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Brewers Sign Shelby Miller To Minors Deal

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The Brewers have signed right-hander Shelby Miller to a minor league contract, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter links).

After being released by the Rangers last week, Miller will now return to the National League as he tries to once again revive his career.  Miller posted an 8.59 ERA over 44 innings for Texas, recording almost as many walks (29) as strikeouts (30), and eventually losing his rotation job due to his inability to his ongoing struggles.

The 44 innings represents the most Miller has pitched in the last two seasons, as Tommy John surgery and a separate set of elbow problems limited the right-hander to just 38 innings total in 2017-18.  Before those two injury-ravaged seasons and his poor 2016 debut year with the Diamondbacks, Miller was considered one of the more promising young arms in baseball, coming off three impressive years with the Braves and Cardinals from 2013-15.

Miller is still just 28 years old and still averages close to 95mph on his fastball, making him a risk worth taking for the Brewers on a flier of a minor league deal.  Milwaukee will owe Miller only the prorated minimum salary if he reaches the club’s MLB roster, as the Rangers are on the hook for the remainder of the one-year contract he signed last winter ($2MM in guaranteed salary, and $400K in achieved incentives).

Padres Interested In Matt Boyd

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You can add Matt Boyd to the long list of starting pitchers on the Padres’ radar, as MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi reports that San Diego is “evaluating” the southpaw as a potential trade acquisition.  Things still seem to be in the exploratory phase, however, as Morosi says no “serious talks” have taken place between the Padres and Tigers.

San Diego has been looking for a controllable front-of-the-rotation arm for months, dating back to offseason reports that linked them to such names as Marcus Stroman, Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, and Noah Syndergaard in trade rumors.  Syndergaard is reportedly still a player of interest for the Padres, and it’s probably safe to assume that the Friars have at least checked in on virtually any top pitcher who might be on the market.

This search now includes Boyd, who has become one of the most intriguing names of this pre-trade deadline period thanks to a 3.87 ERA, 11.9 K/9, and league-best 7.1 K/BB rate over 107 innings for Detroit.  The Astros, Cubs, and Red Sox are some of the teams known to have had some level of interest in the 28-year-old left-hander, who is controlled through the 2022 season.

Understandably, the Tigers want a big haul of young talent back in any Boyd trade, though San Diego’s deep farm system certainly has the quality to meet Detroit’s demands.  Morosi also suggests that the Padres could offer Franmil Reyes or Hunter Renfroe off the Major League roster to address the Tigers’ lack of young outfield depth, perhaps even with Nick Castellanos going to San Diego as part of a larger multi-player deal if the Padres don’t want their current lineup to suffer an offensive hit.

Cardinals Place Yadier Molina On 10-Day IL; Activate Matt Carpenter

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5:22pm: Molina will likely miss around three weeks and surgery won’t be required, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and other media.

4:14pm: The Cardinals have announced (Twitter links) a series of roster moves in advance of their second-half opener on Friday.  Catcher Yadier Molina is heading to the 10-day injured list due to a right thumb tendon strain, with an IL placement retroactive to July 8.  Coming back from the IL is infielder Matt Carpenter, who has been out of action since June 29 with a lower back sprain.  The Cards also sent Rangel Ravelo and southpaw Tyler Webb to Triple-A and moved Jordan Hicks to the 60-day IL, while calling up catcher Andrew Knizner and selecting the contract of left-hander Chasen Shreve from Triple-A.

This is the second time this season that Molina has missed time due to his troublesome right thumb, as the same injury also put the longtime St. Louis backstop on the IL from May 31 to June 11.  It’s fair to assume that the nagging nature of Molina’s thumb problem is at least partially responsible for his lack of production this season, though Molina was also struggling prior to May 31.  Overall, Molina has only a .261/.286/.368 slash line and four homers over 276 plate appearances, making him one of several veteran Cardinals who are seemingly all having down years at the same time.

This list includes Carpenter, who has a career-worst .216/.325/.381 with 10 home runs over 326 PA.  While his IL stint was minimal, he and the Cards are surely hoping that this brief time off combined with the All-Star break is enough to finally get his bat moving close to the MVP-level production that Carpenter provided over the last three-plus months of the 2018 season.  Carpenter only had a .739 OPS over his first 234 PA last season before exploding for a .983 OPS over his final 443 PA.

Last season’s results notwithstanding, Carpenter’s cold streak this season has lasted longer and reached deeper depths than his slow start to 2018.  His power and hard-hit ball rates have both fallen significantly, while the quality of his contact has also dropped off (.324 xwOBA in 2019, as opposed to a .392 xwOBA in 2018).

Carpenter will resume his usual duties at third base, though the hot-hitting Tommy Edman retained his spot on the MLB roster after his strong performance as Carpenter’s fill-in.  Knizner and Matt Wieters will handle the catching duties while Molina is out.

Marlins Have Received Interest In Starlin Castro

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The Marlins are firmly in seller mode as the deadline approaches, and one of the veterans who has received some interest from rival teams is Starlin Castro, as the Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson reports that the Fish have received some calls about the second baseman.

Castro has been a trade candidate since the moment he first came to Miami, dealt in December 2017 (mostly as salary offset) as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees.  The rebuilding Marlins didn’t have much use for a veteran with a pricey contract, though their efforts to deal Castro over the last year and a half haven’t been successful.  If nothing else, that time diminished the money attached to Castro’s services — he is still owed roughly $4.7MM of his $11MM salary for the 2019 season, and his $16MM club option for 2020 can be bought out for $1MM.

It’s easy to imagine Miami eating virtually all of that remaining salary just for the sake of accommodating a move, since Castro’s trade value is minimal.  As MLBTR’s Connor Byrne recently outlined, Castro is suffering through the worst season of his ten-year career, hitting only .245/.272/.336 through 371 plate appearances and some of the least-impressive advanced metrics (via Statcast) of any player in baseball.

It’s probably safe to assume that interested teams are looking at Castro just as infield depth for the stretch run, and perhaps hoping that getting away from the last-place Marlins and into a pennant race would help jolt Castro back into something resembling his old self.  Conversely, a team keen on adding Castro may not feel the need to give up even a minor prospect to acquire his services when it’s quite possible the Marlins could just release him after July 31 anyway.  Marlins prospect Isan Diaz is tearing up Triple-A pitching and pushing hard for MLB playing time at second base, so if a trade partner for Castro can’t be found, the Marlins could release Castro and end up eating his salary anyway (with a new team then responsible for a prorated league minimum salary if they were to sign Castro).

NL East Notes: Stroman, Braves, Phillies, Doolittle

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The Braves and Blue Jays haven’t had any discussions about Marcus Stroman, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  While Stroman would be a fit on at least half the teams in the league, Atlanta stands out as a natural landing spot due to both the Braves’ talented but generally inexperienced rotation, and the connection between Stroman and Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos (who had the same job in Toronto from 2009-15).  While a lack of talks to this point doesn’t mean that Stroman couldn’t eventually become a Braves target, Atlanta has been linked to other pitchers such as Madison Bumgarner or Zack Wheeler, and could simply prefer one of those players (or another arm altogether) to Stroman.

More from the NL East…

  • The Phillies focused heavily on position-player additions during their splashy offseason, but a lack of focus on the rotation looks to now be a mistake, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber writes.  The team’s starters have delivered middling-to-mediocre results all season, and depth has now become a particular issue given Jake Arrieta’s injury concerns.  While the Phils could still make a move to acquire a starting pitcher (or two) at the deadline, such a move will cost the club more prospects from a system that has already been thinned out by other trades.  As Lauber notes, the Phillies also haven’t done a great job of developing their own pitchers over the last four years, with Aaron Nola standing out as the last success story.
  • Trades and trade rumors come with the territory for any baseball player, particularly at this time of year.  This being said, there’s an obvious personal toll that comes with knowing one could soon to be moved to another team on another city, and it’s naturally hard to entirely block out all of the speculation.  “You see a couple things and that’s all it takes for your brain to run wild a little bit with some of that stuff,” Nationals closer Sean Doolittle told NBC Sports Washington’s Todd Dybas about some early-season rumors buzzing that the Nats could start trading Doolittle and other veterans if the team continued to struggle.  Doolittle is no stranger to midseason deals, of course, as it was almost exactly two years ago that he came to D.C. as part of a very notable five-player trade with the Athletics.  Needless to say, the Nats’ re-emergence back into the postseason race has ended talk of the club being deadline sellers, which is good news for Doolittle given how he and his wife quickly grew to love being part of the Nationals family.  “I will say it’s tough because you don’t have control over [a trade],” Doolittle said. “For some people, it might be easy to say, ’Hey, I’m not going to think about it because I can’t control it.’ At the same time, that’s why it’s a little disconcerting, is you don’t have control over it. After going through it once before, it’s not as scary as maybe it was. I don’t know. I really want to be here. I like it here.”

Jonathan Lucroy Diagnosed With Concussion, Broken Nose

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TODAY: Lucroy was diagnosed with a concussion and fractured nose, per a team announcement. It is not known at this point approximately how much time he will miss.

The veteran backstop is slated to visit with an ENT physician after the swelling has gone down, at which time perhaps more will be known. That visit is not expected to take place until after All-Star break.

YESTERDAY: Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy was taken out of today’s game after a scary-looking collision at home plate with the Astros’ Jake Marisnick.  In the eighth inning of a tied 10-10 game, Marisnick attempted to score from third on a fly ball, and ran directly into Lucroy as the catcher had to move slightly up the line to pursue the throw.  (Marisnick was called out for an illegal collision.)  Lucroy had a bloody nose and attempted to get up after the play, though team trainers convinced him to stay down for examination.

Lucroy was taken to hospital for a CT scan, as per an Angels team announcement, and the catcher will be examined for a possible nose fracture and a possible concussion.  More will be known after Lucroy is seen by doctors, though even with the All-Star break providing four days of recovery time, it would seem likely that Lucroy will face an injured list placement.

Lucroy was 2-for-4 with a double and a triple in the game, bringing his season total to .237/.307/.364 over 264 plate appearances.  Signed to a one-year contract worth $3.35MM guaranteed over the offseason, Lucroy is in his third straight season of below-average offensive production after several years as one of baseball’s best-hitting catchers earlier in the decade.  As per Baseball Prospectus, he is also near the bottom of the league in both pitch-framing and blocking numbers in 2019.

Kevan Smith has seen more time behind the plate for Los Angeles in the wake of Lucroy’s struggles, though Smith is currently on the injured list himself recovering from a hand strain.  If both Lucroy and Smith are sidelined following the All-Star break, Dustin Garneau becomes the Halos’ top choice behind the plate, with Jose Briceno on the 40-man roster down at Triple-A.  It remains to be seen if the 45-46 Angels will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, though catching could potentially be a target area if the club does decide to add pieces to make a wild card run.

Cubs Among Teams Interested In David Peralta

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If the Diamondbacks decide to move some of their veteran talent at the deadline, the Cubs are one of multiple teams who would have interest in outfielder David Peralta, Ken Rosenthal reports in his latest video link for FOX Sports.

Peralta went on the injured list on Friday due to right shoulder inflammation, though Arizona expects he’ll be back in action in relatively short order (and, most importantly, before the July 31st trade deadline).  Peralta’s health is still something of a red flag, however, as this is the second time this season that a bothersome right AC joint has sent him to the injured list.  That first IL stint sidelined the outfielder for only 10 days, but any type of recurring injury has to be concerning to any interested trade partners, particularly since Peralta batted only .252/.342/.388 over 117 plate appearances in between his two trips to the injured list.

Those 117 PA make up a significant chunk of Peralta’s season, and could explain why his overall .289/.352/.476 slash line and 112 OPS+ and wRC+ over 324 PA are all down from his production in 2018 (.293/.352/.516 with 30 homers, 128 OPS+, 130 wRC+).  Peralta may also be somewhat fortunate to be hitting as well as he has this season, as his .350 wOBA far outpaces a very modest .301 xwOBA.

It could be that a healthy Peralta, fully recovered from his shoulder woes, can regain his 2018 form once he returns from the IL.  He’d have to prove this over a relatively small amount of time before the trade deadline, as otherwise suitors would either lose interest or only present the D’Backs with lowball offers.  That could mean Arizona holds off on dealing Peralta altogether, as the Snakes don’t have a ton of urgency to move a player who has one year remaining of arbitration eligibility at an affordable price — Peralta is earning $7MM this season, and thus is likely on pace to get a raise to something in the $9MM range for 2020.

This assumes, of course, that the Diamondbacks are sellers at all, as the team heads into the All-Star break 1.5 games out of the final NL wild card position.  Arizona isn’t far behind Chicago’s own 47-43 record, though the Cubs are hanging onto first place in the crowded NL Central, whereas the D’Backs are way behind the Dodgers in the NL West, so the wild card is the Snakes’ only realistic road to the postseason.

Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen has tried to walk the fine line between keeping his team competitive while also keeping payroll in check, as the D’Backs are somewhat bogged down by the large salaries owed to Zack Greinke (who at least delivers ace-level performance) and the albatross that is Yasmany Tomas’ contract.  To this end, Arizona parted ways with Patrick Corbin and A.J. Pollock as free agents last offseason and also dealt Paul Goldschmidt to the Cardinals, though despite missing these star names, the D’Backs have indeed still remained in the wild card hunt.

Barring a big string of losses after the break, it doesn’t seem like Hazen would turn firmly towards deadline selling since Peralta still has quite a bit of value to the 2020 club.  On the other hand, that same extra year of control could also entice teams to offer enough young talent for Arizona to consider moving Peralta.

The Cubs represent an interesting suitor for Peralta, particularly since Chicago already has a left-handed hitting left fielder in Kyle Schwarber.  Peralta has played almost exclusively in left field over the last two seasons, though he has a lot of experience in right field, so the Cubbies could deploy him in right while Jason Heyward (another lefty swinger) became more or less a full-time center fielder.

While everyday center fielders are harder to find than corner outfielders (especially at the trade deadline), one would think the more easier solution to the Cubs’ issues would be to simply find an actual center fielder, rather than add Peralta into the mix.  Heyward has graded as a good center fielder, though since he is arguably the game’s best defensive right fielder, moving him to center and Peralta to right doesn’t do much to help the Cubs’ overall defense.

If Peralta was acquired, maybe the more intriguing counter-move would be for Chicago to then flip Schwarber — perhaps the Diamondbacks would have interest.  This is just speculation on my part, though on the face of it, adding Peralta alongside Heyward and Schwarber for an all-left handed starting outfield doesn’t seem like a great fit for the Cubs.  Then again, the right-handed hitter Kris Bryant would still continue to see his share of at-bats in the corner outfield positions when he isn’t playing third base.

Farhan Zaidi On Giants’ Trade Deadline Options

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The Giants have quietly posted a respectable 15-10 record over their last 25 games, and have moved to 5.5 games behind the Phillies for the last NL wild card slot.  While San Francisco is still ahead of only the Mets and Marlins in the overall National League standings, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters (including Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle) that he “wouldn’t rule out” being a deadline buyer.  “I still think there could be opportunities for us to trade away younger players for guys who can help us now….I think the most important thing for us in this period is to maintain flexibility and our own open-mindedness over what makes the most sense as we get close to that July 31 deadline,” Zaidi said.

Needless to say, this would be rather a surprising turn of events given that speculation has swirled for months that the Giants would look to unload some of their veteran players.  Still, while Zaidi’s comments could simply be construed as a negotiating tactic, the fact remains that with over three weeks until the deadline, the Giants are at least technically close enough that the front office is open to options.

Even when it comes to potentially being sellers, Zaidi noted “we don’t feel like we have to do anything, or there are X numbers of things we have to accomplish by July 31.  When you put yourself in that position you create unnecessary pressure and panic to do something that is not in your long-term interest. Like every other team out there we’re in an evaluation period.”

It should be noted that Zaidi’s stance about the Giants’ shorter-term plans hasn’t much changed since he took their front office job last November.  Both he and club ownership have expressed a desire to get San Francisco back into contention as quickly as possible, and while both sides have said they’re open to a rebuild if necessary, they also haven’t really committed to such a plan.  Having to leapfrog at least eight teams just to grab a wild card berth doesn’t exactly scream full-fledged “contention,” though given the amount of parity in the National League this season, it could be the Giants see a genuine opportunity to make a run if they keep playing well and at least a few other clubs fall by the wayside in July.

The Giants’ best trade chips are well-known — pending free agents Madison Bumgarner, Will Smith, Pablo Sandoval, and (via a player option that seems a lock to be declined) Tony Watson.  Sam Dyson is controlled through 2020 via arbitration, but could also draw a lot of attention come the deadline.  If the Giants are actually within striking distance of a wild card in late July, Zaidi could try to thread the needle and be both a buyer and a seller at the deadline, dealing one or more of the expiring contracts while also acquiring another short-term asset to help the 2019 squad.

Theo Epstein On Cubs’ Struggles, Front Office, Trades

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The good news for the Cubs is that they’re in first place in the NL Central at the All-Star break.  The bad news is that the Cubs are hardly playing like a first-place team, with only a 22-29 record over their last 51 games.  Chicago holds a half-game lead over second-place Milwaukee and, remarkably, a lead of only 4.5 games over last-place Cincinnati — with so little room for error, the Cubs can’t afford many more struggles.

President of baseball operations Theo Epstein has been vocal about his displeasure with his team’s recent performance, and Epstein continued to discuss the subject this weekend with reporters (including ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers and 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine).  Subpar defense, fundamental mistakes, and general “sloppiness” continue to be an issue for the team on the field, though Epstein felt these aren’t the sole problems.

“Right now, we are in a collective slump.  We are not playing in a way I feel represents who we are,” Epstein said.  “It has gone on for a while.  So we are all searching for answers.  We are looking for every lever we can pull to get the thing going in the right direction.”

Epstein’s remarks earlier this week led to speculation that Joe Maddon’s job could potentially be in jeopardy, though the front office boss stated Saturday that “Joe has been remarkably consistent. I’m not going to sit and say this is about him. I look at it collectively.”

To this end, Epstein also directed blame at himself and the front office as a whole: “Ultimately, everything in baseball operations is my responsibility.  If we are not getting the results we wanted, in every meaningful way that ends with me.  It is my job.  I selected the players and coaches.  I selected Joe….If we are underperforming, that is absolutely on me.”

“Front offices can go in slumps.  Sometimes you go through Murphy’s law period — everything that can go wrong does go wrong.  The same thing can happen with front offices.  I believe in this group.  I believe in this organization.  I think good times are ahead.  There are cycles that come and go.  The key is not to let the down periods cut at the fabric of the organization.”

The break may well have come at the perfect time for the Cubs, who can use the next few days off to regroup and refocus on the an improved second half of the season.  The July 31 trade deadline also looms as a way of shaking up the roster, as while Epstein said the team isn’t yet close to making any moves, the Cubs are “in a proactive stance” about possible deals: “We’re looking for things we can make happen just because we haven’t playing that well for a while now.”

Pitching would seem to be the most obvious areas of need for Chicago, both in the rotation and the bullpen.  That said, if Epstein, Maddon and company continue to be dissatisfied with the quality of the position players, there is also room for potential upgrades on that front.  While Ben Zobrist wasn’t hitting well before going on the restricted list in May, his possible return could help both second base and left field, as Addison Russell and Kyle Schwarber have both underachieved.  If the Cubs aren’t certain about Zobrist’s return, they could pursue a similar type of utility player at the deadline who could fill holes on the bench, essentially taking the role earmarked for Zobrist and David Descalso prior to the season.

Poll: Who’s Going To Play In The World Series?

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There’s a ton of baseball yet to be played, and the trade deadline is likely to result in some drastically-changed rosters.  But since we’re now at the All-Star break, the season’s unofficial halfway point, it seems as good a time as any to ask the readership about their picks for the Fall Classic.

We’ll break the questions down by American League and National League, and even this deep into the season, there aren’t that many teams who seem firmly out of the race.  The NL is particularly crowded, to the point that while the Giants seem like major postseason longshots and will likely be deadline sellers, they’re still only 5.5 games back of the wild card.  In the AL, the White Sox face longer odds to get into the playoffs (seven games back of the wild card, 12.5 games behind Minnesota in the Central), but they also have a respectable 42-44 record.

With apologies to the Orioles, Tigers, Royals, Blue Jays, Marlins, Mariners, and Mets, they’ve all been left out of the polls.  (If any of these teams goes on a Miracle Braves type of run and ends up winning the pennant, I am fully aware that fans of this team will throw this post back in my face for the rest of time.)  That leaves a whopping 23 teams still technically in the mix, and while a lot would have to go right for some of these clubs to develop into true contenders, there’s always still a chance.

Who do you think will be representing their league in the World Series?  (For Trade Rumors app users, here are the links to the AL poll and the NL poll)

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