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Rosenthal’s Latest: Red Sox, Indians, Rangers, Twins

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Quick Hits: Red Sox, Giants, Reds, Angels

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Red Sox manager John Farrell addressed his job security Friday, telling reporters, including Ryan Hannable of WEEI, “We’ve come off a tough month. Finished with a disappointing trip through Texas and Tampa. I can understand that question, the potential speculation that is out there.” The Red Sox followed a 10-16 June by leading off July with a win Friday, but they suffered a stunning 21-2 loss to the Angels at Fenway Park on Saturday. That won’t help Farrell – who said the performance “embarrassed” him (Twitter link via Ian Browne of MLB.com) – though his 43-37 team still holds one of the American League’s two Wild Card spots through nearly half the season.

More from Boston and three other major league cities:

  • Farrell didn’t want to commit to right-hander Clay Buchholz making another start after his poor outing last Sunday, and now the manager is in the same position after Saturday’s result, Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald was among those to report (Twitter link). Buchholz threw 4 1/3 innings and allowed six runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk, raising his ERA/FIP/xFIP trio to an ugly 5.91/6.03/5.51 through 80 2/3 frames this season.
  • The first-place Giants continue to hunt for starting pitchers, tweets the San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman, who reported two weeks ago that the team was searching for rotation help. Giants starters entered Saturday ranked sixth in the majors in both ERA (3.62) and fWAR (7.8), though nearly all of the rotation’s value has come from Johnny Cueto, Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija. With those three in the fold, odds are the Giants are only looking for a back-end type to improve on Jake Peavy, Albert Suarez and the currently injured Matt Cain.
  • While Raisel Iglesias’ shoulder injury-forced shift to the Reds’ bullpen could hurt his earning power in the long run, the 26-year-old told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com that he’s enjoying his new role. “I feel really good coming out of the bullpen,” the righty said through an interpreter. “I’ve got my routine now. Coming out of the bullpen is something I did when I was in Cuba.” Iglesias has been a breath of fresh air in relief for the Reds, whose bullpen is the majors’ worst. In 7 1/3 innings and four appearances since returning from a nearly two-month disabled list stint June 21, Iglesias has yielded just one run on three hits and three walks.
  • Angels setup man Joe Smith has come off the DL in time to serve as a potential deadline chip for the last-place Halos, writes Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. It’s worth noting that the right-hander, who had been on the DL witIh a hamstring strain since June 7, has seen his ERA (3.78) and K/9 (5.81) fall well below his career marks of 2.92 and 7.48 in 26 1/3 innings this season. The ground-ball-inducing 32-year-old is on a $5.25MM salary and will hit free agency in the offseason.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Nats, Kershaw, Brewers, Rangers, BoSox

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In an ideal world, the Nationals would like to acquire a right-handed hitter before the Aug. 1 trade deadline, but they’re considering pursuing Reds left-handed slugger Jay Bruce, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video links). Bruce, who has hit .275/.319/.557 with 17 home runs in 313 plate appearances this year, could be a possibility in the outfield or at first base for the Nationals – to whom he can’t block a trade. Bruce is also familiar with Nationals manager Dusty Baker from the skipper’s time in Cincinnati, notes Rosenthal, who adds that the team recalling highly touted prospect Trea Turner to play center field is also an option.

Here’s more inside information from Rosenthal:

  • The back issue that sent the best pitcher in baseball, Dodgers southpaw Clayton Kershaw, to the disabled list Friday will likely keep him out for at least a month. LA now has solid reinforcements in its rotation in newly acquired righty Bud Norris – who had a terrific debut with the team Friday – and returning 2015 Tommy John surgery recipient Brandon McCarthy, though no one would confuse either with Kershaw. Prior to landing on the DL, Kershaw threw the second-most innings in the majors (121), led the league in ERA (1.79), and was on track to set the single-season K/BB ratio record for a starter with a ridiculous 16.11 mark. Not only will Kershaw’s absence hurt the playoff-contending Dodgers, who currently sit in a Wild Card position, but it could also damage his NL MVP chances.
  • With a slew of trade candidates in catcher Jonathan Lucroy, left fielder Ryan Braun, infielder Aaron Hill, relievers Jeremy Jeffress and Will Smith, and their young starters, the Brewers are a team to watch as the deadline nears. Teams have inquired about Lucroy – who’s the most appealing asset of the bunch – though talks haven’t gotten serious to this point.
  • Athletics left-hander Rich Hill could be the most realistic starting pitcher trade target around the deadline for the Red Sox. The 36-year-old spent some of last season in Boston, where he shockingly pitched like an an ace in September before parlaying that four-start run into a $6MM contract with the A’s in the offseason. Hill has also been outstanding in Oakland (2.25 ERA, 10.41 K/9, 48.1 percent ground-ball rate in 64 innings), though he hasn’t started since May 29 because of a groin injury. He’s now off the disabled list in time to become relevant for the deadline, though.
  • The Rangers had discussions with the Padres about right-handed reliever Fernando Rodney before San Diego traded him to Miami, but Rosenthal opines that Texas needs a left-handed bullpen option more. In addition to their interest in relievers, the Rangers are also in the market for a young, high-end starter and would be willing to part with just about anyone on their roster if the right deal came along.
  • Speaking of Rodney, his contract includes $3.25MM in incentives for games finished and a $2MM club option for 2017 that will increase in value based on the bonuses he receives, so the Marlins will save money by continuing to use him in a setup role.
  • There’s interest around the league in Angels lefty Hector Santiago, including from the division-rival Astros, tweets Rosenthal. The Halos aren’t inclined to deal Santiago for an underwhelming return, notes Rosenthal, as the $5MM man has another year of arbitration eligibility remaining. Team control aside, with a 5.15 ERA, 5.38 FIP and 5.02 xFIP in 87 1/3 innings this season, Santiago hasn’t exactly made a case that he’d be worth a quality haul in a trade.

East Notes: Arroyo, Venters, Kelly

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Veteran starter Bronson Arroyo made his second rehab start with the Nationals’ Gulf Coast League affiliate today, allowing no earned runs and two walks while striking out three over five innings. The 39-year-old is making his way back from partial rotator cuff tendon tears, and he still hopes to return to the big leagues in 2016, as MLB.com’s Bill Ladson tweets. It would be quite a comeback for the vet, who hasn’t appeared in the Majors since pitching 86 innings with the Diamondbacks in 2014. Here’s more from the East divisions.

  • The Rays have announced that reliever Jonny Venters has a “left UCL injury,” and the injury is in fact a UCL tear, the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin writes (Twitter links). Venters briefly appeared in a rehab assignment in Class A+ this season. It’s been a brutal series of events for the lefty, who was attempting to come back after having Tommy John surgery for the third time. He is unsure whether to retire or continue to try to return to the Majors. Venters hasn’t appeared in the bigs since 2012, when he whiffed 69 batters in 58 2/3 innings for the Braves. Venters’ career stat line — 2.23 ERA, 10.1 K/9, 4.3 BB/9, and a ridiculous 68.4% ground-ball rate — is borderline dominant, but he can’t seem to make his way back to the mound.
  • The Red Sox have moved hard-throwing righty Joe Kelly to the bullpen, Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com writes. “Power arm,” says manager John Farrell. “[T]his will be the first time that we’ve shifted him to that role here. This is for multiple reasons — for the time it would take to stretch him back out, potential of shorter stints, the stuff playing up, possibly more productive.” Kelly is currently returning from a groin injury and has not pitched since early June. He’s struggled badly in six big-league starts this season. Farrell believes Kelly can make it back to the bigs just after the All-Star break. As Hannable implies, Kelly’s move to the bullpen reinforces the likelihood that the Red Sox will look for starting pitching help later this month.

Latest On Red Sox’ International Signing Ban

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Yesterday, it emerged that MLB had banned the Red Sox from signing international amateur talent for the 2016-17 signing season, and had voided contracts to which the Red Sox had agreed with outfielders Albert Guaimaro and Simon Muzziotti, righty Cesar Gonzalez, and infielders Antonio Pinero and Eduardo Torrealba. Under the terms of MLB’s ruling, those players will get to keep the bonuses they received from Boston. MLB’s ban punished the Red Sox for using “package deals” during the last signing period to get around previous penalties for having exceeded their international pool while signing Yoan Moncada in 2014-15. Those penalties prevented the Sox from signing any player for more than $300K, but the team allegedly circumvented that penalty by paying bonuses that did not exceed the $300K threshold to multiple players with the same agent but then funneling more of those funds to the best regarded player. Here’s the latest on that story.

  • Other teams are not yet allowed to negotiate with the players who had their contracts voided, Baseball America’s Ben Badler writes (all Twitter links). The players will be eligible to pick new teams during the signing period that began today, but for now that process is on hold, while the league works with the players’ union to find the players new agents.
  • Guaimaro was the primary recipient of the Red Sox’ extra funds, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs notes, writing that he would rate Guaimaro the 17th-best international prospect for this signing season. Muzziotti projects as a fringe prospect, while the other three players look like organizational types. Still, Longenhagen notes, the Red Sox’ ban for this year is limited in scope because the team did not have a huge signing season last year or project to have one this year (although they were connected to a few prospects, including Venezuelan outfielder Roimar Bolivar).
  • An informant helped MLB gather evidence the Red Sox were violating spending rules, reports Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. The case could prove to be significant in that it could set precedent for similar situations in the future, Drellich notes. “Other clubs would completely lose confidence in the system if MLB learned stuff like this was happening and did nothing,” a source close to the investigation told Drellich. “It’s been an important issue.”

Red Sox Outright Mike Miller

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The Red Sox have outrighted infielder Mike Miller to Triple-A Pawtucket, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal tweets. The move removes Miller from the team’s 40-man roster.

The Red Sox had added him to their active roster last Monday, and he collected just one plate appearance in the big leagues before being optioned back to Pawtucket yesterday. The light-hitting 26-year-old has batted .251/.317/.301 in 180 plate appearances split between Pawtucket and Double-A Portland in 2016. He has played second, third and short this season, although he’s also appeared in the outfield in the past.

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