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Cubs Designate Taylor Teagarden For Assignment

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The Cubs announced that they have designated Taylor Teagarden for assignment.  In a related move, left-handed pitcher Clayton Richard has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa.

The 31-year-old Teagarden hit .303/.403/.579 in 211 plate appearances with the Mets’ hitter-friendly Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas last season.  This season, he has slashed .294/.375/.437 with four homers in 144 plate appearances for Triple-A Iowa.  Teagarden also made 15 plate appearances for the Cubs’ varsity squad this season.

Teagarden now joins a whole host of players in DFA limbo.  To keep track of everyone’s status following a DFA, check out MLBTR’s DFA Tracker.

Cubs May Pursue Chase Utley

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The Cubs may pursue Phillies second baseman Chase Utley prior to the August trade deadline, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Utley will begin a rehab assignment tomorrow. He would need 251 plate appearances to activate a 2016 option, an exceedingly unlikely event. The former star has struggled this season with a .179/.257/.275 slash. However, a .186 BABIP suggests a rebound is possible. He’s owed about $5MM over the rest of the season. The Cubs would look to have the Phillies cover part of his salary.

An Utley acquisition would provide depth to existing middle infielders like Starlin Castro, Addison Russell, and Javier Baez. If the club lost patience with Castro, they could opt to use Russell at shortstop with Utley filling in at second base. The interest could also be purely for his veteran leadership. The Angels and at least one other team are also considering Utley per Wittenmyer.

Cubs Attempted To Acquire Carlos Carrasco, Tyson Ross

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The Cubs aimed high at the trade deadline but ultimately settled for pitchers Dan Haren and Tommy Hunter, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. According to club president Theo Epstein, “the two main players we focused on late ended up not getting moved.” Epstein went on to say that he was aggressive in offering both quality and quantity for top major league talent.

Sources tell Wittenmyer that the two players the Cubs focused upon were pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Tyson Ross. Neither was traded. It was rumored that the Indians were merely gather information about Carrasco’s value while the Padres have been criticized for not knowing “what they really wanted.”

Since signing a four-year, $22MM extension over the offseason, Carrasco has pitched to a 4.03 ERA with 9.90 K/9 and 1.91 BB/9. ERA estimators believe he should be at least a full run better than his ERA, as evidenced by a 2.84 FIP. The 28-year-old also has two affordable option years. It’s hard to imagine that the Indians don’t view Carrasco as a building block. However, it is pragmatic to entertain offers at his physical peak.

Ross agreed to a $5.25MM contract in his second year of arbitration. As a Super Two player, he’ll be eligible for free agency after the 2017 season. Ross has followed up a breakout 2014 with a solid 3.38 ERA, 9.66 K/9, 4.30 BB/9, and a 63 percent ground ball rate.

The Cubs also aggressively shopped shortstop Starlin Castro, but they found few takers. Javier Baez was one of the players discussed as part of a Carrasco package. Meanwhile, the Braves expressed interest in Jorge Soler while discussing Julio Teheran and other young pitchers. Overall, it’s clear that high quality, club controlled pitching is a top priority for Chicago.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/31/15

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Today’s minor MLB moves..

  • The Rays announced (on Twitter) that catcher Bobby Wilson was claimed off waivers by the Rangers.
  • The Pirates designated Deolis Guerra for assignment to clear roster a spot for Joakim Soria, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets.  Guerra gave up two three-run homers to Brandon Phillips yesterday, which probably didn’t help his job security with the Bucs.
  • The A’s announced that they have acquired lefty Felix Doubront from the Blue Jays for cash.  Doubront was designated for assignment just days ago to make room for the acquisition of Troy Tulowitzki.
  • Caleb Thielbar will be designated for assignment to make room for Kevin Jepsen on the Twins’ 40-man roster, according to MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (on Twitter).
  • To make room for Jonathan Broxton, the Cardinals have designated Marcus Hatley for assignment, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com tweets.
  • The Brewers announced that they have claimed Preston Guilmet off waivers from the Dodgers.  The well-traveled Guilmet didn’t spend much time with the Dodgers, who selected him off waivers from the Rays on July 10. Guilmet tossed three innings for the club’s Triple-A affiliate prior being designated for assignment.  He’s been very good at Triple-A this season, tallying a 1.95 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 32 1/3 innings between Buffalo, Durham and Oklahoma City.
  • The Nationals announced (on Twitter) that they have assigned catcher Dan Butler outright to Triple-A.
  • The Indians announced (on Twitter) that they have acquired left-hander Jayson Aquino from the Pirates for cash considerations.
  • The Pirates have outrighted Gorkys Hernandez to Triple-A, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets.
  • The Cubs have designated Ben Rowen for assignment, Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com tweets.

Cubs Acquire Tommy Hunter For Junior Lake

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The Cubs have acquired right-hander Tommy Hunter from the Orioles, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. ESPN’s Buster Olney adds that outfielder Junior Lake will go back to Baltimore in the deal.

[RELATED: Cubs Acquire Dan Haren]

Hunter, 29 this month, has a 3.63 ERA, 6.4 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 0.60 HR/9, and 46.3% groundball rate in 60 2/3 innings for the Orioles this year. Hunter joined the Orioles four years ago along with Chris Davis, in a trade with the Rangers for Koji Uehara. Since 2013, he has a 3.05 ERA in 191 2/3 innings out of the Orioles’ bullpen. He’s earning $4.65MM this year, and will become a free agent after the season. He’s the lone addition to a Cubs bullpen that includes Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop, Jason Motte, Justin Grimm, Rafael Soriano, and James Russell.

Lake, 25, has struggled in the Majors with a .241/.283/.380 career line. He has played well at Triple-A this year, with a .315/.404/.472 line in 231 plate appearances. Prior to the 2013 season, back when Lake was still an infield prospect, Baseball America said he had “tantalizing tools and inconsistent performance.” If Lake does become a useful big leaguer, he’ll be a late bloomer. He’s the second outfielder the Orioles acquired today, as they made a bigger splash earlier by acquiring Gerardo Parra from the Brewers.

Cubs Acquire Dan Haren

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The Cubs have acquired righty Dan Haren from the Marlins for shortstop Elliot Soto and righty Ivan Pineyro. The Marlins will also send $500K in the deal, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets.

"JunHaren, 34, has had a nice season in Miami after several marginal campaigns over the last three years. He’s worked to a 3.42 ERA with 6.1 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9 on the year.

But those results have come in spite of a continued velocity decline (86 mph on his fastball on the year) and, more worryingly, less-than-excellent peripherals. ERA estimators see him as a 4+ ERA arm in terms of his actual contributions, with a low BABIP (.248) and high strand rate (82.6%) aiding his run prevention.

That being said, Haren has provided 129 innings already, showing the kind of durability that he did as a much younger starter. And the Cubs have reportedly been seeking not only young, controllable starting pitching but also depth pieces for the current season. With Haren set to become a free agent after the year, he certainly figures to fill some innings down the stretch.

Financials have played a big role in Haren’s market, with some teams talking with Miami asking for cash to come with him. It’s unclear as yet how that will work out in this trade.

The Marlins picked up Haren in the offseason as part of the Dee Gordon deal, with the Dodgers chipping in $10MM (the equivalent of Haren’s salary this season) in the trade. In the meantime, though, he’s begun racking up incentives through his high games started and innings tallies. If he maxes them out, as he’s on pace to do, he’d tack on another $3MM in obligations.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Wittenmyer initially reported that Haren was headed to Chicago, with Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reporting the Marlins would receive Soto and Pineyro.

Latest On Alex Wood

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2:35pm: A Cubs-Dodgers deal was never discussed, per Rosenthal (on Twitter). But the Indians did have talks on Wood in a “larger deal.”

2:09pm: The Cubs and Dodgers are discussing lefty Alex Wood, who was just acquired by Los Angeles, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. A match appears to be “a longshot,” a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).

Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers In On Carlos Carrasco

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2:32pm: One executive tells Rosenthal that he does not expect a Carrasco trade (Twitter link).

2:12pm: The Dodgers are one of many to discuss Carrasco with the Tribe, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

1:03pm: Boston’s efforts are focused on Carrasco or Tyson Ross of the Padres, tweets Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com.  Outfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. could go in a deal.

7:36am: The Cubs are “among [the] teams engaged in ongoing dialogue” with the Indians about starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The Red Sox are in the market for controllable pitching, tweets ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, and they have also talked to the Indians about Carrasco.  Rosenthal says teams continue to call the Indians and make offers on the 28-year-old, who pitched a complete game last night.  Crasnick says the Tribe has been involved with a large number of teams on Carrasco.

Since rejoining the Indians’ rotation on August 10th of last year, Carrasco has been a new man, with a 3.07 ERA, 10.0 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, and 0.64 HR/9 in 196 1/3 innings.  The Indians deftly signed him to a four-year extension in April, which could run through 2020 if both club options are exercised.  As he’s guaranteed only about $21MM through 2018, Carrasco is a very valuable commodity.

Prior to acquiring David Price, the Blue Jays were “close to a deal that fell apart near the finish line” for Carrasco, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca.  According to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, the Jays offered Daniel Norris, Jeff Hoffman, and Dalton Pompey for Carrasco.  Interest will presumably be strong from teams looking for more than a rental starting pitcher, but not every team could spare the young players needed to pull off a deal.

Cubs Leaning Toward “Smaller Deal For Reliever”; 3-Team Talks Denied

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2:16pm: The Cubs now appear to be leaning toward striking a smaller trade for a relief arm, Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com tweets. He adds that there are strong denials that a three-team scenario was ever considered, as Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald also has reported.

1:45pm: San Diego and Chicago are primarily working directly together on a deal, tweets Nightengale, who says that they may not need the involvement of a third team to swing a major deal.

1:22pm: Chicago “would love” to swing a deal for Tyson Ross and Craig Kimbrel, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. It’s not entirely clear how realistic that scenario is, but it appears the Cubs at least have interest in pursuing it.

12:18pm: The Padres, Red Sox, and Cubs have discussed an unspecified three-team deal, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweeted earlier that there was industry speculation of discussions between the clubs, noting that there were many potential fits between them.

The parameters of a deal remain unreported at this time, but both Chicago (here and here) and Boston have been heavily connected to San Diego in recent days. The Padres are reportedly looking for a shortstop, and both Starlin Castro and Javier Baez of the Cubs have been mentioned as possible pieces that could be dangled. Meanwhile, the Cubs and Red Sox have frequently been said to be interested in controllable pitching.

Rangers May Hold Yovani Gallardo

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2:05pm: It doesn’t sound like the Rangers are getting any offers to their liking, as Heyman tweets that at this time, it appears that they may hold onto Gallardo.

10:17am: The Cubs and Blue Jays also remain in the mix for Gallardo, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Those three teams are his main suitors, Heyman says, noting that the possibility of the Rangers retaining Gallardo still remains.

10:02am: The Dodgers and Rangers are having “ongoing discussions” regarding right-hander Yovani Gallardo this morning, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link).

The 29-year-old Gallardo was an offseason acquisition by the Rangers, who acquired him from the Brewers in exchange for Luis Sardinas and Corey Knebel. He’s had a nice season overall with Texas, notching a 3.39 ERA 6.0 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 49.5 percent ground-ball rate. However, Gallardo’s recent performance hasn’t done the Rangers any favors in terms of trading him; he’s allowed five runs in three consecutive starts.

Gallardo’s strikeout numbers are way down from his 2009-11 peak, but his ground-ball rate is up, and his control numbers have sharpened as well. He’s earning $14MM this season in his final year of control before hitting the open market. Clearly, a trade would benefit his free agent stock, as he’d be ineligible for a qualifying offer.

The Dodgers have already added Mat Latos and Alex Wood to their rotation, though there have been indications that they’re still in the market for even more rotation help despite those trades.

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