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Heyman’s Latest: Cole, Cutch, Fulmer, Iglesias, Abreu, Bruce, Alonso, Darvish

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The Pirates are on a roll in the NL Central, having just swept the division-leading Brewers in a four-game series. Even prior to today’s win, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports wrote in his weekly notes column that Pittsburgh not only continues to look unlikely to trade Gerrit Cole but is now also unlikely to deal outfielder Andrew McCutchen, who has undergone a remarkable turnaround at the plate since late May.

More highlights from Heyman’s latest, including his American League and National League breakdowns:

  • The Tigers appear all but entirely unwilling to move young starter Michael Fulmer, per Heyman. That’s largely unsurprising, though perhaps it might have been expected that the club would at least entertain some scenarios in the interest of covering all its bases. While he’d surely draw a major haul, it would probably be tough for the team to part with its best asset while so many expensive veterans remain under contract. Meanwhile, Heyman notes that shortstop Jose Iglesias could be had for the right price, though it’s hard to see that coming together with such limited demand at the position.
  • Though the White Sox are clearly in the midst of another aggressive sale, Heyman writes that there are no plans to move Jose Abreu at this time. The slugger is in the midst of a fine season, but there’s a limited market for first base help at this time. With another two years of control beyond this season, the ChiSox will perhaps have more opportunistic times to market him. Derek Holland, on the other hand, could very well be moved in the coming week, and the South Siders would like to move Melky Cabrera as well but would probably need to pay down most of the remainder of this year’s $15MM salary.
  • The Indians are a possible landing spot for Jay Bruce, as their offense is currently without the injured Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis. The Mets are known to be looking to move Bruce, and it’s worth noting that USA Today’s Bob Nightengale recently reported that Cleveland was in the mix for slugger J.D. Martinez right up until the time he was traded.
  • With limited trade partners for Yonder Alonso — especially following the Yankees’ acquisition of Todd Frazier — the Athletics once again touched base with Yonder Alonso’s reps at MVP Sports about an extension, per Heyman. They’ll circle back again and do so later this week as the two sides attempt to find a middle ground. Oakland is in the midst of an all-out rebuild, as executive vice president of baseball ops Billy Beane recently indicated, but Alonso could provide some leadership for the team’s younger players. And, if he sustains his breakout through season’s end and into 2018, he could certainly become a marketable asset in the future when there’s more of a need at his position.
  • The Rangers aren’t likely to re-sign Yu Darvish after the season, Heyman writes, as Darvish’s camp has already thrown out Stephen Strasburg’s seven-year, $175MM contract as a potential comp. Texas isn’t prepared to bid that highly to retain Darvish, which is why they’ve at least signaled to teams that they’ll listen to offers on Darvish if they struggle too much between now and the deadline. There’s no plan to move Cole Hamels at this time, though, he adds.
  • While the Diamondbacks may have made their biggest move already, the club is still looking at ways to bolster the pitching staff. Heyman pegs Blue Jays righty Marco Estrada as a possibility, though it’s unclear if he’s actively under consideration. It’s fair to wonder, too, whether the club would be better suited to focusing on bullpen help — though, of course, looking at starters doesn’t preclude that possibility.
  • While the Cubs have made at least some contact with the Athletics on righty Sonny Gray even since acquiring Jose Quintana, Heyman says that it’s not at all clear that Chicago will be “a strong player” for another controllable starter.
  • With Jaime Garcia seemingly going off the board, there ought to be greater focus now on Phillies righty Jeremy Hellickson. He ought to be easier to obtain now than he was last year, Heyman notes, as the Phils are willing to hold onto at least some of his $17.2MM salary to improve the prospect return.

AL Notes: Sanchez, Red Sox, Indians, Logan, Yankees

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Blue Jays righty Aaron Sanchez left his start today after coming down with another blister, as MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm reports (Twitter links). While the 25-year-old says he is holding out hope of avoiding another DL stint, that may be optimistic. Sanchez had only just returned from a lengthy absence prompted by the same injury, though it does not appear to have occurred in precisely the same place. Ongoing uncertainty with such a key player doesn’t help the already murky outlook for Toronto, which fell to eight games under .500 with a loss today. It seems reasonable at this point to anticipate at least a minor sell-off of short-term veterans, though most of the players the team would be most willing to move have struggled in 2017.

Here’s more from the American League:

  • The Red Sox now have Giants infielder Eduardo Nunez atop their list of possible third-base targets, a source tells MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link). Indeed, the clubs have discussed Boston’s interest in both Nunez and reliever Hunter Strickland, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports. It seems the Sox are also still engaged with the Marlins on third bagger Martin Prado (as well as reliever David Phelps) along with Pirates infielders David Freese and Josh Harrison. Of course, it’s worth bearing in mind that Prado is on the DL, while the Bucs may be hesitant to deal given the team’s improved outlook. All told, it still seems to be a wide-open search.
  • It’s not clear if talks have occurred between the Indians and Giants, but Cleveland is scouting Nunez as well, per ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (via Twitter). With the defending AL champs still battling for a postseason spot, they can’t just wait idly for second baseman Jason Kipnis to return from the DL. And a player such as Nunez would also improve the team’s bench once Kipnis is back.
  • The Indians also got some bad news on the pitching front today, as lefty Boone Logan departed his appearance with an injury to his lat muscle, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets. Logan owns an ugly 4.95 ERA on the year, but he’s producing 12.2 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 with a 49.0% groundball rate, with a .360 BABIP helping to explain the disconnect. Ryan Merritt is on hand to give the team another southpaw matchup option to go with relief ace Andrew Miller, though it’s possible to imagine the Indians weighing alternatives if Logan’s injury turns out to be serious.
  • With Todd Frazier now in pinstripes, the Yankees intend to work Chase Headley in at first base, manager Joe Girardi told reporters including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (Twitter link). The switch-hitting Headley will pair with new addition Garrett Cooper for the time being, though that duo doesn’t promise to deliver the kind of offensive output that might be hoped for from the position. It remains to be seen whether the Yankees will continue to dabble in the market for first basemen.

Relief Market Notes: Neshek, Nats, O’s, Reed, Rox

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While the concept of leverage is now widely appreciated, the use of a dedicated closer still has a strong hold in the game. David Laurila of Fangraphs takes an interesting look at the subject, talking to a variety of figures from around baseball. It’s a good read and also bears upon some of the considerations that contending teams will be weighing as they look at upgrades before the trade deadline.

Here’s the latest on the market for relievers:

  • There’s still a wide market for Phillies reliever Pat Neshek, per Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network (Twitter link). Among the teams in pursuit are the Brewers, Rays, and Yankees, but it seems there’s no favorite at the moment. While Tampa Bay has been tied mostly to southpaws, the team is also interested in righties such as Neshek, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick noted today on Twitter.
  • The Nationals are also in on Neshek, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi, who also links the Nats to Tigers lefty Justin Wilson and Pirates southpaw Tony Watson. Wilson has drawn wide interest in the midst of an excellent campaign, while Watson has flown somewhat under the radar while scuffling through a down year. The latter has allowed just one earned run in his last fourteen appearances, though he also has managed only a single strikeout in the month of July.
  • While the Nationals are still looking at arms, they obviously have somewhat less urgency after landing two quality relievers over the weekend. We have heard that the Nats reached out to the Orioles regarding Zach Britton, who in theory could still be of interest. But Baltimore “didn’t engage the Nationals” before the latter club’s recent deal, Buster Olney of ESPN.com notes. Whether that’s due to the ongoing acrimony between those organizations isn’t clear.
  • Mets righty Addison Reed is said to be drawing quite a lot of interest, with the Red Sox are among the teams weighing pursuit, per Rob Bradford of WEEI.com (via Twitter). Boston will surely be casting a wide net as it looks to address what is perhaps a growing need at the back of the pen. Tim Britton of the Providence Journal highlights the need and also looks at some possibilities from the Red Sox’ perspective.
  • The Rockies enjoyed tremendous bullpen work early on, but have seen some cracks form of late. Adding to the relief corps sits atop the club’s wish list at the deadline, GM Jeff Bridich said today in an interview with MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (via Jim Bowden, on Twitter).

Rays Discussing Justin Wilson, Tony Watson

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11:44am: Rosenthal tweets that Tampa Bay is also discussing Pirates lefty Tony Watson. The 32-year-old Watson is earning a bit more than twice Wilson’s salary ($5.6MM) and is a free agent at season’s end. He’s also having a down year, with a diminished strikeout rate (6.3 K/9) and ground-ball rate (41.6 percent) to go along with an increased home-run rate (1.51 HR/9). Watson has a 3.67 ERA through 41 2/3 innings overall, though FIP, xFIP and SIERA all peg him for a mark more in the mid- to upper-4.00 range. Of course, given all of those factors, the cost of acquiring Watson, in terms of prospects, would be considerably lesser than the cost of acquiring Wilson.

More generally speaking, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets that the Rays have shown interest in virtually every reliever that has a chance of being made available, although certainly it seems that Wilson is higher up on their list than many, given the wording of Topkin’s initial report.

11:19am: Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that while the Rays do indeed have interest in Wilson, the prospect price is currently a bit high for them. Tampa Bay is expressing interest in a number of relievers, though, he adds. MLB.com’s Jason Beck tweets that the two sides are not yet close to a deal.

11:10am: The Rays have legitimate interest in Tigers lefty Justin Wilson, and talks between the two sides have gained some traction, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The Rays are known to be on the hunt for a left-handed upgrade in their bullpen, which is further underscored by a new report from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and MLB Network revealing that Tampa Bay was in on Sean Doolittle before he headed to the Nationals (Twitter link).

Wilson’s excellent production, modest salary ($2.7MM in 2017) and remaining club control (through the 2018 season via arbitration) all figure to appeal to the Tampa Bay front office. Set to turn 30 next month, Wilson opened the season as Detroit’s primary setup reliever, but a combination of his brilliant performance and a nightmarish season for closer Francisco Rodriguez thrust the southpaw into the ninth inning spotlight.

Wilson has picked up 10 saves since taking the closer reins from K-Rod, and more importantly has dominated opponents all season long, regardless of role. Through 35 1/3 innings, Wilson has averaged 12.7 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 to complement a 35.1 percent ground-ball rate. He’s posted a career-best 96.1 mph average fastball and a career-high 14.7 percent swinging-strike rate on the season as well. The end result is a 2.29 ERA on the season, with ERA alternatives like FIP (2.89), xFIP (3.29) and SIERA (2.67) all largely supporting his excellent season.

Quick Hits: Judge, Betts, Nats, A’s, Pirates, Orioles

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In Aaron Judge, the Yankees have a cornerstone right fielder. In Mookie Betts, the Red Sox have a cornerstone right fielder. The 6-foot-7, 272-pound Judge is radically different than the 5-9, 180-pound Betts, but the two American League All-Stars are among the majors’ premier players. To find out who’s the superior building block, Scott Lauber of ESPN.com polled two AL executives, three NL scouts and an AL scout. Each player ended up receiving three votes. One Judge supporter, an NL scout, said of the 25-year-old: “He has gotten shorter and quicker with his swing, more selective and disciplined. I understand that Dave Winfield has really helped him, as they are similarly tall and great athletes. Winfield talked to him about not striking out as much and thinking about RBIs, not home runs.” Meanwhile, an AL executive who prefers Betts, 24, reasoned:  “Given the track record of Betts and positional value that likely tracks better during the aging curve, I’d lean in his direction slightly. There’s clearly more upside in Judge if he keeps up this pace and retains such elite value for a longer term of control. But if I had to take one tomorrow, I’d take Betts.”

More reading material from around the majors as you contemplate Judge versus Betts:

  • The trade the Nationals and Athletics made on Sunday looks like a win-win, opines ESPN’s Keith Law (subscription required and recommended). In acquiring Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle, the Nationals managed to land a pair of quality relievers who possess excellent control without giving up any of their absolute best prospects. On the other hand, Law writes that the rebuilding A’s cleared salary, got back a capable big league reliever in Blake Treinen and a couple promising young players, both of whom were high selections in the 2016 draft. Nineteen-year-old Jesus Luzardo, the 35th choice, had the upside of a No. 2 starter before undergoing Tommy John surgery a summer ago, per Law, who notes that the right-hander seems to be bouncing back well from the procedure. Infielder Sheldon Neuse, the 58th pick, boasts “an above-average hit tool and excellent instincts on both sides of the ball,” and could have a future in the middle infield (likely second base), at third base or at a combination of those positions.
  • Pittsburgh, which sits seven games back of NL Central-leading Milwaukee, will begin a four-game series with the Brewers on Monday. The outcome of that set could have a major impact on the Pirates’ deadline plans, general manager Neal Huntington acknowledged Sunday (via Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). “Obviously an 0-4 changes the dynamic pretty significantly,” said Huntington. “We go 4-0, it changes the dynamic in a much more positive direction.” While Huntington’s focused on his team’s performance, his own future is murky, as the club still hasn’t exercised his option for 2018. “They’ve expressed interest in having us continue,” he revealed. “I’ve expressed interest in continuing. I’m sure at the appropriate time, we’ll get down to business and put something together.”
  • Major League Baseball’s deadline to sign draft picks this year was July 7, yet the Orioles didn’t ink 26th-rounder Cameron Bishop until Sunday, as Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network reported. While the Orioles submitted the deal (worth $605K) five minutes past the 5 p.m. ET deadline on the 7th, Bishop actually agreed to it on the 5th and passed a physical on the 6th, relays Rosenthal. With that in mind, the league determined that it would be unfair to punish the left-hander because of a delay by the O’s, so it signed off on the pact.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/14/17

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Here are Friday’s minor moves from around the game…

  • Right-hander Josh Lindblom was granted his release by the Pirates in order to return to the Korea Baseball Organization, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency reports that Lindblom has agreed to a contract with the Lotte Giants that’ll pay him $475K for the remainder of the season. The 30-year-old Lindblom is no stranger to the KBO or to the Giants, having spent the 2015-16 seasons pitching in a Lotte uniform. He returned to the Majors for the first time since 2014 this season but was tagged for nine runs in 10 1/3 innings.
  • The Royals announced earlier this week that right-hander Glenn Sparkman has been returned to the team following his DFA from the Blue Jays. Sparkman was Toronto’s selection in last year’s Rule 5 Draft, and he’ll head back to Kansas City’s Double-A affiliate, per the Royals’ announcement. Sparkman missed most of the season with a fractured thumb and was rocked for seven runs in one inning across two appearances upon being activated and making his MLB debut. He has brilliant numbers in Class-A Advanced and a solid but limited track record in Double-A, so he’ll continue to gain experience in the upper minors for the time being.
  • The Diamondbacks have signed right-hander Jake Buchanan to a minor league contract, according to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. Buchanan, 27, allowed 13 earned runs on 24 hits and seven walks with only four strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings with the Reds earlier this season. Buchanan has a 4.73 ERA through 64 2/3 innings with the Cubs, Astros and Reds over the past four seasons, mostly working out of the bullpen. He’s been primarily a starter in Triple-A, however, and through 439 innings at the that level, he’s worked to a 4.41 ERA with 5.9 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9.
  • Eddy also reports that infielder Chase d’Arnaud cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A after being designated for assignment by the Padres. The 30-year-old d’Arnaud opened the year with the Braves but then bounced to the Red Sox via waivers before landing in San Diego. Through 62 plate appearances between the three clubs, he’s batted .190/.242/.276 while appearing at all four infield positions. He’s a .223/.276/.306 hitter through 499 big league PAs.

Trade Rumblings: Darvish, Marlins, Starters, Tigers, Astros, Iglesias, Hand

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There’s “increasing buzz” that the Rangers will listen to offers on top starters Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels if they don’t open the second half of the season with strong play, tweets ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. It’s been previously reported that the Rangers will hold onto Darvish even if they fall out of the race, so that’d represent something of a change of mindset for GM Jon Daniels & Co. Darvish is set to hit the open market at season’s end, so if the Rangers are out of the race and don’t trade him, they run the risk of losing him to free agency (though he’d obviously receive and reject a qualifying offer, affording Texas some draft compensation). Hamels, meanwhile, hasn’t been listed as a potential trade target to date. He’s earning $23.5MM this year and next, and he’s owed at least $6MM as the buyout on a $20MM club option for the 2019 campaign. That contract and a bizarrely low strikeout rate (4.9 K/9) could complicate Hamels’ market, though he’s shown recent improvement with 12 strikeouts in his past 14 1/3 innings of work.

More trade chatter from around the league…

  • The Marlins have told other clubs that they’re ready to sell off assets, a rival executive tells Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller. According to Miller, the Marlins have spoken to more than 10 teams about right-hander David Phelps, and there are two or three clubs that are showing “serious” interest in closer AJ Ramos. “They’re working on it and talking to clubs,” the exec tells Miller. “But the conversations always end with one caveat, that they don’t know that the owner won’t bail at the last minute.” Miller adds that Giancarlo Stanton isn’t likely to move until the Marlins accept that they won’t get someone to take his salary and give prospects back. The industry feeling is that it’d have to be almost a straight salary dump. (Stanton can also veto any deal via his no-trade clause.) Miller’s column features a look at all 30 teams and their possible deadline course as well.
  • Sonny Gray, Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole are available in trades, writes Jon Morosi of MLB.com, but the Athletics, Tigers and Pirates have each set a lofty asking price. Perhaps more interestingly, Morosi adds that the Braves have said right-hander Julio Teheran isn’t available, though he’s reportedly been drawing interest and others (including David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports) have said that Atlanta would at least consider offers. In addition to that overview of the market for pitchers, Morosi runs down a position-by-position preview of the market for bats.
  • Heyman reports that there’s little to no genuine interest in Justin Verlander at this time due to his huge contract and underwhelming numbers. Furthermore, he notes that due to Verlander’s status as a legend in Detroit, they can’t accept an underwhelming return and effectively signal to Tigers fans that his trade was a salary dump. There’s also very little interest in Ian Kinsler, according to Heyman, as the he’s struggled in 2017 and few teams are on the hunt for second base help. He adds that Alex Avila, J.D. Martinez and Justin Wilson are all drawing strong interest, however, so GM Al Avila should make some deals in the next 18 days.
  • In his weekly AL Notes column, Heyman reports that with few top starters left on the market, the Astros may instead pursue high-end bullpen help in an effort to shorten the game and load up the relief corps for the postseason. Unsurprisingly, their list of targets would include Zach Britton, if he’s available. (Most clubs in the league would perk up at the notion of acquiring a healthy Britton.)
  • Heyman also notes that Braves left-hander Jaime Garcia is one rental pitcher that interests the Royals. On the subject of Kansas City, he also notes that while the team does have interest in Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon, K.C. would want Miami to pay down some of the roughly $41MM remaining on Gordon’s contract, which the Fish aren’t willing to do. The same is true of the Angels and Blue Jays, he adds, both of whom like the player but not his current salary.
  • Meanwhile, in his NL Notes column, Heyman writes that the Reds are believed to be willing to listen to offers on closer Raisel Iglesias but would only move him for a package that would “blow them away.” The 27-year-old Iglesias has emerged as one of baseball’s best relievers and is controllable through the 2020 season. He’s affordable at the moment ($3.5MM in 2017), but his contract allows him to opt into arbitration once eligible, so his salary is going to balloon quite a bit between now and 2020. Heyman also notes that the Reds would be interested in a two- or possibly three-year deal with Zack Cozart but recognize that he can earn more than they’re willing to pay when he gets to free agency.
  • The Yankees, Nationals, Dodgers, Cubs, Brewers, Royals, Angels and Mariners could all be in the mix for lefty Brad Hand, Heyman reports. Regarding the Dodgers, Heyman and Robert Murray report that San Diego asked Los Angeles for top prospect Alex Verdugo in return, though there’s “no likelihood” of L.A. meeting that price. The Padres are also getting calls on cheap starters Trevor Cahill, Clayton Richard and Jhoulys Chacin, each of whom inked a one-year deal worth $1.75MM this past offseason.

Huntington: Kang Unlikely To Play For Pirates In 2017

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Pirates GM Neal Huntington more clearly spelled out what looked to be an increasingly apparent reality on Thursday, telling Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that one can “pretty much eliminate the thought” of Jung Ho Kang suiting up for the Pirates in 2017.

The 30-year-old Kang was arrested and charged with his third DUI in South Korea this past offseason. The resulting sentence called for eight months of prison time, but that punishment was suspended for two years and allowed the infielder to avoid serving any actual jail time so long as he does not violate terms set forth under the suspended sentence. Kang’s appeal was denied, and he has since been unable to secure a work visa after his applications have been rejected by the United States embassy.

“That’s unfortunate,” said Huntington. “The situation is a result of regrettable actions. As far as 2018, we still remain optimistic that we’ll go through the process again this offseason, and perhaps the thought process or the environment will change. But we have to face the reality that it might not.”

The 2017 season is the third of a four-year, $11MM pact that Kang signed with the Pirates, though he has not received any of this year’s $2.75MM salary due to his placement on the restricted list. The contract calls for him to earn $3MM in 2018 and includes a $5.5MM club option with a $250K buyout for the 2019 campaign as well.

In Kang’s absence, the Bucs have turned to David Freese as their primary third baseman, with versatile Josh Harrison also seeing some time at the hot corner. The veteran Freese, who signed to a two-year extension last summer, has responded with a .244/.374/.362 batting line through his first 262 trips to the plate in 2017. In Kang’s first two Major League seasons, the former Nexen Heroes star batted .273/.355/.483 with 36 home runs in 837 plate appearances.

Gammons On Cubs, Tigers, Verlander, Lowrie, Cole

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“This is the reality: there are a lot more sellers than buyers right now,” a club personnel director tells Peter Gammons in the writer’s latest piece for his Gammons Daily website.  Not only are some teams still wondering if they can get back into the postseason race, other teams further back in the standings are looking to rebound in 2018 and thus won’t engage in full-scale selloffs at the deadline.  It makes for a lot of speculation but little hard facts at this point in July.  As one GM jokes, “the whole countdown to deadline day has become akin to stores putting Christmas decorations in their showcase windows on Labor Day.”  Here are some hot stove items from Gammons…

  • “The Cubs have called almost every team” in search of starting pitching, including asking the Tigers about Michael Fulmer and Daniel Norris.  It would take a blockbuster offer for Detroit to eve consider moving Fulmer, as he has already displayed frontline-starter capabilities over his year and a half as a major leaguer, and he has yet to even reach his arbitration seasons.  Norris would come at a lesser but still substantial price since he is controlled through 2022, though the southpaw has battled both injuries and inconsistency during his four years in the bigs.  The Cubs are known to be looking for controllable young arms, and may be willing to deal from their surplus of young position players to do so.
  • One Tigers pitcher that isn’t on the Cubs’ radar is Justin Verlander, as one Cubs official tells Gammons that “no one is going to pay $70MM for him, even though he may still be a very good pitcher.”  Chicago reportedly at least asked about Verlander at one point, though with Detroit apparently wanting to both get top prospects and get Verlander’s salary off the books, it isn’t surprising that the Cubs’ interest in Verlander was described yesterday as “more smoke than fire” by the Detroit Free Press’ Anthony Fenech.
  • Billy Beane told Gammons earlier this week that he hadn’t received any serious interest in Sonny Gray prior to last weekend, and the same goes for any serious calls about Jed Lowrie.  The veteran infielder is thought to be a good target for teams in need of middle infield help and the Athletics to find lineup space for prospect Franklin Barreto, though it appears that Lowrie’s market has yet to develop with over three weeks still to go until the deadline.  MLBTR’s Connor Byrne examined Lowrie, Gray and other Oakland trade candidates in a Taking Inventory piece earlier today.
  • Returning to Gammons’ original point about teams not wanting rebuild when they feel they have a chance in 2018, Pirates GM Neal Huntington said that his team isn’t likely to trade young right-hander Gerrit Cole.  “We haven’t had a real conversation about Gerrit, and I don’t see us doing so,” Huntington said.  “We think we can be serious contenders next year….Our goal is to maintain a level of competitiveness every year, and not to have to jump back and build all over again.”

Pirates Designate Antonio Bastardo For Assignment

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The Pirates have designated left-hander Antonio Bastardo for assignment, according to a team media release.  Infielder Phil Gosselin was called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Bastardo has only made nine appearances out of Pittsburgh’s bullpen this season after spending two months on the disabled list with a quad strain.  Even in his limited action, the southpaw has been very ineffective, posting a 15.00 ERA thanks to five homers and nine walks over just nine innings pitched.  It’s perhaps unfair to extrapolate too much given this small sample size (and Bastardo’s less-than-healthy status), though the lefty is also coming off a rough 2016 campaign that saw him post a 4.52 ERA and a 1.5 HR/9 over 67 2/3 IP for the Pirates and Mets.

Bastardo has always countered somewhat shaky control (career 4.4 BB/9) with big strikeout totals, though his average fastball velocity has dropped a full mile per hour from last year, down to 90.5 mph.  By contrast, he was averaging 92.8 mph on his heater in 2015, Bastardo’s last effective season.

After signing a two-year, $12MM deal with the Mets in the 2015-16 offseason, Bastardo is owed approximately $3.15MM for the rest of this season.  The Pirates are on the hook for that amount unless someone claims Bastardo or a trade is worked out, and given Bastardo’s lack of effectiveness, one would think any interested team could wait to see if Bastardo is released after his DFA period expires.  Bastardo carried some pretty solid career numbers prior to 2016, so he could certainly draw some looks from clubs in need of left-handed relief depth.

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