5 Key Stories News & Rumors

Here’s a look back at this week’s five top stories here at MLBTR.

Middle-infield changes for the Braves. The Braves made a variety of moves this week, the most significant of which was the promotion of top shortstop prospect and former No. 1 overall draft pick Dansby Swanson from Double-A Mississippi. Swanson replaces Erick Aybar, who the Braves shipped to Detroit for Mike Aviles and a prospect. (They then designated Aviles for assignment.) They also released veteran second baseman Omar Infante.

Giancarlo Stanton to miss rest of season. The slugger is out for the year with a groin injury, a loss that could significantly impact the Marlins’ Wild Card chances. They’ve considered acquiring Carlos Gomez, who was recently released by the Astros, to replace him on their roster.

Nationals release Jonathan Papelbon. The Nats released their former closer last week rather than designating him for assignment, allowing him to hit the open market immediately. A few days later, it appeared he was close to deciding on a new team, with the veteran being connected to the Red Sox and Cubs. Now, however, it appears his timeline for signing has been pushed back.

More rookies arrive. Swanson’s promotion wasn’t the only crucial one this week. The Rockies are set to promote Jeff Hoffman, the key to last year’s Troy Tulowitzki trade. And the Yankees promoted slugger Aaron Judge along with first baseman Tyler Austin. Both players made an immediate impact, homering in their first big-league at-bats last Saturday against the Rays.

Potential changes for the Diamondbacks. The D-Backs haven’t yet made the call on contract decisions for top execs Tony La Russa, Dave Stewart and De Jon Watson, Jon Heyman reported yesterday. Manager Chip Hale could also be on the hot seat in the wake of the team’s extremely disappointing 50-72 season thus far. One Diamondback who isn’t in danger of losing his job is catcher Welington Castillo, who the team has considered extending.

Here’s a look back at this week’s top stories here at MLBTR:

Twins fire GM Terry Ryan: Though the Twins have badly struggled in recent years, it was still a bit of a surprise to see the team part ways with the longtime general manager given how Ryan has been such a key figure in franchise history.  Assistant GM Rob Antony will take over the top job on an interim basis while Minnesota will immediately begin a search for its new general manager — Antony himself figures to be a top candidate, though the Twins could depart from their usual method of internal promotions to bring a totally fresh face into the organization.  The short-term effect of Ryan’s firing was an immediate surge of interest from rival teams looking to add Twins players before the deadline.

White Sox could be deadline sellers: The Pale Hose are just 6-11 in July and have dropped to four games under the .500 mark, a slide that has led the club to consider moving some veterans by August 1.  The only White Sox who seem to be untouchables are youngsters Tim Anderson, Carlos Rodon and Carson Fulmer, plus rotation stars Chris Sale and Jose Quintana…though the Sox are at least willing to hear offers about Sale and Quintana.  The Rangers have already shown interest in Sale and needless to say, several teams would jump in if Sale or Quintana were being openly shopped.  It would be a surprise if the two southpaws or the likes of Jose Abreu, David Robertson or Adam Eaton left Chicago over the next week, though if the White Sox are really willing to consider moving any of these cornerstones, it would drastically shake up the deadline.

Cubs acquire Mike Montgomery from the Mariners for Dan Vogelbach: One notable trade has already made in advance of the deadline, as the Cubs addressed their need for lefty bullpen help at the cost of one of their top slugging prospects.  (The deal also involved two minor league righties, with Jordan Pries going to Chicago and Paul Blackburn going to Seattle.)  The Cubs’ middle-of-the-pack bullpen is arguably the team’s only weakness, and while they’ve been linked to such major names as Andrew Miller or Aroldis Chapman, Montgomery is a controllable young southpaw who was available at a much lower price.  Vogelbach is no slouch, however, as the M’s have acquired a young slugger who has torn up minor league pitching and could be Seattle’s first baseman (or at least DH) of the future.

Clayton Kershaw‘s questionable status: The Dodgers (and really, fans of historic pitching performances) got some bad news this week when Kershaw reported feeling back pain after a 60-pitch simulated game.  The star lefty has been shut down until his back is feeling better, and there currently isn’t any timeline about when Kershaw could return.  Kershaw originally hit the DL with mild disc herniation at the end of June, and he was estimated to be out of action for roughly a month, though obviously that timeline has now been pushed back.  Any time without Kershaw obviously doesn’t bode well for the Dodgers’ playoff chances, and it could push the club to look for bigger starting pitching targets at the deadline.

Rich Hill‘s blister problems: The veteran lefty could have one of the largest trade markets in baseball, though the question facing Hill and the A’s now is whether or not he will make another start before the deadline.  Hill left a start against the Blue Jays last Sunday after just five pitches due to a popped blister, and the nagging issue will keep Hill sidelined until next week at the earliest.  Hill could be looking at one start (at most) before August 1, and if he pitches well in that outing, the A’s could still salvage a decent return for the southpaw in a trade.  If Hill is hit hard or can’t pitch at all before the deadline, Oakland could try to workout a deal in the August waiver period or face the tough question of whether or not to extend a qualifying offer to Hill before he hits free agency this winter.

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Here’s a look back at this week’s top stories here at MLBTR.

The Astros agree to terms with Yulieski Gurriel. The Astros made a huge splash late this week, agreeing to sign Cuban superstar Yulieski Gurriel to a five-year, $47.5MM deal. The move further strengthened what had already been a very strong projected Astros infield, but the team has no plans to trade top prospect Alex Bregman. Instead, the Astros plan to promote Gurriel later this season, and when both he and Bregman are in the Majors, they could use them both at a variety of positions. Gurriel had lately also been connected to the Dodgers and Mets.

The Red Sox continue to add. Dave Dombrowski and the Red Sox had already been busy on the trade market, adding Brad Ziegler and Aaron Hill, but this week they reached even higher, nabbing Drew Pomeranz from the Padres. They can keep Pomeranz in Boston through 2018, so he isn’t a rental, but they paid heavily to get him, sending top pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza to San Diego. On a related note, shortly after the Ziegler deal last week, it emerged that Sox closer Craig Kimbrel would have to miss three to six weeks due to a knee injury; the Sox have said the Ziegler deal wasn’t directly related to Kimbrel’s situation, but Ziegler certainly provides the Red Sox’ bullpen with a convenient bit of help. The Padres’ willingness to deal Pomeranz, meanwhile, might not mean they’ll be opening the shop on all their veterans — both they and first baseman Wil Myers are interested in an extension.

The Diamondbacks demote Shelby Miller. The Diamondbacks’ controversial winter trade for Shelby Miller took another turn for the worse this week, as they demoted the slumping starter to Triple-A Reno after he posted a 7.14 ERA in 14 starts. The Diamondbacks as a team, meanwhile, are just 38-53 despite their flashy offseason, and there are whispers within the game that the organization could fire manager Chip Hale.

The Blue Jays extend Justin Smoak. The Jays signed first baseman Justin Smoak to a somewhat two-year extension Saturday, removing an infielder from next year’s free agent market. Toronto also, of course, has a couple higher-profile sluggers in Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion who remain set to become free agents. Via a tweet from Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi, the Jays maintain that the Smoak deal has no impact on their ability to re-sign Bautista and Encarnacion, but it’s hard not to see Smoak’s extension a bit of insurance if the Jays aren’t able to retain those players.

The draft signing deadline passes. The deadline to sign players from the 2016 draft was Friday. While many key draftees signed earlier in the summer, a few key picks waited until just before the deadline, including Jason Groome (Red Sox), Braxton Garrett (Marlins) and Anthony Kay (Mets).

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Here were this week’s top stories here at MLBTR.

Red Sox bolster bench, bullpen as Diamondbacks change directions. The trading season isn’t really in full swing yet, but the Red Sox made two deals for veterans this week. First, they acquired veteran infielder Aaron Hill from the Brewers for prospects Wendell Rijo and Aaron Wilkerson. Then, on Friday night, they got reliever Brad Ziegler from Arizona for two more prospects, Luis Alejandro Basabe and Jose Almonte. Significantly, the Diamondbacks’ decision to deal Ziegler suggests they could do more selling as the deadline approaches, despite having a splashy offseason last winter. The Diamondbacks also placed ace Zack Greinke on the DL with an oblique strain this week.

Matt Harvey‘s season ends. The Mets have lost Matt Harvey for the rest of 2016, as the righty has elected to undergo surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. The Mets had already placed Harvey on the 15-day DL. It’s been a tough season for Harvey, who has endured a loss of velocity and a corresponding decline in performance, with a 4.86 ERA, 7.4 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 over 92 2/3 innings.

CarGo drama. A report emerged Thursday suggesting Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez had shown interest in being traded, but Gonzalez vehemently denied the rumors. “Whenever I get home, I’m frustrated because maybe I didn’t do well, or we didn’t win the game, but I never complain about it  … or say I want to go somewhere else,” he told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Either way, it sounds like Gonzalez and fellow Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon could be on the trade market this summer.

Promotions in Pittsburgh. The Pirates made noise this week by promoting two top prospects to the big leagues, as they had Tyler Glasnow make a start against the Cardinals (in which he allowed four runs over 5 1/3 innings, but notched five strikeouts and touched 97 MPH), then replaced him on their active roster with first baseman Josh Bell. Bell’s promotion appears likely to be temporary, just as Glasnow’s was, but the two players will probably be fixtures in Pittsburgh by the end of the season.

Padres continue international market splurge. The Padres haven’t had a good season at the big-league level, but they’ve been big spenders in the market for international free agents, spending heavily on Luis Almanzar, Gabriel Arias and others on July 2 and then really breaking the bank this week on Cuban lefty Adrian Morejon, with whom they agreed on an $11MM bonus. They’ll also pay a 100% tax on the deal.

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Here at MLBTR, we’re revamping our weekly look back to include key news and rumors rather than focusing purely on transactions, as we did in our prior Week In Review feature. Here’s a glance at five narratives that were most crucial to our coverage since last Saturday.

Marlins, Dodgers strike deals for pitchers. Two contenders attempted to upgrade their pitching staffs via the trade market this week, as the Marlins traded pitching prospect Chris Paddack for Padres closer Fernando Rodney, and the Dodgers acquired Bud Norris from the Braves in a five-player deal. As for the reasons the Dodgers felt the need to acquire Norris, read on …

Pitcher injuries everywhere. This was a tough week to be a pitcher. The Dodgers placed ace Clayton Kershaw on the DL with “mild disc herniation” in his back. Kershaw won’t require surgery, but the loss of a player in the midst of an historic season is a significant blow to the Dodgers, particularly given all the other pitching injuries with which they dealt. Kershaw wasn’t the only pitcher about whom injury news was reported this week — Andrew Heaney of the Angels needs Tommy John surgery, the Twins’ Phil Hughes will miss the rest of the season after having shoulder surgery, Phillies prospect Mark Appel is out for the season after having surgery to remove a bone spur, Mets starters Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz are pitching with bone spurs themselves, and Athletics reliever Sean Doolittle hit the DL with a shoulder strain. Meanwhile, the Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg landed on the DL with an upper back strain, leading to the promotion of top prospect Lucas Giolito.

Matt Moore rumors build. Rays starter Matt Moore still hasn’t returned to his 2012-2013 form after having Tommy John surgery in 2014, but he’s attracting trade interest, with the Rangers one of several interested clubs. The Rays could be motivated to deal Moore in part because they could soon have a starting pitching surplus.

Veterans try to make their way back. A number of former stars latched on with new teams this week, signing minor league deals in the hope of making their way back to the Majors. Mat Latos, who was released by the White Sox earlier this season, signed with the Nationals, while veteran second baseman Omar Infante will start anew with the Braves after being released by the Royals. Jose Reyes, meanwhile, reunited with the Mets after being released by the Rockies in the wake of his domestic violence scandal.

Braves, Padres, Athletics, Nationals land big July 2 hauls. The international signing season opened today, and, as has increasingly been the case in the past few years, most of the top talent went to just a few teams. The Braves got not only Kevin Maitan, widely regarded as the top overall prospects, but several other well-regarded prospects as well. The Padres landed six prospects who received bonuses of at least $1M. The A’s got Cuban outfielder Lazaro Armenteros and several other top players, while the Nationals paid a combined $5.2MM to land infielders Yasel Antuna and Luis Garcia. The Reds and Cardinals also made splashes. The Red Sox, meanwhile, were banned from spending on international bonus pool-eligible players this year and had several contracts voided as penalty for the use of a “package deal” mainly designed to ink outfielder Albert Guaimaro last July.

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