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Giants Sign Pablo Sandoval

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SATURDAY, 7:08pm: Sandoval’s contract includes 2018-19 club options for the major league minimum, but he’ll become a free agent at the end of this season if he isn’t on the Giants’ roster, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links).

1:43pm: The deal is now official, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Sandoval will head to Class A+ San Jose, then on to Triple-A Sacramento.

Here’s a statement from Sandoval about his return to the Giants in which he apologies for disparaging comments he made about the organization as he was in the process of leaving.

“I have always loved and appreciated the Giants organization, my Giants teammates and the fans of San Francisco. I have so many great memories and I want to thank the organization for giving me another chance to come back here.  When I left the Giants in 2014, my comments were emotional, insensitive and misguided and I truly regret and apologize for my actions.  I am committed to working hard to contributing to the success of the Giants.”

8:07am: Sandoval will, in fact, sign with the Giants, Heyman writes (Twitter links). The Royals and others were in fact in consideration, but Sandoval ultimately opted to head back to San Francisco.

FRIDAY: The Royals are another team with interest in Sandoval, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link), though the third baseman is still expected to land with the Giants.

WEDNESDAY, 8:38pm: Sandoval says he’s “waiting for Friday to make a decision,” with the Giants being “one of [the] options,” per ESPN.com’s Marly Rivera.

7:17pm: The Giants have agreed to a minors deal with third baseman Pablo Sandoval, according to MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (via Twitter). Sandoval was released earlier today by the Red Sox, though the deal will not be formally entered until his contract has passed through waivers — which (all but certainly) will occur on Friday, Evan Drellich of CSNNE.com tweets.

While the match had been rumored, and is rather unsurprising on paper, it’s still quite a notable reunion for a player who was once one of San Francisco’s most visible stars. Both Sandoval and the Giants have had seasons to forget thus far. The former was released by his most recent organization after a third-straight season marred by injury and underperformance. And the latter currently sits five games back of the Padres in the NL West cellar.

Sandoval, now thirty years of age, was a popular and productive player for seven seasons with the Giants. Over his 3,533 plate appearances, Sandoval slashed a robust .294/.346/.465 and compiled about twenty wins above replacement. That performance earned him a five-year, $95MM contract with the Red Sox, who’ll pay the vast majority of the nearly $50MM remaining (less any prorated portion of the league minimum for time Sandoval spends in the majors from now through 2019).

The Giants tried to keep the affectionately nicknamed Panda, but extension talks never materialized and he spurned the organization in free agency — suggesting in comments at the time that he was happy to be moving on. But Sandoval never found his footing in Boston. His longstanding battle with weight was again an issue, and Sandoval missed all of 2016 with a shoulder injury. He got into shape and showed well this spring, but endured a DL stint for a knee problem and struggled both at the bat (.212/.269/.354) and with the glove (-6 DRS; -8.6 UZR/150 innings) over his 32 games in 2017.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Sandoval can jump start his career in the place he once thrived. First, though, he’ll have to earn his way back to the big leagues. It’s important to bear in mind that the sides won’t be committed to one another for very long even if things go well. Unless the deal provides the club with an option of some kind — and it is fair to note that Jose Reyes agreed to such terms with the Mets while the Rockies were paying his contract — then Sandoval will return to the open market at season’s end. That said, it’s possible to imagine an extended reunion if things go well, as the Giants don’t yet have a clear plan for the 2018 season at third base.

Trade Market For Shortstops

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Frankly, there’s not much to see here. Most contenders are set at shortstop. Even those that have immediate needs — the Astros, Nationals, and Diamondbacks all have regulars on the DL — aren’t really expected to go shopping for replacements.

We’ve already seen one shortstop on the move, though, with Adeiny Hechavarria going to the Rays. Here are some others that could be available:

Rentals

Zack Cozart, Reds | $5.325MM in 2017

Cozart is an elite defender and has posted an outstanding .321/.400/.566 batting line on the year. Were there a single contender with an opening at short, he’d be the obvious solution. As it stands, Cozart may end up being viewed more as a heavily-used utility piece — unless a team decides it would be best-served adding him and pushing a regular shortstop to another position instead.

Eduardo Nunez, Giants | $4.2MM in 2017

He’s more likely an option at other spots in the infield, but Nunez has logged more games at short than any other position in his eight seasons of MLB action. Nunez is a roughly league-average hitter who can swipe a bag, and would deepen a lot of rosters.

Ruben Tejada, Orioles | Unknown Salary

The 27-year-old is back in the majors as a fill-in option for the O’s. He’s hitting better than he did last year, but the .272/.322/.333 output isn’t going to hold much appeal.

Erick Aybar, Padres | $1.75MM in 2017

As with Tejada, the veteran Aybar isn’t impressing at the plate (.231/.298/.353) and won’t be in much demand.

Controlled Through 2018

Freddy Galvis, Phillies | $4.35MM in 2017; arb-eligible in 2018

The sudden slugger is on pace to approach twenty long balls yet again. And his on-base percentage has crept over .300. Galvis has rated as a top-end defender, but it still seems he makes the most sense in Philadelphia.

Jose Iglesias, Tigers |$4.1MM in 2017; arb-eligible in 2018

At his best, Iglesias is something of a poor man’s Andrelton Simmons. But while his magical glovework continues, the work with the bat has worsened over the past two years. It’s hard to imagine an offer coming in that would really motivate Detroit.

Asdrubal Cabrera, Mets | $8.25MM in 2017; $8.5MM club option ($2MM buyout) in 2018

It’s arguable whether Cabrera ought to be considered here at all, as the Mets clearly determined that he’s no longer really capable of playing a palatable shortstop. On the other hand, he has manned that position almost exclusively over the past three years and can hit near the league average (though his baserunning has been stunningly bad thus far in 2017).

J.J. Hardy, Orioles | $14MM in 2017; $14MM club option ($2MM buyout) in 2018

The veteran isn’t a deadline option, as he’s currently on the DL. And odds are he won’t be one in August, either, though he’ll easily clear waivers after opening the year with a .211/.248/.308 batting line.

Longer-Term Assets

Jurickson Profar, Rangers | $1.05MM in 2017; arb-eligible through 2019

Still just 24 years of age, Profar has been awful this year in the majors. But he is hitting 297/.386/.423 at Triple-A. And with no clear path to a significant role in Texas, perhaps it’s finally time he’s dealt.

Aledmys Diaz, Cardinals | First-time arb-eligible in 2021

It’s hard to see the Cards giving up on Diaz after he showed a lofty ceiling last year. But he was demoted and has struggled all the more at Triple-A ever since, so perhaps a deal can’t be ruled out if there’s a chance to achieve some value.

Andrelton Simmons, Angels | $8MM in 2017; $39MM from 2018 through 2020

In the midst of a career year, Simmons almost certainly isn’t going anywhere, even if the Halos do sell.

Brandon Crawford, Giants | $8MM in 2017; $60MM from 2018 through 2021

The Giants have made clear they aren’t interested in dealing Crawford, even as he struggles after consecutive two top-level seasons.

Troy Tulowitzki, Blue Jays | $20MM in 2017; $58MM from 2018 through 2020 (including $4MM buyout of 2021 club option)

Tulo has declined in the field and at the plate this year. While the Jays may at some point see if they can’t unload some of the contract, there’s no indication that’ll happen this summer.

Ryan Goins, Blue Jays | First-time arb-eligible in 2018

Goins just doesn’t hit, and has drawn poor grades this year at short, though he could in theory be a utility option elsewhere.

Dixon Machado, Tigers | First-time arb-eligible in 2020

At times, Machado has been seen as an interesting prospect, and he does own a .316/.338/.395 batting line in just 81 plate appearances on the year. He’s out of options and it’s hard to imagine the Tigers again carrying him in 2018 without clearing the way for some more playing time.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/21/17

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Let’s catch up on some of the recent minor moves from around the game:

  • Righty Jumbo Diaz is a free agent after rejecting an outright assignment from the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports on Twitter. The bulky 33-year-old had a solid 2016 campaign but scuffled upon arriving in Tampa Bay. In his thirty innings, he was touched for a 5.70 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9.
  • The Blue Jays have outrighted righty Lucas Harrell to Triple-A, per a club announcement. He’ll have the option of rejecting that assignment. Harrell, 32, turned in six solid starts at Triple-A before earning a call-up, but was knocked around in his four appearances with the Jays.
  • Right-hander Tyrell Jenkins has been released by the Padres, according to the MLB.com transactions page. Jenkins, who just turned 25, had a 14-appearance taste of the majors last year with the Braves, but struggled badly. He had generally performed quite well in the upper minors previously, but coughed up 71 earned runs on 111 hits in his 82 1/3 Triple-A frames in the Padres organization this season.
  • The Diamondbacks have inked righty David Carpenter to a minors deal, per a club announcement from the indy ball Bridgeport Bluefish. Once a quality MLB reliever, Carpenter washed out of the majors with arm issues. He posted a 1.91 ERA and racked up 45 strikeouts in his 37 2/3 innings on the year.
  • Catcher Steve Clevenger has signed with the Atlantic League’s Lancaster Barnstormers, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (Twitter link). Clevenger lost his job with the Mariners last year after a Twitter controversy. The 31-year-old will be looking to earn his way back into the affiliated ranks.
  • The Twins have added righty Michael Kohn on a minors deal, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune reports (Twitter links). He’ll continue rehabbing a rotator cuff injury that has kept him off the mound since 2015. Kohn previously turned in 115 innings of 3.52 ERA ball — but with 6.2 walks to go with his 8.7 strikeouts per nine — in parts of five seasons of MLB action.
  • Outfielder Michael Choice is heading to the KBO, as the Brewers announced they’ve sold his contract to the Nexen Heroes. Still just 27 years of age, the former top prospect was released by the Orioles after struggling early this year at Triple-A. But he has found his groove at Double-A Biloxi, slashing .272/.349/.503 over 195 plate appearances.

Trade Chatter: Darvish, Alonso, Red Sox, Ramos, Stanton, Cahill, Nunez

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Yu Darvish is pitching tonight for the Rangers, so clearly there’s nothing imminent. Indeed, Texas seems likely to take its decision on the ace to the latest possible moment, even as it begins to solicit interest. As that process begins to take place, it’s important to note that Darvish possesses partial no-trade rights. While it’s not at all clear whether he’d get in the way of a deal, particularly given that he’ll be a free agent in a few months regardless, that adds another potential hurdle. Per Jim Bowden of Sirius XM, via Twitter, Darvish currently can block trades to the Cubs, Indians, Pirates, Red Sox, and Rockies (along with five other teams that are in no position to consider a rental starter).

Here’s the latest trade deadline chatter:

  • While the Athletics continue to weigh their options with first baseman Yonder Alonso, the club has not actually engaged in any extension talks with his reps, per ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Twitter link). While a new deal seems unlikely to come to fruition (yet more than it did already), the A’s are struggling to drum up interest in the breakout performer. Indeed, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com suggests on Twitter that the Yankees are the only team firmly pursuing Alonso at this time. Trouble is, it seems, Oakland isn’t enamored of the Yanks’ offers to date.
  • Meanwhile, the division-rival Red Sox could conceivably look into some outside-the-box possibilities to improve their offense, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe writes. He bases that assessment on the difficulty of finding a significant offensive threat capable of playing third as well as the ongoing struggles of Mitch Moreland since he suffered a toe injury. Boston might consider a first baseman, Speier says, or perhaps even an outfielder that could lineup at DH — if Hanley Ramirez is capable of spending more time at first. While it doesn’t seem there’s any indication of internal interest at this point, Speier cites Alonso, Lucas Duda, and Jay Bruce as rental players that could hold some appeal.
  • Marlins closer A.J. Ramos is drawing interest from as many as eight to ten teams, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets. With momentum perhaps building toward a deal, Ramos tells MLB.com’s Jeremy Vernon that he hears the rumors, but is trying to stay focused on his current job. “It’s good, but also it’s a little bit bittersweet,” he said of the fact other teams are looking to deal for him.
  • A handful of clubs have reached out to the Marlins about high-priced slugger Giancarlo Stanton, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports, but the expectation remains that he will not be seriously marketed this summer. Still, the club is keeping Stanton “apprised of every contact” it receives, which evidently was a commitment made to the star. With full no-trade protection, he can control his destiny.
  • Interest in Padres righty Trevor Cahill is increasing as the deadline draws near, a team source tells MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell (via Twitter). While the possible introduction of Darvish to the market would knock Cahill down a peg among rental arms, it likely wouldn’t reduce the demand. After all, he’s still exceptionally cheap and has been one of the game’s most productive starters when healthy in 2017. For teams that want to take a shot at a continuation of that surprising success, Cahill should hold quite a lot of appeal.
  • Interestingly, in his recent run-down of the market for Athletics righty Sonny Gray, Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network noted that even the Padres have asked about the hotly pursued starter. That may be chalked up mostly to due diligence; though the Pads no doubt would love to install such an arm into their rotation for the next two years, it’s hard to see sufficient motivation to beat the offers of other organizations that will highly value the ability to utilize Gray for the next several months.
  • Among Giants players, infielder Eduardo Nunez is drawing the most interest, Olney tweets. That’s hardly surprising, as he’s a pending free agent who can play all over the infield. It still seems a bit difficult to imagine that the Giants won’t find a worthwhile arrangement involving Nunez, who could fit with quite a few different contenders.

White Sox To Acquire Mark Lowe, Jean Machi

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The White Sox have acquired veteran relievers Mark Lowe and Jean Machi from the Mariners, according to Triple-A Tacoma broadcaster Mike Curto (Twitter link). Both will report to Chicago’s top affiliate.

It seems that this isn’t a part of a larger deal, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets that cash is heading back to the M’s. Clearly, the addition of these two players by the rebuilding South Siders is designed to help the team maintain its pen depth down the stretch. Chicago has already traded away a pair of relievers from its major league roster and could move yet more by the trade deadline.

Lowe, 35, was released by the Tigers late in camp after a disappointing run in Detroit. He joined the Mariners on a minors pact and has gone on to post a 6.23 ERA in 39 innings, all at Triple-A. Lowe has struck out 8.5 and walked 4.6 batters per nine on the year.

As for the 35-year-old Machi, he did enjoy a brief MLB stint earlier this season — his first since 2015 — but has spent most of the year at Tacoma. Over 36 2/3 innings, Machi carries a 3.44 ERA with 7.1 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9.

Diamondbacks To Promote Anthony Banda

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The Diamondbacks will promote lefty Anthony Banda to start tomorrow in place of Taijuan Walker, per a club announcement. Walker is on paternity leave, so it’ll only be a short absence for him.

Banda, a southpaw who’ll soon turn 24, currently ranks as the game’s 68th-best overall prospect, in the eyes of the Baseball America prospect team. He is already on the 40-man, earning a spot last fall in order to be protected from the Rule 5 draft. The D-Backs picked up Banda (as well as Mitch Haniger) in the 2014 deadline deal that sent Gerardo Parra to the Brewers.

It’s not yet clear whether the D-Backs have any inclination to lean on Banda much at all down the stretch, but that could depend in some part upon how he looks in his MLB debut. Banda has managed only a 5.08 ERA in his 101 Triple-A innings this year, with 8.3 K/9 against 3.8 B/9, and didn’t exactly dominate in his 13 starts there last year.

Banda is viewed more as a steady potential MLB starter than a high-risk, high-upside play with electric stuff. But it’s also possible he could contribute from the bullpen in some capacity over the next few months. His readiness may have at least some impact on the club’s deadline plans, though Arizona’s approach over the next ten days surely won’t be driven to any great extent by Banda’s form in this spot start.

Braves Release Eric O’Flaherty

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The Braves have released lefty Eric O’Flaherty, per a club announcement. He had been on the 10-day DL.

A roster spot was needed so that catcher Anthony Recker could be brought up. Kurt Suzuki is on the bereavement list, creating the need for another backstop.

The 32-year-old O’Flaherty has continued to find work over the past several seasons, but hasn’t really been the same since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2013. In 18 1/3 innings this season, he struggled to a 7.85 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9.

Indians Place Boone Logan On 10-Day DL

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The Indians have placed southpaw Boone Logan on the 10-day DL, according to a club announcement. That move was largely expected after he departed his most recent appearance with what is being labeled a lat strain.

Logan is expected to miss “significant time,” per skipper Terry Francona, via Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). While it’s not clear just how long that will be, and Logan is still set for a second opinion, it seems reasonable to expect that the club won’t be able to count upon him to be a major contributor down the stretch.

For the time being, at least, lefty Tyler Olson will come up to take the open roster spot. The 27-year-old has only brief MLB experience, but has been throwing well this year at Triple-A. Through 40 2/3 innings there, he owns a 3.32 ERA with 11.5 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9.

The strikeout rate, in particular, represents a huge leap forward for Olson. But he’ll have fairly large shoes to fill. While Logan actually hasn’t been as effective against lefties (.711 OPS) as righties (.638) this year and owns a 4.71 ERA, he has dominated same-handed hitters historically and is humming along with 12.0 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and a fifty percent groundball rate.

While Olson’s intriguing run at Columbus makes him worthy of a shot at the majors, there isn’t much time to assess him before the trade deadline. The Indians do have one of the game’s very best left-handed relievers in Andrew Miller, of course, but he’s not utilized as a lefty specialist. In addition to Olson, Ryan Merritt currently occupies a pen slot, but he’s more of a swingman than a matchup option from the pen.

With Cleveland looking to hold off several competitors in the division while also preparing for a hopeful postseason bid, it’ll have to at least consider looking at the trade market. There are quite a few southpaws available on this year’s market, though the best among them figure to be in high demand.

Athletics Sign Chris Carter

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FRIDAY: The A’s officially announced the signing.

WEDNESDAY: The Athletics have agreed to sign free-agent slugger Chris Carter, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). It’s a minor-league deal for the veteran first baseman/DH.

Oakland knows what it’s getting in the lumbering Carter, who broke into the majors there back in 2010. But he took only 384 trips to the plate with the A’s before he was shipped to the Astros (along with now-flourishing righty Brad Peacock and catcher Max Stassi) in the deal that brought Jed Lowrie and Fernando Rodriguez to the bay.

Carter has continued to produce home runs and strikeouts at prodigious rates ever since. Last year, which he spent with the Brewers, there were enough of the former to make up for the latter; Carter led the National League in both categories. But things weren’t working with the Yankees, who signed Carter after he was non-tendered but received only a .201/.284/.370 batting line over his 208 plate appearances.

Clearly, the veteran is never going to shed the swing and miss. He’ll always hit for a ghastly average (.217 lifetime). But despite those flaws, he has typically been a productive overall hitter, due not just to his power but also his ability to draw walks at a better-than-league-average rate (11.5% for his career).

While the A’s currently employ a productive first baseman in Yonder Alonso, he is expected to be in another uniform by the end of the month. That could open an opportunity for Carter to ascend once more to the majors, giving the organization a near-term fill-in while affording him a chance to set himself up for another foray into free agency at the end of the year.

Rangers Discussing Yu Darvish With Rival Clubs

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The Rangers are putting out feelers with other organizations to gauge interest in star righty Yu Darvish, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. While Texas isn’t yet ready to pursue a trade, per the report, it seems the club’s recent skid has put that option firmly on the table.

While there’s still plenty of uncertainty, the news is still notable. Darvish, after all, would represent the only clear impact rental starter on the market. Other top potentially available arms on expiring contracts include Trevor Cahill, Marco Estrada, Jhoulys Chacin, Jeremy Hellickson, and Jaime Garcia (who may be en route to the Twins).

If the 30-year-old is indeed made available, the Rangers would surely command a rather steep price. He wouldn’t be eligible for a qualifying offer from an acquiring team, so there’s no real value beyond the present season (apart from laying some groundwork for a possible free-agent pursuit), but Darvish could significantly impact an organization’s run to and through the postseason.

Over his 125 1/3 innings this year, Darvish has delivered a 3.45 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. That’s not the kind of elite performance he delivered prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery, but still represents top-level performance — particularly in the current run-scoring environment.

Darvish is throwing as hard as ever and generating swinging-strikes at near-typical levels. Any long-term health concerns are out the window. And with just $11MM owed to him over the course of the season, he’s quite affordable for his performance level.

Presumably, just about any organization currently seeking rotation help would need to consider the Japanese ace. Some clubs will still prefer controllable hurlers, most notably Sonny Gray, but the market is otherwise starved for top-end starters that would be expected to represent significant upgrades for a hypothetical postseason rotation.

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