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Kris Bryant Rumors: Deadline Day

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With free agency looming in November, Kris Bryant has likely already played his last game as a Cub.  The 29-year-old sports a 132 wRC+ in 374 plate appearances this year, and has shown versatility in playing at least 80 innings at both infield corners and all three outfield positions.  With a $19.5MM salary on the season, Bryant is still owed about $6.5MM this year.  The 2016 NL MVP winner seems quite likely to be traded today, if the Cubs can muster up a return better than a compensatory draft pick.  We’ll put the latest Bryant updates right here…

Latest Updates

  • The Giants and Bryant “are one pairing to watch,” tweets Jon Morosi of MLB Network.  The Cubs are making trades left and right, sending Craig Kimbrel to the White Sox and Javier Baez to the Mets today.

Earlier Updates

  • “It’s not a sure thing that [the] Cubs trade Bryant at all,” tweets Andy Martino of SNY.  That would certainly qualify as a surprise.
  • The Rays are talking with the Cubs about both Bryant and Craig Kimbrel, tweets Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.  Rosenthal notes that the Cubs may not necessarily package the two together, and a deal does not appear to be close.
  • The Mets and Cubs “remain apart in Kris Bryant talks,” tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Brewers Acquire Daniel Norris From Tigers

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The Brewers are finalizing a deal to acquire lefty reliever Daniel Norris from the Tigers, tweet Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.  MLB.com’s Jason Beck first broke news of the trade discussions, and he hears that minor league starter Reese Olson is heading back to the Tigers.  The deal is done, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.

Norris, 28, has struggled to the tune of a 5.89 ERA, 25.5 K%, and 9.6 BB% in 36 2/3 innings this year for Detroit.  The southpaw has been done in by a .354 batting average on balls in play, so better things may be on the horizon.  Plus, Norris has stifled lefties, whiffing more than 30% of them against a 7% walk rate.  He’s due for free agency after the season, so he’s a clear trade candidate for the Tigers.  Norris is earning $3.475MM on the season.

Norris was drafted in the second round by the Blue Jays back in 2011.  He was the key piece in the Jays’ acquisition of David Price in a deadline deal of six years ago, along with Matthew Boyd.  Back then, Norris was a 60-grade prospect with the potential of a frontline starter.  However, Norris battled numerous injuries in his Tigers career.  He made a career-high 29 starts in 2019, but switched to the bullpen permanently last August when Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize hit the scene.  Though Norris has mostly pitched in low-leverage situations for the Tigers this year, he did work his way up in the bullpen pecking order in July.

This month the Brewers have been relying on Josh Hader and Devin Williams in high leverage situations, with Williams activated from the IL for elbow discomfort on Tuesday.  In addition to Hader, the Brewers’ pen includes lefty Brent Suter.

Olson, 21, was a 13th round pick out of high school by the Brewers back in 2018.  He’s got a 4.30 ERA, 26.9 K%, and 11.9 BB% in 14 High-A starts this year.

White Sox Sign Kyle Crick To Minor League Deal

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The White Sox have signed reliever Kyle Crick to a minor league deal, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Crick, 28, posted a 4.44 ERA, 19.6 K% and 17.8 BB% in 24 1/3 innings this year, though he was able to avoid allowing any home runs.  Crick worked at 92.6 miles per hour this year, up from 2020, but well down from his 95-96 days of 2017-19.  The Pirates designated Crick for assignment and ultimately released him earlier this month.

Crick was drafted 49th overall out of high school back in 2011 by  the Giants as compensation for the loss of free agent Juan Uribe, luring him away from TCU.  Crick was viewed as a potential frontline starter back then.  Never able to work out his control issues, by 2017 Crick was permanently moved to the bullpen.  In January 2018, the Giants traded Crick and Bryan Reynolds to the Pirates for Andrew McCutchen.  Crick had success for the ’18 Pirates as a setup man, but he hit the IL for triceps tightness in April 2019.  At the end of that season, Crick underwent surgery on his right index finger after a fight with Felipe Vazquez, after Crick refused to turn off his music.  He dealt with shoulder and lat strains last year, making only seven appearances.  Crick then landed on the COVID-IL to start this season, and dealt with a triceps strain back in May.

If the White Sox add Crick to the 40-man roster, they’ll be able to control him beyond this year as an arbitration eligible player.  The Sox recently added Ryan Tepera in a trade with the Cubs, who will join Liam Hendriks, Ryan Burr, Garrett Crochet, and Michael Kopech in high-leverage situations.

Phillies, Pirates Swap Minor Leaguers

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The Phillies are acquiring minor league lefty Braeden Ogle from the Pirates, tweets Robert Murray of FanSided.  The Pirates will receive catcher Abrahan Gutierrez, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Mackey also notes that the trade “likely plays into the Pirates’ impending Rule 5 crunch,” in that Ogle would be more likely to be taken than Gutierrez.  The Phillies have since announced the trade.

Ogle celebrates his 24th birthday today – happy birthday, Braeden!  The southpaw was drafted in the fourth round out of high school by the Pirates back in 2016, signing for above slot.  As of 2019, when he was in A-ball, Ogle moved to a bullpen role.  After finishing 2019 in High-A, Ogle was able to jump to Triple-A this year after the lost 2020 minor league season.  In 31 2/3 innings, he’s punched out nearly 31% of batters, but has also walked nearly 17%.  Ogle hasn’t appeared on a prospect list for a while, but before 2018 Baseball America assigned him a 50 grade on account of a 94-96 mile per hour fastball as well as a decent slider and changeup.

Gutierrez was one of the players the Pirates were to receive in the Tyler Anderson trade with the Phillies that fell through, notes Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Gutierrez, 21, is hitting .288/.420/.429 in 2019 Low-A plate appearances this year. Prior to the season, Baseball America gave him a 40 grade, noting that Gutierrez “projects as a backup catcher if he can quicken his bat speed and make harder contact.”  He projects as an average defender, according to BA.  Gutierrez originally signed with the Braves out of Venezuela in 2017, but he was one of the 13 prospects who had his contract voided when GM John Coppolella was banned from MLB for life for circumventing international signing rules.  Gutierrez kept his $3.53MM bonus from the Braves, but then was able to sign a new contract with the Phillies.

The Phillies’ bullpen currently sports a 4.57 ERA.  Lefty Ranger Suarez has been their highest-leverage reliever of late.  They have another southpaw in Jose Alvarado, who has an 8.68 ERA and 21 BB% in his last ten appearances.

Rays Acquire Shawn Armstrong From Orioles

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The Rays have acquired reliever Shawn Armstrong from the Orioles, for cash considerations, according to Baltimore.  Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com was first with the news.

Armstrong, a 30-year-old righty, was thought to be a saves candidate for the Orioles back in March.  However, he started his season with trips to the paternity and COVID-19 list.  After that Armstrong struggled mightily, with an 8.55 ERA in 20 innings – including five home runs allowed.  By June Armstrong was designated for assignment by Baltimore, clearing waivers and joining Triple-A Norfolk.  Armstrong spoke to Kubatko about his tumultuous start to the season, a good reminder of the human side of the game.  Things went better for Armstrong in his 17 innings there, as he posted a 3.18 ERA with a 26.6% strikeout rate and 7.6% walk rate.

The Rays would need to add Armstrong to their 40-man roster to deploy him in their big league bullpen, which has endured significant turnover this year.  Pete Fairbanks has seen the highest-leverage work this month, but he just hit the IL yesterday for shoulder inflammation.  Collin McHugh went on the IL recently as well.  Also yesterday, Diego Castillo was sent to the Mariners, with JT Chargois joining the Rays.  Matt Wisler, acquired in June, has played a prominent role this month.  And Drew Rasmussen and J.P. Feyereisen were acquired from the Brewers back in the May Willy Adames deal.  Nick Anderson, one of the club’s top relievers from last year, is currently on a minor league rehab assignment.

If the Rays do put Armstrong on their 40-man roster, they’ll retain control of him as an arbitration eligible player, since he entered the season with just over three years of MLB service time.

Athletics Interested In Richard Rodriguez

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The A’s are among the teams to show interest in Pirates closer Richard Rodriguez, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB Network.  Rodriguez was previously linked to the Blue Jays.  Surely, other teams have checked in as well.  The bullpen is a deadline priority for Oakland, according to Morosi.

Since the beginning of June, five contenders sport bullpens with an ERA north of 4.50: the Yankees, Blue Jays, White Sox, Phillies, and Mets.  The Phillies, Yankees, Brewers, A’s, and Mariners each have at least nine blown saves during that time.  There are 14 clubs with at least a 10% chance at the playoffs at present, and even those with good bullpens will likely look to supplement at the deadline.

Rodriguez stands a good chance of being traded, with the Pirates still in a prospect-accumulation phase – as evidenced by yesterday’s Adam Frazier trade.  The 31-year-old Rodriguez, who’s under team control through 2023, currently owns a 2.82 ERA, 22.8 K%, 3.4 BB%, and 29.2% groundball rate.   The average MLB reliever currently sits at 24.5%, 10.0%, and 43.5% in those areas.  So Rodriguez’s only standout ability this year has been avoiding walks, and with so few groundballs he may soon return to his homer-prone ways.  Nor does Rodriguez throw particularly hard for a reliever in 2021, averaging 93.2 miles per hour on his fastball.  The magic is already wearing off — Rodriguez’s ERA stood at 0.45 on May 25th, but since then in 18 games he’s managed a 5.40 ERA.

Still, not every team is willing to shop in the Craig Kimbrel aisle, and Rodriguez remains a useful reliever earning just $1.7MM on the season.  The A’s already tried going big on their bullpen, committing $11MM to Trevor Rosenthal in February only to see him miss the entire season with a torn labrum in his hip.

This month, the A’s have been relying on a quintet of relievers in important situations: Lou Trivino, Jake Diekman, J.B. Wendelken, Sergio Romo, and Yusmeiro Petit.  The leaders of the group have been particularly plagued by the free pass, with Trivino and Diekman each hovering in the 18% range for walk rate this month.  So Rodriguez could be an antidote of sorts, though the A’s could also turn to Raisel Iglesias, Taylor Rogers, Richard Bleier, Michael Fulmer, Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson for potentially available relievers with low walk rates.

Latest On Jose Berrios

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The Twins are discussing Jose Berrios with multiple teams including the Padres and Dodgers, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB Network.  According to SNY’s Andy Martino, the Mets are not one of those other clubs at this time.

Berrios, 27, figures to be wildly popular on the trade market since he’s under team control for 2022 as an arbitration eligible player.  He ranks ninth in MLB with 121 2/3 innings, sporting a 3.48 ERA, 25.7 K%, and 6.5 BB%.  Berrios appears to have little interest in giving the Twins a discount on an extension, so naturally the team is listening to potential trade offers.  Dan Hayes of The Athletic wrote this month, “Early indications are the Twins asked another team that inquired about Berríos for a pre-arb player and two top-100 prospects.”  Speaking of top 100 prospects, Baseball America just updated their list.

In an earlier tweet, Morosi suggested the Yankees, Red Sox, Giants, Dodgers, Padres, Astros, and Phillies “are active in the starting pitching market now.”  But it’s difficult to name any contender that couldn’t push aside their worst starting pitcher for Berrios.

Mets More Focused On Rental Pitchers

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The Mets are in the market for pitching, reports SNY’s Andy Martino, who notes that they’re more focused on rentals than players controlled beyond 2021.  The Mets recently added ageless southpaw Rich Hill, who made his club debut yesterday with a five-inning start, but they remain in the market for pitching of all kinds.  The Mets’ injured list for pitchers is extensive, with Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, David Peterson, Robert Stock, Noah Syndergaard, Jordan Yamamoto, Robert Gsellman, Stephen Nogosek, Corey Oswalt, and Sean Reid-Foley.  Dellin Betances and Joey Lucchesi are out for the season due to Tommy John surgery, but Carrasco is close to making his Mets debut.

According to Martino, the Mets “intend to check in” with the Nationals about ace Max Scherzer, though such a trade would be a tough pill to swallow for the Nats.  Twins righty Jose Berrios is not a Mets target at this time, says Martino, in fitting with his point that New York prefers rentals so as not to deplete their farm system.

So what might the market for rental starting pitchers look like?  Narrowing to teams with less than a 10% shot at the playoffs according to FanGraphs, Scherzer, Jon Gray, Zach Davies, Charlie Morton, Drew Smyly, Mike Minor, Matt Harvey, Adam Wainwright, Jordan Lyles, Tyler Anderson, J.A. Happ, Andrew Heaney, Jose Urena, Jake Arrieta, Carlos Martinez, Jon Lester, Alex Cobb, Dylan Bundy, Michael Pineda, Danny Duffy, Jose Quintana, Kwang Hyun Kim, and Trevor Cahill fit the bill.  Not all of those pitchers are necessarily healthy or effective, but we’re casting a wide net.

Potential rental relievers include Raisel Iglesias, Daniel Hudson, Ian Kennedy, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin, Dan Winkler, Steve Cishek, Hansel Robles, Brad Hand, Josh Tomlin, Bryan Shaw, Greg Holland, Yimi Garcia, Alex Colome, Daniel Norris, Tony Watson, Jhoulys Chacin, Mychal Givens, Ross Detwiler, Joakim Soria, Chasen Shreve, Wade Davis, Andrew Miller, Derek Holland, Blake Parker, Shane Greene, and Erasmo Ramirez.

Michael Pineda Drawing Trade Interest

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Twins righty Michael Pineda is drawing trade interest, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB Network.  The 32-year-old takes the bump tonight at Target Field against Matt Manning and the Tigers, in what figures to be a well-scouted affair.  According to Darren Wolfson of KSTP TV, the Twins have not held extension talks with Pineda, who’s due for free agency after the season.  Wolfson notes that the Padres have scouted Pineda this month.

The cellar-dwelling Twins dealt one impending free agent last week as they shipped Nelson Cruz to the Rays.  In addition to Pineda, Andrelton Simmons, J.A. Happ, Alex Colome, and Hansel Robles are set for free agency after the season and may be sent packing by Friday’s deadline.  More desirable, but perhaps less likely to be dealt, are a trio of quality Twins players who are controlled through 2022: Byron Buxton, Jose Berrios, and Taylor Rogers.  The Twins figure to be central to this year’s trade deadline action.

The Twins re-signed Pineda to a two-year, $20MM deal back in December 2019, despite the knowledge that he’d miss the first 39 games of 2020 due to a PED suspension.  Assuming Pineda is making $10MM this year, more than $3MM will remain at the deadline.  Pineda sports a 3.93 through 13 starts this year, missing time with thigh and forearm injuries.  Pineda’s average fastball velocity is down to a career-worst 90.8 miles per hour this year.  On a related note, he’s punched out only 21% of batters faced, his worst mark since 2014.  Pineda’s strong control remains intact, with a walk rate south of 6%.  As a flyball-heavy hurler, he’s always been prone to the longball.

Despite adding Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, and Joe Musgrove in the offseason, the Padres continue to seek starting pitching depth.  Dinelson Lamet, working his way back from forearm inflammation, will make a temporary move to the bullpen once he returns.  Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune previously linked the club to Kenta Maeda, Kyle Gibson, Jordan Lyles, Danny Duffy, and Jon Gray.

As Jon Heyman of MLB Network sees it, almost all contenders aside from perhaps the White Sox and Astros are prioritizing starting pitching.  Morosi sees at least seven contenders as active in the starting pitching market at present: the Yankees, Red Sox, Giants, Dodgers, Padres, Astros, and Phillies.  Though Morosi did not mention the Mets, SNY’s Andy Martino says they’re in the market for help in both the rotation and bullpen, with a focus on rentals.

Boras Corp. Baseball Research Analyst Job Opening

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From time to time, as a service to our readers, MLB Trade Rumors will post job opportunities of possible interest that are brought to our attention. MLBTR has no affiliation with the hiring entity, no role in the hiring process, and no financial interest in the posting of this opportunity.

Position: Baseball Research Analyst – Full-time
Location: Newport Beach, CA

Description:
The Boras Corporation has an immediate opening for a creative, well-organized team player with a genuine interest in a career in baseball. You will be working in an office-based setting with others responsible for handling a variety of research, statistical and analytical needs. The ideal candidate will have personal experience in a team-sports environment combined with ability to present complex information in a visual presentation.

Minimum qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university (or sufficient relevant experience)
  • Prior baseball or team sports experience
  • Proficient in Keynote presentations, visual graphics, and Microsoft Excel
  • Outstanding communication, analytical, and organizational skills
  • Able to operate under short deadlines in a fast-paced environment

Additional Qualifications:

  • Fluent in Spanish (written and verbal)

To Apply:
Please send an email with the subject “Open BC Position” to borascorpcandidate@gmail.com by July 15, 2021.

The body of the email should contain the following, in this order:

  • Your resume.
  • In addition to the traditional resume information, please be sure to include any details about athletic experience and your ability to communicate in Spanish.
  • Your full contact information.
  • Personal and professional references
  • How you obtained this listing.
  • Your minimum annual salary requirement (needs to be a specific dollar figure).

Emails that do not contain all of this information will not be considered. Please do not send cover letters or attachments.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

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