Mark Polishuk | MLB Trade Rumors

Yankees Interested In Luis Castillo

By Mark Polishuk | June 25, 2022 at 9:06pm CDT

We’ve already heard about a few teams with interest in the Reds’ starting pitching, and it isn’t surprising that the Yankees are also on that list. According to The Athletic’s Peter Gammons, the Yankees have “talked” with Cincinnati about right-hander Luis Castillo, and Reds scouts have been watching pitching prospect Will Warren (currently throwing for the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate).

Starting pitching would ostensibly not be a major priority for the Bronx Bombers, given how the rotation has been arguably the league’s best over the first three months of the season. Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Luis Severino, Nestor Cortes, and Jordan Montgomery have all looked excellent, and the rotation as a whole ranks first in baseball in walk rate (5.4%) and strikeout rate (25.4%), and second in cumulative fWAR (7.7) and ERA (3.00).

However, even beyond the “you can never have enough pitching” credo, there is certainly reason for Yankees GM Brian Cashman to be looking to reinforce his staff. Severino tossed only 18 regular-season innings over the course of three injury-riddled seasons from 2019-21, and thus his workload might need to be managed down the stretch. Likewise, Cortes has never thrown more than 119 2/3 combined innings in any pro season, while Taillon has also battled a number of injury problems throughout his career.

While none of Severino, Cortes, Taillon, Cole, or Montgomery have run into any real health issues thus far in 2022, that collective durability could actually be more of a reason for Cashman to proactively seek out another starter. Since it’s very rare to have an entire rotation stay intact throughout a full season, the Yankees could look to add before trouble (inevitably?) strikes, since waiting until a problem arises could decrease New York’s leverage with the Reds or any other team dangling pitching.

Gammons also figures the Yankees will make another attempt to acquire Frankie Montas, after the Yankees engaged the A’s in trade talks back in March. Castillo has also been on New York’s radar in the past, when the Bombers reportedly rejected Cincinnati’s ask of Gleyber Torres and more for Castillo back in January 2021.

The Reds will certainly have another high asking price on Castillo in the coming weeks. The righty is arguably the top pitcher available prior to the August 2 trade deadline, due to both his front-of-the-rotation ability and his contractual status — Castillo isn’t scheduled for free agency until after the 2023 season. He has been more solid than spectacular thus far in 2022, but it could be that Castillo is still ramping up after missing the first month of action due to shoulder soreness.

While Warren certainly wouldn’t be the centerpiece of any Castillo trade package, the 23-year-old righty is already gaining attention in his first year of pro ball. An eighth-round pick for the Yankees in the 2021 draft, Warren is ranked by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline as the 27th-best prospect in New York’s farm system, and he has a 3.72 ERA over 55 2/3 combined innings at high-A (35 IP) and Double-A (20 2/3 IP) in 2022. His two newest pitches are his best offerings, as the Yankees’ pitching development staff helped Warren turn his slider and two-seamer into plus pitches. It already seems like Warren would be a good fit as a relief pitcher down the road, according to Pipeline’s scouting report, though he might be able to work in a rotation if he can successfully mix his slider and two-seamer with a more average changeup and curveball.

Texas Notes: No-Hitter, Pena, McCullers, Duran, Hearn, Garver

By Mark Polishuk | June 25, 2022 at 7:59pm CDT

Cristian Javier, Hector Neris, and Ryan Pressly combined for the 14th no-hitter in Astros history, as Houston earned a 3-0 win over the Yankees today in the Bronx. Javier handled much of the work over seven innings, with Neris and Pressly each contributing an inning of hitless pitching to stifle the lineup of the league-leading Yankees. It was the first time in over 19 years that New York had been no-hit, also at hands of the Astros — six Houston pitchers blanked the Yankees on June 11, 2003.

More from both the Astros and Rangers, as we run down baseball news from the Lone Star State….

Jeremy Pena is likely to return to Houston’s lineup on Sunday, as the rookie shortstop took batting practice today. Left thumb discomfort sent Pena to the 10-day injured list on June 15, though an MRI didn’t reveal any damage. It thankfully looks like only a minor injury for Pena, and he’ll now get to resume his outstanding rookie season. Making his MLB debut earlier this year, Pena has hit .277/.333/.471 with nine homers over his first 211 plate appearances, though his hot bat had been cooling off in the two weeks prior to his IL stint.
Lance McCullers Jr. was the pitcher throwing to Pena, with McCullers tossing around 20 pitches during the overall BP session. McCullers told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart and other reporters that his repertoire included changeups, sinkers, and a slider, and he was throwing as hard as 93mph. Since suffering a flexor tendon strain during last year’s postseason and then a rehab setback in January, McCullers has been slowly working his way back, and is still likely a month or so away from a minor league rehab assignment.
After today’s 3-2 win over the Nationals, the Rangers optioned left-hander Taylor Hearn and infielder Ezequiel Duran to Triple-A. Corresponding moves will be made prior to tomorrow’s game. Hearn was the bulk pitcher in today’s bullpen game, allowing only two walks over four scoreless innings, though it was a rare quality outing an otherwise rough season for the southpaw. Even with today’s game on his ledger, Hearn still has a 5.86 ERA over 63 innings, starting 13 of his 14 games. Texas called Duran up to the majors for his MLB debut earlier this month, and the top-100 prospect hit .258/.281/.435 with two home runs over 64 PA. Duran had been seeing most of the playing time at third base, but with Josh Smith now back from the IL, Duran will continue his development with an everyday role at Triple-A rather than part-time duty in the Show.
Mitch Garver went 0-for-2 with a walk against the Nats today, dropping the veteran’s slash line to .201/.288/.383 for the season, over 170 PA. Garver has been trying to play through a damaged flexor tendon in his throwing forearm, but he told reporters (including Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News) that he would make a decision by the All-Star break whether or not to undergo season-ending surgery. With a 7-8 month recovery time required for the surgery, Garver would miss little to none of Spring Training by getting the procedure relatively soon. It is possible Garver could instead try to rehab the forearm problem without surgery, but Grant writes “that route is more uncertain” in terms of a recovery timeline or what it might mean for Garver’s 2023 season. Since suffering the flexor injury, Garver hasn’t been able to play catcher, so the Rangers have been limiting him to DH or pinch-hitting duty.

Rangers Outright Spencer Patton To Triple-A

By Mark Polishuk | June 25, 2022 at 5:20pm CDT

The Rangers announced that right-hander Spencer Patton has been outrighted off the 40-man roster and assigned to Triple-A Round Rock. Patton was designated for assignment earlier this week.

Now in his fifth MLB campaign, Patton has a 3.86 ERA and 52.6% grounder rate over seven innings this season, all in April. He then missed just under three weeks on the injured list due to an oblique strain, and was assigned to Triple-A after his activation.

This is Patton’s second stint in Texas, as the 34-year-old broke into the big leagues with the Rangers in 2014-15. An offseason trade to the Cubs saw Patton contribute 21 1/3 innings of 5.48 ball to the 2016 World Series champs, and that was also Patton’s last Major League experience prior to a four-year stretch in Nippon Professional Baseball. Patton performed well with the Yokohama BayStars, as his 3.68 ERA over 205 2/3 relief innings in Japan caught the attention of big league scouts, and eventually led to the Rangers signing Patton to a split contract in February 2021.

The return to the majors was largely successful, as Patton had a 3.83 ERA, 27.9% strikeout rate, and 8.7% walk rate over 42 1/3 frames with Texas last season. However, Patton has seemingly become an odd man out of the bullpen picture for now, though by passing through the waiver wire unclaimed, he’ll remain in the Rangers organization and wait for another call at some point this summer.

Royals Exploring Andrew Benintendi Trades

By Mark Polishuk | June 25, 2022 at 4:20pm CDT

With the Royals struggling, Andrew Benintendi has been seen as a logical trade candidate as the deadline approaches. To this end, “the Royals are actively seeking a buyer for” the outfielder, The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham writes.

There isn’t any indication that a deal could be close, and it would be a little surprising to see Benintendi moved with more than a month remaining before the August 2 trade deadline. That said, Kansas City president of baseball operations Dayton Moore doesn’t always wait until the last minute to swing significant deadline moves. The Royals dealt Martin Maldonado and Homer Bailey in separate trades in mid-July 2019, and Kelvin Herrera and Jon Jay were moved in June of 2018.

In short, if a team steps up early to make what Moore deems to be an acceptable offer, K.C. could opt to get a jump-start on its deadline plans. With only a 26-43 record heading into today’s action, the Royals have the second-worst record in the American League, and have sunk to last place in the AL Central. Since the Royals have several of their best young players already in the majors and more on the way at Triple-A, it remains to be seen exactly how extensive their sell-off could be, beyond obvious pending free agents like Benintendi, Zack Greinke, or Carlos Santana. Such names as Michael A. Taylor or even longtime staple Whit Merrifield could potentially be available, depending on how much of a remodel Moore feels is necessary.

Of course, this wasn’t the plan for Moore and company, as the Royals thought they were on the verge of a breakout heading into the 2021 season. That offseason saw the club pick up veterans like Santana, Taylor, Mike Minor, and (in a three-team trade with the Red Sox and Mets) Benintendi to augment their younger core, but the results simply haven’t been there for the team.

Benintendi hasn’t been part of the problem, as he has hit .285/.339/.426 with 20 home runs over 825 plate appearances in a Royals uniform. With a 110 OPS+/111 wRC+ in that stretch, it represented a solid bounce-back for Benintendi after a subpar 2019 season in Boston and then essentially a lost 2020 season that was limited to 14 games by a rib injury. In addition to the above-average offense, Benintendi (who turns 28 on July 6) has also been a big contributor in the field, winning a Gold Glove for his left field work in 2021.

Last year’s work earned Benintendi an $8.5MM salary in his final year of arbitration eligibility, with the outfielder defeating the Royals in a hearing last month. Benintendi has roughly $4.4MM still owed in salary, so moving him earlier rather than later would allow the Royals to save a few dollars. As a rental player, Benintendi wouldn’t net Kansas City a huge prospect return, but he’d certainly bring back a quality minor leaguer or two. Any number of clubs in need of left field help and/or left-handed hitting could potentially fit as trade partners for Benintendi — speculatively, the Rays, Yankees, Guardians, Braves, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Mets, Marlins, or Rangers all make some sense as suitors.

Anthony Rendon To Undergo Season-Ending Wrist Surgery

By Mark Polishuk | June 17, 2022 at 11:03pm CDT

6:17PM: The Angels have officially placed Rendon on the 10-day IL, and called up infielder Jack Mayfield from Triple-A. Rendon will probably be held back from a 60-day IL placement until the Halos have need for an extra 40-man roster spot.

Angels team trainer Mike Frostad also gave reporters (including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger) some details on Rendon’s status, saying that Rendon will need 4-6 months to recover. Rendon has a subluxed tendon, and tried to play through the discomfort, though it was known that surgery would eventually be needed to fix the problem.

4:10PM: Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon will undergo surgery on his right wrist next week, the team announced. The procedure will sideline Rendon for the remainder of the 2022 season.

Rendon spent two weeks on the injured list due to soreness in that same wrist earlier this season, and he has missed the last couple of games after re-aggravating the problem. Angels manager Phil Nevin intimated that Rendon was a pinch-hitting possibility as recently as yesterday, so today’s news comes as an unwelcome surprise, and an indication that further testing revealed a more severe problem with Rendon’s wrist.

This will mark the second straight season cut short by surgery for Rendon, as he underwent a hip procedure last August that prematurely ended his 2021 season. That year had already been shortened by multiple trips to the IL for groin, knee, and hamstring injuries, with Rendon’s hip ultimately bearing the brunt as he tried to compensate for those other lower-body problems.

Rendon will finish the season with a .228/.324/.383 slash line and five home runs over 188 plate appearances. While this still works out to above-average offensive production (106 wRC+), it is far below the standard Rendon yet during his heyday with the Nationals, or even in his first Angels season in 2020. Since the start of the 2021 campaign, Rendon has hit only .235/.327/.383 in 437 PA, and played in only 103 games.

The Angels signed Rendon to a seven-year, $245MM free agent deal in December 2019, and apart from Rendon’s strong performance in the shortened 2020 campaign, this deal is already showing signs of joining the Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, and Justin Upton contracts in the Angels’ recent history of expensive misfires. Rendon still has four more years to make good on the deal, of course, but he turned 32 earlier this month and now has two lost seasons under his belt.

Rendon’s injury continues a nightmarish stretch for the Angels. In possession of a 27-17 record and a playoff berth on May 24, the Halos have since lost 18 of 21 games, including a 14-game losing streak. Manager Joe Maddon was already fired, and the Angels now face an uphill climb just to break their string of losing seasons, let alone get back into the wild card hunt. While it is still mid-June and plenty of the season remains, losing Rendon creates yet another hole in an already shaky roster.

Matt Duffy and Tyler Wade figure to handle third base duties in Rendon’s absence, which further weakens second base since that duo and Luis Rengifo were juggling time at the keystone. David Fletcher was placed on the 60-day IL in the aftermath of adductor surgery, and in a best-case scenario would return around the All-Star break. Jack Mayfield, Jose Rojas and Kean Wong are also in the organization, but are imperfect solutions to an already-shaky infield picture. Should the Halos get back into the playoff picture, any of shortstop, second, or third base could be target areas for the trade deadline, depending on who was available and how Anaheim shuffled its other personnel around the diamond.

AL Notes: Moncada, Blue Jays, Verlander, Athletics

By Mark Polishuk | June 17, 2022 at 10:00pm CDT

Yoan Moncada left tonight’s game due to right hamstring tightness, an injury seemingly suffered when Moncada was running out a grounder in the top of the second inning. Moncada returned to play third base in the bottom half of the frame but was replaced in the field by Josh Harrison in the next inning.

More will be known about Moncada’s status after further tests take place, but another injury is the last thing Moncada and the White Sox need. An oblique strain suffered near the end of Spring Training kept Moncada from playing until May 9, and he is hitting a mere .179/.230/.292 over his first 113 plate appearances. Should Moncada need to miss time, the Sox would at least have a ready replacement in the hot-hitting Jake Burger, and Danny Mendick could also find more playing time once Tim Anderson returns from the IL next week and regains his normal shortstop position. However, a Moncada injury would represent yet another setback for a White Sox club that hasn’t been able to play with its ideal first-choice lineup all season.

Cubs Outright Clint Frazier To Triple-A

By Mark Polishuk | June 17, 2022 at 9:12pm CDT

The Cubs have outrighted Clint Frazier off their 40-man roster, after the outfielder cleared waivers. According to ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers (Twitter link), Frazier has elected to accept the assignment to Triple-A Iowa, rather than elect free agency.

Chicago signed Frazier to a one-year, $1.5MM deal just prior to the lockout, and about a week after the Yankees released the outfielder (essentially an early non-tender, as Frazier was projected to earn $2.4MM through the arbitration process). Frazier has hit .216/.356/.297 over 45 plate appearances this season, with his campaign broken up by a missed month of action due to an appendectomy. Frazier was designated for assignment last week, and it is perhaps a sign of how his stock has fallen that no teams put a claim on a player who isn’t far removed from being one of baseball’s top prospects.

There was some speculation that Frazier would refuse the outright assignment and instead test the open market again, though there is logic in his decision to remain in the Cubs organization. For one, Frazier might just be looking to get some consistent playing time after his lost month, and his market surely wasn’t helped by his lack of production this far in 2022. It stands to reason that Frazier might get another chance in Chicago later in the season, should the Cubs move some veteran players prior to the trade deadline.

The fifth overall pick of the 2013 draft, Frazier is now in his sixth MLB season, and he showed some flashes of his potential during his five years in the Bronx. However, a lack of consistency and some health issues kept Frazier from locking down a regular spot in the Yankees’ lineup, and vertigo-like symptoms kept Frazier off the field for most of the final three months of the 2021 season.

Diamondbacks Select Buddy Kennedy

By Mark Polishuk | June 17, 2022 at 8:16pm CDT

The Diamondbacks selected the contract of infielder Buddy Kennedy from Triple-A Reno today, as part of a trio of roster moves. Outfielder Jake McCarthy was optioned to Triple-A to create space on the 26-man roster, while right-hander Humberto Castellanos was moved from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL, thus creating a spot for Kennedy on the 40-man roster.

Kennedy is acting as the DH in Arizona’s lineup tonight, and it will mark the Major League debut for the 23-year-old. A fifth-round pick for the Diamondbacks in the 2017 draft, Kennedy has hit well as a pro, including a .296/.384/.429 slash line over 229 plate appearances at Reno this season (his first taste of Triple-A ball).

MLB Pipeline rates Kennedy as the 21st-best prospect in the Snakes’ farm system, and according to the Pipeline scouting report, “he projects to be an average hitter who gets on base and collects 20 or so homers at the highest level.” Kennedy’s 2022 numbers have continued the improvement he showed last year in generating walks, and he makes solid contact. Defensively, Kennedy could fit best as a utilityman rather than an everyday infielder, as he has played mostly third base with some experience at second base and a handful of games as a first baseman.

Kennedy could work as the right-handed hitting complement to Josh Rojas at third base, or fit into the DH mix when a left-handed starter is on the mound (like tonight’s matchup against the Twins’ Devin Smeltzer). The Diamondbacks’ lineup is heavy on left-handed bats, and are near the bottom of the league in production against left-handed pitching, so some extra pop from the right side of the plate is definitely a need.

Castellanos hit the 15-day IL with a right elbow strain on June 1, and the righty will now be sidelined until at least the start of August. Over 44 1/3 innings for the D’Backs this season, Castellanos posted a 5.68 ERA.

Padres Place Joe Musgrove On COVID-IL, Activate Mike Clevinger

By Mark Polishuk | June 17, 2022 at 7:35pm CDT

The Padres activated right-hander Mike Clevinger from the COVID-related injury list today, while also placing righty Joe Musgrove on the COVID-IL. In other moves, righty Reiss Knehr was called up from Triple-A El Paso, Kyle Tyler was optioned to Triple-A, and Matt Beaty was shifted to the 60-day IL.

Clevinger ended up missing a week of action, and he told reporters (including The Athletic’s Dennis Lin) that his symptoms were caused by a case of the flu that hit his entire household, rather than COVID-19. For now, Clevinger is available to pitch out of the bullpen during the Padres’ weekend series against the Rockies, until San Diego can figure out how to fit him back into the rotation.

Musgrove’s situation could create an obvious opening, as Musgrove is set to start Wednesday’s game against the Diamondbacks. It isn’t known if Musgrove has actually tested positive or if his placement was precautionary (due to symptoms or being a close contact), but in the latter situation, he could possibly be back in plenty of time to make that scheduled start.

Musgrove has been one of baseball’s best pitchers this season, while Clevinger has also pitched well over four starts, though his season has been delayed by IL stints due to a knee injury and a triceps strain. Clevinger missed all of 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery, so these additional health setbacks are surely a frustration to the 31-year-old, even if none of these injuries have been overly serious.

Once everyone is healthy, Nick Martinez will likely head back to the bullpen, as the Padres continue to manage a six-man rotation. Blake Snell is the only member of this group that hasn’t pitched well in 2022, though Snell also missed over a month at the start of the season due to an adductor strain.

Pirates Promote Liover Peguero

By Mark Polishuk | June 17, 2022 at 6:11pm CDT

The Pirates have called infielder Liover Peguero up from Double-A to the active roster. Tucupita Marcano was placed on the COVID-related injured list, in the corresponding move.

The somewhat unexpected promotion may be simply a late reaction to Marcano’s absence, as noted by Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Peguero could more easier make the trip to Pittsburgh since he was playing in nearby Altoona — the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate is in Georgia tonight facing the Braves’ top farm team.

This would explain why Peguero got the call and not top prospect Oneil Cruz, whose return to the big leagues has been expected more or less since Opening Day. Depending on how long Marcano is absent, Peguero also might not be in the big leagues for that long, should Marcano’s placement on the COVID list only be due to a close-contact situation or symptoms, rather than an actual positive test.

Still, while Cruz’s situation continues to dominate attention in Pittsburgh, Peguero is a very notable prospect in his own right. In current rankings, MLB Pipeline has Peguero as the 58th-best prospect in baseball, Baseball America has him 67th — prior to the season, Baseball Prospectus had Peguero in their #38 spot, while The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked him 77th.

Acquired from the Diamondbacks as part of the Starling Marte trade in January 2020, Peguero has posted solid (if not outstanding) numbers in his climb up the minor league ladder. Over 236 PA with Altoona this year, Peguero has hit .292/.315/.469 with five home runs in his first time at the Double-A level. This extra power is a good sign, though the relatively low OBP and 54 strikeouts are indicative of how Peguero still has to correct being overly aggressive at the plate. When he does make contact, Peguero has posted high exit velocities and exhibits tremendous bat speed, speaking to his potential as a hitter if he can smooth out his approach.

Peguero has plenty of speed and athleticism, and Baseball America’s scouting report doesn’t rule out a potential move to the outfield down the road. However, since Cruz faces more questions about his long-term fielding future, Peguero may be the favorite of the two to settle in as the Pirates’ long-term shortstop of the future, with Nick Gonzales likely ticketed for second base if his own glovework holds up.

There could potentially be a bit of a logjam should all of these prospects develop as expected, though the Bucs will happily welcome such an issue if it means all of these highly-regarded youngsters are MLB-level contributors. The Pirates have been increasingly turning over more and more of its roster to its better prospects, as the club’s lengthy rebuild is now starting to translate into players who are ready for a look in the Show. Should Peguero play particularly well, he could catch on for a Pittsburgh team that has nothing to lose, though the more probable result could be Peguero sent to Triple-A if or when Cruz is ready in the near future.

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