Marlins Acquire Hunter Cervenka From Braves
The Marlins have acquired lefty reliever Hunter Cervenka from the Braves, Fan Rag’s Tommy Stokke tweets. The Marlins have announced that they’ve sent minor league infielder Anfernee Seymour and lefty Michael Mader to Atlanta.
The 26-year-old Cervenka slowly made his way through the Red Sox and Cubs systems after Boston drafted him in the 27th round in 2008. He briefly wound up in independent ball after being released by the Cubs last season, then signed a minor league deal with the Braves in the middle of the 2015 season. He made his big-league debut this season and has gotten good results in the big leagues despite a very high 6.1 BB/9, with a 3.18 ERA and 9.3 K/9 in 34 innings. He has solid velocity for a lefty, with a fastball that averages around 93 MPH, and a good slider that has helped him hold opposing lefties to just .143/.264/.242.
Cervenka should give the Marlins’ bullpen a second lefty to complement Mike Dunn. Marlins relievers have been slightly below average against southpaws this season, allowing them to hit .250/.342/.383.
The 21-year-old Seymour was the Marlins’ seventh-round pick in 2014. He was hitting just .252/.293/.306 while playing shortstop for Class A Greensboro. MLB.com rated him the eighth-best prospect in a weak Marlins system, noting his excellent speed — he has 36 steals this year.
The Marlins picked Mader in the third round in 2014, and after struggling to strike batters out last year at Greensboro, the 22-year-old has taken a modest step forward this season at Class A+ Jupiter, with a 3.50 ERA, 7.1 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 103 innings in the rotation. MLB.com ranked him the Marlins’ 24th-best prospect, reporting that he throws his fastball in the low 90s and also has a changeup and an inconsistent but potentially decent curveball.
Mariners Acquire Arquimedes Caminero From Pirates
The Mariners have announced that they’ve acquired righty reliever Arquimedes Caminero from the Pirates for a player to be named later and a conditional player to be named later. To clear roster space, they’ve designated righty Blake Parker for assignment.
The Mariners claimed Caminero before working out a deal, as MLB.com’s Greg Johns writes. The 29-year-old Caminero is one of baseball’s hardest throwers — his average fastball velocity this season has been 97.7 MPH, and he routinely touches triple digits. He does, however, struggle with his control, which might explain why most teams passed on him as a waiver claim despite his fastball and near-league-minimum salary. After a relatively successful 2015 season in which he posted a 3.62 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9, Caminero has posted a 3.51 ERA but with just 7.0 K/9 and a very high 4.8 BB/9 this year (although he has fared much better since returning from a DL stint in June).
The Mariners (who recently promised they would be active on the August trade market) will become the latest team to try to turn Caminero’s electric arm into a high-performing one. The Pirates, meanwhile, will move on to other relief options in a new-look bullpen that also recently added Antonio Bastardo and swapped Mark Melancon for young former Nationals lefty Felipe Rivero. MLB.com’s Adam Berry suggests (via Twitter) that Caminero’s departure could clear space in the bullpen for Jeff Locke, who could be bumped from the rotation in favor of a younger option like Chad Kuhl, Steven Brault or Tyler Glasnow.
The 31-year-old Parker signed with the Mariners as a minor league free agent last winter and has spent most of the year with Triple-A Tacoma, where he posted a 2.72 ERA with an excellent 12.7 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. The Mariners added him to their roster this week, and he pitched in just one game for them before being designated.
Dodgers Option Yasiel Puig
SATURDAY: Puig is expected to report to the Oklahoma City Dodgers tomorrow, Rosenthal reports (all Twitter links). The reason his debut with Oklahoma City has been delayed is that he first needed to clear optional waivers to be sent to the minors. He cleared Thursday, but his actual reporting date will coincide with the beginning of a road series against Iowa.
MONDAY 7:28pm: The Dodgers are expected to send Puig to the minors tomorrow, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Puig, for his part, appears likely to report on time for the assignment.
6:53pm: Puig was told not to report to travel with the team today, Yahoo! Sports’ Tim Brown tweets. Rosenthal, meanwhile, has corrected his story (on Twitter) to indicate that Puig did not, in fact, “storm off.”
5:53pm: Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig “stormed off” and did not travel with the team to Colorado on Monday after being told that he would be either traded or demoted, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal writes. The Dodgers did not trade him before today’s 3:00pm deadline. It’s unclear what the team’s next move might be.
The Dodgers’ recent acquisition of Josh Reddick from the Athletics would appear to affect Puig’s usefulness with the Dodgers. Puig has batted a disappointing .260/.320/.386 in 303 plate appearances this season. He was the subject of trade rumors heading up to the deadline, with the White Sox reportedly showing interest. He had also been connected to the Dodgers’ talks with the Reds regarding Jay Bruce.
Puig burst on the scene as a 22-year-old rookie in 2013, but he’s hit worse in every season since then, with his average, on-base percentage and power all gradually diminishing. His struggles have led to a drop in fWAR from 5.3 in 2014 to 0.5 so far this season.
Injury Notes: Ross, Lowrie, Hahn, Putnam, Hanigan
Here are the latest injury notes from around the league.
- Nationals starter Joe Ross is still dealing with shoulder soreness and has been removed from his rehab assignment, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post writes. Ross was in the midst of a solid first full season with the Nats, with a 3.49 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 95 1/3 innings, but he has not pitched in the big leagues in over a month. The team’s current rotation plans appear somewhat open-ended, although they have off days upcoming on Monday and Thursday and could potentially get by for the next week and a half or so with only four starters. Ross could make one more rehab start and then return right around the time the Nats need a fifth starter again.
- The Athletics announced before last night’s game that they’ve placed infielder Jed Lowrie and righty Jesse Hahn on the 15-day DL and recalled outfielder Brett Eibner and righty Andrew Triggs from Triple-A Nashville to replace them. (Eibner, who recently arrived from the Royals organization in a trade for fellow outfielder Billy Burns, homered in his Oakland debut last night.) Lowrie is dealing with a toe injury that could be season-ending if he undergoes surgery, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle recently explained. Max Muncy will play at second in his absence. Hahn, meanwhile, has a shoulder strain, although John Shea of the Chronicle tweets that Hahn does not believe the situation is serious.
- White Sox reliever Zach Putnam had surgery Thursday to remove a bone fragment from his right elbow, the team has announced. The team further notes that the ligament was intact, and that Putnam will begin rehab next week. Putnam was off to a great start this season, with a 2.30 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 27 1/3 innings, but he went down with the elbow injury in late June and hasn’t pitched since.
- The Red Sox have placed catcher Ryan Hanigan on the DL with ankle peroneal tendinitis, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal tweets. The 35-year-old Hanigan has played sparingly this season, collecting 102 plate appearances and hitting just .158/.216/.221 while serving as a backup. He also missed significant time earlier in the season due to a neck injury. Bryan Holaday, who the Red Sox claimed from the Rangers yesterday, will now share catching duties with Sandy Leon.
Angels Won’t Commit To Another Lincecum Start
After veteran starter Tim Lincecum allowed six runs against the Mariners Friday, Angels manager Mike Scioscia wouldn’t commit to Lincecum taking another turn in the rotation, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez writes. “Our goal is to get him right,” Scioscia says, although he adds that “we haven’t really digested some things.” The Angels had committed more strongly to Lincecum after he struggled against the Astros two starts ago.
It’s unclear what further plans the Angels might have for Lincecum if they remove him from the rotation. Speculatively, releasing him would seem to be an option, although perhaps a move to the bullpen could also be a possibility. Gonzalez notes that if Lincecum does leave the rotation, Jhoulys Chacin and Nate Smith are candidates to take his place. The Angels, of course, are dealing with a long list of pitcher injuries, with Garrett Richards, C.J. Wilson, Andrew Heaney and Nick Tropeano all on the DL.
It’s not surprising that the Angels might consider moving on from Lincecum, whose tenure with the team has not gone well, to put it mildly. Since signing in May after returning from hip surgery and debuting with the big-league team in June, he’s made nine starts and posted a 9.16 ERA in 38 1/3 innings, with 7.5 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9. He’s allowed at least four runs in all but two of those starts. His velocity is in the high 80s, about where it was last season with the Giants but down significantly from his 2008-2011 heyday.
Red Sox To Promote Andrew Benintendi
The Red Sox are having top outfield prospect Andrew Benintendi meet the team in Seattle tomorrow, Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald writes. The move means Benintendi will skip straight from Double-A Portland, where he’s batted .295/.357/.515 in 263 plate appearances this season, to the big leagues.
Benintendi has relatively little minor-league experience, with just 657 career plate appearances on the farm, but it sounds like the Red Sox are confident his lack of repetitions won’t be a significant hindrance. As GM of the Tigers, Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski frequently moved top talents to the Majors quickly, whisking players like Justin Verlander, Andrew Miller, Rick Porcello and Jeremy Bonderman through the minors.
“Maybe,” Dombrowski had said Monday when asked whether Benintendi or fellow top prospect Yoan Moncada could join the team at some point this season. “It could be. They’re close enough that they could be. I’m not making that prediction, but they could be.”
Benintendi had been the subject of some speculation at this year’s trade deadline, but it’s unsurprising the Red Sox were apparently reluctant to move such a blue-chip player. Since the Red Sox picked him with the seventh overall selection in last year’s draft, the University of Arkansas product has rocketed through the Sox’ system, posting a .312/.392/.540 career line in four minor-league stops.
MLB.com currently rates Benintendi the second-best Red Sox prospect (behind only Moncada) and the game’s seventh-best overall prospect, praising him for his left-handed swing, plate discipline and all-around offensive game and noting that he could eventually hit .300 with 20 homers per season. (Heading into the season, Baseball America rated Benintendi the game’s No. 15 prospect.) Benintendi is a bit small, at 5’10 and 170 pounds, but there is no reason to think he can’t be an excellent big-league hitter.
It’s unclear how Benintendi will fit into the Red Sox outfield, which already features two top young players in Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley. Benintendi, who has played mostly center field in the minors, could take over left field and free Brock Holt, who also plays infield, to play other positions. If Benintendi sticks in the big leagues, he could become eligible for arbitration after 2019 and free agency after 2022.
Trade Deadline Recap: AL West
Last up in our series of divisional trade deadline recaps is the AL West, where the Rangers and Athletics made the most noise.
- The Astros shipped veteran righty Scott Feldman to Toronto in exchange for minor league pitcher Lupe Chavez, and they sent reliever Josh Fields to the Dodgers for young first baseman Yordan Alvarez.
- The Angels landed pitchers Ricky Nolasco and Alex Meyer from Minnesota in return for pitchers Hector Santiago and Alan Busenitz. They also sent righty Joe Smith to the Cubs for minor league pitcher Jesus Castillo.
- The Athletics sent lefty Rich Hill and outfielder Josh Reddick to the Dodgers in exchange for young right-handers Grant Holmes, Frankie Montas and Jharel Cotton. They also shipped speedy outfielder Billy Burns to Kansas City for fellow OF Brett Eibner.
- The Mariners dealt lefty Wade Miley to Baltimore for minor-league lefty Ariel Miranda. They also sent reliever Joaquin Benoit to Toronto in exchange for fellow reliever Drew Storen. Finally, they got close on a trade that would have netted Cincinnati shortstop Zack Cozart, but were unable to complete it.
- The Rangers landed one of the season’s biggest prizes, getting catcher Jonathan Lucroy (as well as reliever Jeremy Jeffress) from Milwaukee for outfielder Lewis Brinson, righty Luis Ortiz and a player to be named. They also acquired Carlos Beltran from the Yankees for righties Dillon Tate, Erik Swanson and Nick Green. Finally, they added pitchers Lucas Harrell and Dario Alvarez from Atlanta, giving up minor league infielder Travis Demeritte.
Trade Deadline Roundup: AL Central
Our series of trade deadline recaps continues with the AL Central, where the Indians grabbed the majority of the headlines.
- The White Sox sent lefty Zach Duke to St. Louis in exchange for outfielder Charlie Tilson but did not make any other significant moves.
- The Indians‘ potential trade for star catcher Jonathan Lucroy was scuttled when Lucroy vetoed the deal, but they still managed huge move this week, albeit at a significant cost — they got Andrew Miller from the Yankees for minor-league outfielder Clint Frazier and pitchers Justus Sheffield, Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen. They also got outfielder Brandon Guyer from Tampa Bay for prospects Nathan Lukes and Jhonleider Salinas.
- The Tigers hunted for pitching help but ultimately did not make any significant moves.
- There was no shortage of rumors surrounding various Royals pitchers, including Wade Davis, but Kansas City’s deadline was mostly quiet, as they only swapped Brett Eibner to Oakland for fellow outfielder Billy Burns.
- The Twins added Hector Santiago and minor-league righty Alan Busenitz from the Angels, giving up pitchers Ricky Nolasco and Alex Meyer. They also sent reliever Fernando Abad to Boston in return for relief prospect Pat Light, and infielder Eduardo Nunez to San Francisco for lefty Adalberto Mejia.
Trade Deadline Roundup: AL East
Our series of recaps of this week’s action continues with the AL East, which featured plenty of activity, particularly from the Yankees, Rays and Blue Jays.
- The Orioles acquired infielder Steve Pearce from the Rays in return for catching prospect Jonah Heim. They also picked up lefty Wade Miley from Seattle, giving up minor-league lefty Ariel Miranda. Finally, they signed righty Logan Ondrusek to a big-league deal.
- The Red Sox did most of their deadline shopping early and were relatively quiet this week. They did, however, acquire lefty reliever Fernando Abad from Minnesota for relief prospect Pat Light.
- The Yankees were one of the busiest teams this week. They shipped reliever Andrew Miller to Cleveland for a very impressive prospect package: outfielder Clint Frazier and pitchers Justus Sheffield, Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen. They also announced their trade of Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs, in which they received reliever Adam Warren and prospects Gleyber Torres, Billy McKinney and Rashad Crawford. They sent Carlos Beltran to Texas for righties Dillon Tate (the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft), Erik Swanson and Nick Green. They also made a trade for a veteran, getting reliever Tyler Clippard from Arizona for righty Vicente Campos. Finally, they shipped righty Ivan Nova to Pittsburgh, receiving two players to be named in return.
- The Rays traded starter Matt Moore to San Francisco for infielder Matt Duffy and prospects Lucius Fox and Michael Santos. The Rays also shipped outfielder Brandon Guyer to Cleveland for minor league outfielder Nathan Lukes and pitcher Jhonleider Salinas. Finally, as mentioned above, they acquired Jonah Heim from the Orioles in return for Steve Pearce.
- The Blue Jays acquired Francisco Liriano plus prospects Harold Ramirez and Reese McGuire from Pittsburgh in exchange for righty Drew Hutchison. They also acquired Scott Feldman from Houston for minor league pitcher Lupe Chavez, then sent Jesse Chavez to the Dodgers in return for fellow righty Mike Bolsinger. They also made somewhat of a challenge trade with Seattle, sending Drew Storen (who had previously been designated for assignment) west in exchange for Joaquin Benoit, and they acquired Melvin Upton from San Diego for pitcher Hansel Rodriguez and cash.
Trade Deadline Roundup: NL West
We continue our series of roundups of this week’s trade activity with the NL West.
- The Diamondbacks traded veteran reliever Tyler Clippard to the Yankees for righty Vicente Campos. They also attempted to deal reliever Daniel Hudson, but were not able to complete a trade.
- The Rockies did not make any significant moves, notably holding onto Carlos Gonzalez, Charlie Blackmon and Boone Logan.
- The Dodgers struck a significant deal with Oakland, getting lefty Rich Hill and outfielder Josh Reddick for young righties Grant Holmes, Frankie Montas and Jharel Cotton. They also picked up Jesse Chavez from Toronto for fellow righty Mike Bolsinger, and they acquired reliever Josh Fields from Houston for young first baseman Yordan Alvarez.
- The Padres sent Matt Kemp to Atlanta for Hector Olivera in an exchange of bad contracts, then quickly designated Olivera for assignment. They also sent pitchers Andrew Cashner, Colin Rea and Tayron Guerrero to Miami for pitcher Jarred Cosart, injured hurler Carter Capps, first base prospect Josh Naylor and minor league pitcher Luis Castillo, although they sent Castillo back to Miami in exchange for Rea after Rea had an elbow injury. Finally, they sent outfielder Melvin Upton to Toronto for pitcher Hansel Rodriguez and cash.
- The Giants got young starter Matt Moore from Tampa Bay in exchange for third baseman Matt Duffy and prospects Lucius Fox and Michael Santos. They also picked up lefty reliever Will Smith from Milwaukee for catcher Andrew Susac and pitching prospect Phil Bickford. Finally, they snagged infielder Eduardo Nunez from Minnesota, giving up lefty Adalberto Mejia.