Dodgers Have “Strong Interest” In Yu Darvish
The Dodgers were among those who scouted Rangers ace Yu Darvish‘s latest start, an eight-frame, 12-strikeout showing against the Rays on Friday. It turns out the Dodgers are one of multiple teams with “strong interest” in Darvish, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Talks between Los Angeles and Texas are in their preliminary stages, adds Morosi.
With a major league-best 67-31 record, the Dodgers are already something of a dream team, and adding Darvish to the fold would further increase their relatively high odds of being the last club standing at season’s end. The 30-year-old Darvish would give the Dodgers at least two bona fide aces, joining the peerless Clayton Kershaw, and there’s a legitimate case they also have another No. 1 in the lights-out Alex Wood. Los Angeles has also gotten quality pitching this year from starters Rich Hill and Brandon McCarthy, though both come with durability concerns. The depth-laden team has a couple more respectable starters in Kenta Maeda and Hyun-Jin Ryu, but they’ve been the weakest links in a rotation that tops the majors in ERA (3.33) and fWAR (12.1).
As an impending free agent, Darvish wouldn’t necessarily stick with the Dodgers past this season, yet this year could represent the franchise’s best chance at a championship in a while. So, between that and their top-notch farm system, the Dodgers could elect to make a bold strike and pay what will be a high price to acquire Darvish. Even though the Rangers are struggling, there’s no guarantee they’ll move Darvish, a franchise icon whom they’d like to re-sign. However, just in case, the Rangers have been scouting the Dodgers’ minor leaguers. The Rangers watched highly touted Triple-A outfielder Alex Verdugo on Friday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News notes (on Twitter). Verdugo is the 35th-best prospect in the game, per Baseball America, and the Dodgers aren’t eager to part with him or other acclaimed youngsters such as righties Walker Buehler and Yadier Alvarez.
Blue Jays Acquire Rob Refsnyder
The Blue Jays have acquired infielder/outfielder Rob Refsnyder from the AL East rival Yankees for first baseman Ryan McBroom, according to an announcement from New York.
The 26-year-old Refsnyder had been in limbo since the Yankees designated him for assignment on Wednesday, which came after a disappointing tenure in pinstripes. Refsnyder, whom New York chose in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, collected 262 major league plate appearances with the franchise and batted just .241/.312/.332. On the plus side, Refsnyder garnered big league experience at first, second and in the corner outfield with the Yankees, and he slashed a solid .292/.372/.424 in 1,244 PAs as a member of their Triple-A affiliate. Refsnyder also comes with a minor league option, so the Blue Jays could use him as depth in Toronto or stash him in Triple-A.
McBroom, meanwhile, won’t help solve the Yankees’ issues at first base this year. The 25-year-old hasn’t ascended past Double-A since the Jays took him in the 15th round of the 2014 draft, and his numbers at that level this season aren’t exactly eye-popping. Across 392 PAs, McBroom has batted a less-than-stellar .243/.321/.402. If McBroom carves out a major league future, it’ll likely be as a platoon player, according to MLB.com, which ranked him as the 30th-best prospect in Toronto’s system.
Latest On Yankees’ Search For Starting Pitching
The Yankees had a scout on hand to watch Rangers ace Yu Darvish‘s eight-inning, 12-strikeout performance in Tampa Bay on Friday, leading to speculation that the Bombers have interest in the right-hander. That is indeed the case, per FanRag’s Jon Heyman, who reports that the Yankees have reached out to the Rangers about Darvish. They’ve also been in contact with the Athletics regarding righty Sonny Gray and the Braves concerning southpaw Jaime Garcia.
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The connection to Gray isn’t anything new, as Heyman reported earlier this week that the Athletics have “named their price” for the 27-year-old in discussions with New York. The A’s want “top guys” in exchange for Gray, while the same applies to the Rangers if they’re going to trade Darvish, writes Heyman. Darvish is only a rental, whereas Gray’s controllable through 2019, but the former’s track record suggests he’d make the greater impact down the stretch. His presence would obviously benefit the Yankees, who hold a wild-card spot in the American League, but they’re not eager to part with the best prospects in their well-regarded system, relays Heyman, who suggests that outfielder Clint Frazier, infielder Gleyber Torres and lefty Justus Sheffield aren’t going anywhere. The Yankees “probably” won’t move righty James Kaprielian, either, tweets Heyman. It’s an open question, then, whether they’d be able to put together an appealing enough offer for the coveted Darvish.
While Garcia would undoubtedly bring back the worst return among this trio, he’s nonetheless garnering plenty of interest. The 31-year-old impending free agent wouldn’t provide the Yankees with another front-of-the-rotation presence to complement No. 1 starter Luis Severino. However, Garcia would help make up for the loss of Michael Pineda, who underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery earlier this month, and give the team a credible back-end option to slot in behind Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and Jordan Montgomery.
Olney’s Latest: Darvish, Gray, Marlins, Indians
There’s a belief among some rival evaluators that the Rangers will trade ace Yu Darvish by the July 31 deadline if they don’t believe they’ll be able to re-sign the impending free agent, reports Buster Olney of ESPN.com. With Texas unsure of whether it’ll be able to retain Darvish long term, there’s at least one starter-needy team waiting to make a move until it sees whether the Rangers shop him. Consequently, the possibility of a Darvish trade is affecting the market for starters and “muddying the waters” for the AL West rival Athletics in their quest to deal Sonny Gray, writes Olney.
- Given that the Marlins‘ ownership situation is in limbo, their baseball department isn’t in proper position to weigh offers for outfielders Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich, according to Olney. Moving either could make the Marlins more appealing to potential bidders because their contracts factor into the franchise’s heavy debt, though Olney notes that trading a superstar like Stanton might sabotage the rebranding effort of the next owner. And if Jeffrey Loria’s successor signs off on a Stanton trade, the team’s fan base could see it as a typical Marlins cost-cutting maneuver.
- First baseman Carlos Santana‘s down season may help explain the Indians’ interest in slugging outfielders J.D. Martinez and Jay Bruce, suggests Olney. The Tribe missed out on acquiring Martinez, whom the Tigers sent to the Diamondbacks this week, but the Mets’ Bruce remains a prime trade candidate. It’s unclear whether Bruce would play first for the Indians, who have seen Santana slump to a .238/.335/.406 batting line in 397 plate appearances during a contract year. Cleveland could acquire a natural first baseman instead, with Olney pointing out that Texas’ Mike Napoli (a former Indian) and Oakland’s Yonder Alonso may end up elsewhere.
- It’s a buyers’ market this year as the deadline approaches, so a successful return for sellers could depend more on how much salary they shed than the quality of prospects they acquire, per Olney. As an example, Olney points to the trade Miami and Seattle made this week. The Marlins received four prospects for reliever David Phelps and got rid of his $4.6MM salary in the process, but only one of those minor leaguers (outfielder Brayan Hernandez) looks particularly promising. The quantity of prospects the Marlins picked up isn’t impressing rival evaluators, as some of them believe landing four players was done to make the package look better than it actually is.
East News & Rumors: Stanton, Yanks, Red Sox, Mets
Representatives from both the Yankees and Marlins told Jim Bowden of Sirius XM that New York has not inquired about Miami slugger Giancarlo Stanton, which conflicts with a previous report. Bowden received a text message from a Marlins executive who declared that “all the buzz is false” on a potential Stanton-Yankees union (Twitter links). Regardless of whether the Yankees have checked in on Stanton, it’s an extreme long shot that he’d end up with them.
More from these two cities and another East Coast spot:
- The Wayne Rothbaum-Jeb Bush-Tom Glavine group bidding for the Marlins lost Tagg Romney this week, and now Dave Stewart and Al Leiter have left the faction, reports Robert Murray of FanRag. Thanks to their accomplished careers as major league pitchers, Stewart and Leiter brought name value to the table for a potential ownership team (as Glavine does), but neither would have had a large role in terms of putting up money to acquire the Marlins. So, even with Stewart and Leiter gone, Rothbaum & Co. remain in the mix to purchase the franchise, per Murray.
- The Red Sox are continuing to explore the third base market as the trade deadline nears, leading Scott Lauber of ESPN.com, Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe and Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald to break down their possible options. Both Lauber and Cafardo bring up Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista as an outside-the-box possibility, and while he does have 389 games of experience at third, he hasn’t played there extensively since 2011. Unsurprisingly, then, the Red Sox haven’t discussed acquiring the 36-year-old, a source told Lauber. Meanwhile, Brown urges the Red Sox to reunite with Adrian Beltre, who thrived in Boston in 2010 before signing with the Rangers in the ensuing offseason. There are roadblocks in the way, though, including whether the Rangers would even consider moving the should-be Hall of Famer and franchise icon, who’s on an $18MM salary through next season, and whether he’d waive his no-trade clause.
- With the deadline just over a week away, Joel Sherman of the New York Post proposes several Mets trades, including one that would see them send first baseman Lucas Duda to the Yankees for a four-player package of major league-ready talent. A New York-New York swap would be a win-win in this case, Sherman argues, as the Mets would get something for an impending free agent and the Yankees would solve their first base woes for the stretch run. Further, dealing a few players would help the Yankees with the 40-man roster crunch they could face during the offseason.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: D-backs, Yanks, Sox, Kershaw, Jays, Braves, Cards
This week in baseball blogs:
- Inside the ‘Zona reacts to the Diamondbacks’ acquisition of outfielder J.D. Martinez from the Tigers.
- Bronx Bomber Ball lists seven reasons why the Yankees made out great in this week’s trade with the White Sox.
- MLB Sweet Spot breaks down the pros and cons of the Red Sox missing out on third baseman Todd Frazier, who went to the Yankees in their deal with the White Sox.
- The K Zone delves into the postseason struggles of Clayton Kershaw.
- Jays Journal contends that Toronto would net a major haul if it were to trade closer Roberto Osuna.
- Minor League Ball profiles highly touted Braves outfield prospect Ronald Acuna.
- The Intrepid STL studies the recent brilliance of Cardinals righty Michael Wacha.
- Motor City Bengals advises the Tigers not to tear it down.
- Camden Depot wonders what kind of market there would be for third baseman Manny Machado if the Orioles were to shop him prior to the trade deadline.
- A’s Farm interviews young Athletics Matt Chapman, Bruce Maxwell and Jaycob Brugman.
- Notes From The Sally scouts Red Sox pitching prospect Jay Groome.
- Clubhouse Corner focuses on the majors’ declining stars and those who are emerging.
- Sports Talk Philly compares the Hall of Fame cases of second basemen Robinson Cano and Chase Utley.
- The Sports Tank recaps Pablo Sandoval‘s disastrous Red Sox tenure.
- The Runner Sports (links: 1, 2, 3) checks in on potential starting pitcher acquisitions for the Yankees, asks where the Athletics will trade first baseman Yonder Alonso, and examines Astros righty Brad Peacock‘s success as a starter this year.
- DiNardo’s Dugout discusses the the Chicago teams’ Jose Quintana trade and previews the trade deadline from an American League point of view.
- Everything Bluebirds doesn’t want the Blue Jays to trade Marcus Stroman.
- Purple Row speaks with Rockies director of pitching operations Mark Wiley.
- Pirates Breakdown names three starting pitchers the Bucs should pursue.
- Call to the Pen runs down the pros and cons of potential Phillies trades.
- BP Toronto takes a realistic look at the trade deadline from a Blue Jays perspective.
- Infield Shift writes that former general manager Frank Wren’s legacy is still alive with the Braves.
- The Point of Pittsburgh regards the Dodgers as a logical fit for first baseman/outfielder John Jaso and reliever Tony Watson.
- Jays From the Couch looks at Blue Jays right-hander Aaron Sanchez‘s trade candidacy.
- MetsMind analyzes reliever Paul Sewald‘s rookie campaign.
- The Redbird Daily expects serious regression from Cardinals reliever John Brebbia.
- Pinstriped Prospects has a scouting report on Yankees Single-A outfielder Pablo Olivares.
- Two Strike Approach: A Baseball Podcast talks with Justin Volman, the CEO of the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network.
- Rotisserie Duck offers some humorous baseball quotes.
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Brewers Designate Rob Scahill
The Brewers have designated reliever Rob Scahill for assignment, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). His 25-man roster spot will go to right-hander Wily Peralta, who’s returning from the 10-day disabled list.
This is the second time this year that the Brewers have designated Scahill, whom they previously jettisoned from their 40-man roster on June 13. The right-hander returned to Milwaukee in early July, but he has since allowed four earned runs in just 4 2/3 innings. Nearly all of that damage came in one appearance – a loss to the Pirates last Sunday in which he yielded three earned runs without recording an out – though Scahill’s overall numbers still don’t inspire confidence. Across 22 1/3 innings, the 30-year-old has cancelled out a terrific ground-ball rate (54.1 percent) with subpar strikeout and walk marks (4.03 per nine for both), helping lead to a 4.43 ERA/5.75 FIP.
To his credit, Scahill isn’t far removed from successfully preventing runs at the major league level. As a member of the Pirates from 2015-16, he pitched to a 3.26 ERA over 47 innings. Pittsburgh designated Scahill last July, though, and he ended up with the Brewers as a waiver claim. That worked out well initially for both Milwaukee and Scahill, who posted a 2.45 ERA with 14 strikeouts and three walks in 18 1/3 frames as a Brewer in 2016.
Quick Hits: Stanton, Yankees, Rays, Tribe, Cubs
The Yankees have contacted the Marlins about right fielder Giancarlo Stanton, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag. Don’t go penciling Stanton and Aaron Judge into the same lineup yet, though, as it seems this was just a case of due diligence on the Yankees’ part. They called the Marlins about Stanton “weeks ago” and haven’t picked up talks since, per Heyman, who reported Friday that the Fish probably won’t seriously market the slugger this summer. As has been pointed out on many occasions, the $295MM left on Stanton’s contract after this season, an opt-out at the conclusion of the 2020 campaign and his ability to block a trade to the majors’ other 29 teams are all notable impediments in the way of a potential deal anywhere.
More from around the majors:
- The Rays are seeking an “impact reliever” and perhaps some offensive help leading up to the trade deadline, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The club did add to its bullpen when it acquired Sergio Romo from the Dodgers on Saturday, but the 2017 version of the ex-Giants closer doesn’t inspire much confidence. As such, he won’t be their last relief addition, tweets FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. The Rays will take a “responsible” approach to the deadline, writes Topkin, but a willingness to add salary and deal “good” prospects still exists. They’re also not ruling out trading someone from their major league roster, suggests Topkin.
- Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis and outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall are “still weeks away, not days,” manager Terry Francona told reporters Friday (via cleveland.com). Kipnis has been on the disabled list for most of this month with a hamstring issue, while a calf injury has kept Chisenhall out for a week. Team president Chris Antonetti admitted last weekend that not having the pair has “complicated” the Indians’ approach to the deadline, and the club has since come up as a potential suitor for a couple second base–capable players – the Giants’ Eduardo Nunez and former Indian Asdrubal Cabrera – as well as outfielder Jay Bruce.
- Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks, out for almost two months with a hand injury, will rejoin their rotation Monday against the White Sox, relays Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. This season was a struggle for Hendricks even before he went on the DL on June 5, as the 2016 NL Cy Young contender posted a so-so 4.09 ERA over 61 2/3 innings (up from 2.13 last year) and logged declining strikeout and walk rates. Still, Hendricks’ return – which will send swingman Mike Montgomery to the bullpen – will be a welcome one for a resurgent Cubs team that has won six of seven since the All-Star break and sits just one game behind Milwaukee for the National League Central lead.
Rays Acquire Sergio Romo
The Rays have acquired reliever Sergio Romo and cash considerations from the Dodgers for cash or a player to be named later, per an announcement from Los Angeles.
After an excellent stint with the Giants from 2008-16, Romo drew offseason interest from the Rays before heading to LA on a one-year, $3MM deal. Staying in the National League West didn’t go well for the 34-year-old Romo, who pitched to a 6.12 ERA (with a less-than-encouraging 5.75 FIP) in 25 innings as a Dodger. He also posted a career-worst walk rate (4.32 per nine) and yielded home runs on 26.9 percent of fly balls – an enormous increase over his 13.9 percent mark from last season. As a result, the Dodgers designated Romo for assignment on Thursday.
Given his woes this year, Romo hardly looks like a cure-all for the Rays, who have been in the market for relief help leading up to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Still, he’s a low-cost pickup who did show some promising signs as a Dodger. Romo struck out 28.7 percent of batters in LA, matching his career mark, logged a 14.8 percent swinging-strike rate that betters his lifetime figure (14.2) and helped offset a low ground-ball rate (35.4 percent) by inducing pop-ups with regularity. At 15.4 percent, Romo’s infield fly rate places him among the majors’ upper echelon when it comes to relievers.
Even with Romo on hand, it stands to reason the Rays will continue to scour the market for relief upgrades over the next week-plus. While the 51-47 club is 1.5 games up on a wild-card spot, Tampa Bay’s success hasn’t come because of its bullpen. Rays relievers entered Saturday 22nd in the majors in ERA (4.37) and 23rd in fWAR (1.4), though the now-departed duo of Danny Farquhar and Jumbo Diaz contributed heavily to those unremarkable numbers before the team jettisoned them in recent weeks. The right-handed Romo hasn’t been any better this year, and he’ll now look to bounce back among a relief corps that includes more stable righty options in Alex Colome, Chase Whitley, Brad Boxberger, Tommy Hunter and Erasmo Ramirez.
Ken Gurnick of MLB.com first reported the trade (on Twitter). Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
West News & Rumors: Padres, Hand, Rangers, Dodgers
Reliever Brad Hand is the most sought-after trade chip the Padres have had since A.J. Preller took over as their general manager in 2014, reports AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. “Half the league or more” has called about Hand, a team source told Cassavell, which helps explain the Padres’ reportedly high asking price for the southpaw. San Diego feels as though it’s justified in seeking a significant return for Hand, per Cassavell, as the 27-year-old has been among the majors’ top relievers since breaking out last season and comes with affordable control through the 2019 campaign.
- One of Hand’s teammates, second baseman/third baseman Yangervis Solarte, is also a trade candidate, but Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune doesn’t expect the Padres to move him. Rumors connecting Solarte to other clubs have mostly been speculative, tweets Lin, who notes that the 30-year-old’s injury status seems to decrease the likelihood of a trade. He has been out for over a month with a strained oblique, and a return doesn’t look imminent as the July 31 trade deadline approaches. The switch-hitting Solarte hasn’t taken right-handed batting practice yet, which could change this weekend, and will still need to go on a rehab assignment after that happens.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels told reporters Saturday that he’s unsure whether the 46-50 club will buy over the next week-plus. If they do, though, Daniels indicated that the Rangers will seek controllable starting pitching, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). Everyone wants controllable starting pitching, so that’s not surprising, but it’s clear Texas needs it more than a lot of other teams do. After all, three members of the Rangers’ rotation – Yu Darvish, Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross – are scheduled to become free agents after the season.
- A couple of injury updates on the Dodgers, courtesy of J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group (Twitter links): First baseman Adrian Gonzalez should return before Sept. 1, but outfielder Andre Ethier likely won’t. Back problems have been ruinous to both veterans this year – Gonzalez has been out since early June, and Ethier hasn’t played at all.