Red Sox Among Teams With Interest In Zack Wheeler
The Red Sox and Mets are engaged in preliminary talks regarding New York righty Zack Wheeler, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Boston is said to be targeting a rotation addition after deciding to utilize Nathan Eovaldi in the bullpen.
Importantly, there’s no indication that a deal is close. And the Sox are far from alone in pursuit of Wheeler. The Braves, Brewers, and Yankees were all connected to him recently. Andy Martino of SNY.tv suggests that the Cubs are another possibility, though it’s unclear whether the clubs are in contact.
It’s unsurprising to hear tell of a robust slate of possible suitors for a pitcher who figures to be among the top rental arms available. That’s especially true given that Wheeler is earning just under $6MM this season, making him amply affordable for just about any team.
The salary factor is of particular note with regard to the Boston organization. While the club is one of the game’s most consistent spenders and is coming off of the bonanza of a World Series win, it is also walking a financial tightrope this year and doesn’t plan to extend its payroll much further.
It’s also notable to see the Fenway denizens connected at this stage to a top rental piece. The club isn’t exactly in prime position after a ho-hum start to the season. There’s a nine-game gap in the division, which is paced by a Yankees club that seems poised to make more impactful additions, and serious competition even for a Wild Card birth.
What’s most interesting of all here, perhaps, is the potential for a quick and active bidding situation. The Red Sox and Yankees are obviously aware of the implications of one or the other landing a particular player. With the Sox said to be looking to strike a relatively quick deal to bring in rotation help, they could conceivably force the market to move. If the Yanks see Wheeler as their preferred target, they might need to act decisively, setting up an intriguing dynamic involving the club’s chief on-field rival in Boston and its sole market competitor across the way in Queens.
Martino says the Mets “have shifted into a more aggressive sell mode,” which makes sense given their all-but-hopeless spot in the standings (ten games under .500, 13.5 out of the division lead, second-to-worst record in the National League). It may well behoove the team to get the jump on marketing its rental pieces, Wheeler in particular, while other teams try to wait until the last moment. But committing even to a limited sell-off — particularly this early, and especially if it involves the Yankees — would certainly represent a bitter pill for ownership and rookie GM Brodie Van Wagenen.
Red Sox Face Decision On Tyler Thornburg
The Red Sox announced today that they have recalled the rehabilitation assignment of righty Tyler Thornburg. While the reliever remains on the injured list for the time being, the move begins a two-day period within which the club will have to decide whether to activate him or instead remove him from the MLB roster, as Alex Speier of the Boston Globe notes on Twitter.
Thornburg has been working back from a hip impingement since late May — the latest in a line of health issues that have significantly limited him since he came to Boston in the 2016-17 offseason. He has averaged 94.1 mph on his average fastball this year in the majors, but little else has gone according to plan.
Despite the return to a velocity level that sits just over his career average, Thornburg managed only an 8.6% swinging-strike rate over his 18 2/3 innings. He did record 22 strikeouts, but also handed over ten walks and gave up four long balls. If anything, it might be surprising the ball didn’t leave the yard more often. Opposing hitters tagged Thornburg to the tune of a 92.4 mph average exit velocity, 56.6% hard-contact rate, and 20.4 degree average launch angle.
In all, Thornburg coughed up 7.71 earned per nine in the majors. And his rehab showing at Triple-A hasn’t been any more promising. In 10 2/3 frames there, he was ambushed for a whopping 15 earned runs and five long balls.
It’s possible that the Sox will give Thornburg one more shot to make good at the MLB level. Odds are they’ll decide it’s time to cut bait, even with a relief unit that’s in need of supplementation. Other organizations will surely like to see if they can help the veteran get back to what once made him a quality reliever, though it’s hard to imagine any taking on the remainder of his $1.75MM salary.
Tendering Thornburg in his final season of arb eligibility has proven a regrettable decision for the Red Sox, though it’s understandable the organization sought to recoup some value. Despite turning in questionable results when he was able to pitch in 2018, Thornburg evidently showed enough for the club to think he could rediscover his form. Indeed, over the winter, the club even cited him as a possible member of the late-inning mix.
Red Sox “Pushing” To Add To Rotation
The Red Sox are making a push to land a starting pitcher on the trade market and “prefer to act sooner rather than later,” reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter).
Boston is said to be casting the proverbial wide net in seeking an arm to slot into the starting five behind Chris Sale, David Price, Eduardo Rodriguez and the struggling Rick Porcello. The Red Sox re-signed Nathan Eovaldi on a four-year, $68MM contract this past offseason in hopes that he could round out the rotation behind that bunch, but Eovaldi underwent surgery to remove a loose body from his elbow in late April. He’s yet to return from that procedure, and even when he does, the organization plans to use him in the ninth inning to help fortify a beleaguered relief corps that went unaddressed in the offseason.
The market for starting pitching is thin but not barren. Madison Bumgarner is widely expected to be traded between now and July 31, although the Red Sox are known to be on his no-trade last. Division-rival Marcus Stroman is a likely candidate, too, as is Baltimore’s Andrew Cashner. Detroit’s Matthew Boyd is available for a high asking price, and it’s at least anecdotally worth pointing out that Red Sox president of baseball operations acquired Boyd for the Tigers when he previously served as their GM. Like Bumgarner, Zack Wheeler of the Mets is a free agent at season’s end and is a strong candidate to be traded this month. The Royals could potentially move southpaw Danny Duffy as well, and there will be other options beyond the group listed here.
As recently as last week, Red Sox owner John Henry publicly indicated that he didn’t anticipate adding “a lot of payroll” for the 2019 season. Boston is already the lone MLB team in the top luxury tax bracket, and any dollar that’s added to the team’s payroll will come with a 75 percent overage tax as a result. Boston can avoid paying a steep financial price by either acquiring a pre-arbitration arm or convincing a potential trade partner to pay down some of a veteran’s guaranteed salary, but either approach would require a steeper price tag in terms of prospects.
The Red Sox’ farm system isn’t considered to be particularly robust — although the oft-recited “don’t have the prospects to get something done” line is overstated. MLB.com’s most recent rankings of the Boston system credits the team with eight 50-grade prospects, while top organizational prospects Triston Casas and Futures Game participant Jarren Duran have both elevated their stock on Fangraphs’ midseason update.
Injury Notes: Dodgers, Red Sox, Pirates, Mariners
Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill is making progress in his effort to overcome a flexor tendon strain, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports. A platelet-rich plasma injection “has promoted some healing in the tissue,” writes Plunkett, who adds “everything looked good” for Hill after an ultrasound on Friday. He’s on track to start playing catch next weekend, though a potential return is still a ways off. The 39-year-old landed on the 10-day injured list June 20, but the Dodgers transferred him to the 60-day version earlier this week. Consequently, Hill won’t factor back into the Dodgers’ pitching staff until at least August. He had been enjoying another fine season – the last of his three-year, $48MM contract – with a 2.55 ERA/4.15 FIP, 10.36 K/9, 2.04 BB/9 and a 48.9 percent groundball rate over 53 innings.
- Sticking with the Dodgers, corner infielder David Freese is a good bet to return from the IL on Friday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com tweets. Freese went down June 23 with a left hamstring strain, temporarily halting a rousing start for the long-productive 36-year-old. He came out flying this season with a .308/.407/.592 line (162 wRC+) and eight home runs in 140 plate appearances.
- Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland could start a rehab assignment next week, according to Bill Koch of the Providence Journal. Moreland has already been on the IL twice dating back to late May, including since June 8. He first succumbed to a lower back strain and then suffered a right quad strain upon his return. A healthy Moreland has been among many major leaguers to demonstrate an increase in power this season. The 33-year-old boasts 13 HRs, a sky-high .318 ISO and a .225/.316/.543 line (116 wRC+) in 174 trips to the plate.
- Left-hander Steven Brault became the most recent Pittsburgh starter to head to the IL on Saturday. Brault will sit out with a left shoulder strain, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. That sounds like a concerning ailment on paper, though Brault and the Pirates are optimistic he won’t miss more than one or two starts, according to Mackey. Brault exited his start against the Brewers on Friday after four innings of one-run ball because of the injury. He has now pitched to a 4.15 ERA/4.53 FIP with 7.86 K/9 and 4.75 BB/9 in 60 2/3 innings (15 appearances, nine starts) this year. Several injuries to starters, including to Pirates No. 1 Jameson Taillon, have opened the door for Brault to work from their rotation. Taillon has been out since May 4 with a right flexor strain, though in a long-awaited sign of progress, he’ll play catch Sunday, Mackey relays. Meanwhile, reliever Keone Kela threw a simulated game Saturday. Kela, also down since May 4, has been battling right shoulder troubles.
- Greg Johns of MLB.com and Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times share the latest on a trio of righty Mariners relievers. Offseason signing Hunter Strickland, out since March 30 with a right lat strain, felt “awesome” after throwing a 20-pitch bullpen Saturday. His return still appears to be a good distance away, though. Austin Adams (Grade 1 lat strain) and Dan Altavilla (ulnar collateral ligament) just joined Strickland on the IL. Between Adams and Altavilla, the former has been the better reliever this year, but the latter’s injury looks more severe. The Mariners will know more after Altavilla undergoes an MRI.
Red Sox Designate Oscar Hernandez For Assignment
The Red Sox announced that they’ve designated catcher Oscar Hernandez for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Trevor Kelley, whose previously reported promotion is now official. Right-hander Mike Shawaryn was optioned to Triple-A to open a spot on the 25-man roster.
Hernandez, 25, was with the Red Sox earlier this season when Sandy Leon was on paternity leave, but he didn’t get into a game during his brief call to the Majors. He hasn’t appeared in the big league since 2016 with the Diamondbacks, who took him with the top pick in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft. Hernandez saw only minimal time with the D-backs over the next two seasons and hit .167/.239/.262 in a tiny sample of 47 plate appearances in the big leagues.
A defensive-minded catcher, Hernandez has regularly posted solid framing numbers in his minor league career and has thrown out 41 percent of potential base thieves. Solid as he is behind the plate, he’s not much of a threat in the batter’s box. Hernandez carries a paltry .190/.240/.344 batting line in 431 Double-A plate appearances and just a .204/.273/.286 slash through 277 career trips to the plate in Triple-A. Boston will have a week trade Hernandez, release him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers.
Report: Red Sox Plan To Use Nathan Eovaldi As Closer
The Red Sox moved on from closer Craig Kimbrel in the offseason, but they still haven’t replaced the potential Hall of Famer with a single game-ending stopper. Instead, the club has gotten multiple saves apiece from Ryan Brasier, Matt Barnes and Brandon Workman during a 2019 season that hasn’t gone nearly as well as its 2018 World Series-winning campaign.
With the July 31 trade deadline coming up, the Red Sox are candidates to acquire an established closer for the stretch run, but it appears they’re primed to turn to a more unconventional in-house solution to succeed Kimbrel. They’re planning to use starter Nathan Eovaldi as their closer when he returns from the injured list, Tom Caron of NESN reports.
While the right-handed, hard-throwing Eovaldi was supposed to be a key part of Boston’s rotation this season, injuries have prevented that from happening. After Eovaldi came over in a 2018 trade with the Rays and helped the Red Sox to a title, they brought him back on a four-year, $68MM contract in the winter. Since then, though, the team has received just four starts and 21 innings of 6.00 ERA/7.10 FIP ball from him. Eovaldi underwent elbow surgery April 21 and then suffered a setback June 9 when it looked as if he was nearing a return.
Now, with just a couple months left in the season, the Red Sox seemingly believe they’d be better off deploying Eovaldi in short, game-ending stints than long outings upon his return. As Caron notes, they’d have the benefit of getting Eovaldi back sooner because he wouldn’t have to stretch out to slot back into their rotation. It’s still in question when exactly he’ll make his way back to the majors, however. Moreover, moving him to the bullpen wouldn’t solve the team’s issues at the back of its starting staff.
A full-time relief role is foreign to Eovaldi, who has made 152 of 160 major league appearances as a starter. The hope for the Red Sox is that the move would help stabilize an oft-maligned bullpen, a unit the hated Yankees humiliated over the weekend in London. The Yankees now hold an 11-game lead over the Red Sox in the AL East, meaning Boston’s best hope to return to the playoffs may be via wild card. The Red Sox are two back of a spot, though, and with owner John Henry seemingly reluctant to spend on outside reinforcements, the club may be prepared to try its luck with Eovaldi in lieu of a bullpen market with plenty of proven commodities.
Red Sox Select Contract Of Trevor Kelley
The Red Sox announced today that they will select the contract of righty Trevor Kelley in advance of tomorrow’s contest, as Alex Speier of the Boston Globe first reported. An active roster spot was opened by optioning fellow right-hander Mike Shawaryn.
The 25-year-old Kelley was a 36th-round pick in 2015 and was left unprotected from the Rule 5 draft last winter. He has generally succeeded in the minors with low home run and hefty infield fly rates. The soft-tossing sidearmer has been devastating against lefty hitters at Triple-A this year, holding them to a collective .077/.172/.115 slash. Kelley has allowed just four earned in 37 2/3 innings this year for Pawtucket, with 34 strikeouts and 12 walks.
There are a few other roster maneuvers out of Boston as well. Infielder Tzu-Wei Lin was activated from the IL and optioned. Corner utilityman Steve Pearce will remain on the shelf; his lower back issue evidently isn’t progressing as hoped, as his rehab assignment was cut off. Finally, Sam Travis is going back to Triple-A after 26th-man service in London.
BoSox Owner John Henry: “We’re Not Going To Be Looking To Add A Lot Of Payroll” This Season
“If we play up to our capabilities we will easily make the playoffs. That’s how I see it,” Red Sox principal owner John Henry told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford in London this weekend before Boston’s two-game series with the Yankees. The Sox dropped both of those games to fall 11 games behind New York in the AL East standings, and two games out of an AL wild card slot.
At just 44-40 on the season, the Sox are far behind the pace set by their 2018 World Series team, which won 108 games in the regular season and then went 11-3 in the playoffs to capture the franchise’s fourth Commissioner’s Trophy since 2004. The Red Sox haven’t won back-to-back titles, however, and Henry noted that following up a championship run has been a challenge.
While this year’s Red Sox seem decidedly better than the 2014 team that finished in the AL East basement, Henry noted that in both 2014 and 2019, the club didn’t make many roster alternations over the winter.
“My take is that maybe it isn’t the best thing in the world to bring back the same team in its entirety every time,” Henry said. “You don’t want to break a team down. But maybe a few changes wouldn’t hurt. But the feeling is always different after you win, apparently.”
On paper, there wasn’t really too much for the Sox to address over their quiet offseason, though their lack of bullpen depth was seen as a problem in March and has blossomed into a full-blown concern as we enter July. While Boston’s bullpen and starting pitchers still rank in the top half of the league in most statistical categories (Sox relievers lead the league in K/9), both have been prone to breakdowns at inopportune times. The rotation has been largely carried by David Price and Chris Sale, the latter of whom has looked like his traditionally dominant self after a subpar April. But Rick Porcello and Eduardo Rodriguez haven’t pitched well, while the fifth starter’s spot has been a revolving door of shaky performances since Nathan Eovaldi has spent much of the year on the injured list.
A possible answer to these problems, of course, is a big addition or two at the trade deadline, though the Red Sox won’t have much room to maneuver if they are to stay under the $246MM threshold for the maximum luxury tax penalty. The Sox passed this threshold last season, costing the team a little under $12MM in tax payments and a 10-spot drop for their first selection in the 2019 draft.
Between Porcello, Rodriguez, Eovaldi, the injured Dustin Pedroia, underperforming veterans Steve Pearce and Eduardo Nunez, and the $30MM+ in dead money still on the books for Rusney Castillo and Pablo Sandoval, the Sox have roughly $100MM committed to players who have combined for only +0.6 fWAR in 2019.
It should be noted that as per the calculations from Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez, the Sox are again in position to surpass the $246MM threshold, with an estimated luxury tax number of roughly $251.4MM. If the team is indeed over the line with little hope of getting under the $246MM, one could argue that the Red Sox might as well go ahead and spend more in an all-out push for another World Series. MLBTR’s Steve Adams outlined Boston’s financial restraints back in February, and while the Red Sox would face an even stiffer penalty for passing the $246MM limit in consecutive years, a big-market team like Boston is more suited to handling such extra expenses.
This doesn’t appear likely, however, as Henry doesn’t see spending (or a perceived lack of spending) as the problem.
“It’s not a luxury tax issue, it’s a question of how much money do we want to lose,” Henry said. “We’re already over budget and we were substantially over our budget last year and this year. We’re not going to be looking to add a lot of payroll. And it’s hard to imagine fielding a better team. If we play up to our capabilities we’ll be fine. That’s the question: Will we? We’re halfway through and we haven’t….It’s a worthy team because we invested. Two years in a row we have the highest payroll. It’s not a matter of investment, it’s a matter of playing well.“
Red Sox Reportedly “Surveying” Bullpen Market
Saturday was not one to remember for Boston’s bullpen, which surrendered 11 earned runs in a 17-13 video game loss to the Yankees. Red Sox relievers still rank between seventh and 11th in the majors in FIP, K/BB ratio, win probability added and ERA, though it appears president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will try to upgrade the improve before the July 31 trade deadline. The team’s Dombrowski-led front office has been “quietly surveying the market” for bullpen upgrades, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.
Fortunately for Boston, there should be no shortage of relievers available over the next month. Tigers closer Shane Greene, whom Dombrowski acquired a few years ago as Detroit’s general manager, figures to be one of them. Three Giants relievers – Will Smith, Tony Watson and Sam Dyson – as well as White Sox closer Alex Colome are a few more who could be attainable. The Pirates (Felipe Vazquez), Padres (Kirby Yates) and Indians (Brad Hand) could make their closers available, but given the weakness of Boston’s farm system, it might not have the prospect ammunition to win a bidding war for any of those coveted arms.
Having lost closer Craig Kimbrel to free agency, the Red Sox have been operating with a ninth-inning committee this season. Ryan Brasier, Matt Barnes and Brandon Workman have combined for 14 saves, though their success rate has been low, evidenced by 12 failed conversions. As for their individual performances, Brasier has managed a 3.24 ERA despite worrisome peripherals. Barnes has been the opposite, someone whose secondary numbers vastly outshine his ERA. Workman has been good all around, though he has walked upward of six batters per nine. Fellow late-game option Marcus Walden – who leads Red Sox relievers in innings (44) – has also enjoyed an effective season, as has Heath Hembree.
While Hembree has been down since June 14 with a sprained elbow, indications are he isn’t too far from a comeback. Hembree’s return will be a welcome one for the Red Sox, but it doesn’t seem he’ll be the only reinforcement their bullpen lands in the coming weeks.
Red Sox Activate Hector Velazquez, Place Brian Johnson On IL
9:45 am: Johnson is suffering from an intestinal issue, tweets Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe. The injury is not expected to be serious.
8:21 am: Brian Johnson was placed on the 10-day injured list prior to this weekend’s London Series, the Red Sox announced.
Johnson has stayed back in Boston because of a “non-baseball related medical matter that was discovered during routine testing.” Though there’s no given timetable for Johnson’s return, he is expected to pitch again this season. The lefty has a 6.43 ERA on the season across only 14 innings.
Hector Velazquez was reinstated from the IL to take Johnson’s roster spot. Valazquez, like Johnson, has been used as a swingman this season, making 7 starts and appearing 12 times out of the pen. Combined he’s 1-3 with a 5.59 ERA (4.52 FIP).
Sam Travis was also added to the roster as the 26th man for the London Series, while catcher Oscar Hernandez is also traveling with the team to serve as an emergency option. Travis has been effective in Triple-A, slashing .270/.367/.432, but that production has yet to translate in 24 big league at-bats.