Royals Among Teams Interested In Josh Reddick
The Athletics and right fielder Josh Reddick have not restarted contract talks, thereby increasing the likelihood of a trade by the Aug. 1 deadline, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The A’s offered Reddick a three-year, $36MM contract extension during the spring, but his camp countered with $56MM over four years and might have been amenable to $50MM to $52MM, according to Slusser. As of now, Oakland is unwilling to give a four-year commitment to Reddick, who will turn 30 next February.
In the event the out-of-contention A’s do shop Reddick prior to the deadline, there should be no shortage of interest in the left-handed hitter. The Bay Area-rival Giants, Cubs, Dodgers, Blue Jays and Nationals are among the potentially playoff-bound clubs that have scouted Reddick, but the defending World Series champion Royals are following him the closest, per Slusser.
The 45-42 Royals, who are seven games behind AL Central-leading Cleveland and 3.5 out of the Wild Card, entered Saturday ranked 26th in the majors in runs scored (342) and tied for 19th in wRC+ (92). They’ve primarily relied on Paulo Orlando and Brett Eibner in right field, and both have posted above-average batting lines this year across a combined 264 plate appearances. Their track records fall well short of Reddick’s, however, so replacing them with Reddick and getting standout center fielder Lorenzo Cain back from a hamstring injury to team with left fielder Alex Gordon would give Kansas City an enviable trio of starting outfielders on paper.
Dating back to his first year in Oakland, 2012, Reddick has hit a solid .255/.320/.437 with 81 home runs in 2,300 plate appearances. Reddick has also graded out well on the base paths and (for the most part) defensively throughout his time with the A’s, though Ultimate Zone Rating has assigned him negative marks in the field going back to last season. A broken thumb suffered in May kept Reddick out of a large chunk of games earlier this year, but he returned late last month. Overall, he owns a .296/.371/.429 line with five homers and nearly as many walks (23) as strikeouts (25) in 213 trips to the plate this season.
It’s important to note that the A’s don’t necessarily have to trade Reddick, to whom they could extend a qualifying offer after the season ends. The A’s would then receive a first-round pick as compensation if he declines the QO – which should be worth in the $16MM to $17MM neighborhood – though they seem likely to land more enticing assets via trade from an outfielder-needy contender. Reddick is on an affordable $6.575MM salary this year, which could help to drive up the A’s potential asking price for him as Aug. 1 approaches.
Phillies Release Yoervis Medina
The Phillies have released right-handed reliever Yoervis Medina, reports Matt Eddy of Baseball America (Twitter link). Philadelphia originally acquired Medina from the Pirates in exchange for left-hander Jesse Biddle over the winter.
Medina, who hurt his elbow in March, hasn’t appeared in the majors this season. The hard-throwing 27-year-old’s only action has come in rookie ball for Philly, where he tossed four innings. He previously threw a combined 21 major league frames as a member of the Mariners and Cubs last season, logging a 4.71 ERA, 6.86 K/9 and 4.71 BB/9. Medina is perhaps best known for the strong results he delivered with the Mariners from 2013-14. During that two-year stretch, he racked up 125 innings and recorded a 2.81 ERA, 9.4 K/9, 4.9 BB/9 and 53.5 percent ground-ball rate.
NL Notes: Nats, D-backs, Mets, Pirates
The Nationals’ Trea Turner, whom Baseball America ranks as the sport’s fifth-best prospect, rejoined the club Friday when first baseman Ryan Zimmerman landed on the disabled list with a strained left rib. The middle infielder hasn’t slotted into the Nats’ lineup, though, which is no surprise in light of manager Dusty Baker’s comments on Friday. “Right now, there’s no real place for Trea to take,” Baker said, per Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. “This isn’t a tryout camp. This is try to play the best team overall to win the game and win the pennant. Hopefully Trea will be a part of that while he’s here.” Turner has garnered some center field experience at the Triple-A level, though Baker is wary of putting him out there in the majors at this point. “I’m sure in time, he’ll show us all, but right now, he’ll probably remain in the infield unless I have to make a move out there in the outfield,” stated Baker. Between second baseman Daniel Murphy and shortstop Danny Espinosa, the Nats have an outstanding middle infield, so it doesn’t appear Turner will make much of an impact if those two remain healthy. The 23-year-old has batted an excellent .302/.370/.471 with 36 extra-base hits and 25 stolen bases in the minors this season.
More from three other NL cities:
- The Diamondbacks and closer Brad Ziegler might only be amid a separation, not a divorce, after they traded him to Boston on Saturday. While breaking the news of the trade to Ziegler, the D-backs informed the soon-to-be 37-year-old that they’d be interested in bringing him back during free agency, reports FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (on Twitter). General manager Dave Stewart expressed a desire last month to extend Ziegler’s contract, so it’s not surprising that Arizona might want to sign him in a few months. In the meantime, “With no real certainty of whether we’re going to be able to bring him back on a multi-year deal, we just decided we’d be able to get some pretty good prospects for him,” Stewart said regarding the trade (via Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic). Ziegler joined the Diamondbacks in 2011 and ultimately recorded an impressive ERA (2.49), sky-high ground-ball rate (69.3 percent), and 62 saves across 335 2/3 innings with the franchise.
- Newly-minted All-Star Bartolo Colon says he wants to pitch one more year, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets. Whether that will be with the Mets remains to be seen, but the timeless wonder has been a godsend for New York thus far in 2016. Colon, who will turn 44 next May, has put up a 3.28 ERA and 1.55 BB/9 in 98 2/3 innings. The pending free agent is currently earning $7.25MM.
- The Pirates’ recent revival will likely erase the chances of right-handed closer Mark Melancon switching teams prior to the Aug. 1 trade deadline, according to Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The free agent-to-be seemed like a prime trade candidate earlier this summer, but the Bucs have gone 11-3 since sitting a season-worst 34-39 on June 23 and have climbed to within 2.5 games of a Wild Card spot. Melancon is amid yet another stellar season, with a sparkling 1.26 ERA, 8.07 K/9 and 2.02 BB/9 in 35 2/3 innings. The 31-year-old has also converted 27 of 28 save opportunities.
Red Sox Notes: SP Market, Hill, Benintendi, Closer
The Red Sox are searching for starting pitching help as the Aug. 1 trade deadline nears, but president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is having difficulty finding viable options. “This is not an easy starting pitching market,” he said Saturday (via Scott Lauber of ESPN.com). Boston isn’t necessarily looking for a front-end starter, but someone at least capable of giving the team six reliable innings, Dombrowski continued. Red Sox starters entered Saturday just 24th in the majors in innings (760) and 21st in ERA (4.52), though they’re a much better 12th in K-BB percentage (13.7).
More from Boston, which improved to 48-38 with a win over the Rays on Saturday:
- While further addressing the difficult market for starters, Dombrowski commented (per Lauber), “The names we don’t want to trade always seem to start the conversation. “It’s a common thread of the same names that seem to be coming up. But they have come up in every conversation we have, and then you try to get realistic and move from there.” It’s fair to suggest one of the names that teams have asked about is Double-A outfielder Andrew Benintendi, who ranks ninth on Baseball America’s just-updated top 100 prospects list. Given his outstanding production, the 2015 seventh overall pick could soon join the left fielder-needy Red Sox, writes WEEI’s Rob Bradford. “He’s played very well,” said Dombrowski, who added that he’s not averse to moving a player straight from Double-A to the majors. “There’s some benefits to going to Triple-A. I don’t mean to downplay it. But I’ve had a lot of success throughout my career with guys going from Double-A to the big leagues.” After ripping up High-A pitching to begin the season, the 22-year-old Benintendi has hit .288/.347/.497 with six home runs in 196 plate appearances with Double-A Portland.
- Athletics left-hander Rich Hill – who revived his career with the Red Sox last September and could end up with them (or someone else) at the deadline – told Bradford that he thought re-signing with Boston last offseason was a possibility. “I did think there was a good chance to come back to Boston just because of everything that was going on there,” the 36-year-old said. “We had some really good things working.” The journeyman instead inked a $6MM deal in Oakland, where he has continued thriving. Hill has spun 76 innings of 2.25 ERA ball with the A’s this year while supporting that figure with a 10.66 K/9, 50 percent ground-ball rate and 14.5 percent infield fly rate. He could soon end up as the top starter dealt this summer, but he told Bradford that “there really hasn’t been too much thought about being traded somewhere.”
- Although the Red Sox acquired closer Brad Ziegler from the Diamondbacks early Saturday, manager John Farrell indicated Saturday (via Lauber) that he’s second to Koji Uehara in the ninth-inning pecking order.“Koji’s our closer. On days when (Uehara) isn’t available, we’ve got Brad (Ziegler) to turn to,” Farrell said. Of course, the Red Sox are only choosing between Uehara and Ziegler because of All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel‘s knee injury. While Uehara did pick up the save Saturday, he expressed skepticism toward Farrell’s statement, saying, “I don’t think I’ve won back the job” (Twitter link via Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald).
Pirates Sign Josh Outman To Minor League Deal
The Pirates have signed free agent left-hander Josh Outman to a minor league contract, per a team announcement. The Turner Gary Sports client will head to Triple-A Indianapolis. While Outman likely faces long odds of returning to the majors, it’s worth noting that the Pirates only have one southpaw in their bullpen, as their depth chart shows.
Outman, 31, last saw major league action in 2014. As a member of the Indians and Yankees that year, he combined for 40 appearances and posted a terrific 2.86 ERA and solid 53.9 percent ground-ball rate in 28 1/3 innings. However, a 5.08 BB/9 offset his 8.26 K/9 somewhat and he benefited from an 87.2 percent strand rate. Outman, who dealt with thoracic outlet syndrome last season but has now recovered from the issue, spent some of the year in the Braves organization and amassed 8 2/3 frames across four minor league levels. He opened this season with the independent Atlantic League’s New Britain Bees.
On the whole, Outman has recorded a 4.43 ERA, 7.41 K/9, 3.77 BB/9 and 43.8 percent ground-ball mark over 274 1/3 major league innings. Thirty-two of his 161 appearances have come in the form of starts, mostly with the Athletics from 2008-11. His latest start in the majors came back in 2012 with the Rockies.
Padres Won’t Trade Wil Myers; Could Deal Drew Pomeranz
Although the Padres haven’t made the playoffs since 2006, managing partner Peter Seidler told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times that he isn’t going to rush the franchise’s current rebuild. Seidler acknowledged that the Padres’ future-minded strategy probably won’t begin paying dividends at the major league level until 2019 at the earliest. That strategy has come into focus this year, with the team having outspent every other club on the international market this month.
After signing 10 top international prospects July 2, San Diego added another – 17-year-old Cuban left-hander Adrian Morejon – for a sizable $11MM bonus on Friday. The Padres had already soared past their league-allotted bonus pool by then, meaning that they’ll pay a 100 percent luxury tax on the Morejon signing. As such, they effectively picked him up for $22MM and have now spent in the neighborhood of $60MM on international free agents this year. The Padres’ allocation of international cash is currently, in their judgment, “the smartest place to spend money,” according to Seidler.
“In the context of baseball, it’s two years of Zack Greinke,” he continued. “It’s two years of Clayton Kershaw. For us, we get 20 high-ceiling teenagers. Most of them ultimately are not going to make it to Petco Park. But if four or five of them are impact players at Petco?”
Eventually joining those players in the majors could be several prospects from this year’s amateur draft, in which the Padres had six of the first 85 picks – including three first-round selections.
“This franchise’s history in the amateur draft — as far as having impactful players play for the Padres in the major leagues — is probably as bad as it gets,” Seidler stated. “We have confidence that what we are building is going to completely reverse that.”
Shifting gears to the major league side, the 38-49 Friars have the second-worst record in the NL West and will no doubt look to sell as the Aug. 1 deadline nears. The team has already jettisoned right-hander James Shields and cashed in 39-year-old reliever Fernando Rodney for a prospect, and it hasn’t ruled out trading its best starter of 2016 – lefty Drew Pomeranz – writes Shaikin.
Pomeranz, 27, is making a paltry $1.35MM this season and has two years of arbitration eligibility remaining, but the All-Star is scheduled to become a free agent when the Padres’ prospective window of competing, 2019, opens. Given his eminently affordable contract and excellent production – he ranks fifth in the majors in ERA (2.47) and 10th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.15) – Pomeranz could be one of the most appealing players available around the deadline. While the Padres aren’t against selling high on him, the same isn’t true regarding first baseman Wil Myers.
“He’s not going to be traded,” Seidler declared, and executive chairman Ron Fowler told Shaikin that Myers is “the type of guy we want to build this team around.”
As a result, Fowler is hopeful the Padres and Myers, a 25-year-old All-Star, can work out an extension. Myers is earning barely over the league minimum this year and is controllable through arbitration for three more seasons. The ex-Ray and former premier prospect has hit a tremendous .293/.358/.535 with 19 home runs in 371 plate appearances, also adding 15 stolen bases on 18 attempts. Thanks largely to his output at the plate and on the base paths, Myers has already been worth 3.5 fWAR – tied for the 11th-highest total among position players this year.
“The way we’re building this business is really straightforward,” said Seidler. “It’s all about building a core of high-ceiling, home-grown talent. That does go back to the way the best sports franchises in any of the major sports have always been run.”
Myers isn’t homegrown, but he’s clearly a high-ceiling player. And Seidler’s Padres hope Myers and a cavalcade of talented prospects can eventually lead the franchise back to relevance in the coming years.
Yohan Flande Elects Free Agency
JULY 6: The Rockies announced last night that Flande has rejected an outright assignment and elected free agency. The 30-year-old Flande will now be free to sign with any club on what would most likely be a minor league contract.
JULY 2: The Rockies have designated left-handed swingman Yohan Flande for assignment, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post was among those to report (Twitter link). Flande’s departure clears roster space for lefty reliever Jake McGee, who’s returning from a three-week stay on the disabled list because of a sprained knee.
[Related: Updated Rockies Depth Chart]
Flande spent 2008-13 with the Phillies and Braves before cracking the majors in Colorado, where he has been since 2014. In 131 innings and 37 appearances (20 starts) with the Rockies, Flande has racked up a 5.15 ERA, 5.29 K/9 and 3.02 BB/9. The 30-year-old threw 3 2/3 frames for the Rockies this season and allowed five earned on eight hits and three walks before the club designated him. Flande does own an outstanding 58.3 percent ground-ball rate in the big leagues, though a lack of strikeouts and a high home run rate (19.4 percent) have limited his effectiveness.
Trade Rumors: Hill, A’s, Royals, BoSox, Yanks, Dodgers
In his first start since May 29, Athletics left-hander Rich Hill returned from a groin injury to throw six innings of two-run, four-hit ball and rack up six strikeouts against two walks Saturday. Several playoff contenders sent representatives to observe Hill’s outing against the Pirates, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Incidentally, the Bucs were among the teams scouting him. In addition, four of the 36-year-old journeyman’s previous employers – the Orioles, Red Sox, Cubs and Yankees – as well as the Dodgers and Royals were in attendance to watch Hill, who could be the best starter dealt before the Aug. 1 trade deadline. The free agent-to-be has been brilliant when healthy this year, recording a 2.31 ERA, 10.29 K/9, 49.7 percent ground-ball rate and 15.3 percent infield fly rate in 70 innings. Dating back to his four-start revival in Boston last September, the out-of-nowhere ace has put up a tremendous 2.09 ERA in 99 frames.
More of the latest pre-deadline rumors:
- Along with Hill, the Royals also have interest in Athletics right fielder Josh Reddick, according to Slusser. However, they do not wish to reunite with another A’s trade chip, third baseman Danny Valencia. Kansas City was a rumored landing spot as of last week for Valencia, who was with the Royals in 2014 and should draw plenty of attention from other teams as the deadline nears.
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported Sunday that the Blue Jays have been scouting the Astros’ system, though he didn’t specify which players interested Toronto. It turns out that one prospect who intrigues the Jays is Double-A right-hander Francis Martes, tweets Chris Cotillo of SB Nation. Martes would be difficult to acquire, however, given that he’s among baseball’s premier prospects. Entering the season, Baseball America placed Martes 20th overall in its rankings. In its updated list, MLB.com has the 20-year-old at No. 36. In 63 2/3 innings this season, the hard-throwing Martes has logged a 4.10 ERA, 8.48 K/9 and 4.52 BB/9.
- While Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com expects the Angels’ Matt Shoemaker to garner interest leading up to the deadline, he doesn’t envision the Halos trading controllable starting pitching depth (Twitter link). The desperate-for-starters Red Sox – who roughed up Shoemaker on Sunday – would make sense as a trade partner if the Angels do make the righty available, opines Tim Britton of the Providence Journal (via Twitter). After a terrible first month of the season and a demotion to the minors, Shoemaker rejoined the Angels in May and has performed like an elite-level ace of late – Sunday notwithstanding. During an eight-start span prior to the Angels’ trip to Fenway Park, the 29-year-old amassed 57 2/3 innings, allowed 12 earned runs and piled up 68 strikeouts against a paltry five walks. As Gonzalez alluded to when mentioning team control, Shoemaker will make his first trip through arbitration during the upcoming offseason.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/3/16
Here are Sunday’s minor transactions from around baseball:
- The Brewers selected the contract of third baseman Will Middlebrooks from Triple-A Colorado Springs, the club announced. To create roster space, Milwaukee also optioned outfielder Keon Broxton to Triple-A while Chris Capuano was moved to the 60-day DL. Middlebrooks signed a minor league deal with the Brew Crew last winter after being non-tendered by the Padres. The former highly-touted prospect made a strong debut as a rookie with the Red Sox in 2012 but has hit just .213/.258/.363 in 878 PA with Boston and San Diego over the last three seasons. Middlebrooks has a solid .816 OPS at Triple-A this season, though Colorado Springs and the PCL as a whole are very hitter-friendly environments.
- The Braves selected the contract of outfielder/third baseman Ronnier Mustelier, the club announced. This will be Mustelier’s first taste of the big leagues in a 13-year pro career that began with seven seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional. Since defecting from Cuba, Mustelier has played in the Yankees’ minor league system and in the Mexican League. Over 1382 career plate appearances in the New York and Atlanta farm systems, Mustelier has a .303/.356/.440 slash line and 26 homers.
- The Marlins selected the contract of outfielder Yefri Perez. The 25-year-old Perez has been in the Marlins’ system since 2009, slashing .256/.310/.312 over 2209 PA. It’s worth noting that both the Braves and Marlins didn’t need to make corresponding moves, as the teams were allowed an extra 26th man on the roster for tonight’s special game played in front of the troops at Fort Bragg.
- The Orioles selected the contract of southpaw Ariel Miranda prior to today’s game, and the Cuban lefty made his Major League debut in a relief outing. Miranda, 27, is a seven-year veteran of the Serie Nacional who signed a minor league deal with the O’s in May 2015. He made a rather quick rise through Baltimore’s system, posting a 3.84 ERA, 8.7 K/9 and 2.86 K/BB rate 147 2/3 innings. In corresponding moves, Tyler Wilson was optioned to Triple-A and Brian Duensing was moved to the 60-day DL.
- The Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo has released right-hander Roberto Hernandez, per a club announcement. Hernandez entered the season having logged major league action in 10 straight campaigns, though that streak looks to be in jeopardy. In his latest big league stint, the 35-year-old posted a 4.36 ERA with 4.5 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 in 84 2/3 innings as a member of the Astros last season. With a 4.42 ERA, 6.06 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 in 71 1/3 innings, the unspectacular numbers Hernandez put up in Buffalo are fairly similar to his Houston statistics.
Paul Goldschmidt Switches Agencies
Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has hired Excel Sports Management as representation, reports Robert Murray of Today’s Knuckleball. The three-time All-Star was previously a client of ISE Baseball (formerly Relativity Baseball) and agent Joe Sambito, who won’t follow him to Excel, according to Murray.
Goldschmidt, an eighth-round pick in 2009, became one of baseball’s preeminent stars during his second full season – 2013 – when he hit .302/.401/.551 with 36 home runs, stole 15 bases and accounted for 6.2 fWAR in 710 plate appearances. Since the beginning of that season, Goldschmidt has slashed .306/.414/.548 in 2,248 trips to the plate and accounted for 20.8 fWAR, the fourth-highest total among major league position players. The 28-year-old right-handed hitter is in the midst of yet another excellent season, having batted .293/.420/.505 with 14 homers and 10 steals through 365 trips to the plate.
Goldschmidt’s success has come under the eminently team-friendly contract he signed before the 2013 campaign. Back then, Goldschmidt put pen to paper on a five-year, $32MM pact with a $14.5MM club option for 2019. If Goldschmidt ultimately plays out his deal, including the option, he won’t be eligible for free agency until the age of 32.