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Rangers To Acquire Austin Hedges

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The Rangers are acquiring catcher Austin Hedges from the Pirates, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter link). They’ll send international bonus space to the Pirates in return, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Texas has received excellent production from catcher Jonah Heim this year, but Heim was recently diagnosed with a wrist injury that’ll cost him at least a few weeks. Hedges can team with Mitch Garver to provide the Rangers with an elite defensive option behind the plate, though he’s also one of the lightest-hitting players in the game at present. Surgery hasn’t been ruled out for Heim, and if that ultimately ends up proving necessary, the addition of some depth behind the dish will prove all the more important.

Hedges, 31 next month, signed a one-year, $5MM deal with the Pirates in the offseason. He’s turned in just a .180/.237/.230 slash line — disastrous even by his standards — but has continued to rate as the sport’s premier pitch framer and one of its top four pitch blockers, per Statcast. Defensive Runs Saved pegs him at a hefty +8 this season despite logging just 507 innings behind the plate so far. Hedges’ 14% caught-stealing rate is a career-worst mark for him, but he owns a career 28% mark in that regard. As far as defensive-minded backstops go, he’s arguably the best in the game.

Whether that offsets his utter lack of offense is up for debate, but the Rangers clearly felt him a worthwhile addition. Garver figures to see the bulk of the time behind the plate, but Hedges makes for a quality backup who has a reputation for working well with pitchers and prepping as a game-planner.

The Pirates, with top catching prospects Henry Davis and Endy Rodriguez both in the Major Leagues, simply didn’t have at-bats for Hedges anymore. Both young backstops have recently raved about the influence Hedges had on them in their short time together, and his departure will now create further opportunities for that pair to continue their development at the MLB level. There’s a chance Hedges might’ve been simply designated for assignment had the Pirates not found a taker for him, so getting even a nominal return in the form of some additional space in their international free agent pool isn’t too bad an outcome.

Brendan Donovan To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

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Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan is set to undergo season-ending surgery tomorrow, per Katie Woo of The Athletic. Donovan has been dealing with a flexor tendon injury in his throwing arm recently, which had prevented him from throwing and relegated him to DH duties. Per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, Donovan should be ready to return from the surgery to correct that flexor strain before Spring Training 2024.

Donovan, 26, immediately made an impression upon making his big league debut with the Cardinals last season. He slashed a strong .281/.394/.379 in 126 games for the club, goo for a wRC+ of 129, while playing quality defense at all four infield spots and both outfield corners. That quality defense and versatility earned him a Gold Glove award last year, and those skills along with his knack for getting on base allowed him to finish third in NL Rookie of the Year award voting.

The 26-year-old utility ace took a slight step back at the plate in his sophomore season as he discipline for additional power. His walk rate dipped from a sterling 12.8% to a more pedestrian 8.9% this season, though his ISO ticked up from just .097 last year up to a more respectable .138 during the current campaign. That increase in power combined with his trademark versatility has allowed him to remain an above-average regular this year, with 2.1 fWAR in 371 trips to the plate.

Unfortunately, Donovan’s 2023 campaign has come to a premature end thanks to the aforementioned flexor strain, an ailment that prevented him from taking the field for nearly the entire month of July. The loss of Donovan for the season further damages the competitiveness of a Cardinals club that has already shipped out Jordan Montgomery, Jordan Hicks, Chris Stratton, and Paul DeJong out this trade season, with more deals expected before the deadline.

As things stand, the club figures to utilize Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Gorman, Tommy Edman, and Nolan Arenado in the infield with Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson, Lars Nootbaar, Tyler O’Neill, and Dylan Carlson all in the outfield/DH mix, though further trades ahead of the deadline could change that playing time picture.

White Sox To Acquire Luis Patiño From Rays

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The White Sox are acquiring right-hander Luis Patiño from the Rays for cash, reports James Fegan.

Patiño, now 23, came over to the Rays as part of the 2020 trade that sent Blake Snell to the Padres. At the time, he was considered one of the top 100 prospects in the sport. In 2021, he seemed like he was cementing himself as a part of Tampa’s future rotation. He made 19 appearances that year, 15 starts, throwing 77 1/3 innings with a 4.31 earned runs allowed per nine innings. That wasn’t a dominant number, but he was just 21 years old that year and so it seemed like there was plenty of room for him to grow.

Unfortunately, things haven’t gone according to plan since then. He missed most of the first half of 2022 due to an oblique strain and then spent the second half as a frequently-optioned depth piece for Tampa. He posted an 8.10 ERA over six big league starts and a 4.38 ERA in 11 minor league starts.

He’s been healthy here in 2023 but hasn’t been able to get back on track. He’s only tossed four innings in the big leagues, spending most of the year in Triple-A. He made six starts at that level earlier in the year but had a 6.66 ERA before being moved into a relief role. He has a 6.86 ERA since that time, walking 13.8% of hitters while striking out just 10.6%. He is in his final option year and will  be out of options next year. For a competitive team like the Rays, it seems it was time to move on.

The White Sox are in a very different position, as they have struggled badly this year and are looking towards the future. They’ve already traded a few pitchers, including Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López and Kendall Graveman, with perhaps a few more potentially moving before the day is done. They can keep Patiño in the minors for the next couple of months, either in a starting role or a relief role, and see if they can get him back on track. He’s still quite young and was a top prospect not too long ago. He has less than three years of major league service time, meaning they can control him for four more seasons beyond this one if he gets into good form.

Tigers Acquire Eddys Leonard

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The Tigers and Dodgers swung a minor deal just before the deadline, as J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group tweets that Detroit acquired infielder Eddys Leonard for cash considerations.  The Dodgers designated Leonard for assignment earlier this week as a way to open a roster spot for new acquisitions.

Leonard, 22, has a 96 wRC+ in 388 Double-A plate appearances this year while playing shortstop.  Prior to the season, Baseball America gave Leonard a 45 grade as a prospect, suggesting he “projects to be an offensively-driven utilityman if he can refine his pitch selection.”  BA notes that Leonard, a former $200K signing out of the Dominican Republic, was adversely affected by the inability to access the Dodgers’ coaches and facilities during the 2021 lockout.

MLB.com rated Leonard 14th among Dodgers prospects, also with a 45 grade.  Both outlets praised Leonard for his bat speed, but suggested he had not yet found his defensive home.

Though Tigers GM was unable to cash in on veteran lefty Eduardo Rodriguez prior to the trade deadline, beyond Leonard he was able to acquire infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee from the Phillies for Michael Lorenzen.

Rays Shopping Manuel Margot, Searching For Bat-First Outfielder

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The Rays are shopping outfielder Manuel Margot while looking for an offensive upgrade in the outfield, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links). It’s unclear if they’d only move Margot if they first pull off a separate addition. The Yankees are among the teams that have been in touch with Tampa Bay, per Sherman.

Margot’s profile is built around his glove. He was a plus center fielder early in his career. Nearing his 29th birthday, his defensive marks in center have dipped a bit but he remains an above-average corner outfielder. He’s still capable of playing up the middle, logging 305 2/3 innings over 35 starts there.

The right-handed hitter is a below-average offensive player. He’s hitting .254/.306/.364 through 258 trips to the plate. It’s not disastrous output but sits roughly 10 percentage points below league average productivity. That’s the range in which Margot has hovered for the bulk of his career. He makes a decent amount of contact with modest walk totals and power.

Tampa Bay signed Margot to an extension last April. He’s making $7MM this season, around $2.3MM of which is still to be paid out. He’ll be due $10MM next year and a $2MM buyout on a mutual option covering the 2025 campaign. It seems unlikely the Rays would be able to offload the entirety of that deal, so they’d probably have to kick in cash or take back another team’s undesirable contract.

The Yankees have been quiet this deadline season so far. New York is reportedly straddling the line between buying and selling. Corner outfield help has long been a target, and Margot is one of what’s surely a number of names to come up in talks with other clubs.

Padres Acquire Rich Hill, Ji Man Choi From Pirates

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4:00pm: The Padres have officially announced the deal.

12:08pm: The Padres are finalizing a trade that will see them acquire left-hander Rich Hill and first baseman Ji Man Choi from the Pirates, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. The Pirates will receive three minor league players in return, per Robert Murray of FanSided. One the prospects is Jackson Wolf, per Heyman. The other two players are Estuar Suero and Alfonso Rivas, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

The Padres spent heavily this winter but currently sport a disappointing 52-55 record that has them five games back in the National League Wild Card race. That puts them in a somewhat similar position to the Mets, who have been busy selling in recent days, flipping players like Max Scherzer, Mark Canha and David Robertson. The Padres, however, have decided on a different path and seem intent on buying. Recent reporting connected them to bats and relievers, as well as starters like Eduardo Rodriguez and Justin Verlander.

Choi, 32, could be the offensive upgrade they seek, though it’s not one without risk. He started the season with a dismal .125/.125/.344 line through nine games before landing on the injured list due to a left Achilles tendon strain. He returned from the IL a month ago and has been on a heater, slashing .268/.295/.634 since being activated. That’s a small sample of just 44 plate appearances, though it’s closer to his previous track record than that early-season slump. From 2017 to 2022, Choi hit .245/.350/.436 for a wRC+ of 120.

Choi played some left field earlier in his career but has been first base only for many years now. That happens to be a spot where the Padres could use some help. Jake Cronenworth has been the regular at that spot this season after hitting .256/.338/.431 in the previous three campaigns but he’s slashing just .219/.310/.365 here in 2023. He has the ability to play the other infield slots, so perhaps he moves into more of a utility role going forward.

Hill, 43, gives the Padres a reliable lefty for the back of their bullpen. He’s obviously been around for many years, but is still fairly effective. He has a 4.76 ERA in 22 starts this season, striking out 19.6% of opponents against an 8.9% walk rate. The Padres already have a strong top of the rotation with pitchers like Joe Musgrove and Blake Snell. The latter is an impending free agent and speculative trade candidate, though it seems the Padres are inclined to hold on and try to compete this year.

As for the rest of the rotation, Yu Darvish and Seth Lugo have a couple of spots spoken for but Michael Wacha has been on the injured list for close to a month due to a shoulder issue. The Friars have since given spot starts to pitchers like Wolf, Adrián Morejón and Ryan Weathers without much success and will now patch that hole over with Hill. Wacha is expected back in mid-August, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. If everyone is healthy at that point, the club may have to use a six-man rotation or bump someone to the bullpen, but that would likely be considered a good problem to have.

It’s unclear if any money is exchanging hands in the deal. Choi is making $4.65MM this year, his final arbitration season before becoming a free agent, with about $1.53MM left to be paid out. Hill signed a straight one-year, $8MM deal in the offseason, with about $2.62MM left on that. That means there’s a total of $4.15MM going to the Padres unless the Pirates have thrown in some cash considerations. Roster Resource has already added those figures to San Diego’s competitive balance tax figure, which now sits at $280MM. It had been speculated by some observers that the Padres, if they sold, would try to dip under the third CBT line of $273MM. That would have prevented their top 2024 draft pick from being moved back 10 spots, but now that they are adding rather than subtracting, that doesn’t seem likely.

For the Pirates, they started out strong this year but have faded from contention, currently sitting nine games out of a playoff spot. It’s perfectly sensible for them to give up a couple of impending free agents for pieces that could help them in the future. Rivas seems like he could potentially step right in and replace Choi at first base, especially since the Pirates also flipped Carlos Santana in recent days.

Rivas, 26, made his major league debut with the Cubs in 2021 but was released in January of this year and signed a minor league deal with the Padres. Between the two clubs, he has a .245/.330/.323 batting line in the majors, walking at a decent 9.9% clip but striking out in 31.2% of his plate appearances. But he’s hit a much stronger .313/.424/.492 in Triple-A, dating back to 2019. The Pirates could perhaps give him the last couple months of the season to get major league reps and see if he can carry any of that up with him. He can also slot into an outfield corner.

Wolf, 24, was just added to the club’s 40-man roster a couple of weeks ago. He was recently ranked the club’s #11 prospect by FanGraphs and #20 by Baseball America. He posted a 3.39 ERA in Double-A prior to his recent promotion. After one big league start of five innings, he was sent back down and shelled for eight earned runs in another Double-A start, but his ERA at that level still sits at 4.08 for the year. He can provide the Pirates with some immediate rotation depth and perhaps be in line for more time in the big leagues this year or next.

Suero, 17, is a much longer-term prospect acquisition for the Pirates. FanGraphs listed him as San Diego’s #10 prospect last month, but added that he’s probably the most high-variance member of the bunch. They list him as a 6’5″ outfielder who used to be very skinny but has recently gotten stronger. He’s striking out in about 30% of his plate appearances in the lower levels of the minors but has the speed-and-defense combo down. The key question will be whether he hits or not.

With still a few hours to go, the ever-busy Padres might still make a few more moves, while the Pirates might still move someone like Austin Hedges. Players like Mitch Keller and David Bednar have also drawn interest but they each still have years of club control and seem unlikely to be moved.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Marlins To Acquire Jake Burger

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The Marlins and White Sox have agreed to a deal sending infielder Jake Burger from Chicago to Miami in exchange for left-handed pitching prospect Jake Eder, reports Craig Mish of SportsGrid and the Miami Herald (Twitter links).

It’s a surprise deal given that the White Sox’ focus has generally been on trading short-term assets during their summer sell-off. Burger, 27, will be controllable for another five years beyond the current season and is batting .214/.279/.527. He’s already slugged a whopping 25 home runs on the season but also has the fifth-worst on-base percentage and sixth-highest strikeout rate (31.6%) of any player in the Majors (min. 300 plate appearances). The Marlins, with MLB’s third-fewest home runs (96 total), seemingly view those as acceptable trade-offs to add some pop to lineup that’s heavily reliant on stringing hits together.

Where Burger will line up on the diamond remains to be seen. He’s played primarily third base in his young big league career but drawn poor ratings there (-8 Defensive Runs Saved, -8 Outs Above Average, -3.6 Ultimate Zone Rating). Miami has been using the struggling Jean Segura at the hot corner and could certainly supplant him with Burger’s power bat, but Burger also has experience at second base and first base. The Fish currently have Garrett Cooper taking the bulk of the reps at first, but he’s in his final season of club control and has been a trade candidate at each of the past couple deadlines.

Whether Burger immediately begins to step into a more prominent role at first base or splits his time between the infield corners and designated hitter, he’ll give the Marlins an immediate jolt of power. Looking beyond the 2023 season, both the first base and designated hitter slots in the lineup figure to be vacant; Cooper is a free agent, and while Jorge Soler is technically signed through 2024, he can also opt out of the final one year and $9MM of his contract at the end of the current season.

Subtracting Burger from the White Sox’ long-term outlook obviously takes away a good bit of power potential, but if the club isn’t sold on his defensive acumen at third base then he becomes a tough fit. Chicago has Andrew Vaughn and Eloy Jimenez locked in as long-term options at first base and designated hitter, respectively, so it could prove difficult to find Burger regular at-bats if his glove is indeed a prominent concern.

It’s also possible that the Sox simply felt Eder too talented a prospect to pass up on when presented the opportunity to acquire him. The 2020 fourth-round pick had pitched his way into top-100 prospect status prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery and has already made his way to the Double-A level this year upon returning. Eder, a Vanderbilt product, posted a 1.17 ERA in 71 1/3 innings in his first pro season before going under the knife, and he’s returned with 39 1/3 innings of 4.12 ERA ball. FanGraphs has already plugged him right back into their top-100 list, ranking him as the Marlins’ No. 1 prospect and the No. 54 prospect in baseball.

Scouting reports on Eder tout his mid-90s heater and a slider that FanGraphs touts as “one of the nastiest pitches on the planet.” Eder also has a changeup that’s well behind his header and breaking ball, but both BA and FanGraphs agree it can be an average pitch with further refinement. There are certainly some concerns for any young pitcher coming off major arm surgery, and Eder’s 12.5% walk rate will need to be refined. However, he’s already pitching in Double-A, and it’s feasible that he could be an option for the ChiSox as soon as next season. He might be on something of a limited workload next year, depending on how high his innings total climbs this year, but he’ll immediately become the system’s top pitching prospect.

Cubs Designate Trey Mancini For Assignment

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The Cubs are designating veteran first baseman Trey Mancini for assignment, as noted by Bruce Levine of WSCR-AM. BleacherNation’s Michael Cerami was first with the news that Mancini would be removed from the roster. Mancini’s departure coincides with the impending return of third baseman Jeimer Candelario, who will now join the active roster following the Cubs’ deal to re-acquire him from the Nationals yesterday.

Mancini, who signed a two-year deal with the Cubs this past offseason, sees his tenure in Chicago come to an end after less than a full season. It’s been a brutal season at the dish for Mancini, who has slashed just .234/.299/.336 in 263 plate appearances with the Cubs this season, a line good for a well below-average wRC+ of just 74. That limited production has come while Mancini has spent time at first base, in right field, and as the club’s DH this season, grading well below average defensive at the former two positions.

Mancini’s struggles at the plate date back to a mid-season trade that sent him from the Orioles to the Astros last year. In 51 regular season games for the 2022 World Series champions in Houston, Mancini struggled mightily to a .178/.258/.364 slash line. That performance in Houston was hampered by an unsustainably low .191 BABIP, but no such misfortune plagues Mancini in Chicago, where his wOBA (.280) was actually higher than his xwOBA (.270) and his .327 BABIP was slightly above his career mark of .313.

Candelario, Patrick Wisdom, Miguel Amaya, and Cody Bellinger are all options for the Cubs at first base currently on the major league roster, with first base prospect Matt Mervis waiting in the wings at Triple-A. Mervis struggled to adjust to big league pitching earlier this year in 99 trips to the plate, but has slashed .297/.400/.553 for his career at the Triple-A level, leaving room for optimism he could contribute at the big league level in the future.

Yankees Acquire Spencer Howard

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The Yankees acquired right-hander Spencer Howard from the Rangers for cash considerations, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray (Twitter link).

Howard, 27, was selected by the Phillies in the second round of the 2017 draft and quickly rose up prospect boards, becoming a consensus top-35 prospect in the game ahead of the 2020 campaign. He made his debut later that season and struggled to a 5.92 ERA in 24 1/3 innings of work. Those struggles continued into 2021, where he posted a 5.72 ERA despite a solid 4.02 FIP in 28 1/3 innings with the Phillies before being shipped to Texas as part of the deal that brought right-hander Kyle Gibson to Philadelphia.

Things took an even more dire turn when Howard arrived in Texas, as he allowed a whopping 26 runs (23 earned) in just 21 1/3 innings down the stretch with the Rangers, leaving him with a 7.43 ERA on the season. While Howard opened the 2022 campaign as a member of the club’s starting rotation, he didn’t last in that role for long, ultimately pitching just 37 2/3 innings in the majors that season to the tune of a 7.41 ERA. Howard’s struggles in recent years have extended even to the minor league level, where he’s posted a 4.89 ERA in 77 1/3 innings the past two seasons despite a solid 31% strikeout rate.

Going forward, Howard figures to provide the Yankees with an optionable depth piece for their pitching staff. Howard seems unlikely to secure a spot in the club’s bullpen, which stands as one of the best in the sport even before adding right-hander Keynan Middleton earlier today. That being said, it’s possible Howard could compete for spot starts with depth options such as Randy Vasquez or Jhony Brito. As for the Rangers, the club sports an exceptionally deep rotation after the recent additions of Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery, and depth pieces like Glenn Otto and Cole Winn leave Texas well-positioned to absorb the loss of Howard without much issue.

Brewers, Diamondbacks Swap Andrew Chafin For Peter Strzelecki

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The Brewers have picked up left-hander Andrew Chafin in a trade with the Diamondbacks, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link).  John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Phoenix reports that right-hander Peter Strzelecki is headed back to the D’Backs in return.  Rosenthal linked Milwaukee to Chafin’s market earlier today.

Give how Arizona also just landed Paul Sewald from the Mariners yesterday, it makes for an interesting buy/sell dynamic with the Diamondbacks’ front office.  Obviously the D’Backs have designs on reaching the postseason, yet still opted to pull the trigger on dealing a reliever who is technically a rental player, since Chafin only signed a one-year, $6.25MM deal last winter.  However, he is controllable through next season via a $7.25MM club option ($750K buyout), so the Brew Crew could potentially be viewing Chafin as a member of their 2024 bullpen.  Incidentally, Chafin also receives a $250K bonus now that he has been traded.

That said, the D’Backs are also getting back a controllable reliever in Strzelecki, who has posted some good results over his two MLB seasons.  Since Strzelecki isn’t a free agent until after the 2028 season and naturally comes at a much lower price tag than Chafin, the Diamondbacks saved some money while perhaps not taking much of a hit to the overall quality of their relief corps.

Chafin has a 4.19 ERA over 34 1/3 innings this season, with that number only just inflated by a disastrous outing (five runs in two-thirds of an inning) against the Braves on July 24.  The southpaw’s SIERA is a more solid 3.38, and his 32.7% strikeout rate put him the 94th percentile of all pitchers.  Chafin’s control has fluctuated throughout his career, and the pendulum has swung down this season, as he has an ungainly 12.0% walk rate.

Now in his 10th MLB season, Chafin has been a generally reliable relief arm over his career, and he’ll now change uniforms once again to join a Brewers team in severe need of left-handed depth.  While Hoby Milner is having a strong season, he has been the only left-hander in Milwaukee’s bullpen for most of the season.  The Brewers were hoping to have Justin Wilson back from Tommy John surgery, yet Wilson unfortunately suffered a lat strain while warming up in his return outing, and was placed back onto the 15-day injured list.

With no timeline yet on Wilson’s return, it is easy to see why the Brewers were so aggressive in seeking out another left-hander, and in dealing a controllable pitcher from their right-handed relief depth.  Strzelecki was an undrafted free agent for the Brewers in 2018, but he made his way to the majors to toss 70 2/3 innings for Milwaukee over the last two seasons.  Despite near-identical SIERAs (3.47 and 3.66) and pretty similar secondary metrics over his two years of work, Strzelecki had a 2.83 ERA over 35 frames in 2022, but a 4.54 ERA in 35 2/3 innings this season.

One of a few hidden pitching gems uncovered by the Brewers front office and pitching development staff, Strzelecki has a 25.3% strikeout rate and 8.2% walk rate over his career, both above the league average.  A slightly loss of control (though not in the walk category) could be one reason for Strzelecki’s relative dropoff in performance this year, as he has hit eight batters.  The Brewers only just called Strzelecki back up from the minors after a month-long stint at Triple-A, and he didn’t make another appearance prior to the trade.

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