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Diamondbacks Rumors

Indians Claim Alex Young, Transfer Aaron Civale To 60-Day IL

By Steve Adams | July 26, 2021 at 2:09pm CDT

The Indians on Monday claimed lefty Alex Young off waivers from the Diamondbacks and opened a spot on the 40-man roster by transferring right-hander Aaron Civale from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list, according to a club announcement. Young was optioned to Triple-A Columbus.

Young, 27, was designated for assignment in Arizona last week after struggling over the past two seasons. The former second-round pick (No. 43 overall) had a solid rookie season back in 2019 when he tossed 83 1/3 innings of 3.56 ERA ball over the life of 17 appearances (15 starts). Young’s 20.3 percent strikeout rate that season wasn’t especially impressive, but he had strong control (7.7 percent walk rate), kept the ball on the ground at an above-average 48.1 percent clip and was generally stingy when it came to allowing hard contact. It was a generally promising debut for a 25-year-old with a strong draft pedigree.

Things haven’t panned out as hoped since that time. Young has pitched 88 innings since that time, mostly out of the bullpen (36 relief appearances, nine starts). His strikeout rate and walk rate have each gone in the wrong direction, but only by about one percent. However, Young has begun yielding hard contact in droves while surrendering more fly balls; as one might expect, he’s been immensely homer-prone since those trends began. Over his past 88 frames, Young has served up 22 home runs en route to a 5.83 ERA.

While Young’s time with the D-backs didn’t go as the organization (or the player himself) hoped, he’ll get a fresh start with a new club that has a reputation for pitching development. Young can be optioned both in 2022 and 2023, so he gives Cleveland a potential depth arm for the foreseeable future — or a potential piece to the big league pitching staff if he can indeed right the ship following his change in environs.

The move to shift Civale from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day now means that he won’t return until at least late August. We’re just over one month past Civale’s initial placement on the 10-day injured list due to a finger sprain. He was initially projected to miss four to five weeks, so the fact that he’s now shelved for a minimum of two months suggests that his rehab from that injury has not been as swift as initially expected.

With Civale and reigning Cy Young winner Shane Bieber on the shelf, the Indians have been relying on Zach Plesac, Triston McKenzie, Cal Quantrill, J.C. Mejia, Eli Morgan and Sam Hentges to start. Despite the team’s aforementioned knack for churning out quality young pitchers, this particular group has struggled for the most part. Plesac only just returned from a broken thumb and hasn’t been as sharp as usual. Quantrill has a solid enough 3.84 ERA on the season, but he has a 5.11 ERA as a starter and a 1.88 mark as a reliever. Young could give Cleveland another option to add to that carousel, depending on how he’s used.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Cleveland Guardians Transactions Aaron Civale Alex Young

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Draft Signings: 7/25/21

By Mark Polishuk | July 25, 2021 at 9:17pm CDT

Today’s most notable signings from Day Two (and beyond) of the amateur draft.  As always, you can get more background on these players via the prospect rankings and scouting reports compiled by Baseball America, Fangraphs, MLB Pipeline, The Athletic’s Keith Law, and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel.  As well, here is MLB Pipeline’s breakdown of the slot values assigned to each pick in the first 10 rounds, as well as the bonus pool money available to all 30 teams.

All signings reported by MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis, unless otherwise noted…

  • The Marlins signed second-round pick Cody Morrissette, with the Boston College shortstop agreeing to the assigned slot price of $1,403,200 for the 52nd overall pick.
  • The Diamondbacks went slightly above slot to sign Adrian Del Castillo, the draft’s 67th overall selection and Arizona’s pick in Competitive Balance Round B.  Del Castillo, a catcher from the University of Miami, signed for a $1MM bonus, topping the 67th pick’s slot price of $976.7K.
  • The Angels made a very notable signing outside the top 10 rounds, agreeing to a $1.25MM bonus with 12th-round pick Mason Albright.  As Callis notes, this is now the highest bonus given to a player beyond the first 10 rounds since MLB adopted the current draft format.  $1.125MM of Albright’s bonus will count against the Angels’ total $9,295,900 spending pool.  Albright is an 18-year-old southpaw who had received some rankings (107th from McDaniel, 122th from Pipeline, 134th from BA) far above his station as the 351st overall pick, and the Angels clearly had to go above and beyond to get Albright to break his commitment to Virginia Tech.
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2021 Amateur Draft 2021 Amateur Draft Signings Arizona Diamondbacks Los Angeles Angels Miami Marlins Transactions

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NL West Injury Notes: Weathers, Bellinger, Betts, Kershaw, Belt, Crawford, Kelly

By Mark Polishuk | July 24, 2021 at 9:08pm CDT

Padres left-hander Ryan Weathers was activated off the 10-day injured list earlier today, and he marked the occasion with four shutout innings and his first career home run in San Diego’s 3-2 loss to the Marlins.  Weathers had to be helped off the field after suffering what looked like an ugly leg injury on July 11, though he ended up only fracturing a small bone in his right ankle.  He looked none the worse for wear today, which is a nice boost to a Padres team that has battled through multiple pitching injuries and might yet look to add more arms by the trade deadline.

More injury updates from around the NL West…

  • Cody Bellinger is day-to-day after leaving Friday’s game due to hamstring tightness, though Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told The Los Angeles Times’ Jeff Miller and other reporters that Bellinger was on the field working out prior to today’s game.  When he does return, Bellinger might be utilized at first base in order to reduce his running, Roberts said.
  • Roberts also had more updates on other injured Dodgers stars, including Mookie Betts’ continuing right hip problems.  Betts received a cortisone shot and the plan is for the outfielder to play on Tuesday when the Dodgers begin a series with the Giants.  Betts hasn’t played since July 19 and hasn’t started a game since July 17.  Clayton Kershaw (placed on the 10-day IL with forearm inflammation on July 7) threw a bullpen session today and is slated for a simulated game on Tuesday.
  • Brandon Belt may be close to a rehab assignment, as the Giants first baseman ran the bases today as he continues to work his way back from knee inflammation.  Belt told reporters (including John Shea of The San Francisco Chronicle) that he feels “way better than I thought I was going to feel at this point,” considering that there was some consideration of knee surgery when he initially hurt his knee almost exactly one month ago.  Belt intends to wear a protective sleeve over his knee when he returns to the field.
  • In other positive injury recovery news for the Giants, Brandon Crawford began baseball activity today.  Crawford was placed on the 10-day IL with what was considered to be a minor left oblique strain on July 19, and it looks like Crawford will indeed only be out of action for a minimal amount of time.
  • Diamondbacks catcher Carson Kelly will began a rehab assignment on Thursday and will move to High-A Hillsboro on Sunday, MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert tweets.  A fractured wrist sent Kelly to the injured list on June 20, interrupting an outstanding season for the 27-year-old backstop.  Kelly has hit .260/.385/.460 with eight home runs over 187 plate appearances.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Los Angeles Dodgers Notes San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants Brandon Belt Brandon Crawford Carson Kelly Clayton Kershaw Cody Bellinger Dave Roberts Mookie Betts Ryan Weathers

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Quick Hits: Phillies, Mets, Stroman, Padres, Cruz

By TC Zencka | July 24, 2021 at 1:11pm CDT

The Phillies are interested in Craig Kimbrel, Ryan Tepera, and Andrew Chafin of the Cubs, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). Phillies’ scouts are present at Wrigley Field today. While it may seem counterintuitive, having so many potential trade targets on one team can muddy the trade waters, so we’ll see if the Phillies and Cubs can narrow their focus to get a deal done here in the coming week. Elsewhere…

  • The Mets and Marcus Stroman have not had any discussions about a possible contract extension, per Mike Ruiz of Newsday. Stroman has played a massive role in the Mets’ ascent to the top of the NL East this season, tossing 111 1/3 innings with a 2.59 ERA/3.50 FIP. He has ranked among the top-30 starters in the game by fWAR, innings pitched, ERA, FIP, groundball rate, and walk rate. He’s heading towards free agency without a qualifying offer attached entering his age-31 season.
  • Before the Rays pulled the trigger on the deal for Nelson Cruz, the Padres made a significant push to acquire the slugger, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. Cruz has a history of taking grounders at first and second base, and though it’s certainly hard to imagine a successful plan to convert the 41-year-old DH into an infielder, the Padres were willing to give it a shot in order to have his bat on the bench. What’s more, they weren’t the only National League team in pursuit, per Rosenthal.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Chicago Cubs Discussion New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies San Diego Padres Tampa Bay Rays Andrew Chafin Craig Kimbrel Marcus Stroman Nelson Cruz Ryan Tepera

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Diamondbacks Reinstate Asdrubal Cabrera, Place Josh Rojas On 10-Day Injured List

By TC Zencka | July 24, 2021 at 10:55am CDT

The Diamondbacks have placed infielder Josh Rojas on the 10-day injured list with a left finger dislocation, retroactive to July 22nd, the team announced. In his place, Asdrubal Cabrera has been reinstated from the injured list.

Cabrera comes off the IL just in time for an important showcase ahead of the trade deadline. The veteran infielder offers cheap, reliable production as a switch-hitter capable of playing anywhere in the infield except shortstop, which he hasn’t handled in quite some time.

Still, Cabrera remains a tough out. With an 11.7 percent walk rate, Cabrera has posted a triple slash of .240/.332/.385 in 223 plate appearances. He won’t be a flashy get, but he’s been worth 1.0 fWAR thus far, and he helped the Nationals win the 2019 World Series with a monster second half, often serving as protection in the lineup for Juan Soto. That’s hardly the expectation for the 35-year-old Cabrera, but it does speak to his utility for a contender.

Rojas, 27, has seen more playing time this season than ever before in his young career. The versatile defender has hit .268/.356/.438 with 10 home runs in 366 plate appearances. He’s done so while covering second, short, left and right field.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Transactions Asdrubal Cabrera Josh Rojas

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Mets, Phillies, Blue Jays Scouting Cubs/Diamondbacks

By TC Zencka | July 24, 2021 at 10:04am CDT

The Mets, Phillies, and Jays – and potentially others – have scouts at the Diamondbacks/Cubs game in Chicago today, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter).

That’s as good a place as any for deadline buyers to do their weekend shopping. Kris Bryant and Craig Kimbrel are the most notable names present, but there’s plenty of talent dotting Chicago’s roster. Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, and Zach Davies are the other veterans on expiring contracts, with Davies the most likely of the three to move.

The Cubs also stock affordable, veteran talent, both in the bullpen — where names like Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin, and Dan Winkler could help a contender — and in the lineup, where low-cost veterans like Patrick Wisdom, Matt Duffy, and Jake Marisnick could be worth a conversation as well.

The Diamondbacks figure to be an even more fervent seller, though without the high-end talent of the Cubs. Still, Eduardo Escobar continues to be a popular name as a power bat offering defensive versatility on an expiring contract. Asdrubal Cabrera represents a knock-off edition, though the veteran has proven an effective deadline addition before, and he brings a more patient approach with an 11.7 walk rate this season.

Joakim Soria has a 4.45 ERA/3.91 FIP in 28 1/3 innings and a lengthy track record of success. The 14-year veteran is making just $3.5MM, and he, too, will be a free agent at year’s end. He has six saves and 229 for his career, so any acquiring team can rest assured that he’ll keep his composure, if nothing else. The Mets, Phillies, and Blue Jays all need bullpen help and could turn to Soria if Kimbrel proves too rich.

The rest of the Dbacks’ bullpen consists mostly of castoffs or unproven youngsters. Bespectacled vet Tyler Clippard won’t be cowed by the moment, but he’s only recently off the 60-day injured list and has just one appearance on the season. Former Brewers and Rays right-hander Jake Faria is having a decent season — 4.19 ERA, 19 1/3 innings — and would probably come cheap.

Noe Ramirez is worth a look. The 31-year-old sports a 3.31 ERA/3.72 FIP in 16 1/3 innings, but he’s long been undervalued because of pretty severe splits. He has a 3.94 career xFIP and 20.4 percent K-BB% against same-handed hitters, versus a 5.04 xFIP and 9.4 K-BB% against lefties for his career. Deployed judiciously, Ramirez can absolutely add value to a contender.

Merrill Kelly and Caleb Smith could be targeted as back-end rotation upgrades, with Kelly having the better season of the two. Kelly has posted 2.0 fWAR in 20 starts covering 117 innings. He has a 4.46 ERA/3.88 FIP with a 46.2 percent groundball rate, 20.3 percent strikeout rate, and solid 5.5 percent walk rate. He’s also affordable at $4.25MM this year and controllable with a $5.25MM club option for next year.

Kelly will take the mound today. He’s generating “a ton of interest on the trade market,” per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).

Smith is an extreme flyball pitcher controllable through 2023. With a 27.1 percent groundball rate for his career, he’s always going to be homer prone, but he’s nevertheless managed a palatable 4.38 ERA/4.64 FIP in 78 innings. Smith might be a better bet for a fringey contender looking towards the future, as his value lies at least as much in his controllability as it does his present ability to pitch in the back-end of a playoff rotation.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Chicago Cubs New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies Toronto Blue Jays Trade Candidate Craig Kimbrel Kris Bryant

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Diamondbacks Activate Tyler Clippard, Claim Ty Tice From Braves

By Anthony Franco | July 21, 2021 at 2:01pm CDT

The Diamondbacks announced they’ve reinstated veteran reliever Tyler Clippard from the 60-day injured list. Additionally, Arizona claimed righty Ty Tice off waivers from the Braves. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, the D-Backs designated lefty Alex Young for assignment.

Arizona signed Clippard over the offseason. The generally durable righty went down with a capsule sprain in his throwing shoulder during Spring Training, though, and he’s missed the entire season to date. Clippard’s return should aid an Arizona bullpen that has been one of the league’s worst, although it’s obviously far too late in a lost season to make much difference in the standings.

In theory, a contending club could swing a trade for Clippard based on his strong track record. He won’t have much of an opportunity to demonstrate he’s back to peak form, though, with the trade deadline just nine days away. He’s playing out the year on a $2.25MM salary, just under $900K of which remains to be paid.

Atlanta picked up Tice in a small trade with the Blue Jays in early June. They’ll lose him a little more than six weeks later, with the reliever having made just one major league appearance in a Braves uniform. He’s thrown eight innings of four-run ball between Toronto and Atlanta this season, his first with any big league experience. Tice has a 4.20 ERA across 45 career innings at Triple-A, striking out a fine 24.0% of batters faced but walking a lofty 13.7% of opponents. The 25-year-old has a pair of minor league option years remaining beyond this season, so he can be kept in the high minors for a while so long as he sticks on the 40-man roster.

Young, who was selected 43rd overall in the 2015 draft, was one of the better pitching prospects in the Arizona system coming up through the minors. He made his major league debut in 2019, working to a decent 3.56 ERA/4.68 SIERA across 17 appearances (including 15 starts). The 27-year-old hasn’t managed to build off that fine initial showing to this point. Since the start of 2020, Young has tossed 88 innings of 5.83 ERA/5.91 FIP ball. While he’s thrown a fair amount of strikes, Young hasn’t missed many bats (19.4% strikeout rate) and has been plagued by the long ball (2.3 HR/9).

The D-Backs will have a week to trade Young or expose him to outright waivers. He still has all three option years remaining. If another club is willing to a 40-man roster spot, they could stash him in the minors as a depth option capable of working multiple innings.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Atlanta Braves Transactions Alex Young Ty Tice Tyler Clippard

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Mets’ GM: Starting Pitching “Top Priority” Before Trade Deadline

By Anthony Franco | July 20, 2021 at 9:29pm CDT

Bolstering the starting rotation is the “top priority” for the Mets in advance of the July 30 trade deadline, acting general manager Zack Scott told Jon Heyman and Cody Decker on today’s Big Time Baseball podcast. Scott also suggested the Mets — like almost all contenders — will be on the lookout for bullpen help over the next week and a half.

New York’s rotation has been one of the league’s better units, but that’s largely thanks to the top three of Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker. Bolstering the back end was likely a priority even before deGrom landed on the injured list with forearm tightness over the weekend. Scott noted there’s no structural damage and the team is optimistic about deGrom’s prognosis, but the star hurler’s timetable remains uncertain so long as he continues to feel discomfort.

Fourth starter David Peterson is also on the IL, as are depth options Joey Lucchesi and Jordan Yamamoto. Carlos Carrasco hasn’t pitched all season on account of various injuries. Carrasco is currently on a rehab assignment and nearing his team debut, but it might be difficult to count on him to shoulder too significant a workload down the stretch given his recent series of health problems.

Those injuries have led the Mets to turn to Tylor Megill (who’s performed well over his first five starts) and a revolving door of depth players at the back of the rotation. Adding a steadying, innings-eating presence to that group makes plenty of sense for president Sandy Alderson, Scott, and the rest of the front office.

Unsurprisingly, Scott didn’t tip his hand as to which specific targets the Mets were interested in acquiring. Merrill Kelly (Diamondbacks), Michael Pineda (Twins), Jon Gray (Rockies) and Tyler Anderson (Pirates) are among the mid-tier starting pitchers who could be on the move before the deadline. The Mets sent scouts to see Kelly’s last start before the All-Star Break, writes Andy Martino of SNY, although it’s not clear whether that was anything more than standard diligence. (The Mets have been linked to Kelly’s teammate Asdrúbal Cabrera, and it’s certainly possible New York has interest in other veteran players on the Arizona roster). A non-Mets source tells Martino the D-Backs’ current asking price on Kelly is “high.”

As for the bullpen, it seems New York’s open to acquiring help in any possible form. Scott pushed back against the idea the team needed a pitcher with closing experience. Edwin Díaz has struggled recently, but Scott pointed to Díaz’s track record in expressing confidence in his ability to bounce back. Díaz’s peripherals are more impressive than his 4.30 ERA, so it’s hardly unreasonable to maintain faith in the righty’s ability to hold down leads moving forward.

Scott didn’t rule out the possibility of making an addition on the position player side, but it seems pitching’s at the forefront of attention. The acting GM pointed to the returns of a few key position players from the IL and expressed comfort with the general state of the offense. New York has been linked to Kris Bryant and Josh Donaldson in recent weeks, but the Mets did welcome back third baseman J.D. Davis from the injured list over the weekend.

At the same time, the Mets lost star shortstop Francisco Lindor to the IL and they’ve been leaning on Luis Guillorme at the position. Asked whether the club could explore a shortstop upgrade, Scott said that course of action was possible but would require any incoming player to be willing to move elsewhere around the diamond once Lindor returns. As for when that might happen, Scott noted that injuries similar to Lindor’s typically come with a four-to-six week timetable. If Lindor follows that schedule, he’d be looking at a late August return date.

The Mets lost tonight’s contest against the Reds, dropping them to 49-43. They hold a two-game lead over the Phillies in an increasingly jam-packed NL East.

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Arizona Diamondbacks New York Mets Edwin Diaz Francisco Lindor Jacob deGrom Merrill Kelly

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Draft Signings: 7/18/21

By Mark Polishuk | July 18, 2021 at 10:41pm CDT

Here’s the roundup of some of the latest prominent signings from this year’s draft class.  For more on the 2021 draft, check out the prospect rankings and scouting reports compiled by Baseball America, Fangraphs, MLB Pipeline, The Athletic’s Keith Law, and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel.  As well, here is MLB Pipeline’s breakdown of the slot values assigned to each pick in the first 10 rounds, as well as the bonus pool money available to all 30 teams.

  • The Diamondbacks signed second-round pick Ryan Bliss for a $1.25MM bonus, Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo reports (Twitter link).  This represents some noteworthy savings for Arizona’s draft pool, as the 42nd overall pick has an assigned slot price of $1,771,100.  A shortstop from Auburn, Bliss might move to second base in the pros, and he displayed a lot of contact skills at the plate while also flashing some added power potential this year.
  • The Yankees signed second-rounder Brendan Beck, with Collazo reporting that a $1.05MM bonus for the Stanford right-hander.  It’s another below-slot deal, as $1.307MM is the assigned price for the 56th overall selection.  Beck does a good job of mixing a four-pitch arsenal and he already has good command, and Baseball America feels Beck “projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter who has a chance to be more.”
  • The Orioles announced the signing of second-rounder Connor Norby on Friday, with The Baltimore Sun’s Jon Meoli reporting (via Twitter) that Norby received a $1.7MM bonus.  The 41st overall selection has a $1,813,500 assigned price, so Norby signed for slightly below slot.  Fangraphs and Keith Law each had the East Carolina second baseman ranked 25th on their boards, as Norby received praise for his well-rounded approach at the plate.
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2021 Amateur Draft 2021 Amateur Draft Signings Arizona Diamondbacks Baltimore Orioles New York Yankees Transactions

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Braves Acquire Stephen Vogt From Diamondbacks

By TC Zencka | July 17, 2021 at 8:05am CDT

The Braves and Diamondbacks agreed to a one-for-one player swap late last night. The Diamondbacks sent veteran catcher Stephen Vogt to the Braves in exchange for first baseman Mason Berne, per the Diamondbacks.

The Braves are in veteran acquisition mode after picking up Joc Pederson from the Cubs, and now Vogt from the Diamondbacks. The Braves have been in full-on carousel mode behind the dish ever since starter Travis d’Arnaud went down with a torn ligament in his hand in early May.

In terms of their catcher-of-the-future types, Alex Jackson also landed on the injured list at the same time as d’Arnaud with a strained hamstring, and William Contreras hit just .204/.278/.387 across 158 plate appearances before being sent back to Triple-A.

Vogt will join veterans Jonathan Lucroy and Kevan Smith on the Braves’ active roster. Jeff Mathis also saw a few games of action earlier this season, but he failed to register a hit in three games. Lucroy is also a new addition, having played just two games in Atlanta this year. Smith, meanwhile, may not be long for the roster after slashing .197/.274/.227 in 69 plate appearances. Bringing in both Lucroy and Vogt over the last couple of days suggests the Braves don’t see much long-term utility in Smith as they try to remain in the hunt for the National League East crown.

As for Vogt himself, he does bring the added value of being able to play elsewhere in the field, which would enable the Braves to hold three catchers on the roster if they so chose. The 36-year-old veteran has hit .212/.307/.386 this across 151 plate appearances this season, starting 35 games for the Snakes.

The Braves are nowhere near the luxury tax, so that’s not a concern for them, though Vogt is playing on a one-year, $3.5MM contract, so he’s affordable regardless. He will be a free agent at the end of the year.

In exchange for a couple months of Vogt, the Diamondbacks are getting a 25-year-old infield prospect in Berne. The 33rd round draft pick signed for $10K out of UNC in 2018, and because of the pandemic, Berne doesn’t have much professional experience to speak of. He has appeared in just five games in rookie ball for the Braves this year, and considering his age, the first baseman is little more than a flyer for the Diamondbacks.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Atlanta Braves Transactions Alex Jackson Mason Berne Stephen Vogt

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