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Rizzo Denies That Nationals Have Interest In Charlie Blackmon

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TODAY: The report on Blackmon “is not accurate,” Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said this morning in an interview with 106.7’s The Sports Junkies (via 106.7’s Pete Medhurst, on Twitter).

YESTERDAY: The Nationals are showing interest in Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com (via Twitter). While it’s not yet clear whether Colorado will deal the center fielder, we heard recently that the club was open to fielding interest on players such as Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez.

It’s not difficult to see the connection here, as Washington has received marginal production out of center fielders Ben Revere and Michael Taylor. Both are controllable for 2017 — Taylor for much longer — but neither have performed to expectations, leaving the Nats with a unit that is playing at replacement level on the year.

The Nationals recently gave top shortstop prospect Trea Turner some time at center at the Triple-A level, and he is currently on the big league roster, but it doesn’t seem that he’s the first choice at present. Otherwise, the organization seems mostly set in terms of its lineup, with the bullpen representing another key area of need.

Blackmon, who just turned 30, is performing at career-best levels. Even after adjusting for the effects of altitude, his .305/.368/.481 batting line checks in at a 110 wRC+. While his glove has never rated particularly well up the middle, that could be due in part to playing at Coors. Plus, strong baserunning helps to make up any lost value in the field.

As a controllable asset, Blackmon won’t come cheap. He’s playing on a $3.5MM deal this year and is eligible for arbitration for two more seasons to come. Though a hefty raise is surely in the cards, Blackmon will no doubt remain quite affordable for a solid, everyday player.

If it’s easy to see why the Nationals would open talks on Blackmon, it also isn’t tough to guess at what the Rockies might target in return. Colorado has been stockpiling young arms, and could certainly look to further bolster the pitching ranks. Baseball America’s just-released, updated prospect ranking for the Nats includes several notable hurlers. Lucas Giolito is surely unavailable; it’s less clear whether that’s the case with regard to high-upside youngster Reynaldo Lopez, though he is now set to make his big league debut as well. Other names that could hold appeal include Erick Fedde, A.J. Cole, and Austin Voth. It seems fair to note, too, that the addition of a new center fielder could make Taylor expendable; other organizations might like a crack at refining his obvious talent.

Giants Prioritizing Relief Additions

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Giants GM Bobby Evans suggested yesterday that his organization is looking hard at relievers, in an appearance on the podcast of ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (audio link). Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, the organization is said to be “blanketing” the market for bullpen arms, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link).

The Phillies and Brewers are among the rival teams being eyed by San Francisco scouts, per Crasnick’s report. It appears that the Giants are paying particular attention to Philly’s Jeanmar Gomez and David Hernandez, as well as Milwaukee’s Will Smith and Jeremy Jeffress. All of those players have featured on MLBTR’s breakdown of the top trade candidates, though only Jeffress has consistently cracked the ranking itself.

Notably, Crasnick adds that the Giants are mostly “lingering” in the market for Yankees’ relief aces Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller. The expectation seems to be that other National League contenders — namely, the Cubs and Nationals — are likely to be bigger players for those two high-octane lefties.

Evans had hinted that there’s a lot of demand to contend with on the market. That was a significant factor in the team’s decision to rely on some younger arms this year, he suggested. “We didn’t realize that half of baseball would be also looking for the same relievers and that the market would be so limited,” he said of the winter’s free agent market, “but that’s where we are.”

The San Francisco GM went on to note that his organization will not just be looking to build out depth in its relief corps. “We have a pretty strong bullpen in the sense of guys that are pretty hard to replace,” he said, “so you’re really trying to replace one guy, and we’ve got to be sure it’s an upgrade. So we won’t be getting a reliever just to get a reliever.”

Evans also touched upon the idea of adding an outfielder, which has often been noted as a possible need. With Hunter Pence nearing a return, the veteran executive indicated that the position isn’t a high priority. It seems that a depth addition could be considered, but isn’t viewed as essential.

Yankees Discussing Chapman Trade Scenarios With Other Clubs

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The Yankees are “going full bore in shaping possible deals” with other clubs regarding Aroldis Chapman, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney (via Twitter). According to executives to whom Olney has spoken, the Nationals, Rangers and Indians are a few of the involved parties at this time.

Reports out of New York and recent quotes from president Randy Levine to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports have indicated that the Yankees have yet to determine whether they’ll sell off veteran pieces at the deadline, but there’s long been speculation that Chapman, a free agent at season’s end, could be moved even if the team hangs onto more controllable pieces like Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances.

All three clubs listed by Olney have been linked relief help over the past couple of weeks, with left-handed relief help in particular said on many occasions recently to be Cleveland’s top priority of late. The Rangers are known to be seeking rotation help, but they also currently sport the second-worst bullpen ERA of any club in baseball, at 5.08. The Nationals, meanwhile, have been said to be in pursuit of a top-tier bullpen arm dating back to last summer’s trade deadline and have been linked to Chapman on more than one occasion in the past. Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that Chapman was the Nationals’ “most likely” target on the trade market.

Yahoo’s Jeff Passan wrote earlier this week that the Yankees “are going to trade” Chapman prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, though a full roster tear-down is unlikely. There’s been some word that the Yankees are internally discussing the possibility of trying to extend Chapman, though the reports from Passan and now Olney would certainly seem to indicate that a long-term pact isn’t an overly likely possibility.

The 28-year-old Chapman, who is owed about $4.64MM of his $11.325MM salary through season’s end, has pitched to a 2.22 ERA with 12.7 K/9 and a much improved 2.5 BB/9 rate since returning from a 30-game suspension under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy earlier this season.

Reds Claim Abel De Los Santos

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The Reds have claimed righty Abel De Los Santos off waivers from the Nationals, per an announcement from Washington. The Nats needed a 40-man spot to make way for the promotion of Reynaldo Lopez, who’ll take the active roster spot of the DL’ed Sammy Solis.

De Los Santos is a 23-year-old righty who came to the Nats in the 2014 trade that sent Ross Detwiler to the Rangers. He did reach the major league level briefly last year, but has spent most of his time in the last two campaigns in the upper minors.

This year, De Los Santos owns a 3.67 ERA with 10.2 K/9 against 6.0 BB/9 across 34 1/3 frames split between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. His walk rate has been creeping up as he has ascended the ranks, but generally he seems like a useful potential future reliever. Cincinnati will start him off on optional assignment to Double-A.

Passan’s Latest: Yanks, Cubs, Hill, Gallo, Ziegler, Shoemaker, Reds

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The latest 10 Degrees column from Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports is rife with trade talks as the non-waiver deadline now sits just two weeks away. Passan begins by dedicating further ink to the oft-discussed Kyle Schwarber, writing that no player in baseball is more appealing to Yankees GM Brian Cashman, but the Cubs remain steadfast in their desire to hold onto him. Passan writes that perhaps if the Yankees were willing to part with both Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman, the Cubs could waver, but the commonly repeated refrain at this point seems to be that Chicago simply isn’t interested in moving Schwarber.

More highlights from Passan’s column, which is well worth a full look-through…

  • The Yankees “are going to trade Chapman” within the next two weeks, Passan definitively notes on more than one occasion. While New York won’t fully tear down the roster, rental players like Chapman and Carlos Beltran figure to draw plenty of attention. Beltran’s poor defense makes him a tough sell to an NL club, but an AL club with a need at DH and some occasional outfield at-bats would significantly boost its lineup by adding Beltran to the mix.
  • The Red Sox, Rangers, Orioles, Blue Jays and Dodgers are all expected to be in the bidding for Athletics ace Rich Hill, as are the Tigers, who have been calling around and asking about rotation upgrades, per Passan. The A’s, however, haven’t been willing to hold any meaningful talks about Sonny Gray, whose stock is at a low point right now in the wake of some highly uncharacteristic struggles. Passan also notes that Josh Reddick is “very unlikely” to reach an extension with Oakland at this juncture, though if the A’s were really only open to a three-year deal even as recently as July 9, I’d contend that it was never really a possibility in the first place.
  • A match between the Rangers and Rays centering around controllable pitching is readily apparent, and some sources have expressed to Passan that they believe the Rangers are willing to part with prized slugger Joey Gallo in order to land a long-term rotation piece. Gallo, of course, is arguably the most powerful prospect in all of Minor League Baseball but doesn’t have a clear long-term fit on the Rangers’ roster now that Adrian Beltre has been extended. He could theoretically be shifted across the diamond to first base or transition to the outfield, though, if the Rangers do hold onto him, so it’s not as though he has nowhere to play on the club in the near future.
  • Clubs that were pursuing Brad Ziegler were stunned by what the D-backs accepted in exchange for him, according to both Passan and Peter Gammons of the MLB Network (links to Twitter). Passan writes that the Indians, Blue Jays and Cubs all expressed interest in Ziegler and were all met with asking prices of Top 100-type or even Top 50-type prospects in return. Arizona, however, acquired a pair of prospects that weren’t nearly that well regarded in return. One NL GM who spoke to Gammons wondered if Dave Dombrowski’s close relationship with Tony La Russa impacted the negotiations.
  • Scouts have raved about Matt Shoemaker since his return from the minors, with one telling Passan that his splitter is the best he’s seen this season. The Angels don’t want to go into a full rebuild and are loath to move controllable pitching, but Shoemaker would draw strong interest.
  • The Reds don’t want to trade Anthony DeSclafani, but the dearth of quality arms on this summer’s trade market and on the upcoming free agent market gives Cincinnati a chance to cash in on what could potentially be a big chip. MLBTR’s Jeff Todd noted as much when examining the trade market for starting pitchers last week.
  • The Indians, Rangers, Nationals, Orioles, Giants and Dodgers have all at least checked in on Reds outfielder Jay Bruce. Passan writes that Cleveland could be the favorite, which seems curious in light of Tyler Naquin’s recent breakout and reports that Michael Brantley is making better progress than expected. If such reports about Brantley are more of a smokescreen from the Cleveland front office than a genuine representation of the star outfielder’s progress, the interest in Bruce would make more sense. If not, it’s tough to see where Bruce would fit in with Naquin, Brantley, Rajai Davis and Jose Ramirez all representing outfield options (to say nothing of Lonnie Chisenhall, who is hitting well but not exactly replicating last season’s eye-popping defensive metrics). Cleveland has been more heavily tied to bullpen help of late, and, from my vantage point, had a greater need behind the plate than in the outfield even before the weekend injury to Yan Gomes.

Deadline Notes: Hill, Nats, Dodgers, Rays, Braves, Yanks, O’s

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Injuries continue to be a problem for Athletics left-hander Rich Hill, who departed his start against Toronto on Sunday during the first at-bat of the game. Hill had to exit after the blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand popped, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. That blister pushed Hill’s start from Friday to Sunday. With the Aug. 1 deadline creeping up, scouts from several contenders were on hand to watch the 36-year-old trade candidate, as Slusser reported earlier Sunday. Durability is the big question with Hill, who hasn’t exceeded 100 innings in a season since 2007 and has already missed significant time this year with a groin injury. Hill has dominated while on the mound in 2016, though, with a 2.25 ERA, 10.66 K/9, 3.32 BB/9, 50 percent ground-ball rate and 14.5 percent infield fly ball mark in 76 innings.

More deadline-related news:

  • Scouts from the Nationals, Dodgers and Rangers were in attendance for the Rays’ Jake Odorizzi’s start Sunday against the Orioles, reports Bill Chastain of MLB.com (via Twitter). Odorizzi fired six innings of two-run ball and struck out seven against one walk in a 5-2 victory. The right-hander lowered his season ERA to 4.39 and improved his respective strikeout and walk rates per nine innings to 8.54 and 2.85. Interest in Odorizzi from the Rangers is no surprise, as they and the Rays are reportedly discussing him (and two of Tampa Bay’s other starters) leading up to the deadline.
  • Matt Moore, another of the Rays’ coveted starters, drew scouts from the Dodgers, Red Sox, Rangers, Pirates and Nationals for his Saturday start, per Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times. As is the case with Odorizzi, the Rangers are also engaging with the Rays about Moore, so Texas’ interest isn’t a revelation. Moore spun 7 1/3 two-run innings in a 2-1 loss and dropped his ERA to 4.33. The 27-year-old has also put up 7.58 K/9 against 2.63 BB/9 this season.
  • Despite hitting the disabled list Saturday with an oblique injury, 25-year-old Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino isn’t out of play for the deadline, tweets FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman. Although Vizcaino has struggled of late, his numbers this year – 3.00 ERA, 11.75 K/9, 5.5 BB/9 and 54.8 percent ground-ball rate in 36 innings – are mostly outstanding and he’s under control via arbitration eligibility through 2019. Those factors, not to mention his $897,500 salary this year, could combine to make Vizcaino rather appealing to reliever-needy teams.
  • The Yankees are scouting the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse, leading Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post to wonder (on Twitter) if a trade is in the works. The Nats are looking for bullpen help, per several reports in recent months, and Yankees lights-out relievers Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller have been connected to Washington as a result.
  • The Orioles are interested in adding a left-handed reliever, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Kubatko lists the Braves’ Eric O’Flaherty, whom the O’s were previously interested in, and free agent Joe Beimel as possibilities outside the organization.

Nationals To Promote Reynaldo Lopez

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The Nationals are promoting right-handed pitching prospect Reynaldo Lopez to the majors, reports Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com (on Twitter). The 22-year-old could take the mound Tuesday for the Nats, who haven’t announced a starter for that evening’s matchup against the Dodgers.

Lopez, a native of the Dominican Republic, has experienced a meteoric rise since signing with the Nationals for a paltry $17K in 2012. Thanks to his work this year, Lopez climbed to a personal-best 48th in Baseball America’s newly updated Top 100 Prospects list. BA ranked him 92nd after last season, a steep drop from his place (49th) following the 2014 campaign, but Lopez has since tossed 87 1/3 effective innings at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. The bulk of Lopez’s 2016 experience (76 1/3 frames) has come as a member of Double-A Harrisburg, with which he has posted a 3.18 ERA, 11.79 K/9 and 2.95 BB/9.

Lopez complements a mid-90s fastball that can touch triple digits with a powerful, whiff-inducing curveball and a still-developing changeup, per BA (subscription required), which notes that he has dealt with inconsistencies in his delivery and must throw more quality strikes. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, meanwhile, don’t consider Lopez one of the sport’s 100 best prospects. The two rank Lopez fifth in the Nationals’ system and laud his three-pitch repertoire, though they also cite concerns with his delivery and strike-throwing abilities. However, while some scouts view Lopez as a long-term major league reliever, Callis and Mayo believe he’s on track to serve as a starter.

In the near term, it seems the flame-throwing Lopez’s best chance to stick in Washington will be out of the bullpen, as MLBTR’s Jason Martinez alluded to Monday in the latest version of his weekly “Knocking Down The Door” feature. The Nats have been on the hunt for relief help, for one, and they have a more-than-capable group of starters with Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Tanner Roark, Gio Gonzalez and the soon-to-return Joe Ross, who has been on the disabled list since July 3 with shoulder inflammation.

In terms of team control, Lopez will fall short of Super Two status if he remains in the majors for the rest of the season. The most service time he could accumulate in 2016 would be 77 days. Lopez will be eligible for arbitration after the 2019 season and under control through 2022 if he does not return to the minor leagues this year.

Quick Hits: CBA, Minor League Wages, MASN, Academies

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Ongoing collective bargaining talks between Major League Baseball and the player’s union have been civil and remain promising, but Tyler Kepner of the New York Times writes that there are still issues to iron out. International amateur intake, the qualifying offer system, and PEDs all pose thorny questions. And matters such as expansion of rosters, if not also teams, and a reduction of the regular-season schedule could also need sorting. The smart money remains on a peaceful process, it seems, as most areas of potential conflict are of fairly limited scope and the parties have worked together on several complicated matters of late.

  • An issue that has increasingly drawn attention is the wages owed to minor league ballplayers. Nathaniel Grow of Fangraphs takes a close look at the matter, including what to glean from recent comments from commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA chief Tony Clark.
  • The TV rights fees dispute between the Nationals and Orioles, which is centered around the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, is still bound up in court, as Jeff Barker of the Baltimore Sun reports. The judge in the case has rejected the Nats’ request that another MLB arbitration proceeding be commenced, leaving more to battle over even before a new hearing is had on the underlying merits. Manfred still says that he believes a league-run panel will decide the matter, as Ronald Blum of the Associated Press reports (via the Washington Times).
  • We don’t often hear of top draft picks coming from the service academies, though Air Force righty Griffin Jax recently signed with the Twins after being taken in the third round. As Brent Briggeman of the Colorado Springs Gazette reports, rule changes could make players such as Jax more common. The two-year active-duty service requirement that applies to the academies can now be waived upon application, if an athlete has signed a professional sports contract.

NL Notes: Lucroy, Bruce, Lodolo, Ramos

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All-Stars Jonathan Lucroy, Carlos Gonzalez and Jay Bruce spent their All-Star media day answering awkward questions about trade rumors, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick writes. “Trade rumors?” said Lucroy to a reporter. “You’re the seventh person to ask me about that. But that’s OK. We’ll go over it again.” Bruce, meanwhile, was practical about the prospect of heading elsewhere. “It behooves [the Reds] to take a look into every situation where they can possibly improve the franchise,” he said. “I’m 29 and all of a sudden I’m not so young anymore. Every player that plays wants a chance to win a World Series, and I think the Reds are a couple of years away from being in that picture again.” Here’s more from the National League.

  • Pirates Comp Round A pick Nick Lodolo looks likeliest to be the highest unsigned pick in this year’s draft, MLB.com’s Jim Callis tweets. Lodolo, a lanky high school lefty from California, has a commitment to TCU. Via MLB.com’s draft signing and bonus tracker, three picks above Lodolo remain unsigned — seventh overall pick Braxton Garrett (Marlins), 12th overall pick Jason Groome (Red Sox) and No. 31 pick Anthony Kay (Mets).
  • Part of Nationals All-Star Wilson Ramos’ breakout this year might be due to the LASIK surgery he had last offseason, but Ramos also cites his offseason training, writes Mark Zuckerman of MASN. Significantly, Ramos was able to train in the US with his family last winter. The Nationals front office helped Ramos acquire visas for several members of his family, and Ramos was able to spend the offseason free from worry about himself or his family being in the midst of the instability of his native Venezuela (where Ramos himself was kidnapped several years ago). “The other offseasons, as soon as the season would finish, I would go back to Venezuela, try to spend time with my family. And the resources down there are obviously not the same as we have here,” says Ramos. “[H]aving them here, I’m able to do both, work and focus on my job at hand as well as enjoy time with my family, which has made a big difference. I just feel more relaxed and more comfortable having them around.”

Nick Masset Retires

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Veteran reliever Nick Masset, who has been pitching with the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate this season, has retired from baseball according to the International League transactions page. (MLBTR has confirmed that he is indeed retiring.)

Masset, 34, is a veteran of eight big league seasons, having spent time with the Reds, White Sox, Rangers, Rockies, Braves and Marlins at the Major League level. He retires with the distinction of having been traded for Ken Griffey Jr. (from the White Sox to the Reds). Masset was a reliable bullpen piece in Cincinnati from 2008-11 following that trade, pitching to a 3.07 ERA in a hitter-friendly setting and averaging 8.5 strikeouts and 3.5 walks per nine innings.

However, shoulder surgery in 2012 derailed his career, and he didn’t get back on a big league mound again until 2014 as a member of the Rockies. Masset’s final season in the Majors was split between the Marlins and Braves, when he posted a combined 4.68 ERA in 25 innings of work. A combination of age and the shoulder surgery had taken some toll on Masset’s arm, as his fastball, which once averaged nearly 95 mph, instead averaged 92 mph in 2015. He recorded a 4.71 ERA in 28 2/3 innings at Triple-A this season, though the vast majority of the damage done against him has come in his past four appearances.

All told, Masset will retire with a 20-16 record, a 4.06 ERA, four saves and per-nine-inning averages of 7.6 strikeouts and 3.9 walks over the life of 403 innings as a Major Leaguer. Baseball Reference lists his career earnings at $9.455MM. MLBTR wishes Masset the best in his post-playing days.

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