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Padres Reportedly Trying To Trade Cashner Before Tomorrow’s Start

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10:27pm: FOX’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Padres are still expecting Cashner to make his start for the team tomorrow night. One source tells Rosenthal there’s a 99 percent chance that nothing will be completed prior to tomorrow night’s outing.

7:34pm: The Padres are widely expected to move right-hander Andrew Cashner before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, and according to a pair of reports from Jon Morosi of FOX Sports and MLB.com (Twitter link) and Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Cashner may have already made his final start with San Diego. Cashner is slated to pitch for the Friars tomorrow night, but both reporters indicate that there’s a possibility that the righty could be moved before that outing takes place. Morosi cites rival executives that believe San Diego GM A.J. Preller may want to move Cashner before he takes the hill.

Morosi lists the Orioles and Marlins as two teams that have spoken to the Padres about Cashner. The Rangers, too, have been linked to Cashner, and SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets that the talks between the two sides are ongoing but Texas wouldn’t be considered a favorite for him if a deal does indeed come together before tomorrow. The Royals have also been linked to Cashner this summer, though not in the past couple of weeks.

Cashner is coming off his strongest start of the season, which Lin notes may be a factor in the Padres’ urgency to deal him. The 29-year-old Cashner rattled off six innings of one-run ball and held the visiting Giants to four hits and no walks while striking out nine. That strong outing notwithstanding, Cashner is currently toting a disappointing 5.05 ERA. He’s seen his K/9 rate (7.1) and BB/9 rate (3.6) trend in the wrong direction this season and also been significantly more prone to the long ball, as his 1.5 HR/9 rate and 15.7 percent homer-to-flyball ratio are among the worst rates of his career. He’s also been limited to just 67 2/3 innings due to a hamstring strain and a neck strain.

In spite of those red flags, there’s plenty to like about Cashner. He’s a former high draft pick and top prospect that pitched to a combined 3.43 ERA in 483 innings from 2013-15 and is earning a reasonable $7.15MM this year in his final season before free agency. He’s still owed about $2.89MM of that salary through season’s end. Cashner’s velocity is down a bit in 2016, but his average fastball is still sitting at 93.6 mph, and his 47.1 percent ground-ball rate is largely unchanged from the past two seasons.

Latest On Jeremy Hellickson

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Jeremy Hellickson was masterful tonight in what could potentially be his final start as a member of the Phillies, as he held the Marlins to a run on five hits and no walks with eight strikeouts in eight innings. Hellickson is widely expected to be traded prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver deadline, and ESPN’s Jayson Stark writes that the Phillies are looking for a return similar to the one they got last summer in trading closer Jonathan Papelbon to the Nationals (right-handed pitching prospect Nick Pivetta). That is to say: they’re looking for a pitcher with a big arm (or multiple pitchers) not necessarily a top-tier prospect.

The Marlins themselves have had long-standing interest in Hellickson, Stark notes, and they got a first-hand look at the best he has to offer tonight. He adds that the Phillies will use the remaining money on Hellickson’s contract ($2.83MM through season’s end) as somewhat of a bargaining chip in talks, suggesting that they’ll be willing to eat some of the salary in order to enhance the prospect return from interested parties (if necessary). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, meanwhile, tweets that Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill was present at tonight’s game in Philadelphia and saw Hellickson dominate his club first-hand.

CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury reports that the Orioles, too, were present to scout Hellickson’s outing. More importantly from Salisbury, he writes that the Orioles and Phillies have already had discussions pertaining to Hellickson. However, one pitching-hungry team that is not in the market for Hellickson, according to Stark (Twitter link), is the Tigers. And, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Matt Gelb adds that the Pirates and Giants had scouts present at the Hellickson outing, though they’ve been present at a good deal of Phillies games lately to monitor the team’s available relievers.

Hellickson, 29, lowered his earned run average to 3.84 with tonight’s gem, and he’s now sporting a strong 8.0 K/9 against an similarly strong 2.0 BB/9 with a 42.1 percent ground-ball rate in 119 2/3 innings of work this year. He’s slated to become a free agent at season’s end, so the trade will benefit him in the sense that it removes the possibility of a being saddled with a qualifying offer.

Orioles Designate Henry Urrutia For Assignment, Place Hyun Soo Kim On DL

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The Orioles announced today that they have placed left fielder Hyun Soo Kim on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 11, with a strained hamstring. In his place, the club has selected the contract of outfielder Julio Borbon from Double-A Bowie and designated outfielder Henry Urrutia for assignment. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com first reported that Urrutia was to be designated for assignment.

[Related: Updated Baltimore Orioles Depth Chart]

The 29-year-old Urrutia received a $779K signing bonus when inking a minor league contract with the Orioles out of Cuba back in 2012 and has appeared in parts of big league seasons, hitting .272/.287/.337 in 94 plate appearances. Urrutia was an accomplished hitter in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, with a career line of .350/.426/.517, but he’s never tapped into that power with the Orioles organization. His work at the Triple-A level has yielded a .284 average and .333 OBP, but he’s slugged a timid .383 in that time (957 plate appearances).

Kim, 28, has come a long way since reportedly refusing a minors assignment in Spring Training. The O’s have brought him along slowly and the results have been excellent, as the man nicknamed the “Hitting Machine” in Korea has lived up to that billing with a .329/.410/.454 batting line in 173 trips to the plate. With that type of production, the O’s, who are clinging to a 1.5 game lead in the AL East, will hope that his absence is brief in nature.

The 30-year-old Borbon once looked like a potential catalyst atop the Rangers lineup but hasn’t appeared in the Majors since 2013. He’s a career .272/.318/.347 hitter in the bigs and has delivered a .289/.353/.373 slash with 20 stolen bases in 83 games for Baltimore’s Double-A affiliate this season.

Passan’s Latest: Yanks, Cubs, Hill, Gallo, Ziegler, Shoemaker, Reds

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The latest 10 Degrees column from Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports is rife with trade talks as the non-waiver deadline now sits just two weeks away. Passan begins by dedicating further ink to the oft-discussed Kyle Schwarber, writing that no player in baseball is more appealing to Yankees GM Brian Cashman, but the Cubs remain steadfast in their desire to hold onto him. Passan writes that perhaps if the Yankees were willing to part with both Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman, the Cubs could waver, but the commonly repeated refrain at this point seems to be that Chicago simply isn’t interested in moving Schwarber.

More highlights from Passan’s column, which is well worth a full look-through…

  • The Yankees “are going to trade Chapman” within the next two weeks, Passan definitively notes on more than one occasion. While New York won’t fully tear down the roster, rental players like Chapman and Carlos Beltran figure to draw plenty of attention. Beltran’s poor defense makes him a tough sell to an NL club, but an AL club with a need at DH and some occasional outfield at-bats would significantly boost its lineup by adding Beltran to the mix.
  • The Red Sox, Rangers, Orioles, Blue Jays and Dodgers are all expected to be in the bidding for Athletics ace Rich Hill, as are the Tigers, who have been calling around and asking about rotation upgrades, per Passan. The A’s, however, haven’t been willing to hold any meaningful talks about Sonny Gray, whose stock is at a low point right now in the wake of some highly uncharacteristic struggles. Passan also notes that Josh Reddick is “very unlikely” to reach an extension with Oakland at this juncture, though if the A’s were really only open to a three-year deal even as recently as July 9, I’d contend that it was never really a possibility in the first place.
  • A match between the Rangers and Rays centering around controllable pitching is readily apparent, and some sources have expressed to Passan that they believe the Rangers are willing to part with prized slugger Joey Gallo in order to land a long-term rotation piece. Gallo, of course, is arguably the most powerful prospect in all of Minor League Baseball but doesn’t have a clear long-term fit on the Rangers’ roster now that Adrian Beltre has been extended. He could theoretically be shifted across the diamond to first base or transition to the outfield, though, if the Rangers do hold onto him, so it’s not as though he has nowhere to play on the club in the near future.
  • Clubs that were pursuing Brad Ziegler were stunned by what the D-backs accepted in exchange for him, according to both Passan and Peter Gammons of the MLB Network (links to Twitter). Passan writes that the Indians, Blue Jays and Cubs all expressed interest in Ziegler and were all met with asking prices of Top 100-type or even Top 50-type prospects in return. Arizona, however, acquired a pair of prospects that weren’t nearly that well regarded in return. One NL GM who spoke to Gammons wondered if Dave Dombrowski’s close relationship with Tony La Russa impacted the negotiations.
  • Scouts have raved about Matt Shoemaker since his return from the minors, with one telling Passan that his splitter is the best he’s seen this season. The Angels don’t want to go into a full rebuild and are loath to move controllable pitching, but Shoemaker would draw strong interest.
  • The Reds don’t want to trade Anthony DeSclafani, but the dearth of quality arms on this summer’s trade market and on the upcoming free agent market gives Cincinnati a chance to cash in on what could potentially be a big chip. MLBTR’s Jeff Todd noted as much when examining the trade market for starting pitchers last week.
  • The Indians, Rangers, Nationals, Orioles, Giants and Dodgers have all at least checked in on Reds outfielder Jay Bruce. Passan writes that Cleveland could be the favorite, which seems curious in light of Tyler Naquin’s recent breakout and reports that Michael Brantley is making better progress than expected. If such reports about Brantley are more of a smokescreen from the Cleveland front office than a genuine representation of the star outfielder’s progress, the interest in Bruce would make more sense. If not, it’s tough to see where Bruce would fit in with Naquin, Brantley, Rajai Davis and Jose Ramirez all representing outfield options (to say nothing of Lonnie Chisenhall, who is hitting well but not exactly replicating last season’s eye-popping defensive metrics). Cleveland has been more heavily tied to bullpen help of late, and, from my vantage point, had a greater need behind the plate than in the outfield even before the weekend injury to Yan Gomes.

Deadline Notes: Hill, Nats, Dodgers, Rays, Braves, Yanks, O’s

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Injuries continue to be a problem for Athletics left-hander Rich Hill, who departed his start against Toronto on Sunday during the first at-bat of the game. Hill had to exit after the blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand popped, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. That blister pushed Hill’s start from Friday to Sunday. With the Aug. 1 deadline creeping up, scouts from several contenders were on hand to watch the 36-year-old trade candidate, as Slusser reported earlier Sunday. Durability is the big question with Hill, who hasn’t exceeded 100 innings in a season since 2007 and has already missed significant time this year with a groin injury. Hill has dominated while on the mound in 2016, though, with a 2.25 ERA, 10.66 K/9, 3.32 BB/9, 50 percent ground-ball rate and 14.5 percent infield fly ball mark in 76 innings.

More deadline-related news:

  • Scouts from the Nationals, Dodgers and Rangers were in attendance for the Rays’ Jake Odorizzi’s start Sunday against the Orioles, reports Bill Chastain of MLB.com (via Twitter). Odorizzi fired six innings of two-run ball and struck out seven against one walk in a 5-2 victory. The right-hander lowered his season ERA to 4.39 and improved his respective strikeout and walk rates per nine innings to 8.54 and 2.85. Interest in Odorizzi from the Rangers is no surprise, as they and the Rays are reportedly discussing him (and two of Tampa Bay’s other starters) leading up to the deadline.
  • Matt Moore, another of the Rays’ coveted starters, drew scouts from the Dodgers, Red Sox, Rangers, Pirates and Nationals for his Saturday start, per Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times. As is the case with Odorizzi, the Rangers are also engaging with the Rays about Moore, so Texas’ interest isn’t a revelation. Moore spun 7 1/3 two-run innings in a 2-1 loss and dropped his ERA to 4.33. The 27-year-old has also put up 7.58 K/9 against 2.63 BB/9 this season.
  • Despite hitting the disabled list Saturday with an oblique injury, 25-year-old Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino isn’t out of play for the deadline, tweets FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman. Although Vizcaino has struggled of late, his numbers this year – 3.00 ERA, 11.75 K/9, 5.5 BB/9 and 54.8 percent ground-ball rate in 36 innings – are mostly outstanding and he’s under control via arbitration eligibility through 2019. Those factors, not to mention his $897,500 salary this year, could combine to make Vizcaino rather appealing to reliever-needy teams.
  • The Yankees are scouting the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse, leading Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post to wonder (on Twitter) if a trade is in the works. The Nats are looking for bullpen help, per several reports in recent months, and Yankees lights-out relievers Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller have been connected to Washington as a result.
  • The Orioles are interested in adding a left-handed reliever, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Kubatko lists the Braves’ Eric O’Flaherty, whom the O’s were previously interested in, and free agent Joe Beimel as possibilities outside the organization.

Cafardo’s Latest: Encarnacion, Jays, BoSox, Moore, O’s, Royals

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Standout Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion is a pending free agent, and the division-rival Red Sox will have a designated hitter opening at season’s end if David Ortiz goes through with his retirement. The idea of the Red Sox signing Encarnacion in the offseason as Ortiz’s replacement has come up as a result, and Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports that the 33-year-old has some important fans in Boston. Manager John Farrell, bench coach Torey Lovullo and third base coach Brian Butterfield – all of whom were previously in Toronto – are Encarnacion supporters, which could factor into whether the BoSox pursue him. In regards to his future, Encarnacion offered, “We’ll see what’s going to happen. For now I’m with the Blue Jays and I’m just trying to contribute to us winning.”

More from Cafardo:

  • Left-hander Matt Moore is the likeliest Rays starter to end up on the move, team executives believe. Having posted a 4.33 ERA, 7.58 K/9 and 2.63 BB/9 through 116 1/3 innings, the 27-year-old is drawing interest from the Blue Jays, Dodgers, Royals, Red Sox, Orioles, Marlins and Rangers (notably, Rob Bradford of WEEI reported Saturday that the Rays aren’t open to dealing with division-rival Boston; the same might hold true with Baltimore and Toronto). Moore is reasonably priced via club options through 2019.
  • All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy offered some possible explanations as to why the Brewers haven’t traded him yet, despite incessant rumors.“There haven’t been that many catchers who have been injured this year so that’s one reason,” he said. “Some teams think it’s tough to bring a catcher in at midseason because they have to get to know a whole new set of pitchers. That’s not a huge factor for me. And then whatever it is you have to give up.” Considering his elite two-way production and cheap control through 2017, Milwaukee should be in line for a lofty return if it finally moves the 30-year-old before the deadline.
  • The Twins would willingly take a lesser return for right-hander Ervin Santana if it enables them to jettison the remainder of his $28MM salary. The Orioles and Royals, whom Santana previously pitched for, are potential fits for the 33-year-old. Santana has logged a 4.12 ERA, 6.68 K/9 and 2.58 BB/9 in 98 1/3 frames this year.
  • It’s unclear if the Angels will make right-hander Matt Shoemaker available, though their stated unwillingness to rebuild makes it unlikely. The 29-year-old’s decent 4.08 ERA across 106 innings belies the dominance he has displayed since mid-May, when he rejoined the Halos after a minor league demotion. Going back to May 21, Shoemaker has amassed 88 strikeouts against nine walks in 76 1/3 frames. In his latest outing, he threw a complete game, 13-K shutout against the White Sox on Saturday. Adding to Shoemaker’s value is that he won’t make his first trip through arbitration until after the season, meaning he has four full years of team control left.
  • Former big league skipper Ozzie Guillen, now a broadcaster for Latin American media outlets, would “absolutely” like another managerial job in the majors. Guillen hasn’t managed since Miami fired him in the wake of pro-Fidel Castro comments he made in 2012.

Latest On Athletics

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Plenty of eyes will be on left-hander Rich Hill on Sunday as he makes what could be his final start with the Athletics, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Scouts from a handful of playoff-contending clubs – the Red Sox, Rangers, Orioles, Marlins and Tigers – will be in attendance to observe Hill’s home outing against the Blue Jays.

Hill, 36, has unexpectedly established himself as a hot commodity leading up to the Aug. 1 trade deadline since his torrid stretch as a member of the aforementioned BoSox last September. Dating back to that four-start run, the journeyman has performed like an ace over a 105-inning sample, having recorded a 2.06 ERA, 10.8 K/9, 2.83 BB/9, 49.6 percent ground-ball percentage and 17.9 percent infield fly rate. As a result, the A’s are hoping to land a haul similar to the one they received from Houston for southpaw Scott Kazmir last year (two prospects, right-hander Daniel Mengden and catcher Jacob Nottingham), according to Slusser, who notes that a Hill trade isn’t necessarily a sure bet.

If the A’s can’t find a deal to their liking for Hill, they could retain him through the season and then tender the free agent-to-be a qualifying offer, which will be worth in the $17MM neighborhood. Should Hill accept, that would give him roughly $23MM over two years with the A’s (including $6MM this season), which, considering his performance, wouldn’t be an unreasonable cost for his services. However, the A’s are much less likely to keep Hill and qualify him than they are right fielder Josh Reddick, per Slusser. Reddick – another pending free agent – is drawing pre-deadline interest around the league, as Slusser reported last weekend, and he and the A’s are far apart on contract extension talks.

In the event Oakland does shop one or both of Hill or Reddick, it won’t try to attach designated hitter Billy Butler and his contract to either, adds Slusser. The A’s are more worried about maximizing the return for their best trade assets than taking less just to throw Butler’s $15MM overboard. Since signing a three-year, $30MM deal with the A’s in November 2014, the ex-Royal has become an afterthought. In 163 plate appearances this season, the 30-year-old Butler has hit .253/.307/.380 with two home runs. His poor output could lead Oakland to eventually designate him for assignment, Slusser writes.

Interestingly, third baseman Danny Valencia is another designation candidate, reports Slusser, even though he has batted a fantastic .295/.348/.507 with 30 home runs in 659 PAs going back to last year. Despite that production and his cheap team control through next season, Valencia is not garnering interest, relays Slusser. With the out-of-contention A’s looking to evaluate their younger talent, the 31-year-old Valencia could end up designated – as he was with the Royals last season – if Oakland can’t find a taker for him. Whether Valencia is open to positions other than third and how he handles a decrease in playing time might keep the A’s from giving him his walking papers, however, according to Slusser.

Heyman’s Latest: Hosmer, Corbin, O’s, Astros, Brewers, Rangers

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Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports covers a lot of ground in his latest Inside Baseball column, beginning with a look at the Royals and the closing window of Kansas City’s core players (Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas). Hosmer is controllable through 2017, and while the Royals would love to keep him in K.C. forever, Heyman writes that Royals brass feels Hosmer and agent Scott Boras could seek $20MM+ on a 10-year deal. Those numbers may sound jarring for Hosmer, especially in light of Brandon Belt’s $79MM price tag this offseason, but a pair of GMs to whom Heyman spoke invoked contractual comparisons of Jason Heyward and Jacoby Ellsbury when looking ahead to Hosmer’s market. Hosmer will be entering his age-28 season when he hits the free-agent market, so he’ll certainly have youth on his side in addition to consistently improving performance.

More from the lengthy column…

  • While the Diamondbacks have received trade interest in left-hander Patrick Corbin, GM Dave Stewart bluntly tells Heyman that he is “not moving Corbin.”  Moving Corbin right now would be selling exceptionally low on a highly talented left-hander in the midst of a down season; Corbin looked like a budding star with the D-backs in 2013 and barely missed a beat in 2015 when returning from 2014 Tommy John surgery, but he’s currently sporting a 4.94 ERA on the season.
  • The Orioles continue to hunt for starting pitching and have looked at Rich Hill and also checked in on Drew Pomeranz prior to his trade to the Red Sox. Baltimore, though, is pretty low on top-end prospects, which could make it difficult to submit the best offer for Hill, who’s been in high demand this summer.
  • Astros right-hander Scott Feldman is available in trades, according to Heyman, and some rival executives believe that Houston would be open to moving Pat Neshek and Josh Fields despite their recent surge back into the division race. Feldman has handled a shift to the bullpen with aplomb and is currently sporting a 2.56 ERA with an improved 6.2 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9 and a 47.6 percent ground-ball rate in 52 2/3 innings. He’s earning $8MM in the final season of a front-loaded three-year, $30MM contract. Neshek has a $7.8MM club option for the 2017 season ($500K buyout) and has a strong 2.54 ERA, though metrics like FIP, xFIP and SIERA all feel he’s been fortunate to post that mark this season. Fields is the opposite, with strong peripherals laying underneath an unsightly 6.89 ERA. He’s controllable through 2018.
  • There “hasn’t been much buzz lately” when it comes to the potential trades of Brewers stars Jonathan Lucroy and Ryan Braun, per Heyman, who notes that Lucroy again voiced at the All-Star festivities that he’d like to play for a contending club. Heyman adds that relievers Will Smith and Jeremy Jeffress figure to draw plenty of interest, though there’s no firm indication that Milwaukee is open to dealing either of those controllable bullpen cogs.
  • A club that spoke to the Rangers about trades came away with the impression that Joey Gallo isn’t very attainable. Gallo hasn’t been definitively mentioned as a trade candidate, but there’s been plenty of speculation about whether he could be included in a win-now move for the Rangers, especially in the wake of Adrian Beltre’s extension earlier this season. Heyman adds that the Rangers have investigated “basically all available starters,” which lines up with reports from recent weeks linking them to the likes of Ervin Santana, Pomeranz, Jake Odorizzi, Matt Moore and others.

Quick Hits: CBA, Minor League Wages, MASN, Academies

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Ongoing collective bargaining talks between Major League Baseball and the player’s union have been civil and remain promising, but Tyler Kepner of the New York Times writes that there are still issues to iron out. International amateur intake, the qualifying offer system, and PEDs all pose thorny questions. And matters such as expansion of rosters, if not also teams, and a reduction of the regular-season schedule could also need sorting. The smart money remains on a peaceful process, it seems, as most areas of potential conflict are of fairly limited scope and the parties have worked together on several complicated matters of late.

  • An issue that has increasingly drawn attention is the wages owed to minor league ballplayers. Nathaniel Grow of Fangraphs takes a close look at the matter, including what to glean from recent comments from commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA chief Tony Clark.
  • The TV rights fees dispute between the Nationals and Orioles, which is centered around the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, is still bound up in court, as Jeff Barker of the Baltimore Sun reports. The judge in the case has rejected the Nats’ request that another MLB arbitration proceeding be commenced, leaving more to battle over even before a new hearing is had on the underlying merits. Manfred still says that he believes a league-run panel will decide the matter, as Ronald Blum of the Associated Press reports (via the Washington Times).
  • We don’t often hear of top draft picks coming from the service academies, though Air Force righty Griffin Jax recently signed with the Twins after being taken in the third round. As Brent Briggeman of the Colorado Springs Gazette reports, rule changes could make players such as Jax more common. The two-year active-duty service requirement that applies to the academies can now be waived upon application, if an athlete has signed a professional sports contract.

AL East Notes: Kim, Bautista, A-Rod, Arcia

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Let’s check in with some news from around the AL East…

  • Hyun Soo Kim suffered a hamstring strain while running out a grounder and had to leave Sunday’s game after just an inning of play.  The Orioles outfielder will undergo some tests on Monday and manager Buck Showalter told reporters (including Dan Connolly of Baltimore Baseball) that he hopes Kim can heal during the All-Star break and not require any DL time.  Kim entered today with a very impressive .331/.413/.457 slash line over his first 172 plate appearances in the big leagues.
  • Jose Bautista has begun to hit off a tee and the Blue Jays are hopeful the slugger can return before the end of July, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith writes.  Bautista has been sidelined since mid-June due to turf toe, already missing a bit more time than expected with the injury.  The outfielder was hitting .230/.360/.455 with 12 homers in 286 PA — a down year by Bautista’s standards, though he’ll still have at least two months to position himself for a big contract in free agency this winter.
  • Alex Rodriguez will take grounders at first base over the All-Star break and continue to work at the position once the season resumes, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports.  Rodriguez made the first two appearances of his long career at first base last season, though those were two of just six total games A-Rod played in the field in 2015.  This season, Rodriguez has appeared only as a DH and pinch-hitter, and his playing time has been cut due to both his season-long slump and the Yankees’ desire to use Carlos Beltran as a DH (for both injury reasons and to improve their outfield defense).  With Mark Teixeira also a health question mark, A-Rod could get some limited action at first, particularly against left-handed pitching.
  • Oswaldo Arcia is happy to be with the Rays but is still disappointed the Twins traded him, the outfielder tells Fangraphs’ David Laurila.  “I don’t think I got the opportunity to show what I could really do,” Arcia said.  “I know the class of player that I am. I don’t know that I got the time to show that.  You’re going to struggle — there are ups and downs in this game — and you’re going to make adjustments. Everybody in this room is making adjustments every day.”  Arcia also said he pressed too hard after being demoted to Triple-A last season, which didn’t help his path back to the bigs: “If you try to do too much, you’ll end up doing less.”
  • In other AL East news from earlier today, we covered some Red Sox and Yankees items in the latest edition of AL Notes, and the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo shared several interesting trade buzz items from around the division (and all of baseball).
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