Four Former Red Sox Prospects Agree To New Deals
TODAY: The Marlins have agreed to terms with Albert Guaimaro for an unreported sum, Badler reports. He is considered the best of this bunch of players, per Badler, who says that the youngster sprays a lot of line drives with an aggressive approach. Miami will move him behind the plate from the outfield.
Meanwhile, Badler reported earlier today that shortstop Eduardo Torrealba is going to the Yankees for $300K. That leaves only righty Cesar Gonzalez unsigned among the five prospects who were turned into free agents.
YESTERDAY, 1:48pm: Sanchez also reports that shortstop Antonio Pinero has agreed to a new deal with the Brewers that will pay him $375K (links to Twitter). Of that sum, just $75K will count against Milwaukee’s bonus pool. Badler wrote earlier this spring that Pinero made a name for himself due to his defensive skills, and while he’s a below-average runner he has a quick first step, good hands and a strong throwing arm.
10:21am: The Phillies have reached an agreement with Venezuelan outfielder Simon Muzziotti that will pay the 17-year-old prospect $750K, reports MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (via Twitter). Baseball America’s Ben Badler reported last night (Twitter link) that the Phils were the favorites to sign Muzziotti, who just one week ago was under the Red Sox’ control. However, Major League Baseball declared him a free agent as part of Boston’s punishment for the team’s violation of the international bonus pool system via package signings.
When it was ruled that Muzziotti and four other Red Sox prospects would once again be available to MLB clubs, it was ruled that the first $300K of a signing bonus for any of the five prospects would not count toward a club’s bonus pool. As such, $450K of Muzziotti’s bonus with the Phils will count against the club’s bonus pool. Muzziotti also was allowed to keep the original $300K he received from Boston, so he’ll end up with a total of $1.05MM between his two signing bonuses.
Muzziotti wasn’t expected to be part of this year’s July 2 pool and as such wasn’t a part of any international rankings, but Baseball America’s Ben Badler rated him 24th in last year’s class, praising his speed and range/instincts in center field. MLB.com compiled a free video/scouting report last season, and over the weekend, Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen wrote that Muzziotti wouldn’t have been ranked among his Top 25 but would’ve merited mention in the unranked portion of his international prospect rankings, meaning he’d have ranked in the Top 50 or so. In 65 plate appearances for Boston’s affiliate in the Dominican Summer League, Muzziotti batted .317/.354/.383.
AL Notes: Medlen, Desmond, Brantley, Shaw, Yankees, Jepsen, Rasmus
Royals right-hander Kris Medlen suffered a setback in his return from right shoulder inflammation in today’s rehab outing, reports MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. Medlen has been out since mid-May with the injury and suffered a strain of the same shoulder while throwing a breaking pitch on the 49th pitch of his outing, per Flanagan. He’s set to be re-evaluated later today but seemingly won’t be an option for the Royals at any point in the near future.
Here’s a look at some of the latest news out of the American League …
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels says that the club would have interest in working out a long-term deal with outfielder Ian Desmond, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Though he said that he wouldn’t discuss the matter beyond acknowledging that fact, Daniels heaped praise upon the deserving All-Star. Grant argues that the time is now for Texas to try to strike a deal. That certainly won’t be easy, but as Grant notes, Desmond may have some added motivation given that he previously turned down a chance at a major payday.
- Michael Brantley finally received some good news and is progressing toward a return to the Indians, per Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Brantley received a cortisone shot after a recent diagnosis of tendinitis in his biceps and will resume batting practice tomorrow before possibly progressing to simulated games and a rehab assignment. It’s not clear exactly when after the All-Star break Brantley will return, per Hoynes, but both Brantley and Indians manager Terry Francona implied that the DL stint may not last all that much longer.
- The Red Sox are holding their breath on third baseman Travis Shaw, who fouled a ball off of his foot tonight. As Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal tweets, initial testing was inconclusive and Shaw’s foot is showing lots of swelling. Whether or not there’s a serious injury remains to be seen, but a glance at Boston’s depth chart shows that the club could be pressed regardless if Shaw is out for more than a day or two. Brock Holt could be a replacement option, but he’s being utilized in left field at the moment. Marco Hernandez is the only other infielder on the active roster with Josh Rutledge on the DL, while the 40-man possibilities at Triple-A are Sean Coyle and Deven Marrero.
- While it remains unclear what path the Yankees will take at the trade deadline, the organization is already working to reshape its roster, Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees blog explains. Reducing the role of Alex Rodriguez, demoting Nathan Eovaldi to the bullpen, enhancing Aaron Hicks‘s playing time, and keeping Rob Refsnyder up are among the recent decisions that Jennings explores.
- Assuming he clears waivers, the Rays have interest in a reunion with reliever Kevin Jepsen, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Jepsen was designated recently by the Twins, who had picked him up from the Rays last summer. The 31-year-old righty has fallen off badly after a long track record of solid pen work; given his salary ($5.3MM and change), a claim seems unlikely, though perhaps a trade could materialize if Minnesota is willing to keep most of that obligation.
- Angels reliever Cory Rasmus needs core muscle surgery, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Rasmus, who already underwent such an operation last year, had been placed on the DL with what had been called a groin strain. The 28-year-old was carrying a 5.40 ERA through 21 2/3 innings and had taken a big step back in the K/BB department, having issued 14 free passes while K’ing just 13 batters.
AL Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Davis, Norris, Avila
Yankees GM Brian Cashman discussed his team’s oft-debated trade deadline stance in an appearance on the podcast of ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (audio link). He said that the club is “open to everything and anything” over the month to come, noting that he’d raise any interest in the organization’s major league assets with ownership. Cashman made clear that New York isn’t going into a selling stance, but also suggested that such a time may come and has been discussed internally. “The clock is ticking,” he said, “and the more that we stay in this mode that we’re currently in, I think it’s going to force us into some tough decisions that we didn’t want to be in. There’s some time on the clock, but it’s getting late, as people would say.”
Here’s more from the American League:
- Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski says that trade chatter is picking up around the game, Scott Lauber of ESPN Boston was among those to report (Twitter links). Boston had contact with ten rival organizations just yesterday, he added. Meanwhile, the club announced that director of pitching analysis and development Brian Bannister will don a uniform to aid pitching coach Carl Willis in working with the staff. Bannister will not be in the dugout during games, but will seemingly take more of a hands-on approach in trying to solve the organization’s pitching woes.
- It’s always concerning when a pitcher hits the DL with forearm issues, as was the case earlier today for Royals closer Wade Davis, but Kansas City doesn’t seem to be ringing any alarm bells. As Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star reports (links to Twitter), manager Ned Yost says that Davis’s ligament isn’t implicated. Yost added that Davis pitched through a similar problem last year, and Davis himself notes that he isn’t too concerned at this point.
- The Tigers have placed lefty Daniel Norris on the DL with an oblique strain. That’s not great news for a team that has had some rotation questions arise, as Norris had showed some interesting results in his four big league appearances this year. He has allowed seven earned runs and 17 hits in 13 innings, but his sparkling 16:3 K/BB ratio is certainly promising.
- White Sox backstop Alex Avila is headed to the DL after leaving tonight’s game with a hamstring strain, as Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago tweets. It’s too soon to know how long he’ll be out, but hamstring problems can linger. The 29-year-old has compiled a sturdy .231/.361/.347 batting line on the year while serving as part of a platoon with Dioner Navarro behind the dish. Brett Hayes could be an option behind the dish for the Sox, though he’d need to be added to the 40-man roster. The seven-year big league veteran has a .225/.354/.425 batting line through 13 games for Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate since being acquired in a minor trade earlier this summer.
Knocking Down The Door: Hedges, Jimenez, Thompson, Vogelbach, Wilkerson
This week’s installment of “Knocking Down The Door” includes the first player to repeat on the list, a slugging first baseman who is unlikely to break into the Majors with his current organization and a pitcher who could find himself in the starting rotation of a playoff contender two years after being purchased from an Independent League team.
Austin Hedges, C, San Diego Padres (Triple-A El Paso)
How do you make the “Knocking Down The Door” list after going 11-for-20 with five homers to earn last week’s honors? You go 14-for-29 with five more homers. Yes, Austin Hedges really did this. He ended up with 12 homers over a 14-start period.
Keep in mind that this is a guy known for his defense. Phrases like “he’d be valuable if he hit .220 with 10 homers because his defense is that good” are common when referring to the 23-year-old Hedges.
Still, this latest barrage of homers probably doesn’t affect his ETA much, if at all. As soon as general manager A.J. Preller gets a trade offer to his liking for Derek Norris, who has an OPS right around .800 over the past two months with nine doubles and ten home runs over, the “Austin Hedges” era will commence. Norris had a minor injury scare behind the plate last night when his elbow was hit by Brandon Drury‘s swing, but Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweeted that x-rays were negative and Norris is day-to-day.
Joe Jimenez, RP, Detroit Tigers (Double-A Erie)
The Tigers finally have a reliable closer to shut down opponents in the 9th inning. Francisco Rodriguez is still getting the job done at 34 years of age with 23 saves in 25 chances. Finding a strong group of setup men to bridge the gap to him is a work in progress, however.
So can a 21-year-old who has pitched a total of 13 innings above A-ball be the solution?
Joe Jimenez is the rare prospect to be recognized as a “Future Closer” early in his career while still in the low minors. The Tigers have been patient with him, but as he gets closer to the majors, he’s becoming difficult to ignore.
The hard-throwing right-hander has completely dominated in 31 innings between Double-A and High-A, allowing just one earned run, 12 hits and nine walks while striking out 54 batters.
Jimenez might have the perfect mentor in Rodriguez, who debuted as a 20-year-old with the Angels late in the 2002 season and was an integral part of their World Series run as the setup man to Troy Percival. If the Tigers are to make a run at a playoff spot, they’ll likely need their own version of young “K-Rod”. Jimenez will need a cool nickname, though.
Jake Thompson, SP, Philadelphia Phillies (Triple-A Lehigh Valley)
Shortly after Zach Eflin got the call to the Majors last month, I named his former Triple-A rotation-mate Ben Lively as a pitcher who was “Knocking Down The Door” and also mentioned Jake Thompson as a deserving candidate. Since, Lively has not been as effective. The 22-year-old Thompson, however, continues to roll.
In his last six starts, Thompson has averaged over seven innings per start while posting an 0.85 ERA with 10 walks and 24 strikeouts. He should get a chance at some point in 2016 as the Phillies try to limit innings for their young starters. A big league promotion could also happen as soon as general manager Matt Klentak finds a taker for Jeremy Hellickson, who has boosted his trade value with what has probably been his best season since he was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2011.
Dan Vogelbach, 1B, Chicago Cubs (Triple-A Iowa)
We’ve known for years that the Cubs were flush with position player prospects. Many of them have reached the Majors, even if not as regulars at one position due to their defensive versatility. Javier Baez has played all over the infield. Willson Contreras is seeing time in left field in addition to his work behind the plate. Addison Russell had to play second base when he first arrived. Kris Bryant‘s versatility has also allowed manager Joe Maddon to find at-bats for his young hitters.
This won’t be the case with Dan Vogelbach, though. He is limited to first base and blocked by Anthony Rizzo, who is also limited to first base.
When the 23-year-old Vogelbach, who has a .303/.416/.542 slash line in 80 games, finally beats down the door to the big leagues, he’ll likely be wearing a different uniform. With his stock on the rise, there should be plenty of teams asking about the left-handed hitting slugger in July.
Aaron Wilkerson, SP, Boston Red Sox (Triple-A Pawtucket)
Coming into the 2016 season, I wouldn’t have placed Aaron Wilkerson any higher than 11th or 12th on the team’s starting pitching depth chart. And yet, we’re not even to the All-Star break and Sean O’Sullivan is part of their current four-man rotation and Wilkerson is probably next in line for a call-up.
It’s not uncommon for a team to be dipping so deep into its pitching depth given the rash of pitcher injuries throughout the league, but that’s not the case with the Red Sox. Aside from Brian Johnson, who had been sidelined until recently while undergoing treatment for anxiety, the Sox just have a lot of guys who have pitched themselves out of an opportunity. Clay Buchholz has been moved to the bullpen twice. Joe Kelly, who is on the Triple-A disabled list, is expected to return as a reliever in the second half. Eduardo Rodriguez was ineffective in the Majors. Henry Owens has been inconsistent in Triple-A. And so on.
This Wilkerson guy, though, has been a rock. In 92.1 innings between Triple-A and Double-A, the 27-year-old has allowed just 69 hits with 25 walks and 102 strikeouts. He’s allowed two earned runs or less in 12 of his 16 starts. In 10 of those 12, he’s allowed one run or less.
There is a possibility that the Red Sox could start the secondnd half with O’Sullivan, knuckleballer Steven Wright and Wilkerson, who went undrafted out of college in 2011 and was purchased from an Independent League in 2014, in their starting rotation behind David Price and Rick Porcello. Baseball is so predictable.
“Knocking Down the Door” is a weekly feature that identifies minor leaguers who are making a case for a big league promotion.
AL East Notes: Vazquez, Farrell, O’Day, Sanchez, Estrada
It was on this day in 1939 that the Yankees hosted a “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day” ceremony between games of a doubleheader with the Washington Senators. Gehrig had officially retired two weeks earlier, just after his ALS diagnosis had been made public. Gehrig received many emotional tributes from city officials, teammates and former manager Joe McCarthy, plus he became the first player in Major League history to have a uniform number retired. The most iconic moment, of course, was Gehrig’s own speech, in which he described himself as “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”
Here’s the latest from around the AL East…
- The Red Sox demoted Christian Vazquez to Triple-A and activated Ryan Hanigan off the 15-day DL today. Despite good defensive numbers, Vazquez looked overmatched at the plate, hitting just .226/.278/.305 over 176 PA. While the demotion wasn’t unexpected, the surprising element to the move is that unheralded veteran Sandy Leon has forced his way into regular starts. Leon collected four more hits today and is now batting .500/.556/.775 over 45 plate appearances for Boston this season. Since regression is inevitable for Leon, the Sox could look for catching help at the deadline.
- Manager John Farrell described the Red Sox to reporters (including WEEI.com’s Ryan Hannable) as “a good team despite obvious areas of need.” Farrell cited pitching and perhaps a right-handed hitting infielder as those areas of need. Brock Holt and Marco Hernandez (both left-handed bats) are Boston’s primary backup infielders, and struggling third baseman Travis Shaw also swings from the left side.
- The Orioles are hopeful that Darren O’Day can return after the All-Star break, manager Buck Showalter told reporters (including Rich Dubroff of CSNMidAtlantic.com) today. The reliever was enjoying another solid season out of the Orioles bullpen before suffering a hamstring strain that has kept hm out of action for over a month. O’Day is making good progress, Showalter said, and a simulated game and rehab assignment could begin next week.
- The Orioles and Blue Jays have both had talent evaluators watching the Twins recently, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets.
- The Blue Jays often talk about Aaron Sanchez‘s role, and manager John Gibbons told reporters (including Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith) that he still thinks Sanchez will be shifted to the bullpen at some point this season. Toronto has held to this plan since Spring Training in order to keep Sanchez’s innings in check, though the young righty has emerged as the ace of the Jays rotation. After eight innings of one-run ball against the Royals tonight, Sanchez now has a 2.94 ERA, 56.7% grounder rate and 7.86 K/9 through 113 1/3 frames this season. Sanchez’s previous career high is 133 1/3 (in both minor league and MLB innings) in 2014.
- Marco Estrada received at least four cortisone shots in his bad back today, and the Blue Jays are hopeful he can make his scheduled start on Thursday, Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling writes. This the second time Estrada has been hampered by back problems this season, as an early-season DL stint cost him his first start of the year though similar cortisone treatments helped correct those issues. It’s also possible the Jays could start Drew Hutchison on Thursday and give Estrada an extended rest through the All-Star break.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Red Sox, Indians, Rangers, Twins
Here’s the latest hot stove buzz from Ken Rosenthal’s latest notes column for FOXSports.com…
- “The universal feeling” within the Red Sox organization is that top prospect Andrew Benintendi will surpass the likes of Kyle Schwarber and Michael Conforto in terms of being an all-around player. There is also some sentiment that Dave Dombrowski “is sold on Yoan Moncada becoming a superstar.” So the Sox could well have their long-term answers at left field and third base spoken for, or Boston could deal one of these top youngsters for a pitching upgrade. Rosenthal feels that the Sox would only move one of these two “a true, controllable ace,” and no pitcher like that appears to be available at the deadline. Boston might go for a lower-key pitching upgrade at the deadline and then wait to pursue an ace in the offseason when such names as Jose Fernandez or Matt Harvey could be had. Since so many of Boston’s issues can be traced back to its struggling rotation, Rosenthal doesn’t think Dombrowski will or should make a rash move like firing John Farrell or trading a top prospect for anything less than full value.
- The Indians will be looking to add both a reliever and another bat before the trade deadline.
- Beyond the Rangers‘ top prospects, they have several other minor leaguers getting attention for possible trades. First baseman Ronald Guzman, outfielder Ryan Cordell, catcher Jose Trevino, and righties Ariel Jurado and Connor Sadzeck are a few names who Texas could possibly use as trade chips if the likes of Lewis Brinson, Jurickson Profar or Joey Gallo are untouchables.
- “A low-revenue team cannot afford to miss on so many decisions,” Rosenthal notes in a review of several moves that have recently backfired on the Twins. The signings of Kevin Jepsen and Byung Ho Park were justifiable and Park could still develop into a productive bat, though Minnesota has gotten little return from Phil Hughes‘ extension and the acquisitions of Ervin Santana, Ricky Nolasco and John Ryan Murphy.
Pitching Notes: Santana, Cobb, Felix, Cards, Red Sox, Eovaldi
The Rangers “took a hard look” at Twins righty Ervin Santana during his most recent outing, according to LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star-Tribune (via Twitter). Texas is in need of rotation depth, as its current depth chart shows, and that may well remain an area of interest even if the club is able to add a higher-end starter. While the veteran Santana doesn’t come with a ton of upside at 33 years of age, he has long been a solid pitcher and would deliver some much-needed dependability. He has averaged over 180 innings annually dating back to his rookie campaign in 2005, and is still working with the same velocity and generating about the same swinging strike rate that he has for much of his career. Santana is owed $13.5MM this year and the two to follow, though, so there’d be some financial negotiating to work through.
Here are some more notable developments as the pitching market continues to take shape:
- Rays righty Alex Cobb will make his first rehab start on Wednesday, per a club announcement (h/t to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, via Twitter). Cobb, who is working back from Tommy John surgery, can remain on assignment for 30 days. His timeline probably isn’t a determining factor, but so long as he remains on track it certainly would make it easier for Tampa Bay to move a starter.
- Mariners righty Felix Hernandez is set to throw three simulated innings on Wednesday, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune tweets. If all goes well, it seems that he could soon begin a rehab stint — which could help Seattle assess its rotation needs as the deadline draws into focus.
- Asked about the possible need for pen reinforcement, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said today that his club “can’t ignore anything,” Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets. St. Louis figures to be among many teams eyeing relievers over the next month. With Trevor Rosenthal losing his closing gig and Kevin Siegrist hitting the DL, an already somewhat-questionable unit has increasing concerns.
- The Red Sox are still angling to shift Joe Kelly into their big league bullpen, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports on Twitter. A final move won’t be made until after the All-Star break, once he’s completed his rehab stint. Clay Buchholz, too, could be moving back to the relief corps after failing to impress upon his return to the rotation, as Mastrodonato writes.
- The Yankees have temporarily bumped righty Nathan Eovaldi to the bullpen, Chad Jennings of the Lo Hud Yankees Blog reports. It appears that he’ll be replaced in the rotation by Chad Green for now, but expectations are that Eovaldi will be back among the starting five after the All-Star break. Skipper Joe Girardi explained that the move was motivated by the team’s need to have arms ready for relief work, though clearly Eovaldi’s distinct struggles of late play a major role in the decision.
Trade Rumors: Hill, A’s, Royals, BoSox, Yanks, Dodgers
In his first start since May 29, Athletics left-hander Rich Hill returned from a groin injury to throw six innings of two-run, four-hit ball and rack up six strikeouts against two walks Saturday. Several playoff contenders sent representatives to observe Hill’s outing against the Pirates, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Incidentally, the Bucs were among the teams scouting him. In addition, four of the 36-year-old journeyman’s previous employers – the Orioles, Red Sox, Cubs and Yankees – as well as the Dodgers and Royals were in attendance to watch Hill, who could be the best starter dealt before the Aug. 1 trade deadline. The free agent-to-be has been brilliant when healthy this year, recording a 2.31 ERA, 10.29 K/9, 49.7 percent ground-ball rate and 15.3 percent infield fly rate in 70 innings. Dating back to his four-start revival in Boston last September, the out-of-nowhere ace has put up a tremendous 2.09 ERA in 99 frames.
More of the latest pre-deadline rumors:
- Along with Hill, the Royals also have interest in Athletics right fielder Josh Reddick, according to Slusser. However, they do not wish to reunite with another A’s trade chip, third baseman Danny Valencia. Kansas City was a rumored landing spot as of last week for Valencia, who was with the Royals in 2014 and should draw plenty of attention from other teams as the deadline nears.
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported Sunday that the Blue Jays have been scouting the Astros’ system, though he didn’t specify which players interested Toronto. It turns out that one prospect who intrigues the Jays is Double-A right-hander Francis Martes, tweets Chris Cotillo of SB Nation. Martes would be difficult to acquire, however, given that he’s among baseball’s premier prospects. Entering the season, Baseball America placed Martes 20th overall in its rankings. In its updated list, MLB.com has the 20-year-old at No. 36. In 63 2/3 innings this season, the hard-throwing Martes has logged a 4.10 ERA, 8.48 K/9 and 4.52 BB/9.
- While Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com expects the Angels’ Matt Shoemaker to garner interest leading up to the deadline, he doesn’t envision the Halos trading controllable starting pitching depth (Twitter link). The desperate-for-starters Red Sox – who roughed up Shoemaker on Sunday – would make sense as a trade partner if the Angels do make the righty available, opines Tim Britton of the Providence Journal (via Twitter). After a terrible first month of the season and a demotion to the minors, Shoemaker rejoined the Angels in May and has performed like an elite-level ace of late – Sunday notwithstanding. During an eight-start span prior to the Angels’ trip to Fenway Park, the 29-year-old amassed 57 2/3 innings, allowed 12 earned runs and piled up 68 strikeouts against a paltry five walks. As Gonzalez alluded to when mentioning team control, Shoemaker will make his first trip through arbitration during the upcoming offseason.
Red Sox Notes: SPs, Rodney, Farrell, Groome
With Clay Buchholz unable to turn around his dreadful season and the Red Sox set to start journeyman Sean O’Sullivan on Sunday, they are and should be desperate for starting help, writes Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. There’s an expectation around baseball that president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will aggressively seek rotation upgrades in advance of the Aug. 1 trade deadline, which could mean moving top prospects like infielder Yoan Moncada and outfielder Andrew Benintendi, per Drellich, who adds that Dombrowski does value the two highly. Although Dombrowski said last Sunday that there isn’t much help on the market, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels offered his own take on it, telling Drellich that pitching is “always there,” but whether it’s worth the asking price is another matter. “There’s a sense of like, ‘Oh, you can’t trade for an ace. No they’re available all the time,” Daniels informed Drellich as part of a piece that’s absolutely worth a full read.
More from Boston, which is in an uproar after the 43-37 Red Sox’s forgettable June and their humiliating 21-2 loss to the Angels on Saturday:
- The Sox were considering taking a run at reliever Fernando Rodney before the Padres traded him to the Marlins earlier this week, though Boston is more interested in acquiring starters than bullpen aid, according to Drellich. With $217MM ace David Price having a tough time preventing runs, Buchholz floundering, and a lack of usable back-end options, that comes as no surprise.
- Beleaguered manager John Farrell has his flaws, but he’s far down the list of Boston’s problems and replacing him won’t fix the team’s issues, opines Scott Lauber of ESPN.com. Price’s struggles, the team’s lack of starting pitching depth and an inability to find a solution in left field – where the Red Sox have dealt with injuries this year to Brock Holt, Blake Swihart and Chris Young – won’t magically disappear if Farrell loses his job and bench coach Torey Lovullo takes the helm, Lauber contends. As Lauber points out, if the Red Sox do give Farrell the ax, it’ll be their first in-season firing of a manager since they handed Jimy Williams his walking papers in August 2001. Given that Farrell oversaw back-to-back last-place finishes coming into this season, he could follow in Williams’ unenviable footsteps if a turnaround doesn’t come.
- Even though there are concerns about first-round left-hander Jason Groome‘s makeup, the Red Sox are expected to sign the 12th overall selection by the July 15 deadline, reports Drellich. A deal could take until the 11th hour to get done with the 17-year-old, though.
Cafardo’s Latest: Yanks, Rays, BoSox, Dodgers
Surprisingly, Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia has revived his career to the point that he might actually have value in a trade, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The soon-to-be 36-year-old has bounced back from multiple underwhelming seasons in a row to post an excellent 3.17 ERA in 76 2/3 innings in 2016, through his strikeout and walk ratios per nine innings (7.16 and 3.52) are each below average and he’s on a $25MM salary through 2017. In addition to Sabathia, hot-hitting 39-year-old right fielder/designated hitter Carlos Beltran, left fielder Brett Gardner, catcher Brian McCann, third baseman Chase Headley, and starters Michael Pineda and Nathan Eovaldi are Yankees who could have value around the deadline (not to mention their much-ballyhooed relievers, of course). The only member of that group who’s set to become a free agent at season’s end is Beltran. As Cafardo points out, it’s currently up in the air whether the playoff hopeful Yankees would move any of these players, though he wonders if clinging to postseason dreams is the right course for the 39-41 club.
More inside stuff from Cafardo:
- Led by former Rays general manager and current president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers are in pursuit of Tampa Bay right-hander Chris Archer. The Rays aren’t planning on moving the 27-year-old as of now, though, which backs up FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal’s report from Saturday.
- The presence of senior vice president of baseball operations Frank Wren, formerly the Braves’ GM, could lead the Red Sox to go after Atlanta right-hander Julio Teheran. Wren – who’s high on Teheran – is Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski’s right-hand man, Cafardo notes, and could push him toward putting together a package for the 25-year-old.
- If they’re unable to swing a deal for Teheran, the Red Sox might turn their attention to Rays southpaw Matt Moore – in whom they’re interested. Moore, who has three more years of team control left via club options, also intrigues the Astros, Dodgers, Orioles, Royals, Yankees and previously reported Rangers.
- With the possible exception of right-handed reliever Zach McAllister, the Indians aren’t going to give up pitching to augment their offense. Further, the organization has a reputation for keeping its payroll low and avoiding big-money acquisitions, which could take it out of the running to pick up a well-compensated trade chip. Athletics third baseman Danny Valencia, who’s on an affordable $3.15MM salary this season and has another trip through arbitration scheduled, is a potential target for Cleveland.
- Hard-throwing Diamondbacks lefty Robbie Ray, who’s eighth in the majors in K/9 (10.42), is drawing interest from teams looking for starters. The 24-year-old has thrown 214 innings of 4.00 ERA ball dating to 2015 and won’t even become eligible for arbitration until after 2017, meaning he has four full seasons of club control remaining.
- The Marlins are aggressively pursuing pitching, as evidenced already by their acquisition of reliever Fernando Rodney and reported interest in starters Drew Pomeranz and Jake Odorizzi. However, the Fish might not have the prospects to land a significant arm for their rotation, writes Cafardo.
- Blue Jays scouts are keeping a close watch over the Astros’ system, so the two AL playoff contenders could have some kind of deal in the works.