starts and eight relief appearances with a 4.17 ERA. He moved up to Double-A last year and was also moved to the bullpen on a permanent basis. He tossed 67 1/3 innings over 48 appearances last year with a 2.67 ERA, 27.1% strikeout rate, 6.3% walk rate and 56% ground ball rate.

Since that move to full-time relief work seemed to suit him so well, the Tigers added him to their 40-man roster in November to prevent him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. He has spent all of this year in Triple-A so far, logging 32 frames over 25 appearances. His ERA has jumped to 4.78 but that seems to be inflated by a .466 batting average on balls in play. His 29.3% strikeout rate, 6.8% walk rate and 52.2% ground ball rate are all similar to last year’s numbers and each one is better than average.

White will now get a chance to jump to the major leagues and join a beleaguered Detroit bullpen. The club used seven pitchers on Sunday’s game, using Will Vest as an opener in front of bulk guy Joey Wentz before five different relievers were later deployed. Yesterday, the club went with a bullpen game as each of Mason Englert, Hill, and Tyler Alexander tossed at least 2 2/3 innings before Alex Lange closed it out. With that heavy usage, they’ve decided to get a fresh arm by swapping White in for Hill.

Brewers Sign Raimel Tapia

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Outfielder Raimel Tapia, who was recently released by the Red Sox, has signed with the Brewers, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Brewers will need to make corresponding moves to get Tapia onto their 40-man and active rosters for tonight’s game.

Tapia, 29, has spent many years as a contact-oriented hitter with a bit of speed. He was non-tendered by the Blue Jays after last season and signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox. Tapia made Boston’s Opening Day roster and spent a bit over two months with the club, performing at expected rates, give or take.

His 9.6% walk rate and 19.6% strikeout rate this year were both a bit better than league average, but he hit just one home run. That led to a .264/.333/.368 batting line and 92 wRC+, indicating he was 8% below league average overall. That wasn’t far off from his .265/.292/.380 line and 90 wRC+ with the Jays last year. Meanwhile, his outfield defense was considered around average while he stole six bases.

Despite that generally solid performance, Tapia was nudged out in Boston by some crowding in the outfield picture. Adam Duvall’s injury paved the way for Jarren Duran to get himself some more big league playing time, which he has done well with, hitting .282/.337/.435 on the year for a 107 wRC+. Rob Refsnyder has also been playing well in a reserve role behind regulars Alex Verdugo and Masataka Yoshida. With Duvall’s return from the IL imminent, Tapia was designated for assignment just over a week ago.

Tapia’s deal with the Sox paid him a $2MM salary. Since he has over five years of major league service time, he would have had the right to reject an outright assignment while retaining all of that, so the club simply released him. That leaves them on the hook for the remainder of that cash, allowing the Brewers to now pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Sox will pay.

The Brewers have dealt with a few hits to their outfield mix this season, as each of Garrett Mitchell, Jesse Winker and Tyrone Taylor is currently on the injured list. That has left them with Joey Wiemer, Christian Yelich and Brian Anderson getting most of the reps lately, with Blake Perkins backing them up. Perkins is in his first major league season and is hitting just .200/.250/.333 through 34 plate appearances thus far. It’s possible that Tapia nudges Perkins back to the minors, though Anderson is also capable of playing third base and joining the rotating infield picture alongside Luis Urías, Owen Miller, Andruw Monasterio and Abraham Toro.

Diamondbacks Release Yairo Munoz

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The Diamondbacks have released veteran infielder/outfielder Yairo Munoz, who’d been playing for their Triple-A affiliate after signing a minor league deal, per the league transaction log at MiLB.com. Munoz will once again become a free agent.

The 28-year-old Munoz opened the 2023 season on the injured list but was reinstated in mid-May and hit well, batting .304/.389/.391 with four doubles, six walks (11.2%) and 11 strikeouts (20.4%) in 52 trips to the plate. He played primarily the infield corners in Reno, but Munoz has experience at all four infield positions and in all three outfield slots as well.

Munoz has seen action in parts of five big league seasons, accruing three-plus years of MLB service and batting .268/.319/.396 through 626 plate appearances along the way. He spent the 2022 season with the Phillies and smacked three homers in 60 major league plate appearances, albeit with an overall line of just .211/.250/.404.

In parts of six seasons at the Triple-A level, the righty-swinging Munoz is a .301/.335/.432 hitter with a meager 4.4% walk rate but also a lower-than-average 16.3% strikeout rate. He’s a free-swinging, contact-oriented hitter who can line up just about anywhere on the diamond, though defensive metrics aren’t especially fond of his glovework at any one position.

The D-backs currently have Christian Walker, Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo and Josh Rojas starting around the diamond, with veterans Evan Longoria and Nick Ahmed on the bench alongside 27-year-old infielder Emmanuel Rivera. Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Pavin Smith have all been logging outfield reps.

That’s a crowded big league infield/outfield scene as it is, but the Snakes have several more players in Triple-A and already on the 40-man roster who were likely ahead of Munoz on the depth chart. In the infield, that includes Diego Castillo and Blaze Alexander, while Reno outfielders Alek Thomas, Kyle Lewis and Dominic Fletcher are all on the 40-man roster as well. Munoz will head back to the market in search of another opportunity with a clearer avenue to big league playing time.

Juan Soto Has Found His Stride After Slow Start

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Early in the year, there was a decent amount of trepidation about Juan Soto. The Padres superstar was still reaching base at an excellent clip but was clearly performing below his established level. Soto carried a .202/.373/.384 line across 126 plate appearances through the end of April. That came on the heels of a .236/.388/.390 showing in 52 games last summer after one of the biggest deadline trades in MLB history.

For most players, those numbers wouldn’t be cause for concern. While the batting averages weren’t eye-catching, consistently excellent walk tallies kept the on-base mark at an elite level. Among qualified hitters, Soto ranked 12th in the majors with a .382 OBP between the time of the trade and the start of this May.

By Soto’s standards, though, that production was a disappointment. He’d been a top-five hitter in MLB virtually from the moment he was promoted as a 19-year-old five seasons back. For him to hit only 11 homers with a .388 slugging percentage through his first 81 games as a Padre was a surprise. A .254 average on balls in play certainly didn’t do him any favors, but the three-time Silver Slugger also seemed relatively out of sorts. In mid-April, he told Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post he felt he was pulling off too many pitches, resulting in weak ground-ball contact to the pull side.

As the season has gone on, Soto has more consistently found his power stroke. He caught fire in May, hitting .333/.482/.632, resulting in a 202 wRC+ that ranked third among qualified hitters that month. While he’s slowed down in June, he still carries a .302/.433/.524 line over the past six weeks. He’s drawn 29 walks against 28 strikeouts while hitting 13 doubles and five home runs over his last 36 contests.

That’s essentially the kind of production we’ve come to expect from Soto. He’s a career .282/.422/.520 hitter in just under 3000 plate appearances. He’s played essentially at that pace for a month and a half. The beginning of May is an arbitrary endpoint, of course. There’s nothing more meaningful about May 1 than there would be about April 26. It’s nevertheless encouraging to see Soto performing at his typical Nationals level for an extended stretch.

Soto is still pulling the ball on the ground a little more often than he had in prior seasons. That’s not ideal given his April comments about getting out in front of too many pitches. When he puts the ball in the air, though, he’s hitting it harder than he did at the start of the year.

The contact quality was the only potential concern. His strike zone discipline has never wavered. Soto sustaining this level will be crucial for a club that still hasn’t kicked things into gear. His hot stretch coincided with a Manny Machado injury and a dismal recent run of play from Xander Bogaerts. The offense as a whole has yet to get going, leaving the Padres with a 31-34 record heading into tonight’s series opener with the Guardians.

Fortunately for San Diego, few teams in the National League have separated themselves from the pack. The Padres are looking up at a 9.5-game deficit on the Diamondbacks in the NL West, which will obviously be difficult to close, even with more than three months remaining on the schedule. However, they’re only two and a half games behind the Giants and Brewers for the Senior Circuit’s last Wild Card spot. Aside from the Dodgers, no team in the Wild Card mix has a better run differential than San Diego’s +19 figure. Despite the mediocre start, there’s still plenty of time for the Friars to play their way into the postseason picture.

Soto should be a central part of that effort. His start in San Diego raised some eyebrows, but he’s looked much more like himself over the last six weeks. Continued production like that should quiet questions about whether his camp had made a grave mistake turning down a reported $440MM extension offer from Washington before the trade. He has a chance to make last summer and this April look like a blip. He looks on his way to doing so.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Marlins’ Dax Fulton To Undergo Elbow Surgery

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Marlins pitching prospect Dax Fulton is expected to miss the remainder of the 2023 season due to elbow surgery, Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald report. The 21-year-old Fulton will undergo a repair but not full reconstruction (i.e. Tommy John surgery) of the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Internal brace and primary repair procedures that are less invasive than a full replacement/reconstruction of the UCL have gained popularity in recent years, though such operations still require lengthy recovery periods.

Fulton becomes the latest in a deep crop of Marlins pitching prospects to incur a major injury setback, although given the sheer volume of quality pitching in Miami’s system and the general attrition rate of pitching prospects, injuries throughout the group were inevitable. Sixto Sanchez has had multiple shoulder surgeries, while Max Meyer and Jake Eder both underwent Tommy John surgery last year.

Fulton isn’t necessarily as touted as that trio, though Keith Law of The Athletic ranked him among the game’s top 100 prospects heading into the season. The former No. 40 overall draft pick pitched to a combined 3.80 ERA in 118 1/3 frames between High-A and Double-A in 2022 and opened the 2023 season back at Double-A. With a strong showing in Pensacola, a promotion to Triple-A was likely — and an eventual 2023 look in the big leagues likely wasn’t entirely off the table.

Fulton already had Tommy John surgery in high school. A second surgery to address the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow before he’s even turned 22 years old is an ominous development, but the Marlins are currently hopeful that he’ll be ready for spring training 2024, per the Herald report.

The Marlins placed Fulton on the minor league injured list last month. Prior to landing on the shelf, he’d made six starts and a relief appearance in Double-A Pensacola, pitching to a 5.18 ERA with a 26.4% strikeout rate against a rough 12.8% walk rate. Scouting reports on Fulton tout his plus breaking ball, and Law credits him with a plus changeup as well. Fulton isn’t a flamethrower by today’s standards, topping out at 96-97 mph with his heater and averaging a few ticks shy of that max output.

If Fulton is indeed back to full strength next spring, he could still reach Triple-A next year and be on the doorstep of the big leagues, though with just 33 innings pitched this year, his workload will figure to be monitored. He’s not yet on the 40-man roster and won’t be eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft until the 2024-25 offseason, so the Marlins don’t yet need to worry about exhausting his minor league options. The focus for now will be on getting the promising lefty back to full strength and ready for the ’24 campaign.

The Opener: Subway Series, Rangers, MLBTR Chat

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As the 2023 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. 2023 Subway Series begins:

The annual clash between New York’s AL and NL teams begins today as the Yankees head to Citi Field to face the Mets. It’s been a difficult season for both teams so far. The Yankees are stuck in third place in the AL East, nine games back of the Rays for the division crown, despite a strong 38-29 record. In the NL, the Mets have sunk to fourth place with a 31-35 record that registers as a massive disappointment for the club that entered 2023 with an MLB-leading $359MM payroll, per RosterResource. What’s more, both teams are currently playing without superstar sluggers, as both Pete Alonso and Aaron Judge have hit the injured list in recent weeks.

The two-game set begins tonight at 6:10pm CT, with Luis Severino taking the mound for the Yankees while the Mets counter with Max Scherzer. The second game of the series features an even more intriguing pitching matchup, as former Astros teammates Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole will take the mound for the Mets and Yankees, respectively.

2. Gray scratched from today’s start:

Rangers starter Jon Gray has been scratched from today’s start against the Angels with a blister issue, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters (including Kennedi Landry of MLB.com). The starter for today’s game in lieu of Gray hasn’t yet been announced, though Landry noted that left-hander Cody Bradford, who has made two spot starts for the Rangers previously this season, was spotted in the Rangers’ clubhouse yesterday. Bradford has a 7.20 ERA with eight strikeouts and three walks in 10 innings of work for Texas this season. If Bradford were to start today’s game, an active roster move would need to be made to accommodate him.

Gray has posted an excellent 2.32 ERA in 12 starts this season (albeit with a less-encouraging 4.16 FIP). Gray has been especially dominant over the past month, as the veteran hurler has pitched to a sterling 0.84 ERA across his last six starts. That stretch was highlighted by his most recent start, a complete game in St. Louis where Gray struck out 12 Cardinals and allowed just one run. For now, it seems the decision to skip Gray’s start is being considered precautionary, and the Rangers don’t expect an IL stint to be necessary.

3. MLBTR Chat Today:

With just seven weeks to go until MLB’s trade deadline, the paths forward for many teams remain murky, even as some organizations set themselves apart from the pack.. If the events of the season so far have spurred any questions in your mind about your favorite team or the league as a whole, MLBTR’s Steve Adams is holding a live chat with readers at 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.

Angels Sign Daniel Murphy To Minor League Deal

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Infielder Daniel Murphy, who had been playing for the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League, has had his contract purchased by the Angels. The news was relayed on Twitter by Michael Pfaff, the president and general manager of the Ducks. Murphy will report to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees in the coming days, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post.

Murphy, 38, announced his retirement in January of 2021 but recently launched a comeback bid, signing with the Ducks back in March. He has been crushing it in that league so far, hitting .331/.410/.451 through 37 games while splitting his time between first and second base. The Angels are apparently intrigued enough by that performance to bring Murphy back into the affiliated ranks.

The last time Murphy was in the majors, it didn’t go so well. He signed a two-year deal with the Rockies going into 2019 but hit just .279/.328/.452 in the first year for a wRC+ of 88 and then .236/.275/.333 in the shortened 2020 season for a wRC+ of 44. Prior to that, he spent many years as a potent big league bat, mostly with the Mets. From 2011 to 2018, he hit .303/.346/.462 for a wRC+ of 119.

The right side of the Angels’ infield has a few moving parts to it right now with Jared Walsh, Gio Urshela, Brandon Drury and Luis Rengifo all getting some playing time there in recent weeks. The designated hitter slot, meanwhile, is occupied by Shohei Ohtani the vast majority of the time. Rengifo has been struggling a bit this year, hitting just .222/.303/.323 for a wRC+ of 76. Walsh has to get into a groove after spending the early parts of the season on the injured list, slashing just .122/.283/.184 in 20 games since being reinstated.

Murphy will now see if he can transfer his recent hot hitting from the Ducks to the Bees. If he succeeds, he could perhaps force himself into the mix for another shot at the big leagues, especially if those struggles from Rengifo or Walsh continue, or an injury takes someone out of the picture.

Big Hype Prospects: Encarnacion-Strand, Lawlar, Perez, Merrill, Amador

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Last week, I described how the Reds might muck about with Elly De La Cruz’s service time – if they chose to do so. Instead, they promptly promoted him. It’s always a relief to see deserving prospects promoted in a timely manner.

To date, De La Cruz is batting .364/.481/.636 in 27 plate appearances with a home run and three steals. His 37 percent strikeout rate is the lone blemish. Like the rookie version of Fernando Tatis Jr., De La Cruz has the capacity to perform despite a high strikeout rate.

Five Big Hype Prospects

Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 23, 1B/3B, CIN (AAA)
199 PA, 17 HR, .362/.427/.734

Next up in the Reds developmental pipeline is Encarnacion-Strand. Known as CES to those who like to write about him without using 28 characters, the powerful corner infielder has punished opposing pitchers to the tune of .542/.633/1.042 (1.675 OPS) in his last six games. He hit seven singles, three doubles, and three home runs over the span.

There are aspects of his game that can temper enthusiasm. There’s a risk his plate approach and high swinging strike rates could lead to high strikeout rates. At this point, he’s utterly eviscerated Triple-A. It’s time to see if those concerns are warranted. The Reds have a minor issue to resolve when it comes to selecting CES’s promotion date. Joey Votto’s rehab will end in about 12 days. His recovery in Triple-A is progressing at a slow pace. Fitting all three of CES, Votto, and Spencer Steer in the regular lineup could prove challenging – and would cost Tyler Stephenson playing time too. Such impediments shouldn’t block Encarnacion-Strand for much longer.

Jordan Lawlar, 20, SS, ARI (AA)
215 PA, 8 HR, 15 SB, .238/.335/.443

Considered one of the top athletes in the minors, Lawlar’s time in Double-A hasn’t been all that impressive. However, in the last week, he’s hitting .407/.429/.704 in 28 plate appearances. He has a 1.029 OPS over his last 73 plate appearances. It would seem he’s made an adjustment. Reports from public sources note concerns about his hit tool. Every other aspect of his game is expected to be above average. Lawlar is the penthouse apartment of prospects – he has a high floor and higher ceiling. Presently, he is on pace to debut in 2024.

Eury Perez, 20, SP, MIA (MLB)
29 IP, 9.31 K/9, 4.03 BB/9, 2.17 ERA

Perez is a big part of the Marlins recent success. Already 3-1 in just six starts, Perez hasn’t missed a beat since skipping from Double-A to the Majors in mid-May. His only truly sub-par outing occurred at Coors Field. While ERA-estimators (4.34 FIP, 4.68 xFIP) suggest he’s had some luck with run prevention, this is still an impressive performance from a young 20-year-old (he has a mid-April birthday).

A peek under the hood suggests Perez still has a thing or two to learn about using his repertoire. He’s regularly using all four of his pitches. Hitters have performed well against his 97.5-mph heater, but they’ve struggled versus the offspeed stuff. Perez features a “big” fastball. It shouldn’t perform as a below-average offering. It’s possible he’s trying to make pitches that would work in Double-A but not the Majors. As he acclimates, I expect his fastball to grade out better.

Jackson Merrill, 20, SS, SDP (A+)
206 PA, 4 HR, 8 SB, .257/.296/.387

The third-highest ranked “Jackson” on most prospect lists, Merrill was a contender for Top 10 prospect status over the offseason. He’s backed up a bit in the early going. The Midwest League happens to be one of the more difficult hitting environments in the minors. While the above triple-slash probably looks bad, it’s only six percent below the league average. Merrill is a hit-over-power prospect who produces high-quality, low-angle contact. The left-handed hitter draws a Michael Brantley comp from the folks at FanGraphs. Though injuries have reduced his developmental opportunities, he remains on pace to debut by his age 22 season.

Adael Amador, 20, 2B, COL (A+)
228 PA, 8 HR, 12 SB, .306/.392/.510

Last season, Amador profiled as a flexible utility fielder. While there’s never been any question about his feel for contact, the quality of that contact often raised eyebrows in a bad way. Amador looks “small” on the field, and that likely colored scouting reports. He’s strengthened over the last year to the point where he’s no longer seen as an ideal utility candidate. He’ll likely plant at second base for the long haul – especially with defensively adept Ezequiel Tovar ahead of him at shortstop. The switch-hitting Amador still has adjustments to make if he’s to make full use of spacious Coors Field. He taps most of his contact on the ground, though the quality of said contact has continually improved over time. Amador has more walks than strikeouts in his professional career and is running a 4.4 percent swinging strike rate this season. He should reach Double-A before much longer.

Three More

Andrew Painter, PHI (20): Painter was on pace to debut as a 19-year-old when a sprained UCL ended his Spring Training bid. He threw a 20-pitch bullpen on Saturday. The coming weeks mark an important step in his recovery.

Marcelo Mayer, BOS (20): Mayer’s time in Double-A isn’t going so hot. The shortstop is batting .154/.227/.333 in 45 plate appearances. A recent report on FanGraphs noted a mechanical shortcoming similar to Jarred Kelenic and Spencer Torkelson – namely, an issue with lifting balls low in the zone.

Connor Norby, BAL (23): There’s no question the Orioles have a lot of infield depth. I’m often asked whom I believe they’ll trade from that depth. Norby is my answer. The short right-handed hitter doesn’t have the utility of others in the system. He’s Major League adjacent and primed for a regular role within the next year. However, he profiles more like a core performer than a high-ceiling star.

Did I miss a detail or nuance? DM me on Twitter @BaseballATeam to suggest corrections.

Trevor Story Targeting August Return To Infield, Potential DH Work In July

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The Red Sox have been without Trevor Story all season. The middle infielder underwent internal brace surgery to repair the UCL in his throwing elbow in January. He’s been on the 60-day injured list since Spring Training.

Fortunately, it seems Story is progressing well in his rehab. The two-time All-Star met with the Boston beat today and reiterated he expects to be back in the second half (audio transcript via WEEI). He expressed confidence he could return to the MLB infield by August and suggested it’s possible he could be back as a designated hitter by next month.

Breaking back in at DH isn’t uncommon for hitters in this situation since swinging can put less stress on the elbow ligaments than throwing does. The Phillies, for instance, have used Bryce Harper as a DH since early May as he works back from last November’s Tommy John surgery. It’s possible Harper eventually gets back to playing defense — either at first base or in the corner outfield — but Philadelphia expedited his return by putting him in a bat-only role.

Story, of course, isn’t the same caliber of hitter as Harper. He’s a solid but not elite offensive player who’s coming off a .238/.303/.434 showing during his first season in Boston. That puts more pressure on him to provide the club some defensive value when he’s able, though the Sox would presumably be happy to welcome him back a few weeks earlier as a DH option.

The 30-year-old worked exclusively at second base last season. That was in deference to Xander Bogaerts, so the longtime Rockies shortstop is likely to move back to the left side of the infield once healthy. Story said today he’d been “expressive” about his desire to reclaim shortstop after Bogaerts signed with the Padres and that the organization is on board with him returning to his initial position.

Boston has given the majority of the shortstop reps to Enrique Hernández in Story’s absence. Hernández has struggled offensively for a second consecutive season, hitting .228/.296/.356 in 243 trips to the plate. Public metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average have also panned his defensive work, which isn’t too surprising given his lack of consistent experience at the position before this season. The Sox have given sporadic playing time to Yu Chang and Pablo Reyes too. Neither player is hitting well and Chang has been out since late April when he fractured the hamate bone in his left hand.

Second base hasn’t been any more settled. Enmanuel Valdéz tailed off dramatically after a hot start and was optioned a few days ago. Christian Arroyo is the starter for now but carries a .258/.289/.409 slash in 98 plate appearances. The organization’s hope that offseason trade acquisition Adalberto Mondesí could pick up the slack in Story’s absence appears to have been dashed. He’s still working back from an April 2022 ACL tear and seems without a clear return timetable.

All that makes Story’s health a pivotal question for the club. Adding to the group via trade could also be under consideration for the front office if the team can hang close enough to the playoff picture to make it worthwhile. After tonight’s extra-inning loss to Colorado, Boston dropped back below .500 at 33-34. There’s virtually no chance of winning the AL East at this point and they’re 4 1/2 games back of the Astros (with the Blue Jays and Angels also above them) for the final Wild Card spot.

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