charliewilmoth | MLB Trade Rumors

Pirates Acquire Sean Rodriguez From Braves

By charliewilmoth | August 5, 2017 at 12:52pm CDT

The Pirates have acquired utilityman Sean Rodriguez from the Braves, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman writes (Twitter links). In return, the Braves will receive minor-league 1B/OF Connor Joe, according to FanRag’s Tommy Stokke (on Twitter). The move is now official. The two sides consummated the deal after the Pirates put in a waiver claim on Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, of course, played for the Pirates in 2015 and 2016 and had his career-best season with the Bucs (.270/.349/.510 over 342 plate appearances) in 2016 before signing a two-year, $11.5MM deal with Atlanta last winter. Later that same offseason, however, Rodriguez and his family were in a serious car accident, and Rodriguez spent the first few months of the season working his way back from a shoulder injury. He finally returned in mid-July and has batted .162/.326/.351 in 47 plate appearances since.

Now, though, the Braves don’t have the need for Rodriguez they once might have — as Bowman notes, Johan Camargo has hit well while playing the leftmost three infield positions for the Braves this year, and the team added another versatile player, Danny Santana, in a trade in May. Meanwhile, the Pirates have been left without Jung Ho Kang this season as the third baseman struggles to get a visa, and the team has gotten poor production at various points from bench players like Philip Gosselin, John Jaso and Max Moroff. Rodriguez will provide them with another option around the infield and at the corner outfield spots. In addition to the remainder of his salary this season, he will make $5MM in 2018.

The 24-year-old Joe was the 39th overall pick out of the University of San Diego in the 2014 draft, but he’s moved through the minors slowly for an early college pick, owing in part to a 2014 back injury but also to his struggles to generate offense commensurate with the corner positions at which he’s played. This season, he’s batted .240/.338/.380 in 28 plate appearances for Double-A Altoona, demonstrating a good batting eye (with a 12.1 BB%) but modest average and power. He did not rank in MLB.com’s list of the Pirates’ top 30 prospects.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Giants Place Brandon Belt On Concussion DL, Promote Pablo Sandoval

By charliewilmoth | August 5, 2017 at 12:40pm CDT

The Giants have announced that they’ve placed first baseman Brandon Belt on the 7-day concussion DL. Taking his place on the roster will be a familiar face — that of Pablo Sandoval, who the team recently signed to a minor-league deal.

Belt was struck in the head by an Anthony Banda curveball yesterday. Belt has an extensive concussion history that includes three DL stints in 2014, so it’s likely any potential head trauma would be worrisome to the Giants. He’s batting .241/.355/.469 with 18 homers this season.

Sandoval returns to play for the Giants for the first time since 2014, after which he left to begin what turned out to be a disastrous tenure with the Red Sox. Since his return to the Giants organization last month, he’s batted just 8-for-38 in two minor-league stops. Still, the last-place Giants arguably have little to lose in promoting him, and at least something to gain, since his current contract gives them options for 2018 and 2019 (when he’ll still be paid by the Red Sox) at the league minimum as long as he’s on the Giants’ roster.

Mariners Place Felix Hernandez On 10-Day DL

By charliewilmoth | August 5, 2017 at 12:26pm CDT

The Mariners have announced that they’ve placed righty Felix Hernandez on the 10-day DL with right biceps tendinitis. To take his place on the active roster (and to start for him today against Kansas City), they’ve recalled righty Marco Gonzales from Triple-A Tacoma.

Hernandez has struggled in his last two starts, giving up a total of eight runs over 11 innings against Boston and Texas, and he’s in the midst of an uncharacteristically uninspiring season, with a 4.28 ERA, 8.4 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 over 73 2/3 innings. He also missed time earlier this season to a right shoulder inflammation. Nonetheless, the timing of his current injury comes as somewhat of a surprise. It’s unclear, at this point, how much time we’ll need to miss, but a second bout of arm trouble is never welcome news to player or team. As Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets, Hernandez’s injury could increase the likelihood of the Mariners acquiring a starter via a waiver trade.

The Mariners last month acquired Gonzales from the Cardinals for Tyler O’Neill. He briefly appeared in the big leagues with St. Louis earlier this season but has not yet pitched in a game with the Mariners, although GM Jerry Dipoto said last week that he was impressed with Gonzales and expected him to appear in the big leagues later in the season. He has a 3.02 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 over 86 1/3 minor-league innings this year after missing all of 2016 after having Tommy John surgery.

Orioles Acquire Brallan Perez From Rangers For Int’l Bonus Spending Rights

By charliewilmoth | August 5, 2017 at 11:25am CDT

2:04pm: The Rangers will receive $500K in international spending rights, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets.

11:25am: The Orioles have acquired minor-league infielder Brallan Perez from the Rangers for the rights to international bonus spending, the teams have announced. The Orioles have assigned Perez to Class A+ Frederick.

The 21-year-old Perez was batting .234/.309/.266 for the Rangers’ Class A+ Down East, although he hit fairly well at the Class A level in 2016 and performed well in a smaller sample at Class A Hickory this season. He’s played mostly second base in 2017, although he’s also played shortstop and third. He signed with the Rangers out of Colombia in 2012. He did not rank among the Rangers’ top 30 prospects, via MLB.com.

For the Orioles, the move continues a recent trend in which they’ve added talent in exchange for international bonus spending rights. They picked up righty Yefry Ramirez from the Yankees for international bonus rights last week, and also added pitchers Matt Wotherspoon, Jason Wheeler and Damien Magnifico and infielder Milton Ramos in separate trades earlier this season. They also gave up international bonus rights in their acquisition of Jeremy Hellickson from the Phillies.

The Rangers, meanwhile, have done the opposite, dealing infielder Yeyson Yrizarri to the White Sox for international bonus spending in mid-July. They currently have a relatively costly July 2 class that includes Venezuelan outfielder Wilderd Patino ($1.3MM), Venezuelan shortstop Keyber Rodriguez ($1M) and Mexican right-hander Damian Mendoza ($1M), although their overall plans for their international spending season aren’t yet entirely clear.

Curtis Granderson Clears Revocable Waivers

By charliewilmoth | August 5, 2017 at 11:07am CDT

Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson has cleared revocable waivers, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets. Like his teammate Jay Bruce, he can now be traded without being claimed. Unlike Bruce, Granderson does not have a limited no-trade clause.

There were various reports about the possibility the Mets would trade Granderson prior to the July 31 deadline, and he was linked to the Brewers. In the end, obviously, the Mets held onto him. Granderson is in the middle of what’s become a fairly typical Granderson season — he has a very low batting average (.223), but compensates for it with walks (48 in 358 plate appearances) and good power (14 home runs). The 36-year-old doesn’t have the speed he once did and rates as a below-average defender in center, although he still grades out fairly well in right. He rated fifth in our recent list of the top August trade candidates.

Granderson is in the last season of the four-year, $60MM deal he signed with the Mets in December 2013. He’s owed a bit under $5MM for the remainder of the season.

West Notes: Gattis, Diamondbacks, Cain, Span

By charliewilmoth | August 5, 2017 at 9:52am CDT

Astros catcher and designated hitter Evan Gattis appears headed to the disabled list after receiving a concussion diagnosis yesterday, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. The end of a Corey Dickerson swing caught Gattis in the head on Thursday. The team currently plans to option first baseman A.J. Reed to Triple-A Fresno and promote third baseman J.D. Davis, who was hitting .282/.345/.527 in the high minors this season. The team will have to make another move to add a catcher if it does place Gattis on the DL, however. Here’s more from the West divisions.

The Diamondbacks’ rotation has gone from second worst in the Majors last year to second best this season, MLB.com’s Mike Petriello notes. Petriello credits big improvements in the Snakes’ outfield defense and catching, along with Robbie Ray’s breakout, and Taijuan Walker’s addition. He also notes that Zack Godley moved from relieving to starting for the big club this year, while Archie Bradley did the opposite; both moves had a big impact on the fortunes of Arizona’s starting pitchers.
The 42-69 Giants are finding new roles for two veteran players, as Andrew Baggarly of the Bay Area News Group noted earlier this week. The team will use Matt Cain, who’s in the midst of a third straight season with an ERA above five, as a long reliever until his contract expires at the end of the season. (The team does have an option on Cain for 2018, but almost certainly won’t exercise it.) Chris Stratton will take Cain’s place in the rotation. And the team has told center fielder Denard Span it plans to move him to left field, although he might not actually make that move until next spring. Span, for his part, since he has “no problem” with the move, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. “If you look around the league, you don’t see too many everyday center fielders who are 33 years old,” he says. “By the same token, I think I can still play center.”

East Notes: Altherr, Snitker, Rays

By charliewilmoth | August 5, 2017 at 8:47am CDT

The Phillies are placing Aaron Altherr on the DL after the outfielder aggravated his injured hamstring, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Altherr spent ten days on the DL due to a hamstring problem last month. When healthy, the 26-year-old has been a highlight of the Phillies’ season, batting .285/.357/.536 with 16 home runs in 336 plate appearances, but now it appears he’ll be on the shelf for at least a short time. Here’s more from the East divisions.

The Braves are “almost certain” to retain manager Brian Snitker next season, Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Snitker took over as the Braves’ interim manager last season, and the Braves hired him full-time (although only for a one-year deal plus an option) after he led the rebuilding club to a 59-65 record following a brutal 9-28 start under Fredi Gonzalez. After a 50-58 start this year, it appears both the Braves’ players and its front office appreciate having Snitker around. Snitker has “done everything possible to help us win,” says Freddie Freeman. “He deserved the managerial job when he got, and we all hope that he’s back.” Team president of baseball operations John Hart suggests Snitker will return. “[L]et’s just say that Brian hasn’t done anything to make us look around for candidates like we were doing at this time last year, when we were compiling names,” says Hart. “If you broke into my office in the dead of night, you would find no slips of paper in my desk.”
Prior to yesterday’s game, the Rays optioned lefty and former top prospect Blake Snell to Triple-A Durham, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times noted. They also recalled lefty Jose Alvarado (giving the Rays’ bullpen an extra arm for the time being), activated infielder Daniel Robertson, and optioned infielder Taylor Featherston. The 24-year-old Snell has a 4.98 ERA this season with 8.0 K/9 and a too-high 5.1 BB/9. This is the second time he’s been sent down — he also spent a six-week stint with Durham beginning in mid-May. Topkin notes that it’s unclear who will take Snell’s rotation spot, although the team has an off-day Monday, so there will be time to sort that out. One possibility is that Austin Pruitt (who pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings against Houston earlier this week) could remain in the rotation after Jake Odorizzi returns from a back strain. But Topkin also mentions that the team could promote 22-year-old top prospect Brent Honeywell, who has a 3.95 ERA, 11.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 100 1/3 innings in his first season with Durham.

Trade Deadline Recap: NL West

By charliewilmoth and Mark Polishuk | July 31, 2017 at 6:57pm CDT

With the trade deadline now behind us, here’s a look back at the last few days of deals in the NL West.

Dodgers: Acquired starting pitcher Yu Darvish from Rangers for prospects Willie Calhoun, A.J. Alexy and Brendon Davis. Acquired reliever Tony Watson from Pirates for prospects Oneil Cruz and Angel German. Acquired reliever Tony Cingrani from Reds for outfielder Scott Van Slyke and catcher Hendrik Clementina. Acquired minor-league lefty Luis Ysla from Red Sox for cash considerations. Acquired righty Luke Farrell from Royals for cash.

Rockies: Acquired catcher Jonathan Lucroy from Rangers for a player to be named later. Acquired reliever Pat Neshek from Phillies for prospects Jose Gomez, J.D. Hammer and Alejandro Requena.

Padres: Acquired pitchers Matt Strahm and Travis Wood and infield prospect Esteury Ruiz from Royals for starter Trevor Cahill and relievers Brandon Maurer and Ryan Buchter.

Giants: Acquired right-handed pitching prospects Shaun Anderson and Gregory Santos from Red Sox for infielder Eduardo Nunez.

Diamondbacks: Acquired reliever David Hernandez from Angels for pitching prospect Luis Madero. Acquired infielder Adam Rosales from Athletics for pitching prospect Jeferson Mejia. Acquired catcher John Ryan Murphy from Twins for minor-league lefty Gabriel Moya.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Trade Deadline Recap: NL Central

By charliewilmoth and Mark Polishuk | July 31, 2017 at 6:50pm CDT

With the trade deadline behind us, here are the moves from the NL Central from the past few days.

Cubs: Acquired reliever Justin Wilson and catcher Alex Avila from Tigers for infielders Jeimer Candelario and Isaac Paredes and either cash or a player to be named later.

Brewers: Acquired reliever Jeremy Jeffress from Rangers for minor-league pitcher Tayler Scott. Acquired reliever Anthony Swarzak from White Sox for hitting prospect Ryan Cordell.

Pirates: Acquired reliever Joaquin Benoit and cash considerations from Phillies for pitching prospect Seth McGarry. Acquired prospects Oneil Cruz and Angel German from Dodgers for reliever Tony Watson.

Reds: Acquired outfielder Scott Van Slyke and catcher Hendrik Clementina from Dodgers for reliever Tony Cingrani.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Trade Deadline Recap: NL East

By charliewilmoth | July 31, 2017 at 6:25pm CDT

With today’s trades now in the books, here a look back at what each NL East team has done the past few days.

Nationals: Acquired closer Brandon Kintzler from Twins for pitching prospect Tyler Watson and international spending rights. Acquired IF/OF Howie Kendrick from Phillies for pitching prospect McKenzie Mills and international bonus spending rights. Signed righty Neil Ramirez to a minor-league deal. Promoted top pitching prospect Erick Fedde.

Mets: Acquired closer AJ Ramos from Marlins for prospects Merandy Gonzalez and Ricardo Cespedes. Acquired pitching prospects Gerson Bautista, Jamie Callahan and Stephen Nogosek froom Red Sox for reliever Addison Reed. Acquired relief prospect Drew Smith from Rays for first baseman Lucas Duda. Announced they would promote top prospect Amed Rosario.

Phillies: Acquired Mills and international spending rights from the Nationals for Kendrick (see above). Acquired pitching prospect Seth McGarry from Pirates for reliever Joaquin Benoit and cash considerations. Acquired outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, minor-league pitcher Garrett Cleavinger and international spending rights from Orioles for starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson. Acquired prospects Jose Gomez, J.D. Hammer and Alejandro Requena from the Rockies for reliever Pat Neshek.

Marlins: Acquired Gonzalez and Cespedes from the Mets for Ramos (see above).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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