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Cubs Acquire Josh Osich

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The Cubs have acquired left-handed reliever Josh Osich from the Red Sox for a player to be named later, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first suggested Osich would likely end up as a Cub.

This is the second lefty pickup of the day for Chicago’s bullpen, which previously grabbed Andrew Chafin from the Diamondbacks. Osich, whom the Red Sox claimed from the White Sox last fall, has posted 11.87 K/9, 2.87 BB/9 and a 50 percent groundball rate over 15 2/3 innings this season, but he has still struggled to prevent runs despite those impressive figures. The 31-year-old owns a 5.74 ERA and has seen his average fastball velocity drop from the 94-95 mph range to 92.4.

In 2019, Osich was one of the game’s more effective relievers against left-handed hitters.  Among those with at least 100 left-handed batters faced, Osich allowed a .229 wOBA, punching out 30 against four walks.  That success hasn’t continued in the brief 2020 sample, as Osich has allowed homers to lefty batters Chance Sisco and Michael Conforto.

Rockies To Acquire Kevin Pillar

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The Rockies will acquire outfielder Kevin Pillar and cash from the Red Sox for a player to be named later and 2019-20 international slot money, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

This season has been a major letdown for the Red Sox, but Pillar proved to be a good investment during his month-plus in their uniform. After signing a one-year, $4.25MM contract in the offseason, the former Blue Jay and Giant slashed a respectable .274/.325/.470 with four home runs over 126 plate appearances. Pillar also lined up at all three outfield positions as a member of the Red Sox, though he primarily played right field.

In Colorado, which will enter Monday 17-17 and as a surprising playoff contender, Pillar will hand the club another proven outfielder to join a group highlighted by Charlie Blackmon, Raimel Tapia and David Dahl.

Blackmon has been great this year, Tapia has provided solid production in his own right, and Sam Hilliard has given the club passable numbers. However, the oft-injured Dahl – who has been on the IL for about two weeks – has stumbled, as have the rest of the Rockies’ outfield options. Beyond this year, though, it remains to be seen whether Pillar will stay in Colorado, as he’s slated to reach free agency again over the winter.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cubs Acquire Andrew Chafin

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2:27pm: Arizona’s getting a player to be named later, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The D-backs could also include money in the swap, per Nightengale.

2:16pm: The Cubs have acquired Chafin, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.

2:10pm: The Cubs are working to acquire Diamondbacks left-hander Andrew Chafin, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

To this point in his career, the 30-year-old Chafin has only been a member of the Diamondbacks, who drafted him 43rd overall in 2011 and who has largely pitched well in their uniform since he made his debut in 2014. Chafin owns a 3.68 ERA/3.20 FIP with 9.54 K/9, 3.88 BB/9 and a 52.2 percent groundball rate in 271 2/3 innings, but keeping offenses at bay has been a problem this season. He has already given up six earned runs on nine hits and four walks (10 strikeouts) through 6 2/3 frames in 2020. Chafin has also been on the injured list for about two weeks because of a left finger sprain.

If he returns to health soon, Chafin’s history suggests he’ll give the NL Central-leading Cubs another credible reliever – which they certainly need. They’ll enter Monday’s action with a replacement-level bullpen that has recorded a 5.42 ERA/5.10 FIP over a month into the season. Chafin may not be long for the Cubs organization, though, as he’s due to reach free agency after the season. In the meantime, he’s earning a prorated $3.045MM.

Athletics Acquire Mike Minor

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2:26pm: Both teams have announced the trade. Texas will also land $133K in international slot compensation in the deal, and it will pay half of Minor’s remaining salary, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets.

1:05pm: Texas will receive outfielder Marcus Smith and third baseman Dustin Harris, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports. Both players were 2019 draft picks for the Athletics, who took Smith in the third round and Harris in the 11th. MLB.com ranked Smith as the A’s 22nd-best prospect before the trade.

11:32am: The Athletics have acquired left-hander Mike Minor from the division-rival Rangers for two players to be named later, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports. The two players are prospects, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

The 32-year-old Minor is only a season removed from serving as one of the American League’s most effective starters (he finished eighth in Cy Young voting), but 2020 hasn’t worked out according to plan. Minor has made seven starts this year and managed a dismal 5.60 ERA/4.83 FIP with 8.92 K/9 and 3.31 BB/9 through 35 1/3 innings, all while experiencing a 2 mph drop in average fastball velocity compared to last season. His disappointing production is among the reasons the Rangers are just 12-21 and among the few teams in baseball that look to be completely out of the playoff race.

Now, considering the Rangers’ status as non-contenders, Minor’s prorated $9.83MM salary and his pending free agency, the team’s moving on from him. He wouldn’t have been in line for a qualifying offer because of this year’s poor output, so Texas took what it deemed as the best offer for Minor. We may not know the identities of the players the Rangers are getting for Minor for a while, as only those in teams’ 60-man pools are eligible to be dealt right now.

Meanwhile, the Athletics – owners of the AL’s second-best record (22-12) – are no doubt hoping Minor will return to his previous form in their uniform. He encouraged in his final Rangers start Friday with six shutout innings against the high-powered Dodgers, and will now join an A’s staff that has produced middle-of-the-road results thus far. Jesus Luzardo and Chris Bassitt have logged sub-4.00 ERAs this year; Sean Manaea has registered far better peripherals than run prevention numbers; and Frankie Montas, Mike Fiers and Daniel Mengden have struggled across a combined 15 starts.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Indians Designate Domingo Santana

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The Indians announced that they’ve designated outfielder Domingo Santana for assignment. The move makes room for newly acquired outfielder Josh Naylor, catcher Austin Hedges and right-hander Cal Quantrill, whom the Indians got from the Padres on Monday.

The 28-year-old Santana joined the Indians last winter for $1.5MM off back-to-back lackluster seasons with the Brewers and Mariners, but his attempt at a rebound hasn’t worked in 2020. Before the Indians booted him from their roster, Santana batted .157/.298/.286 with a pair of home runs in 84 plate appearances. His contract includes a $5MM option for 2021, but considering his production so far, the Indians surely would’ve bought him out for $250K had they kept him in the fold.

Latest On Christian Vazquez

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1:47pm: The Mets-Vazquez talk “is overblown,” Rosenthal hears.

12:19pm: The Mets are showing interest in Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez, per reports from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com) and Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

While the Mets have gotten off to a subpar 15-19 start, they’re nonetheless in the playoff race in a wide-open National League. And catcher is one of the areas they’re looking to upgrade, as Heyman reports that they’re hoping to at least add depth behind the plate. The club was previously in on Jason Castro before the Padres acquired him from the Angels on Sunday, according to Heyman.

Mets catchers have collectively logged middling offensive numbers this year, largely because starter Wilson Ramos is amid one of the worst offensive years of his career. On the other hand, the normally light-hitting Tomas Nido has posted impressive production, though his success has come over a paltry 26 trips to the plate.

With Ramos likely to become a free agent after the season (New York has a $10MM option or a $1.5MM buyout decision), the Mets could be in the market for a new No. 1 backstop during the winter. In acquiring Vazquez, though, they’d seemingly remove the need to pursue catchers in  the offseason. Vazquez, after all, is controllable next season for $6MM and has a $7MM option (or a $250K buyout) for 2022. As such, there may not be any urgency for Boston to move Vazquez, but the out-of-contention club is at least open to it.

Vazquez, who turned 30 on Aug. 21, hasn’t hit much since his career began in 2014. He seemed to turn a corner in that regard last year with a .276/.320/.477 line and 23 home runs in 521 plate appearances, but he has slumped to a .252/.286/.411 mark with four homers in 112 PA this season. At the very least, though, Vazquez is an accomplished defender – one who has thrown out a whopping 40 percent of would-be base thieves this season and during his career.

Braves Have Shown Interest In Kyle Seager

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The Braves have “explored” a trade for Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager, but the two teams aren’t progressing toward a deal at this point, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com.

As a 32-year-old who’s on a prorated $19MM salary this season and is due another $18MM in 2021, Seager comes off as a logical trade candidate for a retooling Mariners team. But both the value of his contract and a $15MM club option for 2022 complicate matters. If Seager’s traded, he’ll be able to make a decision on whether to exercise that option, and it seems quite likely he’d so then.

To Seager’s credit, he has long been a quality starter at the hot corner for the Mariners. His production fell flat in 2018, but he rebounded last season and has continued to perform well this year. So far, Seager has accrued 147 plate appearances and batted .272/.347/.472 with five home runs and almost as many walks (15) as strikeouts (19).

The production Seager has posted this year and throughout his career would perhaps be welcome in Atlanta, whose third basemen, Austin Riley and Johan Camargo, have recorded below-average numbers in 2020. But Riley has been hot of late, and that could make acquiring another third baseman – especially an expensive one – less of a priority for the NL East-leading Braves.

Rangers, Red Sox Have Discussed Rougned Odor-Nathan Eovaldi Trade

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The Rangers and Red Sox have discussed a trade that would send second baseman Rougned Odor to Boston for right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets. It’s unclear whether the trade would include Texas taking on extra money or if prospects would be in the deal, according to Grant.

Odor, who’s making a prorated $9MM in 2020, is in the fourth season of a six-year, $49.5MM contract that includes a remaining $27MM. The deal also features a $13.5MM club option for 2023, but the way Odor’s career has gone, his employer’s sure to buy him out for $3MM. When Odor signed his pact in 2017, he was coming off back-to-back 2.5-fWAR seasons, but he has seldom revisited that form since then. In fact, going back to the first season of the contract, Odor has slashed a less-than-stellar .216/.281/.412 with 81 home runs, 38 stolen bases and 0.6 fWAR across 1,853 plate appearances. His 17 wRC+ this season over 86 trips to the plate ranks next to last among 224 hitters who have amassed 80-plus PA.

Eovaldi, whom the Red Sox acquired from the Rays in 2018, was one of their many standouts during their run to a World Series that year. He was on the cusp of free agency at the time, but his down-the-stretch success convinced Boston to hand him a four-year, $68MM contract during the ensuing offseason. Unfortunately for both sides, though, the move hasn’t gone well. Eovaldi, 30, missed a large portion of last season with injuries and, despite 97 mph velocity and 8.65 K/9 against 1.57 BB/9, hasn’t done well to keep runs off the board this year. Overall, he has pitched to a woeful 5.65 ERA/5.45 FIP in 102 innings since landing his big payday. He’ll be due another $34MM after this season, and his annual $17MM luxury tax bill is another negative for a Red Sox team trying to avoid the line, as Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe notes. Odor’s CBT bill comes in at a much more palatable $8.25MM.

Should this change-of-scenery swap go down, the Red Sox would be landing a potential second base starter who’s still just 26. The injury-plagued Dustin Pedroia has barely been a factor since 2018, and he may never play again because of knee issues. And his year’s primary second base options – Jose Peraza and Jonathan Arauz – have mustered weak production. Meanwhile, Eovaldi would at least give the Rangers another arm in a rotation that’s in flux. The Rangers just parted with Mike Minor in a trade with the Athletics on Monday, and it appears Lance Lynn could also move before the 3 p.m. CT deadline.

Mets Select Hunter Strickland; Juan Lagares Elects Free Agency

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The Mets have selected right-hander Hunter Strickland and optioned fellow righty Drew Smith, Tim Healey of Newsday was among those to report. Meanwhile, outfielder Juan Lagares has rejected an outright assignment and elected free agency.

The hard-throwing, 31-year-old Strickland is returning to the Mets exactly four weeks after they outrighted him off their roster Aug. 3. The move came after Strickland posted 2 1/3 disastrous innings across three appearances, during which he yielded four runs (three earned) on five hits. But Smith hasn’t been any better of late, as he has surrendered six runs (five earned) on six hits over 4 1/3 frames this month. Smith suffered a loss against the Yankees on Sunday when Gary Sanchez hit an eighth-inning grand slam off him.

Lagares was in his second stint with the Mets, but the club designated him for assignment Aug. 28 after he made two appearances and didn’t record an at-bat. The light-hitting, well-regarded defender, 31, will now return to the open market.

Blue Jays Among Teams Interested In Jonathan Villar

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Miami and Toronto are in discussions regarding Marlins infielder/outfielder Jonathan Villar, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. It’s unclear whether the two teams are progressing toward a deal, per Rosenthal, though Jon Heyman of MLB Network writes that Villar’s “definitely out there.”

Villar’s the second shortstop-capable player the Blue Jays have been connected to since the weekend, joining the Angels’ Andrelton Simmons. However, Simmons is not an option right now for Toronto, according to Rosenthal. The club’s in the market for help at the position after losing Bo Bichette to a knee sprain two weeks ago. Even if Bichette comes back this year, Villar’s versatile enough to slide to other positions, including second base and the outfield.

Since Bichette went down, the Blue Jays haven’t received much production from fill-ins Brandon Drury, Joe Panik and Santiago Espinal, but they’re still 18-14 and in the thick of the AL playoff hunt. In Villar, they’d be getting a switch-hitting 29-year-old whose offense has hovered around the league-average mark throughout his career. He’s off to a .272/.328/.360 start with two home runs and nine stolen bases in 126 plate appearances this season.

Villar, who’s on a prorated $8.2MM salary, is a pending free agent, so it may make sense for Miami to at least explore parting with him and other veteran trade chips. But even though the Marlins are just 14-15, they’re very much in the playoff race and will enter Monday tied for the final wild-card spot in the NL.

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