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Diamondbacks Acquire Adam Rosales

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The Athletics announced that they have traded veteran infielder Adam Rosales to the Diamondbacks in exchange for minor league right-hander Jeferson Mejia.  The minor move coincides with the D’Backs placing shortstop Chris Owings on the 60-day DL due to yesterday’s fractured finger, according to Nick Piecoro of AZ Central.

Rosales, who has played for the A’s in parts of five seasons, was a candidate to be designated for assignment as Chad Pinder approaches his return from a hamstring injury, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  The 34-year-old Rosales is hitting .234/.273/.346 in 223 plate appearances for the A’s this year, appearing mainly at shortstop.  Arizona’s acquisition was likely influenced by a tragedy, as shortstop Ketel Marte left the team after the loss of his mother in a car accident.

Mejia, a 22-year-old reliever who was recently demoted to short-season ball, has struggled with his control and posted a 5.90 ERA in 21 relief appearances this year.  The D’Backs acquired him from the Cubs in 2014 as part of the Miguel Montero deal.

Angels Nearing David Hernandez Trade

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2:32pm: The D-backs could be a landing spot for Hernandez, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

2:27pm: The Angels are getting close to a trade involving Hernandez, reports Feinsand (on Twitter).

12:11pm: MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets that Petit is also generating interest. The 32-year-old has tossed 60 2/3 innings with a 2.52 ERA, 9.5 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 34.4 percent ground-ball rate this season in a multi-inning role.

11:37am: The Angels are marketing right-handed relievers Bud Norris and David Hernandez, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney (Twitter link). Industry expectation is that both will be traded before today’s 4pm ET non-waiver deadline, Olney adds.

Both Norris and Hernandez have had strong rebound seasons in 2017, though Norris’ numbers have taken a hit in the past week due to a pair of grand slams allowed. That said, he’s worked 41 2/3 innings with a career-high 11.2 K/9 rate against 4.5 BB/9 and a 49 percent ground-ball rate (also a career-best). The resulting 3.89 ERA is a near-mirror image of Norris’ 3.87 FIP and is also largely reported by a 3.59 xFIP and 3.55 SIERA. Norris is a free agent at season’s end, and he’s making $1.75MM this year, with about $602K of that sum still owed to him.

Hernandez, meanwhile, has somewhat quietly turned in an excellent 2.23 ERA with 9.2 K/9, 2.0 BB/9 and a 47.3 percent ground-ball rate through 36 1/3 innings of work. Like Norris, he has enough big league service time to qualify as a free agent following the season, making him a pure rental piece as well. Terms of his minor league deal with the Angels weren’t reported at the time he signed, but I’ve been told he’s earning an $850K base salary — so there’d be about $293K of that sum remaining.

It’s not clear whether the Halos are shopping any of their other short-term assets, though righty Yusmeiro Petit is having a fine year in the bullpen, while third baseman Yunel Escobar has produced at about a league-average pace at the plate. Outfielder Cameron Maybin may well have been a trade commodity, but his knee injury will keep him out into August. It’s still possible that he could clear trade waivers next month or be moved to a team that places a claim, however.

Brandon Kintzler Trade Rumors: Deadline Day

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When the Twins decided to change course and begin selling assets, righty Brandon Kintzler immediately became the club’s most obvious trade chip. He’s a pending free agent with an affordable salary and sterling track record over the past two seasons. While contenders won’t likely be targeting him as a closer, he has succeeded in that role over the past two seasons in Minnesota.

Here’s the latest chatter on his still-developing market:

  • The Twins appear to be nearing a trade involving Kintzler, though it’s not yet apparent where he’s headed, according to a tweet from ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick.
  • Also still involved on Kintzler are the Diamondbacks, per LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune (Twitter link).
  • The Nationals are indeed “in touch” on Kintzler today, tweets Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post, with MLB.com’s Jon Morosi characterizing things similarly on Twitter by citing “ongoing discussions” between the teams.
  • Discussions are likely to go right up until the deadline at 4pm EST today, per Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via Twitter). The Nationals and Rockies are among the teams that have checked in on Kintzler, he notes. Likewise, the Rays have shown at least some interest, per 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson (via Twitter).
  • With the Red Sox landing Addison Reed, that may have taken one suitor out of the running. But it also perhaps teed up Kintzler as the next-most-appealing righty rental reliever. As MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand suggests on Twitter, the volume of traffic on Kintzler now has the Twins believing he’ll be dealt today.

D-Backs, Emilio Bonifacio Agree To Minors Deal

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The Diamondbacks are in agreement with veteran utility man Emilio Bonifacio on a minor league pact, tweets SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo.

Bonifacio will join the D-backs in the midst of a difficult situation, as MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert tweets that the club is preparing to place infielder Ketel Marte on the bereavement list due to the tragic death of Marte’s mother in a car accident. We at MLBTR express our most heartfelt condolences to Marte and his family.

With both Marte and Chris Owings (fractured finger) unavailable for some time, Bonifacio can step up and play a variety of positions around the diamond. The 32-year-old batted just .132/.150/.211 in 44 plate appearances with the Braves earlier this year but is a career .256/.313/.333 batter in nearly 2900 MLB PAs. Bonifacio has played second base, shortstop, third base and all three outfield positions in his career as well.

Chris Owings Diagnosed With Fractured Finger

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7:42pm: Arizona is “unlikely” to shop for another infielder, per Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network (via Twitter). The club thinks its depth is sufficient, particularly with Ahmed expected to return within a month or so.

4:41pm: Diamondbacks infielder Chris Owings has been diagnosed with a fractured middle finger on his right hand, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets. While details on an anticipated course of treatment and timeline aren’t known, he’ll obviously be out for a reasonably extended stretch.

With Owings joining Nick Ahmed on the DL, the D-Backs are left with quite a bit less middle-infield depth than they had to open the year. Ketel Marte and Brandon Drury look to represent the top two options on the active roster, with Daniel Descalso also available in a reserve role.

The loss hits the Snakes at an interesting time, with the trade deadline less than 24 hours away. Whether Arizona will feel any major new impetus to pursuing a trade remains to be seen. Owings is now in a state of uncertainty and Ahmed has yet to begin a rehab assignment. But Marte has played well since returning to the majors and Descalso won’t be needed as much in the outfield as he was at times due to the recent addition of J.D. Martinez.

If the D-Backs do take a look at the market, they could consider a variety of options. MLBTR has recently assessed the potentially available shortstops and second basemen. Among those of note are Zack Cozart of the Reds, though he just landed on the DL. Jose Iglesias of the Tigers would represent a controllable piece and is capable of providing top-notch defense at shortstop, though he has never been much with the bat. If the Diamondbacks don’t feel they need a player capable of lining up at short, they could focus on rentals such as Jed Lowrie of the A’s or Neil Walker of the Mets.

As ought to be apparent from some of the names mentioned, there may not be much rush to finding a replacement. Arizona may prefer to see how its injured players progress while waiting to weigh new acquisitions over the month of August. Cozart figures to be available then, and Walker may be as well given that he only just returned from the DL and is earning a big salary. Veterans such as Brandon Phillips, Asdrubal Cabrera, and even Ian Kinsler are also plausible chips that could last past tomorrow’s non-waiver deadline.

D-Backs Among Teams With Interest In Brandon Kintzler

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  • The Red Sox and Diamondbacks are among the teams with interest in Twins righty Brandon Kintzler, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com (via Twitter). Kintzler, 32, represents an interesting potential addition to the trade market as Minnesota ponders a change in plans. The sinkerballer owns a 2.84 ERA with 27 saves on the year. As regards the interest from Boston, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Red Sox had looked into Pat Neshek before he was dealt to the Rockies, due in part to their desire to add a “different look” to their setup mix. With the side-armer now off the market, Boston isn’t a lock to move onto other targets such as the Mets’ Addison Reed or the Marlins’ AJ Ramos, Crasnick notes.

Diamondbacks Acquire John Ryan Murphy

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The D-backs announced that they’ve acquired minor league catcher John Ryan Murphy from the Twins in exchange for minor league left-hander Gabriel Moya. In a corresponding move, Yasmany Tomas has been transferred from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL to clear a spot on Arizona’s 40-man roster.

John Ryan Murphy| Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Murphy’s tenure with the Twins will come to a disappointing end after roughly a season and a half. Acquired prior to the 2016 season in a straight-up swap for outfielder Aaron Hicks, Murphy floundered in his first season with the Twins in ’16 and has yet to see the Majors in 2017. Hicks, meanwhile, finally broke out and delivered on his former top prospect status as a member of the Yankees in 2017, though he’s been sidelined for about a month due to an oblique injury.

The 26-year-old Murphy showed plenty of promise in 2015, hitting .277/.327/.406 in his first extended look in the Majors as a member of the Yankees. With a long-term need behind the plate and a glut of outfield depth in his system, former Twins GM Terry Ryan moved the out-of-options Hicks to New York in exchange for Murphy with the hope that he could succeed Kurt Suzuki as the Twins’ starting catcher in the long run.

Murphy, though, logged just 90 plate appearances with the Twins in 2016 and hit .146/.193/.220. He posted a .609 OPS at the Triple-A level last year as well and hasn’t been much better in 2017, hitting just .222/.298/.330 with four home runs through 218 plate appearances. The Twins inked Jason Castro to a three-year pact this winter and have backup catcher/mop-up reliever extraordinaire Chris Gimenez controlled through 2018, while 26-year-old Mitch Garver’s strong minor league play has easily vaulted him over Murphy on the organizational depth chart. The inclusion of journeyman Anthony Recker in this week’s Jaime Garcia swap gave the Twins yet another experienced option at catcher and likely made Murphy all the more expendable in their eyes.

For all of his flaws at the plate, Murphy has halted 39 percent of stolen base attempts against him and has delivered superlative framing marks both this season and last in Triple-A Rochester. For a Diamondbacks organization that has placed a clear emphasis on catcher defense — highlighted by the signing of light-hitting Jeff Mathis to a two-year deal — the interest in Murphy is understandable. He’s probably behind Mathis, Chris Herrmann and Chris Iannetta on the depth chart for now, but Iannetta is a free agent at season’s end while Herrmann (also a former Twin) is a clear non-tender candidate, if not a DFA candidate.

In Moya, the Twins will pick up a left-handed arm that ranked as the 25th-best asset in a thin Diamondbacks farm system, per Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. The 22-year-old Moya has served as the closer with the D-backs’ Double-A affiliate this season and posted a gaudy 0.82 ERA with 14.0 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 42.5 percent ground-ball rate. He’s saved 17 games at that level, though Callis and Mayo suggest that he doesn’t have the stuff to close at the game’s top level. They do note that unlike many relievers, Moya has four useful pitches, highlighted by a changeup and also featuring an average fastball and slider.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Long List Of Teams Interested In AJ Ramos

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MONDAY: In addition to the Rockies and Cubs, the Nationals are said to be “expressing strong interest” in Ramos, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). Ramos has previously been tied to the Nats, though those talks reportedly took place before the team’s recent addition of a pair of late-inning relievers. Of course, Washington is still said to be looking at yet more relief targets.

SATURDAY: The Diamondbacks, Rockies, Rays, Red Sox, Cubs, Brewers and others all have interest in Marlins closer AJ Ramos, FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick and others tweeted earlier this week that the Marlins were taking calls on Ramos.

The Marlins, of course, recently traded reliever David Phelps to Seattle for a package including outfield prospect Brayan Hernandez, and Ramos could potentially be an even more desirable trade target. The 30-year-old has a 4.08 ERA and 4.8 BB/9 this season, but with a strong 11.5 K/9. He also has 89 career saves and a long history of success in the ninth inning, making him a strong late-inning option for a contender. (Of course, many clubs on Heyman’s list of interested teams, including the Rockies, Red Sox, Cubs and Brewers, appear set at closer, but that wouldn’t preclude them from having interest in another good late-inning arm.) Ramos can be controlled through 2018 via the arbitration process.

With Phelps gone, the Marlins are expected to lean harder on Junichi Tazawa, as MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro recently explained. Tazawa has pitched nine scoreless innings this month. The team also has Kyle Barraclough, Nick Wittgren and Dustin McGowan to pitch in the late innings. It’s not yet clear, however, who would take over the closer role should Ramos depart.

D-Backs Sign David Carpenter

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  • The Diamondbacks have inked righty David Carpenter to a minors deal, per a club announcement from the indy ball Bridgeport Bluefish. Once a quality MLB reliever, Carpenter washed out of the majors with arm issues. He posted a 1.91 ERA and racked up 45 strikeouts in his 37 2/3 innings on the year.

Diamondbacks To Promote Anthony Banda

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The Diamondbacks will promote lefty Anthony Banda to start tomorrow in place of Taijuan Walker, per a club announcement. Walker is on paternity leave, so it’ll only be a short absence for him.

Banda, a southpaw who’ll soon turn 24, currently ranks as the game’s 68th-best overall prospect, in the eyes of the Baseball America prospect team. He is already on the 40-man, earning a spot last fall in order to be protected from the Rule 5 draft. The D-Backs picked up Banda (as well as Mitch Haniger) in the 2014 deadline deal that sent Gerardo Parra to the Brewers.

It’s not yet clear whether the D-Backs have any inclination to lean on Banda much at all down the stretch, but that could depend in some part upon how he looks in his MLB debut. Banda has managed only a 5.08 ERA in his 101 Triple-A innings this year, with 8.3 K/9 against 3.8 B/9, and didn’t exactly dominate in his 13 starts there last year.

Banda is viewed more as a steady potential MLB starter than a high-risk, high-upside play with electric stuff. But it’s also possible he could contribute from the bullpen in some capacity over the next few months. His readiness may have at least some impact on the club’s deadline plans, though Arizona’s approach over the next ten days surely won’t be driven to any great extent by Banda’s form in this spot start.

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