Mark Polishuk | MLB Trade Rumors

Yankees Activate DJ LeMahieu From Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | August 29, 2020 at 10:56am CDT

The Yankees have activated DJ LeMahieu from the 10-day injured list, the team announced. Miguel Andujar has been optioned back to the club’s alternate training site in a corresponding move.

LeMahieu hit the IL due to a sprained left thumb back on August 16, and while his IL stint didn’t last much beyond the 10-day minimum, the absence was surely noted by a Yankees team that is in the midst of a seven-game losing streak. With Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gleyber Torres still injured, the return of LeMahieu’s bat will be very welcome in the Bronx. LeMahieu was hitting .411/.456/.534 over 79 PA prior to his injury.

Andujar’s latest call-up resulted in a 2-for-10 showing over 10 plate appearances in four games. The young slugger has only a .285 OPS in 32 Major League PA this season, though his attempts to get on track haven’t been helped by either the lack of consistent playing time available in the Yankee lineup.

Astros Interested In Robbie Ray, Matt Barnes

By Mark Polishuk | August 29, 2020 at 9:35am CDT

With a pitching staff ravaged by injuries, it isn’t any surprise that the Astros are exploring adding some hurlers at the deadline. Brittany Ghiroli and Eno Sarris of The Athletic (subscription required) report that two of Houston’s targets include Diamondbacks southpaw Robbie Ray and Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes.

Ray has been a popular figure in trade rumors for a couple of years, and the most recent round of speculation has had some teams interested in acquiring him as a relief pitcher due to his rough performance in 2020. Over seven starts, Ray has a 7.84 ERA in 31 innings, due in large part to a 2.6 HR/9 and a major loss of control — Ray has a league-leading 31 walks and six wild pitches. It’s possible Houston could be one of the teams eyeing Ray as a reliever, perhaps the team feels it can fix his control problems and again turn him into a solid starter.

Barnes has also had a tough go of it this season, and for some of the same reasons as Ray. Barnes has a 6.00 ERA over 12 IP out of Boston’s pen, with a 2.3 HR/9 and a career-worst 6.8 BB/9. As per Fangraphs, only 3.2% of Barnes’ offerings have resulted in soft contact this season, as he has a 45.2% hard-hit ball rate and 51.6% medium-hit rate.

The common element between the two pitchers is a lot of missed bats. Ray has a 12.5 K/9 this season and a 12.1 K/9 since the start of the 2017 season; in that same timeframe, Barnes has a 13.2 K/9, which includes an 11.3 K/9 in 2020. After ranking at or near the top of the league in strikeouts from 2017-19, Astros pitchers have combined for an 8.64 K/9 this season, ranked 21st of 30 teams.

Ray is a free agent after the season, while Barnes has one more year of arbitration eligibility before hitting the open market himself in the 2021-22 offseason. This extra year of control might mean Barnes could actually have a higher trade value than Ray at this point, despite Ray’s ability to start games. Astros GM James Click knows Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom well from their time together in the Rays front office, while Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen swung a very notable deal (the Zack Greinke blockbuster) with the Astros at least year’s deadline.

Reds Not Planning To Sell At Trade Deadline

By Mark Polishuk | August 29, 2020 at 8:56am CDT

The Reds have won three straight games to improve to a 14-17 record, putting them one game out of second place (and an automatic playoff berth) in the NL Central and one game out of the NL wild card race. With the postseason still within reach, Cincinnati isn’t planning to sell any meaningful pieces by Monday’s trade deadline, and if anything will be deadline buyers, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson (audio link) has the same information, with the intriguing tidbit that “a Twins official” was recently told by the Reds that Trevor Bauer wasn’t going to be dealt. This would seem to imply that Minnesota had some interest in Bauer, and could now turn their attention at another front-of-the-rotation type if Bauer isn’t on the market.

Bauer will be a free agent after the season, though moving him would subtract from a rotation that has thus far been the Reds’ biggest strength. As for the rest of the team, as Heyman puts it, the “Reds mainly need to get hitters and relievers to play to their abilities.” Eugenio Suarez, Mike Moustakas, Joey Votto, Shogo Akiyama, and Tucker Barnhart have all yet to heat up at the plate, while the struggles of the normally reliable late-game duo of Raisel Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen have been a big reason why the Reds bullpen ranks 23rd in ERA and 29th in HR/9.

Adding a new arm to the relief corps seems like a logical move, though upgrading the lineup may be slightly more difficult, as so many of their struggling stars are entrenched in their positions (though longtime franchise icon Votto has been benched for the last three games). With Nick Senzel on the injured list, left or center field could be an area of need, as Akiyama and rookie Mark Payton have been getting the bulk of playing time with Senzel out and the scorching-hot Jesse Winker alternating between left field and DH. From a more speculative point of view, Cincinnati could also look to replace Barnhart with a more productive catching option — Red Sox backstop Christian Vazquez would cost the most in prospects, though other potential trade candidates include the Angels’ Jason Castro or the Mariners’ Austin Nola.

Cubs Asked Tigers About Cameron Maybin

By Mark Polishuk | August 29, 2020 at 7:57am CDT

Cameron Maybin’s name has emerged as part of trade discussions between the Tigers and Cubs, the Athletic’s Eno Sarris and Brittany Ghiroli report (subscription required). Maybin would be a pure rental piece, as the outfielder is only signed through the 2020 season and is owed roughly $280K for the remaining month of action.

Now a veteran of 14 MLB seasons with eight different teams, Maybin signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Tigers last winter in the wake of one of his most productive years at the plate. Maybin his .285/.364/.494 with a career-best 11 home runs over 269 plate appearances with the Yankees in 2019, becoming one of several unheralded bench players to step up big for the injury-riddled Bronx Bombers roster.

Thus far in 2020, Maybin has hit .256/.310/.436 over just 42 PA, as he missed two weeks of action due to a quad injury. Albeit in a very small sample size, Statcast metrics such as hard-hit percentage and barrels indicate that Maybin is continuing the improved solid contract he played last year in New York. Detroit has used Maybin only as a right fielder this season, and while he can still play center in a pinch, the 33-year-old is probably best suited for corner outfield duty at this point in his career.

This might be all the Cubs would be looking for in a depth piece, as Chicago’s outfield corps has been thinned by injuries to Steven Souza Jr. and part-time outfielder Kris Bryant. In theory, Maybin’s right-handed bat would provide cover against left-handed pitching (particularly since the left-handed hitting Jason Heyward and Kyle Schwarber have both struggled against southpaws), but Maybin has been something of a reverse-splits hitter for much of his career.

Rays Interested In Christian Vazquez

By Mark Polishuk | August 29, 2020 at 7:12am CDT

Looking to upgrade behind the plate in both 2020 and beyond, the Rays have shown interest in Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez, according to The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli and Eno Sarris (subscription required). “Early discussions” between the two clubs have seen the Sox look at adding young pitching in return.

With the Rays holding World Series aspirations, the Red Sox in seller mode, and former Rays VP of baseball operations Chaim Bloom now running Boston’s front office, the two AL East rivals make a lot of sense on paper as natural trade partners. Vazquez in particular would fill a major need for Tampa Bay, given that catcher has been a longstanding problem position for the team.

The catching combo of Mike Zunino and Michael Perez have produced sub-replacement level numbers in 2020, as the duo (and Kevan Smith, who made two plate appearances) have combined for a collective .160/.241/.340 slash line in 112 PA. While Vazquez himself hasn’t had an exceptional year at the plate, his .260/.294/.423 line over 109 still represents a marked improvement over the Rays’ current catching mix. Plus, Vazquez’s highly-regarded defensive and game-calling abilities would also provide a boost.

After hitting .276/.320/.477 with 23 homers last season, Vazquez’s production has taken a step backwards. The catcher’s 27.5% strikeout rate and 4.6% walk rate are both career lows, his hard-hit ball rate is down considerably from 2019, and his .253 xwOBA is in the bottom fifth percentile of any player in baseball. Now in his sixth MLB season, Vazquez’s offensive numbers have been somewhat all over the board, as he preceded his career-best 2019 with a dreadful 2018 campaign. Evaluating Vazquez’s bat through only 112 PA, of course, is a difficult task — in a normal season, Vazquez could just be off to a slow start.

As with any Rays trade target, money is a factor, though Vazquez’s contract is reasonable for even a low-spending team like Tampa Bay. He is owed approximately $780K for the remainder of this season, $6.25MM in 2021, and there is a $7MM club option his services for 2022 that can be bought out for $250K. Since the Rays were willing to commit $4.5MM to Zunino this season, it stands to reason that they would be open to spending a bit more in 2021 for what they hope would be considerably better production both offensively and defensively.

Vazquez’s modest contract and extra year (or years) of control make him a particularly interesting trade chip for a Red Sox team that seems to be more or less open to moving almost anyone prior to Monday’s trade deadline. While the Rays can technically only trade players currently on their 60-man player pool, they could work around that restriction simply by making a handshake deal to trade any prospect now and then reveal that prospect as a “player to be named later” within a few months’ time. Bloom’s familiarity with Tampa Bay’s highly-rated farm system could put any number of minor league arms in play for a potential deal.

Latest On Mets Video Incident, Apologies From Brodie Van Wagenen & Mets Ownership

By Mark Polishuk | August 27, 2020 at 11:54pm CDT

While Mets and Marlins players took part in a moving on-field statement before deciding to postpone tonight’s game, a bizarre incident was taking place behind the scenes that resulted in public statements being issued by, separately, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen, Mets CEO and owner Fred Wilpon, his son and Mets COO Jeff Wilpon, and league commissioner Rob Manfred.

Less than two hours prior to game time, when it was still publicly unclear whether or not the teams would play, a video featuring Van Wagenen making some off-the-record comments was accidentally streamed to the Mets’ official website. Van Wagenen said that the Mets weren’t going to play, and expressed incredulity at an apparent suggestion from Manfred’s office via Jeff Wilpon that the Mets and Marlins make their protest as planned but then return to the field an hour later to play the game. “And I said, ’Jeff, that’s not happening. These guys are not playing.’….But that’s Rob’s instinct and Rob…at the leadership level, he doesn’t get it. He just doesn’t get it,” Van Wagenen said on the video.

Details about how the video was mistakenly uploaded (or perhaps leaked, as Newsday’s Tim Healey noted that the 70-minute video was blank other than a few minutes that included Van Wagenen’s comments) remain scarce, though they naturally sent a storm of controversy around the baseball world. Shortly after the Mets and Marlins left the field, the general manager released a statement saying he erred in thinking the idea came from Manfred. Van Wagenen’s full statement:

“Jeff Wilpon called Commissioner Manfred this afternoon to notify him that our players voted not to play. They discussed the challenges of rescheduling the game. Jeff proposed an idea of playing the game an hour later. I misunderstood that this was the Commissioner’s idea. In actuality, this was Jeff’s suggestion. The players had already made their decision so I felt the suggestion was not helpful. My frustration with the Commissioner was wrong and unfounded. I apologize to the Commissioner for my disrespectful comments and poor judgement in inaccurately describing the contents of his private conversation with Jeff Wilpon.”

In a later interview with the New York Post and other media outlets, Van Wagenen expanded on his apology to include the Mets players. “This conversation is about the players making a statement,” Van Wagenen said. “This conversation is about recognizing the pain and the anguish that black people are experiencing every day in this country. The fact that I’ve put myself and this organization in the conversation in a way that takes away from the real point, I’m disappointed in myself…and I accept responsibility for that.”

For his part, Manfred released his own statement later, with the Commissioner stating:

“Over the past two days, players on a number of Clubs have decided not to play games. I have said both publicly and privately that I respect those decisions and support the need to address social injustice. I have not attempted in any way to prevent players from expressing themselves by not playing, nor have I suggested any alternative form of protest to any Club personnel or any player. Any suggestion to the contrary is wrong.“

Adding to the surreal nature of the hot mic incident were a pair of statements from the Wilpons, which each included misspellings of Van Wagenen’s first name.

From Fred Wilpon: “I am very stressed and disappointed to learn tonight that our General Manager, Brodie Van Wagenen, made disrespectful and inaccurate comments about our Commissioner, a long-time close friend of mine. I hold Rob in the highest regard and in no way are Brody’s remarks reflective of my views or the organization’s. Rob continues to be a great leader of Major League Baseball. I apologize for any harm this incident has caused Rob.”

From Jeff Wilpon: “To clear up any misunderstandings, it was my suggestion to potentially look into playing the game later because of scheduling issues. Brody’s misunderstanding of a private conversation was and is inexcusable. We fully respect our players and the Marlins players decision to not play tonight and appreciate the sincerity of all those who wish to draw attention to social injustices and racial inequalities that must be addressed. The entire Mets organization remains committed to creating meaningful change in our society.”

This situation has only intensified speculation that Van Wagenen’s days in the GM role may be numbered, even with New York still in the NL wild card race with a 13-16 record. Van Wagenen’s contract runs through the 2022 season, though his future is thought to be uncertain given that the Wilpon family is preparing to sell the franchise (final bids are due by Monday) and a new ownership group might very well prefer to make its own pick for the general manager job. The Mets had a solid 86-76 record in 2019, Van Wagenen’s first season running the Mets’ front office, but his tenure has been marked with the off-the-field drama that has come to define the team under the Wilpons’ ownership.

NL Notes: Mozeliak, Cards, Pina, Gausman, Bumgarner

By Mark Polishuk | August 27, 2020 at 10:46pm CDT

While the Cardinals are still going to explore trade deadline opportunities, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told The Athletic’s Mark Saxon and other reporters that his club faces something of a unique roster crunch due to the coronavirus outbreak that ravaged the Cards earlier this month. “I think that’s the biggest issue at hand for us, sort of navigating the health of the club vs. what potentially we could do in a trade,” Mozeliak said. “Candidly, the timing of it [the deadline] is not ideal for us, as we start to unwind people coming off of COVID back onto the roster….What it is to say is we haven’t been a team together, with the exception of the first five days together.”

With a whopping seven players still to be activated from the COVID-19 injured list, 40-man roster considerations will start to become a mounting concern for the Cardinals in the coming days, and certainly not everyone will be back before Monday’s trade deadline. One potential wrinkle, Mozeliak said, is that “other teams might be dealing with roster crunches, too, as they navigate Aug. 31,” and thus these rivals might not be as eager to make claims on any players the Cards might be forced to expose to waivers.

MLB Sends Postseason Bubble Proposal To Players Union

By Mark Polishuk | August 27, 2020 at 9:57pm CDT

Major League Baseball has submitted a proposal to the MLB Players Association about potentially holding at least part of the 2020 playoffs inside a multi-city “bubble” environment, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (Twitter link). It isn’t yet known if the entire postseason would be played at neutral sites, or if the best-of-three first round series would remain in the home ballparks of the higher-seeded teams.

As initially reported by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (via Twitter), the league has been in talks with the union about how to manage and conduct games at these “controlled sites” in order to limit city-to-city travel and thus limit the chances of a COVID-19 outbreak in October that would delay the entire postseason. While details are “nothing close” to being finalized, as Rosenthal notes, MLB began preparing an operations manual regarding such a postseason scenario earlier this month. As outlined by ESPN.com’s Emily Kaplan and Jeff Passan, the baseball’s plan would bear a strong resemblances to the NHL’s staging of the Stanley Cup playoffs in Toronto and Edmonton.

While the NHL is holding all games at two arenas, however, baseball’s plan may seem to involve five different stadiums and civic areas. Southern California (San Diego and the two L.A. ballparks) and Texas (Arlington, Houston) still seem to be the favored candidates for these sites, as noted in the Kaplan/Passan piece, with Rosenthal adding that National League’s postseason teams would play in Texas while the American League teams went to California. The World Series would be held in Arlington at the Rangers’ new ballpark.

It is quite possible that the framework of this plan would be changed over the coming weeks, and as talks develop with input from the MLBPA. As of today, however, we are exactly one month away from the last day of the regular season. One would think negotiations would need to progress pretty quickly to get a bubble environment launched by the start of the playoffs on September 29, though the possibility of the first round being played at home ballparks does allow some extra flexibility.

Dodgers To Option Gavin Lux Back To Taxi Squad

By Mark Polishuk | August 27, 2020 at 9:39pm CDT

9:39PM: Lux will be optioned back to the Dodgers’ taxi squad, Roberts told Gurnick (Twitter link) and other media after the game.

5:45PM: The Dodgers have called up infielder Gavin Lux from their alternate training site, with Lux set to serve as the extra 29th man for Game 2 of today’s doubleheader with the Giants.

Lux will appear on the Los Angeles roster for the first time this season, after he was somewhat surprisingly not included on the club’s roster for its July opener. Lux did miss part of Summer Camp for unexplained reasons, and while there was speculation that Lux may have been kept in the minors for service-time reasons, manager Dave Roberts explained in early August that the Dodgers didn’t “feel he’s ready right now.”

“It was a short ramp-up for Gavin and he wasn’t right mechanically,” Roberts told MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick and other media on August 5. “And he knows that, we know that. He’s still getting there at [alternative training site] USC, getting at-bats daily, it’s coming. I see video every day, it’s getting better.”

Roberts said at the time that Lux would only be called up to the Dodgers on an everyday basis, so though the “29th man” designation could imply some fluidity with Lux’s status, it would seem like the star prospect will now be part of the team’s regular mix. Lux is in tonight’s starting lineup as a second baseman, which was also his position during his 23-game debut with Los Angeles last season.

Corey Seager obviously has Lux’s normal minor league position of shortstop covered at the MLB level, so Lux now looks to be the first-choice option at the keystone. Enrique Hernandez, Max Muncy, and Chris Taylor have split time at second base this season with Hernandez getting the bulk of the playing time at that particular position, though all three players have been deployed elsewhere around the diamond given the Dodgers’ penchant for versatility. With the DH spot in play for the 2020 season, Roberts should be able to find enough at-bats to keep everyone satisfied and rested as the Dodgers are already essentially in tune-up mode for the postseason.

Lux hit .240/.305/.400 over 82 PA with the Dodgers last season, plus an .856 OPS over 10 postseason PA. A consensus top-five prospect in baseball coming into the 2020 campaign, Lux has dominated minor league pitching since being selected 20th overall in the 2016 draft, and now aims to be the next homegrown Dodgers prospect to find stardom in the majors.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/27/20

By Mark Polishuk | August 27, 2020 at 9:14pm CDT

Catching up on some minor moves from around baseball…

The Rangers outrighted Rob Refsnyder off their 40-man roster and assigned him to their alternate training site after the utilityman cleared waivers. Texas designated Refsnyder for assignment earlier this week. Refsnyder signed a minors contract with the Rangers back in November and has appeared in 15 games this season, marking his first Major League action since the 2018 campaign. With only a .200/.265/.233 slash line through 34 PA, however, Refsnyder became expendable. The five-year veteran will remain in the organization as a depth option at first base and both corner outfield slots.

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