Heyman’s Latest: Machado, Beltre, Devers, Morton
A recent report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale characterized the Dodgers as the early favorite to acquire Manny Machado, and Fancred’s Jon Heyman adds the Phillies to the forefront of the race as well, citing an Orioles-connected source. Another source with connections to the Phils “suggested they are not amenable to trading their very top pitching prospects like Sixto Sanchez,” though Philadelphia is deep in minor league talent and could put together a package that doesn’t include their top pitching prospect.
Here’s more from Heyman, via his latest notes column…
- Adrian Beltre has informed the Rangers he’s willing to consider trades, though he hopes to return to the Rangers in 2019. “I don’t think he’s going anywhere,” a source close to Beltre told Heyman, as it seems like the veteran third baseman would only waive his full no-trade protection for a perfect situation. Since Texas also wants Beltre back next season, a win-win situation for the team would be to get some young talent in a trade and then just re-sign Beltre in the offseason. It all depends on whether Beltre is willing to uproot himself for a couple of months to join a contender, or if he prefers to just remain in a comfortable environment in Texas. Still, it can’t hurt Beltre to at least listen to trade offers in case an ideal short-term opportunity presents itself.
- Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski recently emphasized Rafael Devers‘ status as Boston’s third baseman of the present and future, and Heyman hears from a source that the Sox have no plans to deal the young slugger. Devers has hit only .239/.284/.425 with 13 homers over 328 PA this season, leading to speculation that the Sox could look for third base help, either for the short term (Boston has been linked to Adrian Beltre in the rumor mill) or perhaps with Devers himself heading elsewhere in a deal. It certainly seems way too early for the Sox to give up on Devers, who is just 21 and in the midst of his first full season in the majors. He would be a major trade chip, however, if the Red Sox did explore moving him for another major veteran acquisition.
- It isn’t yet certain if Charlie Morton will pursue another contract or retire after the season, though if he does hit the open market, Heyman speculates that the veteran could earn something between $16MM and $25MM (the average annual values given to Rich Hill and Jake Arrieta the last two offseasons) next season. Morton turns 35 in November but has been fantastic since joining the Astros, and is currently in the midst of the best season of his 11-year career. It seems likely that the Astros will extend a qualifying offer to Morton after the season, as Heyman notes, and Morton certainly seems like a good candidate to accept the one-year deal in the $18MM+ range, given his love of playing in Houston.
Red Sox First-Round Pick Triston Casas Out For Season Following Thumb Surgery
Red Sox prospect Triston Casas, the team’s first-round pick in this year’s draft, will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb, according to a team announcement. Casas, an 18-year-old third baseman, appeared in just two games for the Red Sox’ Rookie-level affiliate in the Gulf Coast League before incurring the injury.
Clearly, it’s a discouraging outcome for both the organization and for Casas, who forewent a college commitment to the University of Miami in order to sign with the Sox for a $2,552,800 bonus. Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston hears that there’s optimism that Casas will at least be able to participate in the instructional league this fall (Twitter link).
It’s been a rough year for Boston prospects on the whole. In addition to the Casas injury, the Sox lost top prospect Jay Groome to Tommy John surgery. The organization’s No. 2 prospect, Michael Chavis, was hit with an 80-game suspension in early April following a failed PED test and has not yet played a game in 2018.
Red Sox Acquire Steve Pearce
June 29: Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets that the Blue Jays included $1.66MM as part of the deal. That’s a bit more than half of what Pearce is owed through season’s end and will help to keep the Red Sox from eclipsing the top tier of penalties in the luxury tax bracket. Boston is just narrowly shy of exceeding the tax threshold by a total of $40MM. Were Boston to cross that $237MM threshold, the team’s top pick in next year’s draft would be moved back 10 spaces.
June 28: The Red Sox have acquired infielder/outfielder Steve Pearce from the Blue Jays, per a club announcement. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe had reported that the team was close to acquiring a right-handed-hitting player (via Twitter).
Minor-leaguer Santiago Espinal will head to the Jays in return. Toronto will also send some cash to their division rivals to help offset Pearce’s salary. The amount of cash remains unknown.
Pearce, 35, was set to return to the open market after the season, when his two-year contract will expire. He’s earning $6.25MM this year, some portion of which will remain on the Toronto books. Pearce, interestingly, has now appeared with each of the five AL East organizations, in addition to time spent with the Astros and Pirates.
To this point of the season, Pearce has been limited to 26 games of action due to injury — a recurring problem for a player who has otherwise generally been quite productive. He’s slashing a robust .291/.349/.519 through 86 plate appearances in 2018. Since the start of the 2013 campaign, he owns a cumulative 121 OPS+. When healthy, then, he’s a rather accomplished hitter — especially against left-handed pitching.
While his calling card is his bat, Pearce also brings solid versatility to the table. He has shown an ability to perform at least passably in the corner outfield, corner infield,and even at second base. For Boston, Pearce could share time at first with the lefty-swinging Mitch Moreland and perhaps also line up at times in left. Whether he’ll be an option at second isn’t yet clear, though that has certainly been an area of some attention given concerns over Dustin Pedroia. (For what it’s worth, the announcement lists Pearce specifically as a first baseman and outfielder.)
With the move, the Jays have likely launched a long-anticipated summer sell-off. Given the state of affairs in the division, and a tough Wild Card race as well, it’s not surprising to see the organization begin moving veterans. It remains to be seen, though, how willing the Blue Jays will be to consider moving more controllable assets.
For their trouble, the Blue Jays will not only save some cash but will also pick up a potentially useful prospect asset. Espinal, a tenth-round pick in the 2016 draft, is hitting well this year at the High-A level. The 23-year-old carries a .314/.364/.478 slash with seven home runs and nine steals over 280 plate appearances. He has lined up primarily at shortstop but has also seen time at second and third base as a professional.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Red Sox Sign Brandon Phillips
4:55pm: Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski tells MLB.com’s Ian Browne that Phillips will spend some time at the team’s spring complex in Florida getting into playing shape before reporting to Triple-A Pawtucket (Twitter links). Notably, the organization doesn’t view him solely as a second baseman, as Dombrowski notes that Phillips “can play a number of positions.” Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, meanwhile, tweets that Phillips will actually be playing third base in Pawtucket when he gets there.
3:45pm: The Red Sox announced Wednesday that they’ve agreed to a minor league contract with veteran infielder Brandon Phillips. The longtime Reds second baseman had not signed with a team since the end of the 2017 season, so he’ll assuredly require some time to ramp up in the minors before he can be considered an option to join the big league club. Phillips is represented by ACES.
Second base has been an issue for the Red Sox all season, as they’ve been without Dustin Pedroia nearly all year following offseason knee surgery. Pedroia did return briefly, suiting up for three games before landing back on the DL with inflammation and discomfort in his surgically repaired knee. Eduardo Nunez has shouldered the bulk of the workload at second base this season in lieu of Pedroia, but he’s struggled mightily, hitting just .253/.284/.350 through 272 plate appearances to date.
Phillips, who’ll turn 37 tomorrow, isn’t the player he was during his peak, when he hit .280/.330/.449 with outstanding defense and above-average baserunning from 2007-12. That said, the three-time All-Star still posted a quite respectable .285/.319/.416 slash in 604 plate appearances between the Braves and Angels last season, delivering 13 homers and 11 steals.
Phillips is a four-time Gold Glover, but his defensive ratings dipped in 2016-17, with both Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved providing a negative valuation of his glovework. He’s also been inefficient on the bases, as evidenced by a 25-for-41 success rate (61 percent) in stolen-base attempts over the past two seasons. Still, he’ll bring some valuable depth to an area of weakness for a Red Sox club that still doesn’t know when, or perhaps even if, Pedroia will return to the Major League roster.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Red Sox Place Steven Wright On DL With Knee Inflammation
The Red Sox announced today that righty Steven Wright is going on the 10-day disabled list with inflammation in his left knee. Boston has recalled Justin Haley to take the open roster spot.
It’s not clear what the prognosis is just yet for Wright, but the fact of the DL placement is somewhat worrisome in and of itself. Wright missed much of the 2017 season after undergoing a cartilage restoration procedure on the same joint. He missed the first six weeks or so of the current campaign, too.
Wright, a 33-year-old knuckler, has been a key piece for the Sox since getting back to the hill. In forty innings over ten appearances, including four starts, he has worked to a 3.38 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9.
If the knee responds well to rest, perhaps this won’t turn out to be a significant issue at all. If it’s more, then depth could begin to be a concern. Drew Pomeranz is still working back from the DL at the moment, but would be the top rotation option once he’s ready. Otherwise, Haley has thrown well at Triple-A but has not yet started in the bigs. (He has recorded twenty innings of relief.) The team’s other options with MLB experience, Hector Velazquez and Brian Johnson, are currently working out of the major-league bullpen.
Trade Rumors: Britton, Red Sox, Beltre, Dodgers, Boyd
We’re still over a month away from the trade deadline but the hot stove is already percolating. Here’s some trade buzz from around the majors…
- The Red Sox are one of several teams who are scouting Orioles southpaw Zach Britton, the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo reports. Craig Kimbrel wouldn’t be in any danger of losing his closing job if Britton joined the Sox, though Britton would be a setup man and big left-handed weapon out of Boston’s pen. Brian Johnson is currently the only lefty reliever on the 25-man roster, though Bobby Poyner (currently in Triple-A) has posted some solid results when pitching for the big league team. MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently explored Britton’s value as a trade candidate, noting that virtually every contender will, or should, be monitoring Britton as he continues his return from offseason Achilles surgery.
- Also from Cafardo, he adds the Red Sox and Braves to the list of teams with some interest in veteran third baseman Adrian Beltre. With Rafael Devers on Boston’s big league roster and Braves top prospect Austin Riley looming at Triple-A, both teams could make sense for a short-term upgrade like Beltre, who is only signed through this season. While Beltre seems like a natural trade chip for a Rangers team that is well out of contention, there still remains some speculation as to whether or not Texas will actually move him, as the team heavily values Beltre’s leadership and wants him on the roster in 2019. Beltre also has no-trade protection via 10-and-5 rights. Still, the Rangers are at least shopping Beltre (and other players) to gauge trade interest, and it can’t hurt that multiple contenders could be in the market for third base help.
- The Dodgers will be looking for relief help but otherwise don’t have any really obvious areas of need on their roster, Ken Rosenthal notes in a FOXSports.com video report. This will allow the Dodgers to pursue the best players available on the trade market and “be picky” if they don’t like the asking price for a big-name rental player (i.e. Manny Machado).
- Left-hander Matthew Boyd “is one of the Tigers‘ most coveted players in trade talks,” MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi writes. Even after a rough outing against Cleveland today, Boyd still has solid overall numbers this season, with a 4.15 ERA and 7.54 K/9 through 82 1/3 innings. Advanced metrics aren’t nearly as high on Boyd’s work, however, so Detroit could explore a trade when Boyd is at his peak value, even though he is just 27 and isn’t eligible for arbitration until this winter. Morosi speculates that the Mariners could target Boyd based on their past attempt to trade for him in the 2016-17 offseason, when GM Jerry Dipoto offered Taijuan Walker and prospects to the Tigers for Boyd and J.D. Martinez.
AL Notes: Beltre, Rays, Astros, K. Tucker, BoSox, JDM
Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre is reportedly available, though it’s no sure thing the team will trade the future Hall of Famer, Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram writes. Rather, the Rangers are interested in keeping Beltre, an impending free agent, in hopes of re-signing him prior to next season. In order to deal Beltre, the Rangers would need a return that outweighs the benefits of retaining the 39-year-old through the season and trying to re-sign him, Wilson hears. And should teams make offers for Beltre, general manager Jon Daniels will keep the player informed, Wilson reports. Given that Beltre has 10-and-5 rights and has enjoyed his time with the Rangers, Wilson notes that it’s not yet known whether he’d accept a deal to leave the team.
- The Rays plan to part with a host of veterans in the coming weeks, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Catcher Wilson Ramos, shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, outfielder Carlos Gomez and relievers Sergio Romo and Jonny Venters stand out as vets who are the most likely not to finish the season with the team, Topkins suggests. Similarly, righties Chris Archer and Nathan Eovaldi, infielder Matt Duffy and reliever Chaz Roe aren’t locks to end the year in Tampa Bay, Topkin adds.
- There’s “a decent likelihood” the Astros will promote top outfield prospect Kyle Tucker later this season, president of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow told Astros Radio on Sunday (Twitter link via Christian Boutwell of MLB.com). The 21-year-old Tucker, widely regarded as one of the game’s premier prospects, has held his own this season in his first taste of Triple-A action. Tucker has slashed .314/.382/.509 with 10 home runs, 13 stolen bases and solid walk (10.2) and strikeout (19.4) percentages over 324 trips to the plate.
- Slugger J.D. Martinez is thriving with the Red Sox, who signed him to a five-year, $110MM deal over the winter. But Boston first “tried” to acquire Martinez last summer, president Dave Dombrowski revealed to Rob Bradford of WEEI. When Martinez was with the Tigers a year ago, the Red Sox, Indians and Diamondbacks were among the most aggressive teams in attempting to trade for him, according to Bradford. Martinez ended up with the D-backs – who landed him on July 18 – in part because the Tigers placed a higher asking price on him in talks with Boston than the other teams, Bradford hears.
AL Notes: A’s, BoSox, Canha, Royals, Heimlich, Tigers, Jays, Rangers
The banged-up Athletics will turn to veteran Edwin Jackson to fill a spot in their rotation, but they’re on the hunt for more starting depth, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The Athletics have had discussions with the Red Sox, who are seeking outfield depth and have “unsuccessfully asked” the A’s about Mark Canha, according to Slusser. The 29-year-old Canha has been effective this season, his last pre-arbitration campaign, with a .250/.322/.452 line and nine home runs in 208 plate appearances. It’s unclear which pitcher(s) the A’s requested in their discussions with Boston, though Slusser adds that the teams could revisit talks in the coming weeks.
More from the AL:
- The Royals are considering a pursuit of controversial pitching prospect Luke Heimlich, GM Dayton Moore announced this week (via Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star). “We continue to seek information that allows us to be comfortable in pursuing Luke,” Moore said of Heimlich, an undrafted free agent from Oregon State. Based solely on talent, the 22-year-old Heimlich was worthy of drafting – perhaps with a high selection. However, as a 15-year-old, he was convicted of molesting his 6-year-old niece. While Heimlich told Kurt Streeter of the New York Times last month that “nothing ever happened,” teams have still stayed away from adding him. Judging by the Royals’ interest, that may change, though Gregorian argues that they shouldn’t sign Heimlich. Moore, for his part, noted: “The easy thing is to wipe your hands of it and don’t even look into it or deal with it. We’re going to continue to look into it. I think that’s what good organizations do. I think that’s what good people do. And we try to be both.”
- While Tigers general manager Al Avila revealed last week that he’d listen to trade offers for both right-hander Michael Fulmer and right fielder Nicholas Castellanos, either would be difficult to acquire, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press relays. The Tigers want “premium” returns for both, writes Fenech, who regards left-hander Francisco Liriano, closer Shane Greene, shortstop Jose Iglesias and outfielder Leonys Martin as Tigers who are more likely to end up on the move by the July 31 non-waiver deadline. Greene would generate the most interest of the four, Fenech suggests, as a quality reliever who’s cheap ($1.95MM salary) and under control via arbitration through 2020. The 29-year-old righty has pitched to a 3.57 ERA with 10.19 K/9, 2.55 BB/9 and 19 saves in 22 tries this season.
- Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson is likely to remain on the disabled list for at least another week, per Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. Donaldson won’t return until June 29 at the earliest, which would be a month after left calf tightness sent him to the DL on May 29. The 32-year-old has been on the DL twice this season (once with a shoulder issue), which – combined with a decline in performance – has hurt his trade value and likely his stock as an impending free agent. When he has suited up, Donaldson has hit a disappointed .234/.333/.423 with five homers in 159 PAs.
- Rangers right-handed pitching prospect Alex Speas has suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament and will undergo Tommy John surgery, Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram writes. Speas will miss the rest of this year and a large portion of next season as a result. The 20-year-old, whom MLB.com ranks as the Rangers’ 22nd-best prospect, pitched to a stellar 2.20 ERA with 15.38 K/9 against 6.59 BB/9 over 28 2/3 innings at the Low-A level in 2018.
AL East Notes: Red Sox, Jones, Orioles, Sanchez, Blue Jays
It’s still early in the season relative to the league’s non-waiver trade deadline at the end of July, so with the disclaimer that trade are still subject to change before then, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports that the Red Sox “have an eye on” adding a reliever and a right-handed hitter to complement the team. Drellich points out that these types of additions would not mean “mortgaging” the team’s already-thin farm system, as the addition of a righty-bat would likely be an infielder to balance out the club’s lefty-heavy group. He also cites some troubling statistics about the usage and performance of pinch-hitters for the club, signaling that a backup plan for Dustin Pedroia could help the team in matchup situations. The veteran was seen as likely to resume baseball activities shortly after returning to the DL on June 2nd, but still has yet to be cleared for such activities three weeks later.
Other news and notes from around a topheavy AL East division…
- Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun takes a look at the situation of Orioles outfielder Adam Jones, who’s enjoying one of his best calendar months in years. Per Meoli, Jones isn’t concerned about all the resulting trade chatter surrounding him. “I can’t let it bother me. I’m in a different part of my life to where I’m not anticipating a $150 million, $200 million, $300 million offer this offseason. I’m more just, ‘Let me go be a pro, do what I do best,’ and that’s play the game hard and live with the result. All the other stuff, all the projections and this and that, that’s all whatever.” Notably, Jones is well aware that he “holds all the cards” in regards to where (or if) he’s traded, as the veteran’s been with the O’s long enough to qualify for ten-and-five rights.
- Speaking of the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com takes a look at what the club’s infield (and roster) could look like post-Machado, if and when the veteran is shipped to another club. Kubatko notes that where fellow infielder Tim Beckham plays will depend upon whether or not the O’s get a major-league ready shortstop as part of the return for their superstar (if the don’t, Beckham seems likely to take over the position). In addition to all this speculation, Kubatko adds that Danny Valencia could see time at third in that case, but has also played himself into potential trade-chip status.
- Young Blue Jays hurler Aaron Sanchez left last night’s game with a finger contusion, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports, noting that his departure throws a question mark into Toronto’s rotation. It’s not clear at this juncture whether Sanchez’ current finger issue is in any way related to the blister-related issues that limited him to just 36 innings last season, though reports of a contusion would seem to make that improbable. With so many moving parts on the Jays’ pitching staff, the Davidi wonders how the rotation alignment will shake out; there’s been some suggestion that Jaime Garcia could move to the bullpen with Marcus Stroman and Sam Gaviglio set to return from the DL and paternity list soon, respectively.
2018 Amateur Draft Signings: 6/21/18
We’ll use this post to cover the day’s notable draft deals. The rankings referenced come courtesy of Fangraphs, MLB.com, Baseball America and ESPN’s Keith Law; Fangraphs and MLB.com scouting reports are available to the public free of charge, while the others require subscriptions.
- The Red Sox announced a variety of signings, including that of second-rounder Nick Decker. A New Jersey high-school outfielder who was slated to attend the University of Maryland, Decker will instead take home a $1.25MM bonus to join the Boston organization, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). That payday lands just north of the $1,010,500 allocation for the 64th overall pick. Decker drew a variety of grades entering the draft, with Fangraphs placing him just on the cusp of its top fifty. While the jury is out on Decker’s pure hitting ability, scouts love his present-day physical ability and big power at the plate.