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Phillies Rumors: Jones, Shortstop

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  • Sherman also reports that the Phillies, after missing out on Manny Machado, would at the very least like to add a defensive upgrade at shortstop. Interestingly, he notes that the Phils have at least had internal discussions about reacquiring Freddy Galvis from the Padres. He also lists the Rays’ Adeiny Hechavarria and the Tigers’ Jose Iglesias as players that the Phillies’ front office has considered. The Phils have also been tied to Eduardo Escobar since Machado went to L.A.

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The Orioles haven’t yet approached Adam Jones about the possibility of waiving his no-trade clause, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. That doesn’t mean that the Orioles won’t be moving him, however, and Crasnick echoes previous reports in writing that both the Phillies and Indians have some degree of interest in Jones, who’d likely play right field for either club. Per Crasnick, there are some in the industry who feel Jones would want an extension in order to waive his full no-trade protection — Jones has 10-and-5 rights — though there’s been no firm indication of that from Jones’ camp, it seems.

  • Sherman also reports that the Phillies, after missing out on Manny Machado, would at the very least like to add a defensive upgrade at shortstop. Interestingly, he notes that the Phils have at least had internal discussions about reacquiring Freddy Galvis from the Padres. He also lists the Rays’ Adeiny Hechavarria and the Tigers’ Jose Iglesias as players that the Phillies’ front office has considered. The Phils have also been tied to Eduardo Escobar since Machado went to L.A.

Phillies Recently Scouted Chris Archer

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Scouts from the Padres and Diamondbacks (and, from outside the division, the Phillies and Cubs) watched Archer’s start last Sunday.  A source tells Morosi that at least eight teams have recently been in touch with the Rays about Archer’s availability, and while there still isn’t clear sign Tampa is considering a trade, this deep interest is one of the reasons “a deal involving Archer is more likely now than at any point in recent memory,” Morosi writes.

Phillies Interested In Adam Jones, Eduardo Escobar

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The Phillies’ list of trade targets includes Orioles outfielder Adam Jones and Twins infielder Eduardo Escobar, Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman reports.  Indeed, MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi lists the Phillies and Indians as “two of the most serious contenders” to acquire Jones before the trade deadline.  (Morosi initially reported on Cleveland’s interest in Jones earlier this month.)

Philadelphia and Baltimore have been linked in trade talks for much of the summer, as the Phils were known to be suitors for Manny Machado and Zach Britton before both former O’s stars were dealt to the Dodgers and Yankees, respectively.  It’s fair to assume that the Orioles have a very good sense of the Phils’ farm system at this point, both from scouting and negotiations and the simple fact that there are more than a few former Baltimore executives in Philadelphia’s front office (chief among them club president Andy MacPhail and GM Matt Klentak).

Jones, who turns 33 on August 1, is owed roughly $7MM for the remainder of the season.  He’s a free agent this winter, so he’d represent a pure rental for the Phillies, who would get a veteran upgrade in their outfield that wouldn’t represent a long-term roadblock for younger talents like Nick Williams.

With Odubel Herrera locked into everyday center field duty, Jones’ likeliest role with the Phillies would be to take over from Williams as the regular right fielder.  It’s worth noting that Williams (.250/.329/.438 in 286 PA, 12 homers, 104 OPS+, 105 wRC+) is actually hitting better than Jones (.277/.304/.422 in 411 PA, 10 homers, 100 OPS+, 96 wRC+) this year, though Jones brings a much longer track record of performance to the table.  Williams also has been a very subpar defender in right field, so Jones should represent an upgrade in that area even if his own metrics in the more challenging center field position have been well below average for the last three years.  The recent demotion of Aaron Altherr left the Phillies in need of a backup outfielder, so Williams would step into that role.

Escobar has mostly played third base for the Twins this year, though with Maikel Franco hitting better in recent weeks, the Phillies would likely use Escobar in place Scott Kingery at shortstop.  Escobar is in the midst of an outstanding .278/.338/.522 campaign over 397 PA, and the 29-year-old has also delivered 15 homers and a league-best 37 doubles.  He is another rental player, and only has roughly $1.7MM still owed to him for the rest of the season.

Latest On Cole Hamels

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7:27pm: Then again, a source tells Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (Twitter link) that it’s “not accurate” to say the sides have discussed Hamels.

Of course, the Nats do have someone on hand to watch Hamels in action tonight, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports on Twitter. The Braves, Cubs, Phillies, Yankees, and Diamondbacks do as well.

Of course, there are other players on view as well. The Atlanta organization may be looking at lefty reliever Jake Diekman, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman suggests on Twitter.

As for the Nationals, Janes tweets that noted D.C. executive Dan Jennings is the rep in Arlington, though she suggests his appearance is “more due diligence.”

7:15pm: The Nationals are the latest team with some level of interest in Rangers lefty Cole Hamels, according to MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. Those two organizations are said to have engaged in “trade discussions,” though there’s no indication that a deal is particularly close.

It’s not surprising to see the Nats angling to deepen their rotation and Hamels is certainly a pitcher with whom the organization is familiar. Of course, it’s also a bit interesting to hear of this particular connection given a rather notable run-in between Hamels and the D.C. ballclub, though that was some years ago.

After a strong outing on June 19th, Hamels owned a 3.41 ERA. After four sub-optimal times out, though, he’s all the way up to a 4.36 mark that arguably better reflects his true talent level at this stage of an outstanding career.

On the one hand, Hamels is back to generating a strikeout per nine after a big fall-off in 2017. On the other, he’s giving up home runs on 20.2% of the flyballs put in play against him. ERA estimators mostly view Hamels as a solid hurler — he’s at a 5.06 FIP, 4.11 xFIP, and 4.06 SIERA this year — but there’s not much reason to believe that Hamels is the top-line starter he once was.

Perhaps there’s some added appeal in the fact that Hamels has a long history of good work in the postseason, even if his most recent appearance — a 2016 dud for the Rangers — did not go as hoped. All told, he has thrown 98 1/3 innings of 3.48 ERA ball over 16 playoff starts. Hamels was also named the MVP of the 2008 World Series.

Contract will play a major role in the market for Hamels. He’s earning $22.5MM this year, a hefty rate for a sub-elite starter. He’s also due a $6MM buyout on a $20MM club option for 2019. Increasingly, it seems likely he’ll end up receiving the break-up fee.

Hamels can block trades to twenty teams, but the Nats are not among them. Neither are the division-rival Braves. The Atlanta organization has been linked loosely to Hamels in the recent past. Morosi suggests the Braves are indeed at least taking a look, though it’s not clear if there’s serious interest.

Phillies Showing Interest In Curtis Granderson

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The Phillies are discussing a potential Curtis Granderson swap with the Blue Jays, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter links). Rosenthal notes that the Phils are looking to upgrade their bench after demoting struggling outfielder Aaron Altherr to Triple-A last night. Matt Gelb of The Athletic tweets that improving the offensive depth of the roster is the Phillies priority in the eight days leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline.

The 37-year-old Granderson is hitting .230/.337/.417 with nine homers, 15 doubles, a triple and a pair of stolen bases over the course of 274 plate appearances in a part-time role with Toronto this season. He’s only been allowed to face a left-handed pitcher 23 times, hitting just .111/.273/.167 in that small sample. In 251 PAs against right-handers, Granderson is hitting .240/.343/.438 with all nine of his homers and 14 of his 15 doubles.

Granderson is earning $5MM in 2018, with about $1.85MM of that sum still owed to him through season’s end. He’s not a perfect fit for the Phils’ roster, as he’d give the club an almost entirely left-handed-hitting outfield mix, with Rhys Hoskins serving as the main exception. Beyond that, the Phillies have been one of the worst teams in the game against left-handed pitching, making Granderson seem an even tougher fit. Collectively, Philadelphia hitters have posted a meager .229/.320/.356 slash against southpaws. Adding a bat that has been almost entirely shielded from facing lefties to the bench certainly wouldn’t do the team any favors in improving that clear deficiency.

That said, Granderson is an affordable and still reasonably productive veteran who’d deepen the team’s bench and bring postseason experience and a renowned clubhouse presence to a young Phillies roster. The cost of acquisition for the rental of a part-time outfielder would be minimal, as well, and the Phils could still stand to bring in another option to help bolster the bench and provide a boost against left-handed pitching.

The Phillies have also recently been linked to Mets infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, which would align with their goal of deepening the lineup, and Rosenthal echoes previous suggestions that the club could also pursue Twins infielder Eduardo Escobar for a more regular role. Rosenthal also suggests the Marlins utilityman Derek Dietrich could fit the Phillies’ needs as a potential bench piece that could fill in at multiple positions (though Dietrich, like Granderson, wouldn’t be much help against lefties).

Phillies Demote Aaron Altherr, Mark Leiter

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The Phillies announced that outfielder Aaron Altherr and righty Mark Leiter Jr. have been optioned to Triple-A, with corresponding roster moves coming tomorrow.  It was just a season ago that Altherr looked like a breakout member of the Phils’ outfield picture, as he hit .272/.340/.516 with 19 homers over 412 plate appearances, though he has been unable to come anywhere close to that production in 2018.  Altherr has been a sub-replacement level (-0.7 fWAR) player through 248 PA this season, hitting just .171/.290/.305 and subsequently losing regular playing time.  He’ll look to get back on track in the minors, while his absence could put Philadelphia in the mix for a backup outfielder in its trade discussions.

Phillies Wary Of Moving Top Prospects In Trades

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  • The Braves and Phillies have been linked to several major names this summer, and Heyman says the two NL East rivals have indeed been “involved in most/all the big stuff” on the trade front.  According to some, however, Atlanta and Philadelphia have also seemed less likely than other contenders to move their top prospects.  This jibes with recent comments from Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos, who was looking to make upgrades but expressed wariness about dealing top prospects, particularly for rental players.  Both the Braves and Phils are somewhat in the same boat as teams who are somewhat unexpected contenders coming out of a lengthy rebuild, and since both are looking to begin some sustained success, they aren’t necessarily looking to make a big all-in push this year.

Indians, Brewers, Phillies Interested In Asdrubal Cabrera

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Mets pending free-agent infielder Asdrubal Cabrera is enjoying one of his best seasons, and contending teams have taken notice. The Indians, Brewers and Phillies are among the clubs with interest in Cabrera, Buster Olney of ESPN tweets.

The switch-hitting Cabrera has already been a member of the Indians, with whom he played from 2007-14. Cabrera was primarily a shortstop during that span, but the Indians certainly don’t need help there with Francisco Lindor in the fold. Second base is another story, though, as Jason Kipnis is enduring his second straight subpar offensive season. The 32-year-old Cabrera has shifted to the keystone on a full-time basis and would seemingly be a significant offensive upgrade over Kipnis, having slashed .280/.332/.487 with 17 home runs in 388 plate appearances this season. At the same time, Cabrera has been a disaster in the field, as he has accounted for minus-17 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-6.0 Ultimate Zone Rating this season.

Despite Cabrera’s defensive woes, the Brewers would welcome his presence at the plate. Their second basemen own the majors’ second-worst wRC+ (66), after all, with the Jonathan Villar-led group has having combined for a .227/.285/.340 line in 702 PAs. The Phillies, with on-base machine Cesar Hernandez at second, are in fine shape at the position. But they need help along the left side of their infield, where they’ve received underwhelming production from Maikel Franco, J.P. Crawford and Scott Kingery, among others. Cabrera has been dreadful at short in recent seasons, however, meaning he’d likely overtake Franco as Philly’s starting third baseman if acquired. One potential problem: Cabrera has made it known he’d prefer to play second.

Phillies Place Edubray Ramos On DL

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The Phillies announced that they’ve placed reliever Edubray Ramos on the 10-day disabled list with a left patella tendon strain. To take his roster spot, the team reinstated fellow reliever Luis Garcia from the DL.

At 54-43 and tied with the Braves for the NL East lead, the Phillies have been among the majors’ surprise teams this season. The 25-year-old Ramos has been partially responsible for their success, having logged a 1.91 ERA/3.21 FIP with 9.0 K/9 and 3.55 BB/9 in 32 2/3 innings.

Ramos has joined Seranthony Dominguez, Victor Arano, Tommy Hunter and Pat Neshek to comprise a formidable quintet in relief. Nevertheless, the Phillies have been on the lookout for bullpen help in advance of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, and losing Ramos for at least 10 days could further influence general manager Matt Klentak to upgrade his team’s relief corps.

Cafardo: Phillies Interested In Cole Hamels

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  • It’s “likely” the Rangers will find a trade partner for left-hander Cole Hamels, writes Cafardo, who adds that the Phillies, Yankees and Braves undoubtedly have interest. The Red Sox may also be among teams with Hamels on their radar, per Cafardo. Phillies general manager Matt Klentak doesn’t seem keen on dipping into the trade market for starters, though, and it’s no lock Hamels would even be part of the solution for them or any other team. The 34-year-old’s struggles this season are well known, and his $22.5MM salary for 2018 and $6MM buyout for 2019 don’t help matters.

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