Nationals Claim Robert Garcia
The Nationals claimed left-hander Robert Garcia off waivers from the Marlins this afternoon, per a team announcement. There had been no previous public indication that Garcia, who the Marlins selected to the roster in early July, had been placed on waivers, but the move opens up a spot on the club’s 40-man roster. There’s no need for a corresponding move on the part of the Nationals, as a spot 0n their 40-man was opened by yesterday’s Jeimer Candelario trade.
Garcia, 27, made his major league debut with the Marlins earlier this year, though he recorded just one out in his only appearance while surrendering a hit and a walk. While Garcia has virtually no major league experience, he’s pitched well during his time in the minors with a 2.85 ERA in 41 1/3 innings of work with a 35.4% strikeout rate at the Triple-A level. That kind of strikeout ability could certainly prove valuable to a Nationals club that currently relies on Jose Ferrer and Joe La Sora, both of whom sport ERAs north of five, as their left-handed bullpen options.
As for the Marlins, the club will now have additional 40-man roster flexibility as they head into the final hours before the trade deadline. While Garcia certainly appears to be a useful, optionable relief arm, Miami has a well-stocked bullpen that has A.J. Puk, Tanner Scott, and Steven Okert as options from the left side and recently added late-inning arms in David Robertson and Jorge Lopez to the mix.
Latest On Yankees’ Deadline Approach
With the Yankees in last place in the AL East despite a decent 55-51 record, their path forward remains somewhat murky with less than four hours to go before the trade deadline. Joel Sherman of the New York Post indicates that the club could look to both buy and sell, searching for long-term controllable pieces in areas of need while fielding offers on the pending free agents on their roster.
Several of the club’s pending free agents, including Luis Severino and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, have had difficult seasons in 2023, but could nonetheless draw interest as low-cost, depth additions from other clubs. Lefty Wandy Peralta, who has a 2.29 ERA in 47 appearances out of New York’s bullpen this year, and center fielder Harrison Bader have both fared better in their walk years, with Bader in particular drawing interest per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. Sherman more specifically notes that the Yankees and Phillies have discussed Bader, though there is “limited traction” on a deal between the sides.
Sherman adds that the Yankees have discussed closer Clay Holmes in trade talks, despite Holmes being controllable through the 2024 campaign. That being said, Sherman noted that the asking price for Holmes is exorbitant, rendering a deal regarding the club’s closer unlikely. The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty adds to that doubt, noting that it’s “highly unlikely” the club parts with either Holmes or fellow leverage reliever Michael King.
As far as buying goes, the club has been frequently connected to Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson in the days and weeks leading up to the deadline, and those connections haven’t stopped today. Kuty, Sherman, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand have are among those who have linked the Yankees and Carlson recently. That being said, Heyman cautions that the Cardinals are unlikely to deal Carlson unless they get a young MLB starter in return. That’s a price the Yankees could pay if they so chose, with youngsters Clarke Schmidt and Jhony Brito currently occupying spots in the club’s starting rotation.
As Feinsand notes, that Carlson’s ability to play quality defense in center field could be of particular value given Bader’s status as a pending free agent. Carlson could take over for Bader in center immediately in the event of a trade before the deadline, or play left field for the remainder of the 2023 campaign and shift over to center in the event Bader departs via free agency this offseason.
Rockies Acquire Justin Bruihl
The Rockies have acquired left-hander Justin Bruihl from the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
Bruihl was designated for assignment late last week alongside infielder Eddys Leonard to make room for right-handers Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly. The 26-year-old lefty made his debut for the Dodgers in 2021 with a solid 2.89 ERA and 3.97 FIP in 18 2/3 innings of work. While he’s taken a step back in subsequent years, a career 3.65 ERA in 66 2/3 innings of work indicates he can be a solid middle relief option from the left-hand side. That being said, his 4.48 FIP and well below-average 15.6% career strikeout rate indicate he’s unlikely to be much more than that,
In Colorado, Bruihl figures to slot into a bullpen that already lost Brad Hand earlier today and could still see Brent Suter traded before the deadline as well. Should Suter follow hand out the door, Bruihl will be the sole lefty in the Rockies bullpen and could play his way into higher leverage work alongside the likes of Justin Lawrence and Daniel Bard. As for the Dodgers, the move officially ends Bruihl’s time with the club, though LA still has plenty of left-handed options for their bullpen, including Alex Vesia, Caleb Ferguson, and Victor Gonzalez.
Twins Inquiring On Teoscar Hernandez, Ty France
According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Twins are among the teams that have checked in with the Mariners regarding outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and infielder Ty France in their search for a right-handed bat.
Adding some right-handed thump to the lineup is a sensible choice for Minnesota. The Twins’ collective 82 wRC+ against southpaws this season is better than only the Rockies in MLB, so an additional righty bat to go along with Donovan Solano against left-handed pitching could provide a boost to their lineup, particularly with Jose Miranda and Royce Lewis on the injured list. While both Hernandez (93 wRC+) and France (98 wRC+) are having down seasons relative to their career norms, both players are still crushing left-handed pitching this year, with wRC+ figures of 142 and 129, respectively.
As a rental, Hernandez figures to be the cheaper bat in terms of acquisition cost, though he’d join an already-crowded outfield mix in Minnesota that already features Joey Gallo, Michael A. Taylor, Max Kepler, Trevor Larnach, and Matt Wallner, to say nothing of the possibility that Byron Buxton gets healthy enough to return to center field at some point this season. What’s more, Hernandez leads the majors in strikeouts this season, and adding another whiff-prone bat to a lineup that already includes Gallo further muddies the fit between Minnesota and the 30-year-old slugger.
That could leave France as the cleaner fit in Minnesota, where he would provide the Twins with a long term, right-handed complement to Alex Kirilloff at first base that they’ve been searching for since the offseason. While France also has experience at second and third base in his career, given the club’s abundant options at the position (including Solano, Kyle Farmer, Edouard Julien, and Jorge Polanco) it seems likely France’s playing time would primarily come at his natural position of first base.
Latest On Dodgers’ Pursuit Of Justin Verlander
Following the Mets’ decision to deal future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer to the Rangers over the weekend, eyes around the baseball world have turned toward the other Cooperstown-bound veteran in Queens: Justin Verlander. Previous reporting had connected the Astros, Dodgers, Braves, and Reds to the veteran ace, though the Astros and Dodgers have appeared to be the frontrunners for Verlander’s services, in the event that he’s moved before the deadline.
More recent reports have echoed that sentiment, with SNY’s Andy Martino indicating that “three or four” clubs, including the Dodgers and Astros, have engaged with the Mets on Verlander, though no talks have progressed to the point of an agreement on specific players. ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez expanded on the Dodgers’ reported interest with some specifics on negotiations between the sides.
Per Gonzalez, a deal between the sides is “unlikely” given the complicating factor of Verlander’s 2025 vesting option, which would convert to a player option if he pitches at least 140 innings in 2024. That being said, Gonzalez notes that the Mets were willing to pay down the majority of the money Scherzer was owed in order to extract a top prospect in the former of infielder Luisangel Acuna from the Rangers. Given the Mets’ dearth of top pitching prospects and the access LA enjoys, Gonzalez indicates that the likeliest path toward a Verlander deal would be the Dodgers putting together a prospect package of young pitchers that entices the Mets to pay down a significant portion of his salary.
Such a package would certainly be feasible for the Dodgers to put together, if they so chose. Five of the club’s top ten prospects are pitchers, per MLB Pipeline, and youngsters like Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone, and Ryan Pepiot are either already in or approaching the majors. That list also doesn’t include young hurler Bobby Miller, who was the club’s top pitching prospect before he became a key cog in the 2023 club’s rotation. While the Dodgers surely wouldn’t consider moving Miller, dealing from the aforementioned trio of prospects could be a reasonable course of action for the Dodgers, perhaps paired with a lower-level arm like Nick Frasso or Landon Knack.
With other top-tier options like Scherzer, Lucas Giolito, and Jordan Montgomery having already moved this deadline, it’s possible that the Dodgers may be running out of alternative options in their pursuit of rotation upgrades. Gonzalez indicates that the club is only expected to add further pitching if it’s an impactful addition, and with the likes of Blake Snell and Marcus Stroman seemingly unlikely to move, Verlander and Tigers lefty Eduardo Rodriguez could be the only arms left of that caliber.
Brewers Interested In Further Offensive Additions
The Brewers are hoping to add another bat to their lineup ahead of the deadline even after landing first baseman Carlos Santana in a deal with the Pirates last week, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. That Milwaukee is looking to add to their offense is hardly a surprise. The club’s collective wRC+ this season stands at just 88, bottom five in the sport and ahead of only the Rockies in the NL. While Santana addresses their lack of production from first base, they nonetheless have plenty of offensive holes to fill around their roster.
The club has gotten below average offensive production from every position around the diamond except for left field this season, though that certainly doesn’t mean they’ll be looking to upgrade their entire offense. Shortstop Willy Adames figures to be secure in his role, for example, and newly-promoted outfielder Sal Frelick figures to handle right field on a regular basis going forward. Given Joey Wiemer‘s quality defense in center field, it seems reasonable to expect him to remain a fixture in the lineup as well despite a lackluster wRC+ of 82.
The club could look to add offense to its infield by swinging a deal for third baseman Jeimer Candelario of the Nationals or second baseman Gleyber Torres of the Yankees, but the market for Candelario appears to be quite crowded and the Yankees currently appear more likely to buy than sell. That being said, either player would inject a well above-average bat into the club’s infield alongside Adames and Andruw Monasterio, the latter of whom can play anywhere on the infield as needed to accommodate a potential acquisition.
While an infield addition would make sense, the most straightforward way for the Brewers to improve their offensive production would be targeting an addition at DH. The club has gotten a pathetic 55 wRC+ from their DH slot to this point in the season, dead last in the majors. Adding a surefire, above-average bat who can be slotted in at DH on a daily basis would transform the look of the club’s lineup, and Matt Arnold‘s front office seems to know that given their reported interest in White Sox slugger Eloy Jimenez.
Jimenez, a former top prospect with a career 123 wRC+ and a contract that allows his club to control him through the end of the 2026 campaign, would be an excellent pickup for the Brewers, though he would likely come at a fairly hefty acquisition cost considering those positive attributes. There are a handful of rental options that could also be available to impact the club’s offensive profile at what would likely be a much more affordable prospect cost. Tommy Pham of the Mets, in particular, is a free agent after this season but has delivered a .268/.348/.472 slash line in 264 trips to the plate this season. Other possible options include Pham’s teammate Mark Canha or Red Sox slugger Adam Duvall.
While the Brewers are focused on adding to their offense, they appear to feel comfortable with their pitching staff as is with Rosenthal noting that Milwaukee does not expect to jump into the starting pitching market even after the loss of right-hander Julio Teheran to the injured list. Left-hander Wade Miley is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list on Wednesday, while Rosenthal notes that righty Brandon Woodruff is set to make a rehab start tomorrow and could also rejoin the rotation in the near future.
The Opener: Trade Deadline, Syndergaard, Cubs, Reds
With trade season in full swing, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. The Trade Deadline Draws Near:
MLB’s trade deadline is less than 36 hours away, and things kicked into gear in a big way over the weekend. The Rangers transformed their rotation by adding Max Scherzer in a deal with the Mets and Jordan Montgomery in a deal with the Rangers. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays found a replacement for the injured Jordan Romano in Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks. The Angels added depth to their position player group by acquiring Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron from the Rockies, while the Braves added infield depth of their own by dealing for Nicky Lopez from the Royals.
Looking ahead, the Red Sox are at least listening on outfielder Alex Verdugo, who could hold extra appeal to teams seeking a lefty-hitting outfielder after the Cubs took Cody Bellinger off the trade market. Among the biggest question marks headed into the last day before the deadline is Mets ace Justin Verlander. He signed a two-year, $86.666MM deal with the Mets during the offseason that included a no-trade clause, though comments from Verlander have indicated that the club’s decision to deal Scherzer and that decision’s implications for the club’s competitiveness in 2024 could make him willing to waive that no-trade protection. The Dodgers, Astros, Braves, and Reds have all been connected to the future Hall of Famer.
2. Thor Starts In Cleveland:
Right-hander Noah Syndergaard was recently shipped from the Dodgers to the Guardians in a change of scenery deal that sent infielder Amed Rosario the other way. He’ll make his first start for his new club today, taking the mound this evening against J.P. France and the Astros in Houston this evening. It will be Syndergaard’s first start since a three-inning, six-run blowup against the Reds in Cincinnati that raised his season ERA in 7.16. That was nearly two months ago, as the Dodgers placed Syndergaard on the IL with a blister issue. Now that Syndergaard is presumably fully healthy, the Guardians will hope that a new organization can help him get back on track, allowing Syndergaard to stabilize a Cleveland rotation that will be without Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie for the foreseeable future.
3. Series Preview: Reds @ Cubs
The NL Central has been one of this summer’s most back-and-forth division races, and a coming four-game set between the Reds and Cubs at Wrigley Field could once against turn the tides in their division. The Reds took the lead in the Central yesterday, putting them half a game ahead of Milwaukee and four games ahead of Chicago. The Reds are 3-3 in their last six games, while the Cubs just saw an eight-game win streak snapped by a loss last night. The Reds will try to pull further ahead in the Central with rookie left-hander Andrew Abbott on the mound (1.90 ERA). The Cubs will counter with right-hander Marcus Stroman (3.51 ERA) as they try to gain ground in the division.
Braves Designate Charlie Culberson For Assignment
The Braves made a series of roster moves this morning, per a club announcement. The club designated infielder Charlie Culberson for assignment to create room on the 40-man and active rosters for newly-acquired infielder Nicky Lopez. Meanwhile, left-hander A.J. Minter was activated from the 15-day injured list. Minter claimed a roster spot that was vacated by right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver when he was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett last night.
Despite the fact that Culberson was selected to the Major League roster on June 30, he appeared in only one game with the Braves and tallied a single plate appearance on July 16, during which he delivered a base hit. He’s otherwise been on-hand as bench depth but hasn’t been plugged into a game. This is the second time this season Atlanta has designated the veteran utilityman for assignment; he cleared waivers, elected free agency and quickly re-signed on a new minor league deal last time around.
Culberson, 34, has also appeared in 24 Triple-A games this season, batting .204/.234/.255 through 107 trips to the plate. It hasn’t been a strong year on the whole, but he’s beloved in the Braves organization, from the clubhouse to the fanbase, for his prior stints there in 2018-20. During that three-year period, Culberson delivered roughly league-average offense on the whole and appeared at every position other than catcher and center field. His penchant for clutch hits and walk-offs endeared him to Braves fans during that time, and Culberson enjoyed a career-best season with Atlanta in 2018 when he hit .270/.326/.466 with a dozen homers in 322 plate appearances.
The Braves will have until tomorrow evening’s trade deadline to trade Culberson if they choose, but it seems likelier that they’ll hope to pass him through outright waivers. He’d have the ability to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency once again, but given how quickly he re-upped with the Braves on a new minor league deal last time around, the same sequence could play out following his second DFA of the season.
Angels Place Taylor Ward On 60-Day IL With Facial Fractures
8:20PM: Ward has been moved to the 60-day IL to create some roster space for the Angels’ acquisitions of Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron from the Rockies. The move to the 60-day IL puts Ward out of action until late September at the earliest, and likely means that he isn’t expected to return this season.
9:30AM: The Angels announced this morning that outfielder Taylor Ward has been placed on the 10-day injured list with facial fractures. In a corresponding move, the club selected the contract of infielder Kevin Padlo. Padlo will take the 40-man roster spot vacated by left-hander Tucker Davidson, who was designated for assignment earlier in the week.
Ward’s injury stems from a scary moment during the club’s loss against the Blue Jays last night. As noted by MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger, Ward was struck in the face by a sinker from right-hander Alek Manoah. The 29 year old had to be carted off the field after the incident and was evaluated at a local hospital. Per The Athletic’s Sam Blum, Ward has since been released from the hospital but will not travel with the team to Atlanta for the series against the Braves, which begins tomorrow.
In 409 trips to the plate this season, Ward has posted a solid .253/.335/.421 slash line, 8% better than league average by measure of wRC+. While that slash line is a departure from the 137 wRC+ Ward offered last year, he’s caught fire in July, slashing a whopping .304/.424/.623 in his last 85 plate appearances. The loss of Ward for what figures to be an extended period is a crushing blow to an Angels club that is already dealing with injuries to Mike Trout, Logan O’Hoppe, Gio Urshela, Anthony Rendon, Brandon Drury, Max Stassi, and Jo Adell among its position player corps.
With Ward on the shelf, the club figures to rely on an outfield of Mickey Moniak, Hunter Renfroe, and Trey Cabbage for the time being. Between the club’s significant injury woes on the position player side of things and their recent blockbuster deal to acquire right-handers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez from the White Sox, it seems reasonable to expect the Angels to investigate additions to the club’s offense. They’ve already discussed a Jeimer Candelario deal with the Nationals, and it’s possible that Ward’s injury could push them to explore the outfield market as well. Tommy Pham, Mark Canha, and Adam Duvall are among the outfielders who could potentially be on the move ahead of the trade deadline on August 1.
Ward’s trip to the IL makes room on the active roster for Padlo, a 27-year-old journeyman who has played for five teams in the majors since making his big league debut in 2021. Padlo briefly came up to the big league club earlier this season, slashing .125/.125/.250 in just eight plate appearances before being designated for assignment to make room for veteran infielder Mike Moustakas after he was dealt from the Rockies to the Angels. Aside from that short stint in the majors, Padlo has spent this season primarily with Anaheim’s Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City, where he’s slashed a solid .257/.385/.464 in 51 games. Padlo, who has experience at first base, second base, third base, and left field, figures to provide a bat-first utility option to the Angels for the corner spots, complementing the glove-first work of Andrew Velazquez up the middle.
Rizzo: Nationals Have Eight Suitors For Jeimer Candelario
Nationals president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo made an appearance on SiriusXM’s Front Office on MLBNetwork Radio this afternoon, where he discussed Washington’s deadline plans with hosts Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette. As relayed by Bowden, Rizzo provided an update on the market for third baseman Jeimer Candelario, telling the duo that the club has eight teams in on the Nationals’ top trade chip. Rizzo further indicated that the club would “move fast” in getting a deal done once they’re offered the “right player” in exchange for Candelario’s services.
That the Nationals intend to move Candelario is hardly a surprise. He came in at #2 overall as the top position player on MLBTR’s recent update to our Top 50 Deadline Trade Candidates, with both the Marlins and Angels known to have interest in his services. SNY’s Andy Martino also reported today that the Yankees have interest.
It’s not hard to see why Candelario has drawn such interest, as has paired excellent third base defense with a 121 wRC+ in 98 games this season. In addition to his quality defense at the hot corner, Candelario also has experience in the majors at first base. With Cody Bellinger now off the trade market, that makes Candelario the likely best player available at both infielder corners. Speculatively speaking, the Giants, Diamondbacks, Brewers, and Astros each could use help at the infield corners.
Rizzo also discussed the availability of right-hander Kyle Finnegan and outfielder Lane Thomas, who clocked in at #37 and #41 on our Top 50 Deadline Trade Candidates list, respectively. Bowden relays that Rizzo indicated Finnegan has drawn interest from other clubs ahead of the deadline, and it’s easy to see why. Finnegan is controllable through 2025 and has been a solid arm in the Nationals’ bullpen since he made his big league debut in 2020. Finnegan’s career 3.35 ERA and 4.10 FIP are right in line with his 3.07 ERA and 4.17 FIP in 44 innings of work this season as the Nationals’ top option for closing out games.
Thomas, who is under team control through the end of the 2025 season, has slashed a solid .286/.333/.474 in 104 games this season with a wRC+ of 116 while swiping 12 bases in 14 attempts, is not a player Rizzo appears particularly inclined to move, with Bowden relaying that the impetus to move Thomas would be help at a position of greater need than the outfield, where the club sports top prospects James Wood, Robert Hassell, Dylan Crews, and Elijah Green.