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Injury Notes: Wright, Cole, Bailey, Floyd

By Connor Byrne | September 3, 2016 at 6:40pm CDT

Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright continues to deal with right shoulder issues, leading the club to scratch him from his scheduled Tuesday start in San Diego, manager John Farrell said Saturday (Twitter link via Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe). Clay Buchholz is likely to replace Wright, who hurt his shoulder while pinch running in early August and will next go for a second opinion on it. Wright has endured a stint on the disabled list and two poor starts since suffering the injury, though his numbers began going downhill toward the end of June. The pristine 2.01 ERA he had through June 20 is now up to 3.33 (still a terrific number) through 156 2/3 frames.

More injury updates:

  • Pirates ace Gerrit Cole threw off a mound Saturday for the first time since Aug. 24, his most recent start, and tossed 30 pitches – all of which were fastballs. “It went really well. I felt pretty good,” Cole said afterward (via Andrew Erickson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Cole has been on the DL since Tuesday, retroactive to Aug. 25, with right elbow inflammation – which is the latest in a series of ailments that have troubled him this year. He was previously on the DL for a month earlier this summer with a right triceps muscle strain. The earliest Cole can return from his current injury is Friday. Despite an ugly four-start stretch prior to his DL placement, Cole has still notched a 3.55 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 2.53 BB/9 in 114 innings this season.
  • The Reds don’t expect the tightness Homer Bailey is dealing with in his right biceps to end his season, writes Cody Pace of MLB.com. “At this point, we’re not discussing that,” manager Bryan Price said in regards to the possibility of shutting down Bailey. “But it would be something that we would discuss. We’re not going to force this to happen. That’s not the goal. The goal is to get him healthy and not have to look back and not have to be as conservative as we have on the front end of this rehab.” Bailey, who exited his start last Sunday after just one inning, returned July 31 on the heels of missing nearly all of last season and the first four months this year because of May 2015 Tommy John surgery. Bailey’s latest injury is unrelated to his elbow, fortunately, but his comeback hasn’t gone smoothly this year. In 23 innings, the 30-year-old has allowed 17 earned runs on 35 hits, though he has amassed a prolific 27 strikeouts against seven walks. The Reds owe him $68MM through 2020.
  • The sprained right shoulder capsule that has kept Blue Jays reliever Gavin Floyd out since late June will likely end his season, per Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. The injury, which was initially diagnosed as a torn lat muscle, shouldn’t affect Floyd’s ability to pitch in 2017. The impending free agent turned in a respectable performance this year as part of Toronto’s bullpen, recording a 4.06 ERA, 8.31 K/9 and 2.32 BB/9 in 31 innings.
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Reds Designate Kyle Waldrop For Assignment

By Steve Adams | September 2, 2016 at 11:57am CDT

The Reds announced today that they have designated outfielder Kyle Waldrop for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for left-hander Wandy Peralta, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Louisville. Cincinnati also recalled left-hander Cody Reed and righties Robert Stephenson and Keyvius Sampson from Louisville.

Waldrop, 24 (and not to be confused with the former Twins pitcher of the same name), rated as one of Cincinnati’s top 30 prospects from 2011-15, per Baseball America, but he’s struggled through a poor season at Louisville, hitting just .254/.302/.365. The corner outfielder has yet to display the power in Triple-A that he did at Class-A Advanced and Double-A. A former 12th-round pick, Waldrop has tallied 24 plate appearances at the big league level across the past two seasons, collecting five hits (one double), a walk and six strikeouts.

The 25-year-old Peralta, meanwhile, has not frequented Reds prospect rankings but enjoyed a solid season working primarily out of the bullpen. In 75 2/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A, the Dominican hurler has pitched to a 2.50 ERA with 6.9 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a huge 58.8 percent ground-ball rate. Over the past two seasons, left-handers have actually handled Peralta considerably better than right-handed batters, though he carried a more traditional platoon split earlier in his minor league career.

As a reminder, readers can head over to Roster Resource for a full list of transactions thus far since Sept. 1 roster expansion.

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Heyman’s Latest: Dodgers, McCann, Napoli, Ichiro, Colon, Price

By Steve Adams and Jeff Todd | September 1, 2016 at 6:52pm CDT

The Dodgers intend to pursue reunions with at least four prominent free agents, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag. Excellent third baseman Justin Turner, relief ace Kenley Jansen, late-breaking lefty Rich Hill, and veteran second baseman Chase Utley would all hold interest to Los Angeles, per the report, though age considerations and the presence of internal alternatives could limit the club’s willingness to top the market for those players. The 28-year-old Jansen may be the highest priority among this group, Heyman suggests. While the Dodgers haven’t exactly broken the bank on relief arms under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, it seems Jansen could warrant an exception given his unbelievable performance level. All said, Heyman suggests it would be surprising if L.A. doesn’t bring back at least two of those four players.

Here are some more of Heyman’s latest notes, from his weekly column:

  • The Braves and Yankees have tabled any talks pertaining to catcher Brian McCann until the offseason, which may not bode well for New York’s chances to trade him to Atlanta. Heyman writes that the Braves have interest in Matt Wieters, Jason Castro and top free agent catcher Wilson Ramos, whom they’d love to snatch away from the division-rival Nationals. Atlanta is willing to pay half of the remaining $34MM McCann is owed from 2017-18. They’re also looking to add a rotation piece for 2017 and beyond, if not two, as a number of their top-ranked minor league arms are still a ways off from the Majors (which, of course, could make them appealing trade chips in an offseason where the free agent market is devoid of talented starters).
  • Mike Napoli, who is enjoying a rebound season at the plate with the Indians, has said he’d like to remain in Cleveland, though the two sides aren’t engaged in talks. Napoli’s defense and baserunning have torpedoed his WAR totals, but he’s batted a well-above-average .259/.345/.494 with 29 home runs in his first season with Cleveland. His bat should draw plenty of interest this winter despite the fact that he’ll turn 35 on Halloween.
  • Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki hopes to play again in 2017 and would like to stay in Miami, per the report. With his club option valued at only $2MM, that may be a fairly easy pick-up for the organization. Playing in his age-42 season in 2016, Ichiro has compiled a useful .294/.365/.366 batting line over 296 plate appearances, continues to rate as an average or better fielder and overall baserunner, and has even cracked double-digit stolen bases for the 16th-straight season.
  • Another aging veteran who intends to continue his career, says Heyman, is Mets righty Bartolo Colon. It’s not yet clear how his market will develop — we don’t know what level of interest New York will have, or whether the 43-year-old will be looking for multiple years — but there certainly ought to be ample interest given that Colon has provided 158 2/3 innings of 3.35 ERA pitching thus far in 2016. Even if the peripherals don’t quite line up with those bottom-line results, he’ll be among the more durable and effective pitchers available on a forthcoming seller’s market for starters.
  • There’s no sense that the Reds are interested in making a change at manager, Heyman says. Skipper Bryan Price’s contract does expire after the year, but with some positive signs in the second half — excluding a current four-game skid, at least — it seems he could be retained.
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Atlanta Braves Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Guardians Los Angeles Dodgers Miami Marlins New York Mets New York Yankees Bartolo Colon Brian McCann Bryan Price Chase Utley Ichiro Suzuki Jason Castro Justin Turner Kenley Jansen Matt Wieters Mike Napoli Rich Hill Wilson Ramos

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Minor MLB Transactions: 9/1/16

By Steve Adams | September 1, 2016 at 9:42am CDT

Catching up on a couple of minor moves from yesterday and tracking additional minor transactions from today…

  • The Rangers acquired veteran minor league catcher Nevin Ashley from the Mets last night in exchange for cash, the team announced. Ashley, 32, played in a dozen games for the Brewers last season, which represents his lone season with MLB experience. He’s logged parts of seven seasons at the Triple-A level since being drafted in the sixth round by the (Devil) Rays back in 2006 and has compiled a .256/.341/.391 batting line at that level while also halting 35 percent of stolen base attempts made against him.
  • The Reds announced yesterday that right-hander A.J. Morris has been activated from the 60-day disabled list and outrighted to Triple-A Louisville. The 29-year-old made his Major League debut for Cincinnati this season and threw 10 innings at the big league level before a shoulder strain landed him on the disabled list. Morris, a former fourth-round pick by the Nationals (2009), has a career 3.36 ERA with 7.3 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 in 158 innings at the Triple-A level and a lifetime 3.33 ERA in parts of seven minor league seasons between the Nats, Cubs, Pirates and Reds.
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Minor MLB Transactions: 8/27/16

By charliewilmoth | August 27, 2016 at 3:41pm CDT

Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.

  • The Reds have selected the contract of catcher Rafael Lopez from Triple-A Louisville, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. To clear space on their active roster, they’ve optioned infielder Tony Renda to Louisville. The Reds needed an extra catcher due to a minor hand injury to Tucker Barnhart. The 28-year-old Lopez appeared briefly in the big leagues with the Cubs in 2016, but has not done so since. He’s hit a modest .213/.262/.297 for Louisville this season.
  • The Mariners today announced a bevy of roster moves — they selected the contract of righty Dan Altavilla from Double-A Jackson, recalled first baseman Dae-Ho Lee and switch-pitcher Pat Venditte from Triple-A Tacoma, and placed righty Tom Wilhelmsen on the 15-day disabled list with lower back spasms. (They also optioned outfielder Nori Aoki and infielder Michael Freeman to Tacoma, as had previously been reported.) The 23-year-old Altavilla, a fifth-round pick in 2014, has never pitched above the Double-A level, but he’s had success there this season, posting a 1.91 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 56 2/3 innings.
  • The Twins have selected the contract of righty Alex Wimmers, as Ted Schwerzler of Off The Baggy was first to tweet. Wimmers made his big-league debut with a scoreless inning yesterday. The 27-year-old was the 21st overall pick in the 2010 draft, but his path to the big leagues was slowed by injury. He’s had a solid season in the bullpen at Triple-A Rochester, with a 3.62 ERA, 9.1 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 49 2/3 innings.
  • The Orioles announced that they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Julio Borbon and optioned righty Mike Wright to Triple-A Norfolk. The 30-year-old Borbon briefly played for the Orioles this season but has spent most of the year with Double-A Bowie, where he’s batted .275/.336/.362 with 28 stolen bases. He’s hit sparingly in parts of five seasons in the big leagues, but his speed might make him an effective tactical player if the O’s opt to stick with him until rosters expand.
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Heyman’s Latest: Puig, Turner, Braun, Votto, Weaver, Holliday, Howard, Crawford, Victorino

By Jeff Todd | August 25, 2016 at 8:45pm CDT

Jon Heyman of Fan Rag’s latest notes column begins with a lengthy examination of a resilient Dodgers team. He also drops a note on the demoted Yasiel Puig, who is not only demolishing Triple-A pitching, but is drawing great reviews for his attitude. Heyman reported further on Puig earlier today, explaining that the Dodgers have fielded interest in trade talks, but mostly have been spurning efforts by rival organizations to get him on the cheap.

  • Speaking of Puig, the division-rival Diamondbacks are said to have engaged in “some brief talks” on the talented 25-year-old. That engagement doesn’t seem to have resulted in any traction, however, so it doesn’t sound as if there’s any reason to believe that there could be a match between the organizations.
  • The Dodgers are expected to attempt to bring back third baseman Justin Turner, who has been an incredibly productive player since coming to the organization on a minor league deal in 2014. Heyman does note that Turner’s age (he’ll turn 32 in November) could limit L.A.’s interest in a long-term deal with the pending free agent.
  • After Ryan Braun’s no-trade protection seemingly gummed up any inclination the Brewers may have had to trade him this summer, Heyman writes that the team is expected to explore trade scenarios this winter. Age, cost, injury history, a PED past, and the no-trade rights will make that a complicated proposition, but Braun’s .317/.380/.562 slash line holds obvious appeal.
  • The Blue Jays’ previously reported effort to land Reds first baseman Joey Votto at the 2015 trade deadline may have petered out with the changes in the team’s baseball operations department. But the talks likely would’ve continued had Alex Anthopoulos remained at the helm, says Heyman, and the organization had been prepared to add Votto even after paying big to land Troy Tulowitzki and David Price. Per the report, though, the teams never got terribly far down the line in hashing out a deal.
  • Angels righty Jered Weaver has already made clear that he isn’t ready to discuss his plans for 2017, when he’ll be a free agent, but Heyman says that some in the organization believe he may retire. The 33-year-old is struggling through his worst season in the majors, with a 5.47 ERA over 138 1/3 innings.
  • While the Cardinals and outfielder Matt Holliday seemingly have good cause to continue their productive relationship, it’s far from clear whether the team will be willing to cough up $17MM to exercise its 2017 option. That said, Heyman notes that it’s possible to imagine the sides coming to an alternative arrangement to keep Holliday in St. Louis.
  • Heyman also provides some updates on some of the game’s other elder statesmen. Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is said to be “determined” to continue his career after the all-but-inevitable decision by the Phils to decline the club’s option. Free agent outfielders Carl Crawford and Shane Victorino appear to be eyeing comeback efforts in 2017.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Cincinnati Reds Los Angeles Angels Los Angeles Dodgers Milwaukee Brewers Philadelphia Phillies St. Louis Cardinals Toronto Blue Jays Carl Crawford Jered Weaver Joey Votto Justin Turner Matt Holliday Ryan Braun Ryan Howard Shane Victorino Yasiel Puig

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Blue Jays Pursued Joey Votto Trade Last Summer

By Jeff Todd | August 23, 2016 at 9:52am CDT

The Blue Jays opened “serious discussions” with the Reds last summer about a possible deal to add star first baseman Joey Votto, according to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star. But those talks “never gained momentum,” per the report.

Instead, Toronto shifted its attention to adding Troy Tulowitzki and David Price in a pair of blockbusters that helped push the club into the post-season. While the dialogue with the Reds seemingly did not get very far down the line, Griffin says that the expectation was that Cincinnati would hold onto some of the large financial commitments to Votto, who is owed $179MM after the end of the 2016 season. (Ultimately, the Blue Jays took on Tulowitzki’s own lengthy deal, but sent Jose Reyes back to the Rockies to help offset the cost.)

Of course, it must be emphasized that those moves — as well as the chatter with Cincinnati — all took place under former general manager Alex Anthopoulos. He left over the offseason after the team hired Mark Shapiro as club president, with Shapiro ultimately bringing in Ross Atkins to step into the GM role.

It’s not clear whether or not the new front office leadership would share the interest of its predecessors in adding Votto. A native of Ontario, Votto would surely be desirable to any organization, as he continues to put up stellar offensive numbers (.309/.433/.522 with 20 home runs thus far in 2016). But the monster contract is another matter, especially for a player who will soon turn 33 years of age.

We’ve yet to hear of any current interest in such a maneuver from the Shapiro/Atkins front office group, so for now it’s all hypothetical, but Griffin goes on to argue that Votto still makes sense as a target for the Jays. It seems likely that Votto will clear waivers, and perhaps he’d be amenable to waiving his no-trade clause for a chance to return to his native land. In the near-term, he’d represent a major boost to a team that has seen its best left-handed hitters fade of late, and then he’d step into the void left when Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista reach the open market after the season.

There’s certainly some facial appeal to the suggestion, but it bears noting that there are plenty of hurdles even if Toronto were to pursue Votto. Among other things, the Reds would presumably want to minimize their  ongoing salary obligations while also reaping a nice package of young talent to part with their best player.

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NL Central Notes: Bell, Peraza, Senzel, Capuano, Nolin

By Steve Adams | August 22, 2016 at 9:40pm CDT

The Pirates recalled top first base prospect Josh Bell over the weekend, and he’ll have a larger role than he had in his brief initial call-up earlier this season (three brilliant pinch-hit plate appearances), GM Neal Huntington tells Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We brought Josh up to play a decent amount,” said Huntington of the 24-year-old Bell, who has batted a .295/.382/.468 with 14 homers in 114 Triple-A games this season. Bell’s prospect pedigree and strong minor league production, paired with a .167/.306/.250 second half from John Jaso, could well pave the way to everyday at-bats (or something close to it) down the stretch. If he can prove himself to be a consistent hitter in the Majors and one capable of playing a passable first base — Huntington tells Brink that Bell’s defense will “continue to be a work in progress” — Bell could unseat Jaso and lead the team to shop the veteran (and his two-year, $8MM contract) over the winter.

A bit more from the NL Central…

  • Reds manager Bryan Price tells MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon that Jose Peraza could remain with the team for the rest of the year even if Zack Cozart returns quickly from a minor Achilles injury, but he stopped short of committing to the notion of Peraza sticking in the Majors through the end of the Triple-A season on Sept. 5. As Sheldon notes, Peraza was scarcely used when he spent a month and a half in the Majors earlier this summer, but he’s had a pair of multi-hit games since being recalled to fill in for Cozart at shortstop and could get looks at second base, in left field and in center field over the course of September in an effort to see what he can do with consistent playing time against MLB pitching. It would be somewhat strange for the Reds not to work him into the lineup as much as possible in order to get a better evaluation of Peraza, especially considering the fact that he can be deployed at a number of positions.
  • Having watched Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman and Andrew Benintendi go from the 2015 draft to the Majors less than a year later, Reds third base prospect Nick Senzel said on the MLBPipeline.com podcast that he hopes for a similarly quick ascent (also via Sheldon). Senzel, the No. 2 overall pick in this season’s draft, is hitting .309/.400/.545 with seven homers in 46 games with Class-A Dayton. He hasn’t been moved quite as aggressively as Bregman, who played at Class-A Advanced during his debut season, but neither Swanson nor Benintendi topped Class-A last season and both still made it to the bigs this year. “You look at those guys … get there their first full year, as a player and a college hitter that makes you hungry to get up there,” said Senzel.
  • Brewers left-hander Chris Capuano isn’t likely to return to the team in 2016, GM David Stearns tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The 38-year-old has been sidelined by an elbow injury since late May, and a platelet-rich plasma treatment hasn’t sped along his recovery as much as had been hoped. Stearns notes that Capuano “is still very motivated to make it back and continue his career,” so it sounds as if there’s a good chance he’ll aim to return in 2017 if he can’t do so at the tail end of the present season.
  • Another Brewers southpaw, Sean Nolin, recently underwent Tommy John surgery after trying to stave off the procedure, Haudricourt further reports. He, too, tried a PRP treatment but did not improve enough to avoid a UCL replacement. Milwaukee outfielder Rymer Liriano, meanwhile, has faced slow going after being struck by a pitch in the face this spring. Though he has now begun baseball activities, Liriano won’t be able to make it to the majors this year. Instead, says Stearns, he may be able to participate in fall instructional league action.
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Cincinnati Reds Milwaukee Brewers Pittsburgh Pirates Chris Capuano John Jaso Jose Peraza Josh Bell Nick Senzel Rymer Liriano Sean Nolin

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NL Central Notes: Papelbon, Siegrist, Finnegan

By Steve Adams | August 15, 2016 at 9:48am CDT

If the Cubs do ultimately pursue Jonathan Papelbon following his release from the Nationals, as has been speculated upon, lefty Jon Lester would endorse the move, he tells ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers. “He is crazy,” Lester joked, “but he’s no crazier than the rest of us. He just gets a bad rap for what happened in the dugout. Knowing Papelbon, I’ve always had good things to say about him as a teammate, how he respects the game and how he goes about his business. People are quick to jump to the conclusions based on one event. I think he’s a great teammate.” The event to which Lester is alluding, of course, is last year’s altercation with former teammate Bryce Harper, during which Papelbon placed his hands around Harper’s throat in a dugout argument. Rogers points out that Papelbon has been effective when afforded multiple days of rest between his appearances but has struggled otherwise — especially when pitching in consecutive games. Whether he’d be an upgrade at all for the Cubs is debatable, of course, but the loss of Pedro Strop and recent implosions by Carl Edwards and Hector Rondon have left Chicago’s setup corps appearing vulnerable.

More from the division…

  • Cardinals setup man Kevin Siegrist was pulled from last night’s game due to what he terms a “deadish feeling” in his left arm, writes MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch. Manager Mike Matheny called the decision to lift his left-hander from the game precautionary, adding that he’s hopeful that the team’s three scheduled off-days over the next eight days will give Siegrist’s arm a chance to recover. Siegrist missed two weeks at the beginning of July due to mononucleosis and acknowledged after last night’s game that it’s been difficult to get his arm back into shape. As Langosch points out, he’s made 50 appearances this season after leading the Majors with 81 appearances last season (plus another three in the playoffs). The Cards picked up lefty Zach Duke prior to the non-waiver deadline, which gives Matheny a left-handed alternative, but Siegrist remains a vital component of the St. Louis relief corps.
  • The Reds have yet to firmly decide whether Brandon Finnegan’s long-term future is in the rotation or in the bullpen, per Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Manager Bryan Price told Buchanan over the weekend that the final seven or eight weeks of the season will be used to continue the club’s evaluation of Finnegan, who currently has a 4.45 ERA with 6.6 K/9, 4.5 BB/9 and a 38.3 percent ground-ball rate in 129 1/3 innings. ERA estimators such as FIP, xFIP and SIERA all cast a less-favorable picture, pegging Finnegan well north of the 5.00 mark. “Based on what we have in our system, what we begin the year with next year, will we win more games with him as a starter or a reliever?” Price asked rhetorically. “I can say from my perspective that hasn’t been answered.” Buchanan points out that Anthony DeSclafani and Homer Bailey are guaranteed rotation spots in 2017, and right-hander Dan Straily has likely earned a place in the starting five as well. The Reds will also have a plethora of young arms to consider, including Robert Stephenson, Amir Garrett, Rookie Davis, John Lamb and Cody Reed. Right-handers Raisel Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen, too, could re-enter that mix, though each is pitching well out of the ’pen right now and may remain there long-term.
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NL Central Notes: Cubs, Papelbon, Pirates, Reds

By Connor Byrne | August 13, 2016 at 8:38pm CDT

Even though Tommy La Stella hasn’t reported to Triple-A Iowa since the Cubs optioned him July 29, the team hasn’t yet closed the door on welcoming back the infielder this year, according to manager Joe Maddon (via Carrie Muskat of MLB.com). In regards to La Stella’s status, Maddon said Saturday, “I’m still very optimistic about him coming back, but nothing has changed.” Maddon added that La Stella will have to go the minors eventually and get some at-bats. Had he reported to Iowa by now, La Stella would have been on track to return to Chicago when rosters expand in September. But, with Iowa’s season set to end Sept. 5, time will become of the essence soon. Regardless, La Stella explained earlier this week that he’d rather “step away” from baseball than play for anyone other than the Chicago Cubs. The 27-year-old is currently on the temporary inactive list.

More from the NL Central:

  • The Cubs are a potential fit for free agent reliever Jonathan Papelbon, whom the Nationals released Saturday, per Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago. Team president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer have an obvious familiarity with Papelbon from their days in Boston, where the executives signed and helped develop the right-hander, notes Levine. Moreover, although they had won 11 in a row before Saturday and are in possession of the majors’ best record (73-42), the Cubs do have some issues in the back of their bullpen. Excellent setup man Pedro Strop is on the shelf with a torn meniscus; fellow shutdown option Hector Rondon has a strained right triceps; Carl Edwards Jr., who entered Saturday thriving, surrendered five earned runs on four walks in 2/3 of an inning during the team’s 8-4 loss to the Cardinals; and deadline acquisition Joe Smith has yielded three home runs in his first three innings as a Cub. That would be less alarming if not for his underwhelming 2016 performance as an Angel prior to the trade.
  • The Pirates remain in the thick of the playoff hunt thanks in part to bargain offseason signings David Freese, Sean Rodriguez and Matt Joyce, writes Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Freese and Rodriguez took one-year deals for a combined $5.5MM over the winter, while Joyce settled for a minor league contract. The three have responded by ranking third, fourth and fifth (in the previously written order) among Pirates position players in fWAR, having combined for a 4.1 total while amassing nearly 800 plate appearances. Given the strong showings of the three impending free agents, the Pirates are going to have a difficult time replicating their cheap, effective bench in 2017,  Sawchik argues.
  • On bringing in relievers based on the handedness of the hitter, Reds pitching coach Mack Jenkins told C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer, “It’s silly. It’s outdated.” Jenkins would rather the Reds’ decisions come as a result of batters’ weaknesses – for example, if one can’t hit a curveball, then send in a curveball specialist. And while the Reds’ bullpen has been historically woeful this season, there are reasons for optimism with the likes of Raisel Iglesias, Michael Lorenzen in the fold. Iglesias, who moved to the bullpen earlier this year because of shoulder issues, has been nearly untouchable and has recorded at least six outs in 11 of 16 appearances. With that in mind, Rosecrans wonders if the 26-year-old could become a modern-day fireman reliever. Jenkins believes Iglesias, Lorenzen and Josh Smith are capable of taking on such a role. For his part, Iglesias told Rosecrans through an interpreter, “In Cuba, you always have your starter and then comes your best reliever, you can come in the sixth and finish the game, that’s not a problem for me if they bring me into the eighth and finish the game.”
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