Cardinals Rumors: Montgomery, Flaherty, Bullpen, Outfield
The Cardinals are perhaps the most intriguing seller of this trade deadline. The preseason favorite for the NL Central expected to build upon a 93-win campaign in 2022, the team has failed to live up to expectations with a brutal 46-60 record that leaves them in last place in the division and ahead of only the Rockies and Nationals in the NL. With the club’s eyes turned toward the future, speculation has run rampant regarding many of the club’s interesting pieces, both those who are set to hit free agency after the season and those who are under team control longer-term.
Despite their status as the league’s premiere seller, the Cardinals have largely been quiet to this point with the trade deadline just over 48 hours away. While reports earlier in the week hinted at the possibility of a blockbuster involving third baseman Nolan Arenado, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak firmly shut those rumors down yesterday. While Arenado may not be on the move, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently discussed a bevy of other rumors regarding the club’s options ahead of the trade deadline.
Most clearly positioned to move over the next two days are the club’s duo of mid-rotation rental starters: left-hander Jordan Montgomery and right-hander Jack Flaherty. Goold notes that both players, along with closer Jordan Hicks, are generating interest throughout the league, though the returns on each of those players, if traded by themselves, would reportedly not fit the mold of the Cardinals’ preferred return: controllable, major-league ready starting pitching.
That’s hardly a surprise, given controllable starters are typically regarded as some of the most valuable commodities in the sport. Given this, Goold indicates that the club could get creative and pair rental players with younger, controllable pieces would yield their desired return. In particular, Goold name-checks outfielders Alec Burleson and Dylan Carlson alongside relievers Giovanny Gallegos and Ryan Helsley as longer-term pieces who could be moved. In terms of potential Cardinals targets, Goold references both Yankees prospect Clayton Beeter and Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert, though Goold cautions that Gilbert would require a “high-ceiling return.”
Recent reporting had previously indicated trade interest in Burleson from multiple clubs, and Goold reaffirms the Yankees’ previously reported interest in Carlson. Goold adds that, in addition to Carlson, the Yankees have interest in Hicks, who has also drawn interest from the Rangers. Additionally, Goold notes that the market for Flaherty and Montgomery includes the Marlins, who have scouted Flaherty in person this trade season, while the Rays are noted to have interest in St. Louis’s available pitchers more generally.
While Miami is seemingly focused on Flaherty among the club’s duo of rental starters, Jon Morosi of MLBNetwork reported last night that talks surrounding Montgomery were “gaining momentum” and that a deal was becoming increasingly likely. While Morosi didn’t specify which team the Cardinals were discussing Montgomery with, he noted that both the Diamondbacks and Orioles have engaged in discussions with St. Louis in recent days.
Mike Elias On Orioles’ Deadline Plans
Orioles general manager Mike Elias spoke with MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko, Baltimore Baseball’s Rich Dubroff, and other reporters Friday about what the American League leaders might do in advance of the August 1 trade deadline. Speaking in broad terms about needs, Elias said that “I think that if we are going to make additional acquisition trades, I would bet heavily they are going to be on the pitching side of things. I think it’s no secret that that would be the areas of the team where we could (A) either use more depth, or (B) look for upgrades.”
Elias obviously didn’t address specific reports or players, but the Orioles have been linked to such pitchers as Michael Lorenzen and (before the Angels pulled him off the market entirely) Shohei Ohtani on the rumor mill, hinting that the team in looking for rotation help. The Orioles’ current starters are roughly around the middle of the pack in most statistical categories, with Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells standing out as the best two starters in terms of pure results. Kyle Gibson and Dean Kremer have been more hit-and-miss, while Cole Irvin and highly-touted youngster Grayson Rodriguez haven’t delivered much in the way of results. Apart from one Keegan Akin start, the top six hurlers have taken the ball for every other Baltimore game this season, so this durability and reliability has been helpful.
Beyond the rotation, Elias also suggested that middle relief was a target area. The O’s have made one move in this regard by acquiring Shintaro Fujinami from the Athletics, with Elias saying that Fujinami can take over one of “a couple spots that were in flux.” The Orioles gave up minor league pitching prospect Easton Lucas in that deal, a relatively minor expenditure given Baltimore’s deep farm system.
It remains to be seen if the O’s are willing to go into the upper levels of its minor league ranks for further trades. On paper, the Orioles have enough top-tier prospects to get into the conversation about almost any trade asset, yet after years of rebuilding, “we can’t set the minor league system on fire just because we’re in first place,” Elias said.
“A big part of my job is worrying about the overall health of the team over the next several years. So, you just try to balance all those things….Ultimately we’re measured on the results of how all these things go over a several-year period and it’s really not easy to do or get it right, so we’re just trying to take all of that into account. But clearly, we’re going to want to stretch a little bit and try to help this really good 2023 team if we get within arm’s reach of something.”
While Elias didn’t close the door on the idea of trading any prospects, he also left open the possibility of moving big leaguers, even if that isn’t his first option. “We have no intent of subtracting from the 26-man roster….but it comes up in conversations and if that’s something that we need to consider to make the trade that we want to make, we’ll balance all that. I can’t rule it out,” the GM said.
In keeping with this overall “wide open” approach, Elias also said that the Orioles have some extra money to spend, as ownership has given the front office some ability “to make good baseball trades that could add to our payroll if we find them,” Elias said.
“I think the ball’s kind of in the court of the baseball ops department, which is great, and I think it’s a big testament to the management environment that we have here and how much trust this group’s gotten from partnership level, ownership level, John Angelos. But it’s up to us to kind of navigate this and we have to find a match with other teams, and they’re doing their things, too.”
Given Elias’ generally cautious approach, it is probably safe to assume that the Orioles won’t suddenly take on a huge contract at the deadline. For instance, their interest in a high-priced star like Ohtani might have been due diligence, or perhaps a singular pursuit given Ohtani’s uniquely elite skillset. Still, considering that the O’s were spending $148MM as recently as 2018, adding one notable salary at the deadline doesn’t seem out of the question, considering that Baltimore has less than $61MM on the books for the season. In theory, the Orioles’ potential ability to absorb salary might help them obtain a noteworthy player without giving up much of anything from the active roster or minor league ranks, though that naturally depends on how much financial “flexibility” Elias might truly have.
Orioles Interested In Michael Lorenzen
The Orioles are among the teams eyeing Tigers’ starter Michael Lorenzen, reports Jon Morosi of MLB.com (Twitter link). They join the Astros and Rays as clubs reportedly in the mix for the Detroit righty.
Just as Lorenzen is a sensible target for Houston and Tampa Bay, the fit for Baltimore is straightforward. Lorenzen seems highly likely to move before next Tuesday’s deadline. He’s an impending free agent on a Detroit club that fell 11 games below .500 upon getting swept in a doubleheader against the Angels today.
The first-time All-Star is having arguably the best season of his career. It’s his second straight season as a full-time starter. After posting league average numbers in 18 starts for the Angels last year, the 31-year-old has been a mid-rotation caliber arm this season. Even following a five-inning, three-run performance against the Halos this afternoon, he carries a 3.58 ERA across 105 2/3 frames.
Lorenzen’s underlying marks aren’t quite that strong, largely because he’s not missing a ton of bats. His 19.9% strikeout rate is a couple points below league average, while his 42.5% grounder percentage is right around par. The nine-year MLB veteran has walked only 6.5% of opponents, though, a notable improvement on last year’s 10.7% figure. He’s mixing five pitches with some amount of regularity and hasn’t had any platoon concerns.
That production makes him a logical target for win-now teams seeking rotation help. The Orioles certainly qualify. Baltimore has the best record in the American League at 62-40. They’re up a game and a half (three in the loss column) on Tampa Bay for the AL East lead. The rebuild is over, and while there’s still some question about how aggressively the O’s will push chips in, they could make a competitive offer for Lorenzen without subtracting from the top of the farm system.
Detroit signed Lorenzen to an $8.5MM free agent deal. Just over $3MM of that salary is yet to be paid out. Lorenzen has already locked in an extra $250K in incentives by passing the 100-inning mark and would earn a matching amount at 125, 150, 175, 195 and 205 frames.
That’s a modest price to pay for a mid-rotation arm who’d likely step into the projected playoff rotation. Baltimore’s starting staff is its relative weak point. The O’s have an excellent offense and elite relief corps but rank 17th in MLB with a 4.52 rotation ERA.
Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells each have a sub-4.00 mark with slightly above-average strikeout/walk profiles. Kyle Gibson has offered his typically steady back-of-the-rotation innings. Dean Kremer has been a bit homer-prone en route to a fine but unexciting 4.59 ERA in 21 starts. Offseason trade pickup Cole Irvin has struggled and bounced in and out of the rotation, while top prospect Grayson Rodriguez has an ERA pushing 7.00 through his first 12 big league outings.
Orioles Outright Josh Lester
July 26: The Orioles announced that Lester went unclaimed on waivers and has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. He’ll remain with the organization but is no longer on the 40-man roster.
July 19: The Orioles announced they’ve designated corner infielder/outfielder Josh Lester for assignment. The move clears a 40-man roster spot for Shintaro Fujinami, who has officially been acquired from Oakland.
Baltimore signed Lester to a minor league contract over the winter. The left-handed hitter had debuted with two MLB games for the Tigers last season after seven-plus years in the minors. Baltimore selected his contract in early June and has gotten him into 11 more MLB contests. He has collected four hits (all singles) and a walk in 23 plate appearances.
The 29-year-old has spent the rest of the season with the O’s top farm team in Norfolk. His .273/.326/.504 batting line over 292 plate appearances is around league average in a very offense-oriented International League. Lester can bounce around between the corner positions but is more of a bat-first player.
Baltimore will trade him or put him on waivers within the next week. Detroit successfully ran Lester through outright waivers at the start of last offseason. If he goes unclaimed again, he’d have the ability to test minor league free agency as a player with multiple career outrights.
Shohei Ohtani Drawing Widespread Trade Interest
The biggest question of this year’s trade deadline is whether or not the Angels will trade Shohei Ohtani. Unsurprisingly, several rival clubs are interested in acquiring his services, with Jeff Passan of ESPN connecting him to the Rangers, Dodgers, Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays. That’s in addition to reporting from yesterday connecting him to the Diamondbacks and Orioles.
The fact that several clubs are interested in Ohtani is hardly shocking, given that the superstar has played so well in recent years to make it a legitimate question as to whether he’s the greatest player of all time. He’s hit at least 34 home runs in each of the past three seasons, having already hit 36 this year for the league lead with still a few months to go. His overall batting line of .302/.398/.674 amounts to a wRC+ of 184, which also leads all major league hitters. In addition to that, he’s thrown 408 innings as a pitcher since the start of 2021 with a 2.98 ERA, including a 3.71 ERA in his 19 starts this year.
Given the unprecedented nature of his performance, it would be a shock if any contender weren’t interested in him, so it stands to reason that several of them are reportedly on the phone lines. Whether Ohtani can actually be pried loose from the Angels is an open question, however. Recent reporting has suggested that the club will be listening to offers but that a deal is still considered unlikely. Ohtani is an impending free agent but the Halos aren’t completely buried in the standings. Their 51-49 record has them 4.5 games behind the Blue Jays for the final playoff spot, but with the Yankees and Red Sox in between. FanGraphs pegs their playoff odds at 13.7% while Baseball Prospectus puts them at 13.2%.
Rival clubs will only be able to acquire a few months of Ohtani’s services, but the offers will likely still be robust. Since a player like Ohtani has never previously existed, it’s hard to know exactly how much clubs would be willing to relinquish in order to acquire him. But since he’s the most impactful individual player that any club could conceivably add, it’s possible the bidding goes to unexpected levels. Beyond his on-field talents, there would also be opportunities for increased ratings and merchandise sales, not to mention the ability to try to negotiate an extension with the two-way player. It seems highly unlikely he would forego the open market at this point, but the opportunity to start the conversation early surely has appeal.
The Rangers make a ton of sense for Ohtani, in that their rotation has lost Jacob deGrom and Jake Odorizzi to season-ending injuries. They also don’t have an everyday designated hitter and could easily accommodate Ohtani in their lineup. They are currently leading the American League West but the Astros are just two games back and Ohtani could go a long way to helping them fend off Houston. However, since they are in the same division as the Angels, lining up on a trade could be difficult. The Halos may not want to watch Ohtani thrive with their rivals, while the Rangers may have some hesitation about looking across the dugout at their former prospects for the next decade or so.
The Dodgers also make plenty of sense from a roster perspective. They currently have five starters on the injured list, including Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Walker Buehler, Noah Syndergaard and Ryan Pepiot. That’s forced them to bring up rookies like Bobby Miller, Michael Grove and Emmet Sheehan. The DH slot is usually taken by J.D. Martinez but he can at least play the outfield from time to time, a problem the club would likely be happy to work around. But the Angels may not prefer to send Ohtani across Los Angeles, given the public relations aspect. They and the Dodgers don’t compete in the same division, but they compete for customers and attention in the area, with the Angels usually the second fiddle to the Dodgers. Sending Ohtani to succeed in Dodger blue might be a bitter pill that they’d prefer not to swallow.
The other three clubs also make plenty of sense, given their tight American League East rivalry. The Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays currently occupy the top three spots in the division, separated by just 6.5 games. The Orioles have a 62-38 record but their rotation is clearly the weakest spot. Their starters have a collective 4.51 ERA that puts them in the bottom half of the league. They don’t have a clear DH either, often rotating various players through that spot.
The Rays actually have the strongest rotation ERA in the league, though that number may be skewed by their frequent use of openers. They certainly have a solid foursome in Tyler Glasnow, Shane McClanahan, Zach Eflin and Taj Bradley, but have lost Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen to season-ending surgeries while Josh Fleming seems likely to miss significant time as well. Given their fondness for versatile players, they could easily slot Ohtani into the DH role and move other players around as necessary.
The Jays have some rotation question marks, particularly in the case of Alek Manoah. He struggled badly enough in the beginning on the season to get optioned down to the club’s Florida Complex. He’s since returned and made three starts without much consistency. Hyun Jin Ryu is on a rehab assignment and could be back with the club shortly, rejoining Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi. The Jays use Brandon Belt as designated hitter most of the time but likely wouldn’t mind replacing him with Ohtani and figuring out a solution to that problem. The bigger issue might be their relatively weaker farm system compared to the other clubs listed here, as Passan lists them as a longer shot for that exact reason.
All in all, it’s still unknown how seriously the Angels are entertaining any offers coming their way. It’s important for them to do their due diligence so that they have all the information necessary to make the decision that is best for their organization, but that doesn’t obligate them to make a deal. The club starts a road trip tonight with three in Detroit, three in Toronto and then the first game of a series in Atlanta before the August 1 deadline. It’s possible that the results of those games will push the club in one direction or another, for the most significant decision of this trade deadline and arguably ever.
Orioles Place Aaron Hicks On IL With Hamstring Strain
The Orioles announced that they have placed outfielder Aaron Hicks on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain, with fellow outfielder Ryan McKenna recalled from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move. Hicks departed last night’s game after appearing to injure himself making a catch and it seems he’ll need at least 10 days to recover.
Hicks, 33, had been struggling mightily with the Yankees in recent years, eventually leading to his release in May. He quickly landed with the Orioles and has had a resurgence since then, having hit .252/.349/.435 in 152 plate appearances for a wRC+ of 119, indicating he’s been 19% above league average. A lot of that time has been spent in center field, with Cedric Mullins having spent much of June on the IL due to a groin strain.
Since Hicks took over in center and played well, it allowed the club to avoid a significant drop-off while Mullins was away. He was reinstated from the IL in late June but landed back there last week, again due to a right groin strain. Hicks jumped back into the regular center field job in the past week but now he’s joining Mullins on the injured list. It’s unclear how serious Hicks’ injury is, but Mullins is without a clear timetable and may not be an option until late in the season. The club will now seemingly have to proceed without either player for at least the next 10 days.
The position might now fall to rookie Colton Cowser, who has logged 38 1/3 innings there so far this year and has been given the start for tonight’s contest. Unfortunately, his first 49 major league plate appearances have led to a batting line of just .128/.286/.154. That’s obviously a small sample and he has much better numbers in the minors, but the O’s will have a bit less certainty at the position for the time being.
Cowser figures to be flanked by Austin Hays and Anthony Santander, with McKenna likely in a bench role. Infielders Adam Frazier and Ryan O’Hearn have also seen some time on the grass this year and could factor into the mix. If the O’s decide they need to supplement that group, they still have some time, with the August 1 trade deadline one week away. The club is 62-38, putting them 2.5 games ahead of the Rays in the AL East and clearly in buyer position.
Diamondbacks, Orioles Interested In Shohei Ohtani
The Diamondbacks and Orioles are two of the clubs that have spoken with the Angels about Shohei Ohtani, should the Angels look to trade Ohtani prior to the deadline, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi writes (Twitter links). Since it is far from a foregone conclusion that Ohtani will be moved at all, Morosi notes that Arizona and Baltimore were essentially making “due diligence” calls, just in case the Angels’ stance changes.
Ohtani’s future has been the biggest storyline of deadline season, putting added import on the outcome of every Angels game. Los Angeles has a 51-49 record entering into their final games before the August 1 deadline — a pair of three-game series with the Tigers and Blue Jays, and the opener of another three-game set with the Braves on July 31. The Halos entered Monday four games behind Toronto for the final AL wild card berth, and the AL West crown is likely out of reach given the Rangers’ eight-game edge over Anaheim in the standings.
Whereas owner Arte Moreno firmly closed the door on even the possibility of an Ohtani trade last summer when the Angels were far out of contention, it would appear as if there’s at least a tiny chance that a deal might happen this year, even as the Angels remain on the fringes of the playoff hunt. The club is at least willing to hear what other teams might have to offer for Ohtani, even if a trade is still considered quite unlikely at this point (and as long as the Angels keep winning). Continuing with the theme of due diligence, there’s no harm for Angels GM Perry Minasian to at least listen to offers just in case another team is willing to give up a staggering return for two months of Ohtani’s services.
It makes particular sense for the D’Backs and O’s to check in on the two-way superstar, most obviously because both teams are battling to reach the playoffs. Arizona has slumped in July while Baltimore has surged into first place in the AL East, yet both teams have designs on both getting into October and then making some noise. Starting pitching is a shared area of need for the two teams, to varying degrees — the Orioles’ staff has been solid but unspectacular, whereas the Diamondbacks haven’t gotten much from their rotation apart from Zac Gallen and the injured Merrill Kelly.
Ohtani would naturally provide a huge boost to either pitching staff, as well as instantly becoming the biggest threat in either lineup. As Morosi notes, minor league depth is another interesting commonality between the D’Backs and Orioles, as both teams have the kind of impressive prospects that it would take to pry Ohtani away in a trade.
Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen recently stated that his club plans to “be aggressive, even ultra-aggressive,” at the deadline, but not “reckless,” since “being reckless does not serve anyone’s interests, this year’s team or in the future.” On paper, trading multiple top-100 prospects for a rental player like Ohtani might be considered too big a risk, considering that Arizona’s payroll history doesn’t at all suggest the D’Backs are contenders to sign Ohtani in free agency this winter. Likewise, Baltimore GM Mike Elias said back in May that his team was already intending to buy at the deadline, after such a long rebuild, Elias might not want to greatly reduce his core of elite prospects for a single player.
Then again, Ohtani is such a special case that it might convince a front office (or, perhaps more importantly, an ownership group) to make an extra push. His two-way ability enhances a contender on both sides of the ball, and conceivably, the D’Backs and Orioles are both so deep in prospects that they’d still have a good crop of prospects even minus the three, or four, or five names it might take to obtain Ohtani’s services. In the bigger picture, Ohtani would provide such a financial surge in ticket sales, merchandise, TV ratings, and overseas interest that acquiring him for even two months would be a franchise-altering move, beyond what he might do on the field to help the Diamondbacks or Orioles capture a championship.
AL East Notes: Orioles, Red Sox, Hernandez, Jansen, Torres, Cortes
The Orioles‘ 5-3 victory over the Rays today extended Baltimore’s lead over Tampa Bay to two games, and continued a dream month for the upstart O’s. Between Baltimore’s 13-6 record and the Rays’ 4-14 record in July, the Orioles have completely wiped out their 6.5-game deficit from the start of the month, and now look like genuine World Series contenders. Even with this big surge, it remains to be seen how the O’s might approach the trade deadline, as ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets that according to executives on other teams, the Orioles have thus far looked like “measured buyers” who are “willing to deal from position player surplus to upgrade pitching, but not perceived to be fishing for big, pricey deals, at this point.”
Should such a stance continue through August 1, Baltimore fans might not be pleased, as the fanbase was already annoyed enough last summer when the O’s dealt Trey Mancini and Jorge Lopez at the deadline rather than make a push for a playoff spot. (Of course, landing Yennier Cano from the Twins has made the Lopez trade a lot more popular in hindsight.) Obviously selling isn’t on the radar for GM Mike Elias this year, but that also doesn’t necessarily mean a blockbuster move is in store. Since the Orioles’ core of young talent is so promising, Elias might not see 2023 as the time for an all-in type of trade, especially considering that the O’s might not yet have decided which of their many star prospects they see as building blocks, and which might be trade chips. Of course, history has shown that lower-level deadline trades can often lead to postseason success just as easily as a headline-grabbing transaction, so Elias can pursue plenty of avenues as he looks to put the final pieces to an exciting young team.
More from around the AL East…
- During an appearance on The Front Office on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom reiterated that the club was looking for starting pitching at the deadline, as well as a left-handed hitting middle infielder. Enrique Hernandez, Yu Chang, Christian Arroyo, and even part-time second baseman Justin Turner all swing from the right side, as do the injured Trevor Story and Pablo Reyes. Story’s return from the injured list should give the Red Sox more clarity on their muddled infield picture, yet there’s also a chance Boston could both buy and sell at the deadline, as the club did last year. To this end, pending free agent Hernandez could be expendable, and The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya writes that the Dodgers would have interest in a possible reunion if Hernandez was open to more of a part-time role. Whereas Boston has too many right-handed bats, the Dodgers have a surplus of left-handed hitters in the outfield, so Hernandez could add both lineup balance and positional versatility as a player capable of working in multiple positions — essentially his old role when he previously played in L.A. in 2015-20.
- X-rays were negative on Danny Jansen‘s left forearm after the Blue Jays catcher was hit by a Bryan Woo pitch in today’s game. Jansen was hit in the fifth inning and remained in the game until the seventh, and the Jays announced Jansen’s injury as a forearm contusion. It seems like Jansen will be day-to-day for now, though the Blue Jays could be shorthanded behind the plate until he is ready, since the Jays’ next offday isn’t until Thursday. Alejandro Kirk figures to be the starting catcher in the interim, with Tyler Heineman a call-up possibility from Triple-A, or Daulton Varsho perhaps an emergency catcher if Jansen only misses a game or two.
- In a pair of Yankees injury updates, Gleyber Torres also left today’s game due to left hip tightness. The issue isn’t serious enough at this time to require any tests, and manager Aaron Boone told The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner and other reporters that Torres was already feeling better postgame. Since New York doesn’t play on Monday, Torres might well not miss any game action after a day of rest.
- Nestor Cortes will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A today, the Yankees announced. Cortes hasn’t pitched since May 30 due to a strained rotator cuff, and the long layoff suggests that he’ll need multiple rehab outings before returning from the 60-day IL. Cortes struggled to a 5.16 ERA over his first 11 starts of the season, but if he returns in his 2021-22 form, he’ll provide a major boost to New York’s rotation in August.
Orioles Sign T.J. McFarland To Minors Deal
The Orioles have signed veteran left-hander T.J. McFarland to a minor league deal, per MLB.com’s transactions page. McFarland was designated for assignment by the Mets earlier this month to make room for left-hander Jose Quintana on the 40-man roster.
The deal represents a homecoming for McFarland, who made his MLB debut with the Orioles back in 2013. Over his first two seasons in the majors, McFarland posted a solid 3.58 ERA and 3.59 FIP in 133 1/3 innings of work. He struggled over the following two seasons, however, mustering just 65 innings with a disappointing 5.68 ERA. That downturn in production led Baltimore to release him prior to the 2017 season.
Since then, McFarland has played for the Diamondbacks, Athletics, and Cardinals in addition to the Mets. In 275 2/3 innings of work with those clubs, he’s managed a 4.05 ERA that’s 6% better than league average by measure of ERA+ along with a 4.33 FIP. He’s thrown just 1 2/3 innings in the majors this year, though he sports a 2.76 ERA in 32 2/3 innings of work at the Triple-A level with the Mets’ affiliate in Syracuse.
In returning to Baltimore, McFarland joins a stacked Orioles relief corps that leads the majors with 5.0 fWAR thanks to an MLB-best 3.58 FIP. That being said, the club’s bullpen has covered 355 innings so far this season, the 12th highest figure in the majors. Given that, McFarland could still prove to be valuable depth that helps bear the load as the club enters the second half.
McFarland figures to join the likes of Nick Vespi and Eduard Bazardo as depth options in the upper minors for the Orioles going forward. Vespi and McFarland, in particular, seem likely to get consideration if the struggles of Cionel Perez, who sports a 4.73 ERA (89 ERA+) and 4.49 FIP in 32 1/3 innings of work, prompt the club to look into other left-handed options to pair with Danny Coulombe in the bullpen.
AL East Notes: Story, Mullins, Green
Red Sox infielder Trevor Story is beginning a rehab assignment today, with Ian Browne of MLB.com relaying the details. Story will play five innings at shortstop in Friday’s game before serving as the designated hitter on Saturday and returning to the shortstop position on Sunday.
The shortstop position in Boston has been in flux since it was reported in January that Story had undergone internal brace surgery on his right elbow. They’ve rotated various players through the position in his absence, including Enrique Hernández, Yu Chang, Pablo Reyes and others. The Red Sox have a collective .216/.272/.322 batting line from the position, which translates to a wRC+ of 59, placing them 27th out of the 30 clubs in the league.
Story is a career .268/.336/.513 hitter and would certainly be a boost if he could come back at that level, though it’s no guarantee that he will. He hit .251/.329/.471 in his final year in Colorado and then .238/.303/.434 last year. After missing all of this season so far, it remains to be seen what form he will be in when he gets back. The Sox are currently three games out of a playoff spot and even a diminished version of Story should be an upgrade over the production they’ve had from the shortstop position thus far.
Some more notes from the toughest division in the league…
- The Orioles placed outfielder Cedric Mullins on the injured list earlier this week due to a groin strain, his second trip to the IL this year for that injury. Just the day prior, he had said he was hoping to avoid the IL, which made it fair to expect this stint would be minimal. That may not be the case, however, with Mullins providing more details to the media yesterday. He said that new symptoms emerged once his soreness went away, per Danielle Allentuck of the Baltimore Banner, with no timeline for his return right now. He said he’s hopeful of returning for the back end of the season, per Rich Dubroff of Baltimore Baseball. That murkier timeline is surely an unpleasant development for the O’s, as Mullins continue to be an impact player when healthy. He’s hit .259/.347/.454 this year for a wRC+ of 123 and stolen 14 bases. His progress in the weeks to come will hopefully provide some more clarity but it doesn’t seem like an immediate return is likely.
- Blue Jays reliever Chad Green is set to begin a rehab assignment on Saturday, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. The Jays signed Green in the offseason to a convoluted deal, knowing that he wouldn’t be an option in the first half after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. He’s now rehabbing at an interesting time of the season, with the trade deadline just over the horizon. The righty has 272 appearances under his belt with a 3.17 ERA, 32.5% strikeout rate and 6.3% walk rate. All contending clubs are looking for relief help at this time of year but Green’s impending return gives the Jays a chance to have that bullpen boost come from within. They are currently 54-43 and tied with the Astros for the second Wild Card spot. Green’s return will also give the club a couple of months to evaluate his status before deciding on the layered option structure of his contract. They first have to decide on triggering a three-year, $27MM option with $1MM in bonuses. If they decline, Green can exercise a 2024 player option with a $6.25MM salary and $2MM in bonuses. If he declines that, the Jays can trigger a two-year, $21MM option with $1MM in bonuses.