White Sox Maintain High Asking Price On Quintana
The White Sox remain undeterred in seeking to obtain a big haul for sturdy lefty Jose Quintana, according to a report from Jon Heyman of Fan Rag. With three years of affordable control remaining after the current season, the rebuilding organization probably doesn’t need to deal Quintana this summer.
To this point, the team has stood on that notable piece of leverage, continuing to ask for “two very top prospects” in its conversations with interested rivals. The South Siders have pressed the Astros for Francis Martes and Kyle Tucker, while asking the Yankees to headline a deal with either Gleyber Torres or Clint Frazier.
That strategy seemed in danger of backfiring earlier this year, as Quintana stumbled out of the gates. But the 28-year-old has righted the ship of late, perhaps restoring any lost shine.
Quintana has thrown only 104 1/3 frames over 18 starts, putting him shy of a 200-inning pace, though he has yet to exhibit any health issues. (More broadly, durability is one of the lefty’s chief attributes.) His 15.5% K%-BB% is a near-exact match for the numbers he carried over the prior three campaigns. A rise in home runs allowed (1.21 per nine) is perhaps the largest single factor differentiating Quintana’s current campaign from the five strong seasons that came before.
If teams buy into the improved form Quintana has shown since the start of June — 45 strikeouts and just 12 earned runs over forty frames — then perhaps they’ll be willing to meet the steep asking price. Then again, his less-than-dominant form over the course of the current season raises yet more questions about just how hard contenders should push to get him.
For the Astros, Heyman notes, Quintana may not really be as impactful an arm as the team would prefer to acquire. That makes sense: Houston is running off with the AL West and has many quality rotation options, but would love to add a true lock-down starter to the top of its staff.
In fact, the ‘Stros have gone so far as to ask the Mets about star righty Jacob deGrom, per the report. (Tom Verducci of SI.com had previously reported some level of interest.) He’d likely be a more impactful addition, though there’s still no reason to think the Mets have any interest in even considering a deal.
As it stands, teams like the Astros and Yankees are continuing to “look around for alternatives,” per the report. But the lack of obviously available pitchers of comparable or better quality — with the exception, it seems, of Sonny Gray — represents another key element of the White Sox’ bargaining position. Just how things will turn out remains to be seen, but to this point the long standoff continues.
Tigers Outright Matt den Dekker To Triple-A
TODAY: den Dekker has been outrighted to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports (via Twitter).
WEDNESDAY: The Tigers have designated outfielder Matt den Dekker for assignment, per a club announcement. Alex Presley will take his roster spot after being activated from the concussion DL.
It ended up being a short stay in Detroit for den Dekker. The 29-year-old outfielder saw just four games of action, though that was enough to make this the fifth straight year in which he has cracked the majors. He has been hitting well at Triple-A on the season, with a .258/.331/.490 slash over 176 total plate appearances.
Detroit came into the year expecting to give Presley a shot, but he hit the DL after just 54 plate appearances. He’ll work into the outfield mix, most likely joining some kind of platoon with center fielder Mikie Mahtook.
It’s possible that some additional playing time could come available in just a few weeks, depending upon what the Tigers do at the trade deadline. Presley and den Dekker (if he clears waivers and decides to stay) are just two of the left-handed-hitting outfielders in the organization.
Jim Adduci was just optioned after being activated from his own DL stint, and the Triple-A Toledo roster also lists Tyler Collins and Jason Krizan as southpaw swingers who can play some center field. The Double-A outfield is made up entirely of lefty bats, with former top prospect Steven Moya joined by current top-ten prospects Christin Stewart and Michael Gerber.
Injury Notes: Finnegan, Mauer, Nimmo, Friedrich, Swihart
A slew of injury notes from around baseball:
- There’s yet another problem for Reds lefty Brandon Finnegan. Already on the DL with ongoing problems in the teres major muscle in his left back/shoulder, Finnegan is now recovering from surgery to repair a tear to the labrum in his right shoulder, the team announced. Obviously, it’s a relief that the new injury isn’t on the throwing side, but it’s a significant issue for any athlete. (Finnegan suffered the tear in an off-field incident, manager Bryan Price told reporters including Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer, via Twitter.)
- Veteran Twins first baseman Joe Mauer is heading to the 10-day DL to rest his strained lower back, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger was among those to report on Twitter. Minnesota recalled Kennys Vargas to take the place of Mauer, who hasn’t played since the Fourth of July.
- The Mets activated big-hitting outfielder Michael Conforto from the disabled list on Saturday and sent fellow outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the DL in a corresponding move. Nimmo is dealing with a fairly serious issue, a collapsed lung, per Mike Puma of the New York Post. The 24-year-old began experiencing shortness of breath on July 4 and notified the Mets’ medical staff on Friday when the discomfort hadn’t subsided. Nimmo, who was in and out of a New York hospital Friday, has been prescribed rest. Both the cause of his collapsed lung and a potential return date are unclear.
- It has been a bumpy road of late for Padres lefty Christian Friedrich. Now, after experiencing elbow discomfort, Friedrich has been shut down again, as MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell reports. While a variety of issues have cropped up for the southpaw, the elbow problems seems to be the most serious; indeed, it could even force him to sit out the remainder of the season, per the report.
- Red Sox catcher Blake Swihart is on the shelf at Triple-A Pawtucket with inflammation in his left ankle, on which he underwent surgery last August. His current troubles aren’t in the exact spot, per the Providence Journal’s Brian MacPherson, though he suggests that Swihart’s problems are likely related to last year’s injury and surgery. Swihart suffered the injury while playing left field for Boston last June. He’s back behind the plate on a full-time basis this year, but all of his work has come in the minors and he has only hit .213/.265/.327 across 163 plate appearances.
AL Notes: Trade Chatter, Richards, M’s, Rangers, Profar, Draft
The trade deadline chatter hasn’t really picked up yet, perhaps in large part owing to the tightly packed American League. Jon Heyman of Fan Rag recently took his weekly spin around the A.L., providing a few items of note. While there has been a bit of buzz around Justin Verlander, the Tigers haven’t asked him to provide a list of teams to which he’d permit a trade. The Astros, meanwhile, seem to be hoping for a chance at adding a difference-making starter, but don’t know whether such an arm will end up being made available. And the White Sox, unsurprisingly, are ready and willing to get deals done.
Here’s more from the American League:
- It’s still not clear when the Angels can expect righty Garrett Richards to return, but Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times provides an update (Twitter links). The biceps nerve irritation he has experienced isn’t completely relieved, but it has improved. Just when he’ll be cleared to throw, though, has yet to be determined — and no doubt there’ll be a lengthy and cautious build-up once the medical staff gives a go-ahead.
- Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto suggests that he still doesn’t perceive a need to shake things up too drastically at the deadline, despite a lull that has the M’s now sitting four games under .500. As MLB.com’s Greg Johns reports, Dipoto says that the team’s “roster plan has never really changed.” While buy and sell-side opportunities could arise at the deadline, it seems a major shift in either direction is unlikely. Starting pitching, clearly, is a prime need. “We’re not going to empty both barrels to try to go out and find the ace to perch atop the rotation to take us to the promised land, because that guy doesn’t exist,” said Dipoto. But he also noted that the trade deadline is but one of “two windows when you can access starting pitching” and promised at least to “stay in tune with” the market for starters.
- There’s a similar sentiment in Texas, it seems. It would take “unique circumstances” for the Rangers to sell veteran players at the deadline, GM Jon Daniels tells Jeff Wilson of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram. While Texas is likely only competing for a Wild Card at this point, neither is the organization facing any need to trim salary, per the report. With confidence within the organization seemingly still running high, it appears the likeliest scenario is that the team will mostly look to maintain its roster through the non-waiver trade period.
- Meanwhile, it’s still unclear what will happen with Rangers infielder/outfielder Jurickson Profar, as Wilson writes. Presumably, the still youthful former top prospect could end up playing a significant role with Texas or be utilized as a trade chip over the summer. For the time being, he’s receiving only brief stints in the majors. Regardless of how things turn out, Profar says that he’s dealing with things by playing his hardest wherever that may be — mostly, this year, at Triple-A. He has hit well at Round Rock, slashing .303/.376/.444 in 223 plate appearances this year, and would still be an interesting trade candidate to dangle this summer.
- The Rays failed to sign supplemental first-round draft pick Drew Rasmussen, as MLB.com’s Jim Callis first tweeted. It seems that Rasmussen will not be turned loose in free agency, as John Manuel of Baseball America writes; instead, he’ll likely head back to Oregon State for his senior year. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is still hoping the league will award it a compensatory pick in next year’s draft. (While the organization did not make a sufficient offer to do so, it feels that there were issues with Rasmussen’s pre-draft MRIs.) Meanwhile, Orioles fourth-rounder Jack Conlon will be granted unrestricted free agency after going unsigned, as BA’s Hudson Belinsky explains. That gives him the option of signing on with any MLB organization — without being capped by bonus pools — or instead heading to college. Angels fifth-rounder Joe Booker was the only other player from the first ten rounds of the draft to go unsigned, as Belinsky tweeted he’ll instead honor a commitment to South Alabama.
Brewers Acquire International Signing Slots From Orioles
The Brewers have picked up multiple international signing bonus slots from the Orioles, per a Baltimore announcement. It’s not clear just how many or which of the O’s remaining slots were moved in the deal.
Heading to the O’s in the swap is righty Aaron Myers. The 23-year-old owns a 4.37 ERA with 9.5 K/9 against 4.4 BB/9 over his 35 innings on the year at the Class A level.
This is the latest step taken by Baltimore to trade in its international spending capacity rather than utilizing it to sign amateur players. Recently, the team pulled off a similar deal with the Mets.
Twins Sign Bartolo Colon
The Twins have signed veteran righty Bartolo Colon to a minors deal, per a club announcement. He’ll head to the organization’s top affiliate.
It’s not tough to see the fit. Minnesota has struggled to find reliable innings from its rotation, outside of top starters Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios, and also has depth issues in the bullpen. With the club still holding onto hopes of competing for the postseason, but not interested in punting too much future value for immediate improvements, it’ll take a shot on the veteran castaway just three weeks before the trade deadline.
Minnesota will only be responsible to pay Colon at the league-minimum rate during any time he spends in the majors, with the Braves covering the remainder of his $12.5MM annual salary. Evidently, the Twins offered a more appealing situation — whether in terms of opportunity, competitiveness, or otherwise — than did the Mets, who were among the other teams pursuing Colon.
Colon, 44, had thrived for the Mets over the past three seasons, capping off his time there with 191 2/3 innings of 2.43 ERA ball in 2016. But he has been rocked through 13 starts in the current season, allowing 57 earned runs on 92 hits through 63 innings. The Twins will hope that Colon can regain his pinpoint control while also returning to the good graces of the BABIP gods, who cursed him with a .360 batting average on balls in play and 48.2% strand rate during his time in Atlanta.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/7/17
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- The Padres have outrighted infielder Chase d’Arnaud, per a club announcement. The 30-year-old lost his roster spot in San Diego after recording just seven hits in 51 plate appearances. He has also appeared briefly this year for the Braves and Red Sox, marking his sixth season of MLB action. The versatile infielder owns only a .223/.278/.306 batting line in 499 total MLB plate appearances.
- Also outrighted to Triple-A was Royals righty Seth Maness, per Kansas City. He has made it back from a partial UCL tear, helping to pioneer primary repair surgery in the process, but was not successful upon his return to the majors. The 28-year-old surrendered 16 base hits (albeit only four earned runs) in his 9 2/3 innings with the Royals and struggled also in his Triple-A time. But perhaps there’s still hope of a rebound for a pitcher who put up loads of good innings for the Cardinals over the prior four campaigns.
Dodgers Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Jeren Kendall
5:02pm: Los Angeles has also landed Cooper ($870K) and Wong ($550K), Callis reports (Twitter links).
2:58pm: The Dodgers have agreed to terms with first-round pick Jeren Kendall, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). The Vanderbilt outfielder will receive a $2.9MM bonus, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (Twitter link).
Kendall, a left-handed-hitting junior, was taken with the 23rd overall pick, which came with a $2,702,700 allocation. Entering today, Los Angeles had yet to make things official with Kendall, second-rounder Morgan Cooper, and third-round pick Connor Wong.
Draft analysts split on Kendall, an accomplished college player credited by some as a five-tool player. That led MLB.com to rank him sixth among draft-eligible players. But he also placed as low as 18th (Baseball America), owing to concerns that he still swings and misses too frequently after three years at a top program.
Cubs Agree With First-Rounder Alex Lange
Thirtieth overall draft pick Alex Lange has agreed to a $1.925MM bonus to join the Cubs, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (Twitter links). Whether the sides would find common ground came into question today due to as-yet-unreported medical concerns.
Evidently, the health issues weren’t enough to scuttle the deal, though Lange will take home less than the slot value of $2,184,300. The righty had the option of spending another year at LSU, but that’d have left him facing another year of injury risk with little in the way of anticipated leverage for next year’s draft.
Sixth-round pick Jeremiah Estrada will take home a well-over-slot $1MM bonus, Callis tweets. That bonus level wouldn’t have been possible absent agreement with Lange, Callis notes, unless Chicago was willing to give up a first-round pick next year as a penalty. The Cubs also landed fifth-rounder Nelson Velazquez, Callis tweets. His status had been uncertain as well with the signing deadline looming.
Reds Strike Last-Minute Deal With Hunter Greene
The Reds have agreed to sign second overall pick Hunter Greene, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis (Twitter links), with a record-setting $7.23MM bonus landing the multi-talented youngster. Things came right down to the wire for the California prep star, though most believed all along that he’d end up putting pen to paper.
Greene was taken second overall in the recent Rule 4 draft. That slot came with an allocation of $7,193,200. Just how much bonus money Greene would land, though, could only be sorted out through post-draft negotiations. It was long suggested that his reps were pushing for the highest-ever signing bonus under the current draft slot system, which he did ultimately achieve.
Greene’s alternatives were to attend UCLA, where he had committed, for at least three years; or instead to enroll in a junior college — thus permitting re-entry into the draft after just one season. For the team, missing on Greene would’ve meant landing the third overall pick in next year’s draft. Clearly, though, both saw a deal as the optimal outcome, and that’s just what occurred.
Unsurprisingly, there was a considerable amount of jockeying among the first several draft selections. Fourth overall pick Brendan McKay (Rays, $7,005,000) and fifth overall selection Kyle Wright (Braves, $7MM) both took home more than first overall pick Royce Lewis (Twins, $6.725MM).
Entering the draft, Greene was generally seen as the top available talent. ESPN.com’s Keith Law had him atop his board, as did the prospect analyst teams at Baseball America and MLB.com.
Though he’s considered a significant prospect at shortstop, Greene’s greatest upside lies on the mound. Per the scouting reports, he works off of a huge fastball that he commands well with a smooth delivery and excellent athleticism. Though his secondary pitches are in need of refinement, that’s to be expected for a player who won’t even reach 18 years of age until August.