MLBTR Podcast: Top Trade Candidates, Hunter Harvey To KC And The Current State Of The Rays And Mets
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- MLBTR’s list of the Top 50 Trade Candidates For The 2024 Trade Deadline (2:20)
- The Royals acquire Hunter Harvey from the Nationals (5:45)
- The Mets acquire Phil Maton from the Rays (14:55)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- The Cubs are such an interesting case right now. They’re not performing well, but they’re also not built to sell. They’ve got a lot of players slated to return from the IL in the next few weeks and they’ve got an easy strength of schedule after the deadline. They’ve got a strong farm system and some positional surpluses that they could deal from, but they’re up against the tax that they’ve self-imposed as a hard cap. They’re not too far from playoff contention but they’ve got a bunch of teams ahead of them. What should they do? (27:15)
- With the trade deadline approaching fast and the Tigers’ recent play, could they be potential buyers if they continue this trend up to the deadline? (34:25)
- If the White Sox trade Luis Robert Jr., Garrett Crochet, Erick Fedde and Michael Kopech, just how improved could they expect to be? (40:40)
Check out our past episodes!
- Brewers’ Pitching Needs, Marlins Rumors And The Nats Prepare To Sell – listen here
- The Rays Could Deal Starters, Garrett Crochet, James Wood And Free Agent Power Rankings – listen here
- Injured Trade Candidates, The Cristopher Sánchez Extension And Blue Jays’ Woes – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Phillies Among Teams With Interest In Tommy Pham
The Phillies are among the teams with some interest in White Sox outfielder Tommy Pham, writes Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Philadelphia is known to be on the hunt for some outfield help in the run-up to the July 30 trade deadline, and while they’ve been more heavily rumored to be seeking a true center fielder, the 36-year-old Pham could still give them a solid bat in left field (pushing Brandon Marsh to center with more regularity) or a bat off the bench who could be paired with a true center field addition. The Royals have also been linked to Pham.
While Pham doesn’t offer the defensive excellence of current Philadelphia outfielders Johan Rojas and Cristian Pache, he can handle center field in a pinch. He also brings quite a bit more offense to the table than either player. Pham’s bat has cooled since a hot start to the season, but he’s still sporting a solid .264/.339/.368 slash line on the season (103 wRC+). This is Pham’s tenth full big league season and the eighth in which he’s provided at least average offense.
The Phillies recently released veteran Whit Merrifield, who’d played 25 games in left field for them (in addition to 14 at second base and a dozen at the hot corner). The hope had been that he could be a vital bat for them against lefties, but that didn’t prove to be the case. He hit just .190/.238/.329 in 84 plate appearances against southpaws. Pham, on the other hand, has pummeled lefties, hitting .260/.383/.480 when holding the platoon advantage. He’s posted a solid .265 average and .325 on-base percentage against righties but hasn’t hit for any power in right-on-right situations, slugging just .337.
Pham’s contractual status also likely appeals to a Phillies club that is already in the second tier of luxury tax penalization. He’s playing the season on a $3MM salary, with about $1.21MM of that sum yet to be paid out as of this writing. (He’d be owed a $500K assignment bonus upon being traded and can unlock an additional $1.5MM in salary based on plate appearances.) Because the Phils are paying the tax for a third straight year and in the second tier of penalty ($20MM to $40MM over the $237MM tax threshold), they’ll pay a 62% tax on any dollars added to the payroll.
Adding Pham and the remainder of his modest base salary would result in an additional $750K of tax penalties, bringing his theoretical luxury hit for the club to $1.96MM (the exact number will be impacted by which team pays the assignment bonus and the actual timing of a potential trade, of course). That’s of particular benefit to the Phillies, who would see their top pick in the 2025 draft pushed back 10 places if they reach $277MM in tax considerations. At present, RosterResource projects the Phils at $261.6MM worth of luxury obligations. With the Phillies surely eyeing multiple upgrades ahead of the deadline, assuring that at least one of those pickups comes with a relatively minimal salary commitment could be extra importance.
White Sox, Nick Senzel Agree To Major League Deal
The White Sox are reportedly in agreement with free agent infielder Nick Senzel on a major league contract. Senzel, a client of the Boras Corporation, was released by the Nationals last week. Chicago will need to open space on the active and 40-man rosters once the move is finalized, which might not happen until after the All-Star Break.
As MLB’s clearest rebuilding team, the Sox are a sensible fit for Senzel. No team has gotten less from its third basemen this year. Through 371 plate appearances, Sox third basemen are hitting .206/.246/.315 with six home runs and a 4.6% walk rate. That’s in part because Yoán Moncada has been on the injured list since the second week of the season. Yet even with Moncada on a minor league rehab stint and nearing a return, there’s ample opportunity for Senzel around the Chicago infield.
The Sox have turned to Nicky Lopez, Paul DeJong and Lenyn Sosa as their primary options alongside first baseman Andrew Vaughn. DeJong has popped 16 homers and would certainly be dealt if the Sox can drum up any level of trade interest over the next two weeks. Sosa and Lopez have been well below-average hitters.
DeJong and Moncada are impending free agents. (The latter has a $25MM club option that certainly isn’t getting exercised.) Lopez would be due a raise on this year’s $4.3MM salary in his final year of arbitration, so he could be a non-tender candidate. Chicago’s infield could look quite a bit different next year.
Senzel is a long shot to emerge as a key piece himself, but there’s minimal risk for Chicago in taking a look at the former #2 overall pick. The one-time top prospect hasn’t met expectations on either side of the ball over his five-plus MLB seasons. He’s a career .235/.302/.368 hitter in just over 1600 big league plate appearances. Most of that came in one of the sport’s most favorable home hitting environments in Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park.
Injuries perhaps played some role in diminishing Senzel’s production. He has never topped 420 plate appearances in a season and battled knee and toe issues during his time with the Reds. Cincinnati also bounced him around the diamond without much success in trying to expand his defensive versatility.
After the Reds non-tendered Senzel last winter, he landed with the Nationals on a $2MM free agent deal. Washington moved him back to his customary third base position in the hope that a more stable defensive setup could allow him to unlock some of his offensive upside. That’s not how things played out. Senzel hit .209/.303/.359 with below-average defensive grades over 64 games. Washington decided to move on and turn third base over to rookie Trey Lipscomb.
The Nationals are on the hook for the majority of Senzel’s contract. The White Sox will only pay him the prorated portion of the $740K minimum for any time he spends in the big leagues (which comes out of Washington’s obligations). Senzel surpassed the five-year service threshold earlier this season. That means he can no longer be sent to the minor leagues without his consent. He would be eligible for arbitration for the 2025 campaign if he plays well enough to hold a roster spot down the stretch.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported Senzel was signing with the White Sox. James Fegan of Sox Machine reported it was a big league deal.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
AL Notes: Soroka, Harvey, McCullers, Pederson
Michael Soroka only three pitches in today’s outing before leaving with what the White Sox announced as right shoulder soreness. More will be known once Soroka undergoes testing, though shoulder inflammation brought an early end to both his 2022 and 2023 seasons, and he had other shoulder issues in his first two Major League seasons in 2018-19. Beyond these shoulder problems, Soroka missed almost the entirety of the 2020-22 seasons due to a pair of torn Achilles tendons, but he returned to the Show to pitch 32 1/3 innings of 6.40 ERA ball with the Braves last year.
Atlanta then shipped Soroka and four other players to Chicago in the Aaron Bummer trade last November, and Soroka’s first season with the Sox has been a struggle, as he has a 5.25 ERA over 72 innings and he lost his rotation job in May. Soroka’s 3.49 ERA as a reliever is a big step up from his 6.39 ERA as a starter, though this latest shoulder injury could bring another unwelcome wrinkle to his career. It could also impact Chicago’s trade deadline plans, as an impending free agent like Soroka is an obvious trade candidate, and a healthy multi-inning reliever would appeal to several teams.
More from around the American League as we head into the All-Star break…
- The Royals started their deadline moves with a bang on Saturday, acquiring Hunter Harvey from the Nationals for third base prospect Cayden Wallace and Kansas City’s Competitive Balance Round A pick in this year’s draft. (Washington used the 39th overall pick on Cal catcher Caleb Lomavita.) “What we came to realize is if you’re going to acquire a quality relief pitcher with years of control, it’s not going to be a comfortable trade to make. You’re going to have to give up something to get something,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and other reporters. K.C. was known to be looking for bullpen help, and Harvey brings “great depth” to the relief corps, though Picollo said the team was “happy with” James McArthur‘s work as closer. “The depth was the focus for us and having more options at the back end of the game,” Picollo said.
- Astros GM Dana Brown provided an update on Lance McCullers Jr. during a pregame radio appearance today (hat tip to Chandler Rome of The Athletic). McCullers’ rehab from flexor surgery was halted earlier this week due to some soreness in his right arm, and Brown said “we just have to let time heal and we can’t push him.” A return by September to work as a reliever is a possibility, Brown said, which is itself notable since McCullers has started 127 of his 130 career big league games. A variety of injuries have cost McCullers the entirety of both the 2019 and 2023 seasons, and limited him to 265 innings over the 2020-22 campaigns. The exact nature of McCullers’ latest issue isn’t known, but Brown somewhat ominously said that the righty had gotten “his second opinion” about the setback.
- The Blue Jays were known to be pushing to sign Joc Pederson last winter, before Pederson landed with the Diamondbacks on a one-year deal worth $12.5MM in guaranteed money. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith recently spoke with Pederson about his offseason talks with Toronto, and Pederson said he had a FaceTime conversation with GM Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider that seemed to go well, though negotiations didn’t progress much further. “They just I guess didn’t want me as bad as some other teams and weren’t able to really put together an offer when it was time for me to make a decision….From the conversations we had on the phone and how interested they were in adding a left-handed bat, their actions didn’t match their words, I guess you could say,” Pederson said. “They said everything went really well and then didn’t want to offer what other teams did.” The veteran slugger didn’t have any displeasure with how things worked out, and even left the door open to potentially play for the Jays in the future. Pederson is having an excellent season as a righty-mashing DH in Arizona, hitting .273/.374/.498 with 13 homers over 277 plate appearances with the D’Backs.
Latest On Garrett Crochet’s Trade Market
The White Sox’s reported desire to deal dominant youngster Garrett Crochet this summer has made the southpaw one of the most intriguing players to watch in the days leading up to the trade deadline on July 30, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale noted this morning that Chicago still intends to deal the lefty this summer even as rival GMs express uncertainty regarding whether or not a deal will come together. Nightengale goes on to note that while the Padres made a “recent” offer to the South Siders for Crochet, White Sox brass “quickly dismissed” the proposal.
This isn’t the first report to suggesting that the White Sox have been dismissive of offers from rival clubs, as reporting earlier this month suggested the Dodgers have also put forth an offer that was ultimately rejected. Still, it’s somewhat notable that San Diego’s offer for the lefty’s services was turned down given the fact that the Padres were reportedly the “most aggressive” team in their pursuit of the lefty’s services as recently as last month. It’s certainly possible that other clubs have become more aggressive in their pursuits of Crochet since then, but the news is nonetheless the latest signal that the price for the youngster’s services will be steep.
An exorbitant asking price is somewhat understandable given Crochet’s unique combination of youth, dominance, and team control. The 25-year-old has pitched to a 3.02 ERA in 107 1/3 innings of work this year with even stronger peripheral numbers, as he leads the majors with a whopping 150 strikeouts. That’s good for a 35.2% strikeout rate, and Crochet complements that heavy dose of K’s with a microscopic 5.4% walk rate and a strong 45.7% groundball rate. A starting pitcher with that sort of elite talent is extremely hard to come by in any case, much less at an age when some pitchers have yet to even establish themselves at the majors and with team control that runs through the end of the 2026 season.
While there’s been questions about whether or not Crochet will be able to remain in the rotation down the stretch after already more than doubling his total number of innings as a professional in the first half, the lefty would surely be a valuable asset even in a bullpen role for the second half this year before returning to the rotation in 2025. Given that, it’s hardly a surprise that Crochet is reportedly receiving widespread interest from clubs around the league. That should allow the White Sox to set the asking price on his services quite high, particularly given the fact that they could try to deal him again this winter if talks end up stalling out.
One clue as to where the Sox may set the bar regarding Crochet is that Nightengale suggests Chicago is “insisting” on Yankees outfield prospect Spencer Jones as part of the return for the lefty’s services in negotiations with New York. Jones, the Yankees’ first round pick in the 2022 draft, was a frequently discussed prospect this winter as the club resisted requests for him to be included in deals with various trade partners throughout the winter. He entered the season as a consensus top-100 prospect in the sport, with some services even ranking him in the top 30 or higher. A slow start to the season at Double-A saw most outlets settle on placing Jones in the top-75 range earlier this year, though he’s heated up in recent weeks and may have seen his prospect stock start to rebound a bit. Either way, reporting last week indicated that the Yankees remain unwilling to part with Jones, suggesting that a deal between New York and Chicago is unlikely unless one side or the other folds regarding the hulking outfield prospect.
White Sox Release Joe Barlow
The White Sox released reliever Joe Barlow from his minor league contract, tweets James Fegan of Sox Machine. The right-hander had been pitching at Triple-A Charlotte.
Barlow has spent most of the year on the injured list. He wasn’t able to make his Triple-A debut until June 5. Barlow took the ball 12 times for Charlotte over the past five weeks. He was hit hard, serving up 14 runs across 11 2/3 innings. While he struck out 14 opponents, he also walked eight and was tagged for five home runs. That wasn’t going to get him a look even in a Chicago bullpen that has been one of the league’s worst.
While he hasn’t pitched in the majors this season, the 28-year-old Barlow logged big league time with the Rangers in each of the previous three years. He operated as Texas’ closer for a stretch between 2021-22 and combined for a 2.81 earned run average over 66 appearances during those two seasons. Barlow’s strikeout and walk rates were never as impressive as his ERA, yet it’s still a bit surprising how quickly his numbers trended down. He only made 13 appearances for Bruce Bochy last year and was designated for assignment after the Rangers brought in pitching help at the deadline. The Royals claimed Barlow but kept him in Triple-A and eventually waived him themselves.
Barlow hit minor league free agency last winter coming off a 5.52 ERA over 44 Triple-A frames. He’ll look for another minor league opportunity now that he’s back on the market.
Twins Sign Wynton Bernard To Minor League Deal
The Twins have signed outfielder Wynton Bernard to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had previously been with the White Sox on a minor league deal but was released a few days ago.
Bernard, 33, got into 41 games with Triple-A Charlotte prior to being released. His 3.2% walk rate in that time was well below average but he also kept his strikeouts down to a 16.8% clip. His .306/.328/.446 batting line translates to a 97 wRC+ in this year’s International League environment. He also stole 11 bases in 12 tries and played all three outfield positions.
That’s a perfectly solid performance but the White Sox are deep in a rebuild and probably prefer to give their minor league playing time to younger players who could perhaps progress towards helping the club in the future.
For the Twins, they are in win-now mode and are a more logical fit for a veteran depth guy like Bernard, though his path to a big league roster spot in Minnesota will be steep. The Twins currently have an outfield mix consisting of Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner and Manuel Margot, with Willi Castro splitting his time between the infield and outfield. Alex Kirilloff and Austin Martin would also be in the infield/outfield camp but both are currently on the injured list.
Buxton and Margot both have pretty checkered injury histories, so it’s possible the need for help on the grass could emerge at any point. Bernard has also stolen quite a few bases in his minor league career and could perhaps serve as a bench piece as a September call-up, jumping in for some pinch-running opportunities or to serve as a defensive replacement. His major league track record consists of 12 games with the Rockies in 2022, during which time he hit .286/.286/.310 and stole three bases in four tries. If he gets a 40-man roster spot at any point, he still has a couple of options remaining.
White Sox Promote Jake Eder
The White Sox announced that left-hander Jake Eder will be their 27th player for today’s double-header against the Twins. He was already on the 40-man roster but will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.
Eder, 25, was a fourth-round pick of the Marlins in 2020. He was quickly sent to Double-A in 2021 and made 15 strong starts there with a 1.77 earned run average, 34.5% strikeout rate, 9.4% walk rate and 50.3% ground ball rate. Unfortunately, he required Tommy John surgery in August of that year, which forced him to miss the remainder of that season and all of 2022.
He returned to the mound in 2023 but was then traded to the White Sox at that year’s deadline, going in a straight one-for-one deal with Jake Burger going the other way. He seemed to struggle a bit with his control in his return to the mound. Between the two organizations, he tossed 56 2/3 innings last year with a 6.35 ERA. His 26.2% strikeout rate was still strong but he gave out walks to 13.5% of batters faced. The free passes continued to be an issue in the Arizona Fall League, as he walked 15 opponents in 17 2/3 innings there.
Nonetheless, he remained a significant part of the future plans for the White Sox. He was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. Now further removed from his surgery, the control seems to be coming back to him. He has made 15 Double-A starts this year with a 9.3% walk rate and 25.9% strikeout rate. The 5.09 ERA isn’t pretty but a .368 batting average on balls in play is possibly inflating that, which is why his FIP is 3.82.
It’s possible that this is just a one-day stint for Eder with the club needing an extra arm for the twin bill. James Fegan of Sox Machine suggests on X that Eder could be bumped to Triple-A after today, a level he has not yet pitched at. But it seems the Sox are fairly committed to having him make his major league debut before the day is done. Per Vinnie Duber of CHGO Sports on X, manager Pedro Grifol said there’s “a good chance” he’ll call on Eder at some point. “If I get the opportunity to put him in, I’m putting him in there. I’m not going to hesitate at all. I have confidence in him, we all do. That’s why he’s here. It’ll be nice to see him. He’s a big part of the future.”
The Sox have a fairly wide open rotation, with Garrett Crochet and Erick Fedde perhaps slated to be traded elsewhere in the coming weeks while Chris Flexen and Mike Clevinger are impending free agents. Eder is in the mix for future starting roles alongside guys like Drew Thorpe, Jonathan Cannon, Nick Nastrini, Jared Shuster, Jesse Scholtens, Davis Martin and others, with deadline deals likely to add more names into that mix. How that plays out remains to be seen but Eder will seemingly get a little taste of the majors today.
AL Central Notes: Crochet, Jones, Allen, Meadows, Flaherty
Since half the league has reportedly shown interest in White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet, it isn’t surprising that a contender like the Yankees are on that list, as the New York Post’s Jon Heyman writes that the Bombers “very much like Crochet.” However, the Yankees still aren’t keen to part with top prospect Spencer Jones, who was known to be a chief White Sox target when Chicago and New York discussed a possible Dylan Cease trade last offseason before Cease was dealt to the Padres.
While Heyman isn’t sure if Jones is necessarily still a priority get for the White Sox, the 2022 first-rounder’s stock is likely still quite high despite only okay numbers at Double-A Somerset. After a very slow start to the season, Jones’ bat has started to cook over the last six weeks, bringing his season slash line to .241/.322/.408 over 320 plate appearances. Baseball America (73rd) and MLB Pipeline (74th) still have Jones within their top-75 prospect lists, and both outlets rank him behind only Jasson Dominguez as the top minor leaguer in the New York farm system.
More from around the AL Central…
- The Guardians optioned left-hander Logan Allen to Triple-A today to create a roster spot for the newly-acquired Spencer Howard. Manager Stephen Vogt told MLB.com’s Mandy Bell and other reporters that the demotion is “an opportunity for Logan to go down and get some consistency back….And so he’s been working really hard on some delivery, some different things that are going to help him with that consistency.” Allen had an impressive 2023 rookie season but has run into a sophomore slump this year, posting a 5.67 ERA and a wealth of subpar secondary metrics over 18 starts and 87 1/3 innings.
- Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows suffered a right hamstring injury while trying to steal second base in the eighth inning of today’s 5-1 win over the Reds. More will be known after Meadows undergoes testing, but manager A.J. Hinch admitted to media (including Bally Sports Detroit) that “I don’t love what I heard from the get-go” after initial talks with Meadows and the team’s training staff. Meadows was only just called back up to the Tigers’ roster after a two-month stint in Triple-A, as the defensive standout was trying to get his bat going after an ice-cold performance at the plate in April.
- In other Tigers injury news, Jack Flaherty is tentatively scheduled to start against the Guardians on Thursday. Flaherty’s last turn through the rotation was skipped after he received an injection to help treat a recurring back issue, and Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press writes that Flaherty also received another injection earlier in June. Even after a shaky performance in his last start, Flaherty still has a 3.24 ERA in 89 innings during what has been a nice comeback season for the right-hander. Since Flaherty is considered a prime trade candidate heading into the deadline, a few more healthy and effective starts would go a long way to ease the doubts of any potential suitors, and help the Tigers land a bigger return in a deal.
AL Central Notes: Meadows, Moncada, Kirilloff, Twins
The Tigers called Parker Meadows back up from Triple-A yesterday, optioning Akil Baddoo to Toledo in the corresponding move. Meadows marked his return to the Show with a solo home run in the Tigers’ 5-4 win over the Reds on Friday, hopefully indicating that the 24-year-old outfielder can translate his Triple-A success to some more consistent production in the big leagues. After batting only .096/.224/.219 in his first 85 plate appearances this year, Detroit sent Meadows back to Triple-A on May 7, and Meadows responded with a .298/.394/.511 slash line in 221 PA over his two months in Toledo.
“A little mechanical adjustment” seemed to do the trick, as Meadows told Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press that keeping his hands up allowed him to keep a more level swing, since “it’s hard to hit a rising fastball when your swing is uphill.” While Meadows continued to have trouble with breaking balls in Toledo, being able to catch up with high velocity could help Meadows produce at something closer to average offense in the majors, which might be all he needs to stick as a regular center fielder given his top-tier glovework. Since Detroit is falling out of the playoff race, the remainder of the season could be an important evaluation period for Meadows to show he can continue to be a key part of the Tigers’ future plans.
More from the AL Central…
- Yoan Moncada played in just 11 games before a left adductor strain sent him to the injured list, but the White Sox third baseman is set to get back to action in the Arizona Complex League next week. Sox manager Pedro Grifol told MLB.com and other media that Moncada will be limited to only DH duty for now, and “if everything goes right, we’re looking at him probably at the end of, close to the end of July” for a return to the majors. Moncada’s strain was bad enough that he was initially given a 3-to-6 month recovery timeline, and while his rehab plan still seems somewhat fluid, it seems like his season is no longer in jeopardy. Moncada is in the final guaranteed year of his five-year, $70MM contract, and since Chicago is very unlikely to exercise its $25MM club option on Moncada for 2025, the infielder could be returning for his final games in a White Sox uniform.
- Alex Kirilloff has been on the Twins‘ 10-day injured list since June 13 due to a back strain, and Kirilloff provided media (including the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Bobby Nightengale) with an update on his status yesterday. Since part of the discomfort in Kirilloff’s back was due to a nerve issue, he received a cortisone shot and has been working on core-strengthening exercises for now, hopefully with an eye towards soon starting to take swings. Injuries have plagued the career of the former top prospect, as Kirilloff has been limited to 249 games since his MLB debut in 2021 due to a shoulder surgery, two wrist surgeries, and now this back problem.
- In other Twins injury news, relievers Brock Stewart and Justin Topa each threw 20-pitch sessions (Stewart a live batting practice, Topa a bullpen session) in the last few days. Stewart has now missed over two months due to tendinitis in his right shoulder, but manager Rocco Baldelli told Nightengale and other reporters that Stewart isn’t far away from a minor league rehab assignment. Topa has yet to pitch at all this season after initially starting on the IL with left patellar tendinitis, but in mid-May was diagnosed with a partial tear in his patellar tendon. Since Topa has only recently restarted his throwing progression, it will still be a while before the right-hander is fully ready for his 2024 debut.