Yu Darvish Trade Rumors: Sunday
With the non-waiver trade deadline closing in, here’s the latest chatter on Rangers ace Yu Darvish…
- Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network has the latest on Darvish. It’s said to be unclear whether the veteran would waive his no-trade protection, though of the teams with known interest only the Indians would need authorization to acquire him. There remains a mystery team in on Darvish, and the Rangers still think they’ll make a deal despite the lack of evident progress thus far.
Yesterday’s Updates
- Cleveland has indeed spoken to Texas about Darvish, as Grant suggested, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweets.
- ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets that the Yankees “aren’t really that involved” in talks for Darvish.
- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the Rangers are “more sold than ever” that they will trade Darvish. The Dodgers and Yankees are the two likeliest landing spots, though a trade isn’t likely to be announced on Sunday. Rangers GM Jon Daniels and other execs met with Darvish last weekend to explain to him the possibility that he’d be traded, Wilson continues. Texas hopes to trade Darvish to a contending club and re-sign him, and while Wilson reports that the right-hander has told the team he hopes to continue his career with them, he also is curious to see what the open market will bear.
- MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan also tweets that the Dodgers and Yankees are both in on Darvish, but he hears there’s a third team in the mix that no one anticipated. (Hooray for the mystery team!) The Cubs aren’t heavily involved in Darvish talks, according to Wilson (Twitter link). Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News speculates that the Indians could be interested (Twitter links). Grant also notes that the Astros have expressed interest, though the Rangers feel that would be the toughest deal to complete.
Rockies Acquire Jonathan Lucroy
The Rockies have officially struck a deal to acquire Rangers catcher Jonathan Lucroy, as Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network first reported (via Twitter). A player to be named later is going to Texas in return, per ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). (Note: the PTBNL cannot be a 2017 draft pick.)
[RELATED: Updated Rockies Depth Chart]
Lucroy, 31, was connected to the Rockies earlier today. The veteran receiver will help bolster a catching situation that has been less-than-ideal all year long. While Tom Murphy was expected to play a major role, he missed an extended stretch due to injury and was optioned after struggling upon his return. Tony Wolters has been over-extended as a regular, and neither Ryan Hanigan nor Dustin Garneau has shown much during their time in the majors this year.
Colorado will hope that Lucroy provides a steadying presence, both in the field and at the plate. He’s earning just $5.25MM on the year — just over $1.8MM of which remains — before reaching the open market at season’s end, so his acquisition won’t make a major dent in the club’s payroll.
But for this move to succeed, Lucroy will need to engineer a turnaround. Through his 306 plate appearances this year, the veteran is hitting just .242/.297/.338 with four home runs. And the questions aren’t limited to the offensive side of the equation. Once the poster boy for pitch framing, Lucroy has rated as perhaps the worst framer in baseball in 2017.
That output falls far shy of his typical work. From the start of his breakout 2012 season through the end of the 2016 campaign, Lucroy ran up a .291/.353/.465 slash line — numbers more commonly seen from quality corner outfielders than backstops. He also developed a reputation as a top-tier defensive catcher, driven especially by his outstanding abilities in the then-underappreciated art of pitch framing.
Whether the veteran can bounce back will surely be interesting to see. He has struck out in just 10.5% of his plate appearances this year, though he’s also walking at a lesser rate (6.2%) than usual. He has surely been a bit unfortunate with a .259 BABIP, though that hardly explains the massive power drop-off (from a career .153 isolated slugging to a current .096 mark). And it is concerning that Lucroy is making far less hard contact (22.3%) and putting the ball on the ground far more (56.2%) than he has typically. With respect to the framing downturn, it’s anyone’s guess whether he can return to his prior levels, though perhaps there’s reason to think that Lucroy will excel regardless in the-less quantifiable aspects of his craft behind the dish.
For the Rangers, meanwhile, the move perhaps begins what could be quite a busy stretch. The club has been rumored to be preparing to move star righty Yu Darvish, and will surely be listening to offers on a variety of other players. Relievers Keone Kela and Jeremy Jeffress are said to be available, while pending free agent hitters Carlos Gomez and Mike Napoli likely are as well.
It’s disappointing, surely, for the Rangers to be overseeing a sell-off in the midst of a season that started with lofty expectations. But the club is also undoubtedly right not to double down on a roster that had too many questions. That said, with numerous core pieces under contract for the foreseeable future, the expectation remains that the Rangers will be focused on moving pending free agents while reloading for another run in 2018.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rangers Claim Tyler Smith Off Waivers
Infielder Tyler Smith, who was designated for assignment by the Mariners last week, was claimed off waivers today by the Rangers, according to an announcement from the Mariners.
Smith, 26, made his Major League debut with the Mariners this summer and appeared in 10 games, though he totaled just 19 plate appearances with a .188/.263/.250 slash in that minuscule sample. The second baseman/shortstop was hitting .239/.330/.347 with six homers and four steals through 330 PAs with Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma this season and figures to serve as infield depth in the upper minors with Texas for the time being.
Rockies, Rangers Discussing Jonathan Lucroy Trade
11:40am: The two sides are still talking about a deal, but there’s “not enough headway” to complete the trade at this time, tweets MLB.com’s Thomas Harding.
9:11am: The Rockies appear to be in talks with the Rangers about a trade that would send catcher Jonathan Lucroy to Colorado, as Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets that “Lucroy to Rockies has legs.” MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan tweets that he, too, hears there’s a possibility that the Rockies will add Lucroy.
Sullivan reported last week that the Rockies had expressed interest in Lucroy, and reports since Colorado picked up Pat Neshek from the Phillies have indicated that acquiring a catcher remains a focus for the team.
Lucroy, 31, is in the midst of the worst offensive season of his career, hitting just .242/.297/.338 with four homers through 306 plate appearances. Those struggles, however, come on the heels of a brilliant .292/.355/.500 slash and a career-high 24 homers in 2016. Lucroy has caught 30 percent of those that have attempted to steal against him, but he’s also seen his once-vaunted framing numbers deteriorate to the point that Baseball Prospectus ranks him as one of the league’s worst pitch framers. He’s earning a highly affordable $5.25MM salary this season, with about $1.84MM of that sum still owed to him through season’s end.
Rockies catchers have batted a combined .233/.313/.307 this season, as Tony Wolters has struggled at the dish while serving as the team’s primary catcher. Ryan Hanigan, Dustin Garneau and Tom Murphy have all seen time behind the plate as well, though none of that trio has been effective.
Yu Darvish Rumors: Saturday
Here’s the latest on the trade market for Rangers star Yu Darvish:
- The Yankees don’t seem likely to land Darvish, suggests Heyman, who tweets that they haven’t gotten “deep” into talks centering on the 30-year-old. The Rangers should be able to get a better return from another team, adds Heyman, who points to the Dodgers as a “logical” fit.
Earlier updates:
- A Darvish trade is “becoming increasingly likely,” Jon Heyman of FanRag writes. It was previously unclear whether the Rangers, who have been on the fringes of the Wild Card race, would trade Darvish, but teams interested in trading for Darvish now suggest that negotiations have become more intense lately. (FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported earlier this week that the Rangers would trade Darvish.) Darvish is a rental, but the Rangers are, perhaps understandably, seeking a top prospect in return. The Yankees, however, have indicated they won’t trade Gleyber Torres or Clint Frazier, and there is no indication the Dodgers would trade Alex Verdugo or Walker Buehler. The Rangers have also received interest in Darvish’s fellow starter Andrew Cashner, Heyman writes.
- The Dodgers’ three top targets are Darvish, Sonny Gray and Zach Britton, Rosenthal tweets. He indicates, however, that the team’s preference is “not necessarily in that order,” and that the team’s plan will likely be dictated by asking prices for each player. (The latest rumors about Gray suggest the A’s are seeking top young talents, like Milwaukee’s Lewis Brinson, in return, just as the Rangers seem to be doing with Darvish.)
Mike Napoli Drawing Interest
- This season has been a struggle for Rangers first baseman/designated hitter Mike Napoli, but he’s garnering interest nonetheless, per Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan, who tweets that “teams love him in the clubhouse.” The powerful Napoli has slugged 22 home runs and put up an excellent .258 ISO, though his .208/.287/.466 line through 336 PAs isn’t pretty. But the 35-year-old has gotten hot at the right time, having slashed .260/.329/.658 in 82 PAs this month. Napoli’s on a $6MM salary this year and has an $11MM club option (or a $2.5MM buyout) for 2018.
Darvish is Dodgers' Top Priority
- Yu Darvish is still the Dodgers’ top target, but the team isn’t likely to surrender any of its “very top prospects” in order to pry him away from the Rangers, per Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. The Dodgers view Sonny Gray as a fallback option for Darvish, who is also drawing interest from the Yankees, Cubs and Astros, according to Heyman.
Rangers Informing Interested Teams They Will Trade Yu Darvish
Top righty Yu Darvish appears to be destined to change uniforms in the coming days, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network (via Twitter). While the Rangers have been waiting to decide whether to deal the talented starter, Rosenthal says the club is now informing rivals that it will trade him.
Darvish now clearly represents the top rental hurler available on the market. With the Rangers said to be “confident” of achieving a significant return, per Rosenthal, the organization is “actively exchanging names” with interested contenders. With less than four days to go til the non-waiver deadline, then, the report seemingly sets the stage for a bidding war on one of the game’s most accomplished starters.
To be sure, other pitchers of significance that could be traded in the coming days, some with greater trade value. In particular, the expectation remains that Sonny Gray will change hands. But there’s an argument to be made that no other pitcher has so much potential to impact the outcome of the current season.
That said, at thirty years of age, Darvish is hardly pitching at his highest levels. He’s averaging just under ten strikeouts per nine for the first time ever, has surrendered a few more home runs than usual, and carries an uncharacteristic 4.01 ERA through 137 innings. That earned run average ballooned by more than half a run after Darvish was knocked around in his start.
On the whole, as Dave Cameron of Fangraphs explored in detail today, there are some reasons for worry but also signs for ongoing confidence. Darvish is throwing hard and getting about as many swings and misses as ever. He is on track to approach or perhaps exceed two hundred innings for the second time in a full season. And whatever the risks, there will be no long-term contractual entanglements to magnify them.
It seems from this most recent report that rival organizations see enough cause to believe in Darvish to motivate the Rangers to deal him. In terms of possible landing spots, there are quite a few, as MLBTR’s Connor Byrne ran down earlier today.
Texas had reportedly advised other teams that it’d pursue a Wild Card run, despite a marginal position in the standings, if a sufficient return couldn’t be had for Darvish. Instead, it seems, the righty will likely end up on the move — leaving the organization looking to re-tool for 2018. Indications are that Adrian Beltre will remain mostly off limits, though Jonathan Lucroy seems to be on the block and we heard today that relievers Jeremy Jeffress and Keone Kela are available. Pending free agents such as Carlos Gomez and Mike Napoli (the latter’s contract includes a club option) would also appear to be fair game, with the Rangers perhaps now more motivated to deal them given their evident intentions regarding Darvish.
Royals Asked About Yu Darvish
- The Royals remain on the hunt for rotation help even after netting Trevor Cahill, Heyman writes. (That much may be evidenced by their apparent talks for Francisco Liriano, which are reportedly progressing.) Heyman notes that Kansas City even called the Athletics on Sonny Gray and the Rangers on Yu Darvish, though the team was realistic about the fact that it doesn’t have much of a chance of outbidding the competition for either player.
Dodgers Focusing On Yu Darvish?
- The Dodgers are also looking at starters, of course, and Morosi hears they are (Twitter links) increasingly confident in landing a big name. Currently, Los Angeles is focused more on Rangers star Yu Darvish than either Sonny Gray of the Athletics or Justin Verlander of the Tigers, he notes. Of course, at this point it’s still unclear whether Darvish will be marketed at all, and it’s not really known how keen the Dodgers’ interest is in the other two starters.