Trade Rumors: Gallen, Bumgarner, Cano, Perez
Despite rival teams’ interest in Zac Gallen, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes that the Diamondbacks right-hander is “not going anywhere.” This isn’t the first time Gallen’s name has surfaced in trade rumors, and after an injury-marred 2021 season, Gallen has re-established himself with some very solid numbers this season. Beyond just his ability, Gallen is also arbitration-controlled through the 2025 season, making it obvious both why other teams would want to acquire him, and why the D’Backs would want to keep him. Though it is increasingly looking like the D’Backs will be sellers again at the deadline, the club has been resistant to moving cornerstone players and going into rebuild mode — Ketel Marte (another popular trade candidate) was even signed to an extension back in March.
One player the D’Backs “would love to move” is Madison Bumgarner, Nightengale notes, but that is a tougher sell to suitors. After signing a five-year, $85MM deal with the Diamondbacks in December 2019, Bumgarner endured two rough seasons before bouncing back to more decent form thus far in 2022. However, it will take more than just decent numbers for Arizona to entice another team into taking on even a decent-sized chunk of the approximately $48.4MM still owed to Bumgarner through the 2024 season. Also, Bumgarner has a five-team no-trade clause, though the five teams on his current list aren’t known.
More trade buzz from around the league…
- Also from Nightengale, Robinson Cano has been some getting some attention, as the veteran slugger tries to revive his career with the Padres‘ Triple-A team. Cano was suspended for the entire 2021 season and has posted only a .371 OPS over 77 plate appearances with the Padres and Mets this season, though he has been hitting well in the (batter-friendly) environment of Triple-A El Paso. Since either the Padres or a new team would owe Cano only the prorated portion of a minimum salary if he made a big league roster, Cano could be an interesting trade chip for any team that wants to take a flier on the former All-Star. From San Diego’s perspective, they probably wouldn’t expect much for Cano in return, or they could hypothetically include him as a part of a larger trade package.
- Martin Perez makes some sense as a sell-high trade candidate for the Rangers, though both Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News and ESPN.com’s Buster Olney feel it might be more likely that Texas keeps the veteran lefty and even looks to extend him into at least the 2023 season. Perez is enjoying a career year, with a 2.34 ERA over an even 100 innings, and a generally positive set of advanced metrics indicating that his performance isn’t a fluke. Perez has helped keep the Rangers on the outskirts of the wild card race, so if Texas can string together some wins in July, the team might not be selling at the deadline whatsoever.
Diamondbacks Place Ian Kennedy On 15-Day IL
The Diamondbacks placed right-hander Ian Kennedy on the 15-day injured list due to right calf inflammation. The club also announced that Keynan Middleton was called up from Triple-A Reno to take Kennedy’s place on the active roster.
Kennedy had to make a quick departure from Sunday’s game due to the injury, and was scheduled to undergo an MRI today. While the specifics of that MRI result aren’t known, things were obviously serious enough for the D’Backs to put Kennedy on the injured list.
A timetable isn’t yet known about when Kennedy could return, though even if he is able to get back on the mound after the 15-day minimum, he won’t have much time to audition for possible trade suitors. The 35-44 Diamondbacks are looking like sellers at the August 2 trade deadline, and Kennedy (signed to a one-year, $4.75MM deal in March) is a logical candidate to be moved as a rental player.
Since becoming a full-time reliever prior to the 2019 season, Kennedy has sandwiched two solid years around an injury-plagued 2020 campaign. This year in Arizona, the 37-year-old has a 3.58 ERA over 27 2/3 innings, but with plenty of unfavorable Statcast metrics. The righty’s 10.4% walk rate is his highest since 2009, and his 20% strikeout rate is well below the league average.
Kennedy’s trade value could be a moot point if his injury continues to linger throughout July. However, given his track record, there is a chance a team could look past both his health issues and his poor advanced metrics and swing a deal with the D’Backs, even if Arizona might end up still eating the bulk of Kennedy’s remaining salary.
Diamondbacks Place Zach Davies On 15-Day Injured List
The Diamondbacks have placed starting pitcher Zach Davies on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 26, due to right shoulder inflammation. Reliever Sean Poppen was recalled from Triple-A Reno to take his place on the active roster.
A timetable for Davies’ return isn’t clear, although the injury could have an impact on the summer trade market. The right-hander is one of the game’s more straightforward trade candidates if healthy. He’s an inexpensive veteran role player, and Arizona’s recent slump has dropped them to 33-41 and almost assuredly out of contention. Davies’ contract contains a mutual option for the 2023 season, but those are rarely trigged by both player and team. He’s an impending free agent in all likelihood, and the D-Backs figure to move some players on short-term deals for future value.
The Cubs acquired Davies from the Padres as part of the Yu Darvish trade over the 2020-21 offseason. He made 32 starts for the North Siders last year but struggled to a 5.78 ERA with nearly as many walks as strikeouts over 148 innings. It was arguably the worst season of his career and diminished his value before his first trip to the open market. Davies lingered in free agency until late March before landing with the Snakes on a modest $1.75MM guarantee.
He’s quietly had a nice bounceback season in the desert, posting a 3.94 ERA over 15 turns through the rotation. He’s still not missing many bats, but the 29-year-old has righted the uncharacteristic control woes that cropped up last year. After walking over 11% of opponents in 2021, he’s cut the rate of free passes below 8% this season. Paired with an average 43.2% ground-ball rate and his durability prior to this shoulder issue, Davies again looks like a stable source of back-of-the-rotation innings.
There are exactly five weeks until the August 2 trade deadline. If Davies can return from the IL in relatively short order and demonstrate his health, he figures to be among a host of back-end arms who could change hands this summer. A lengthier stint may jeopardize the D-Backs chances of moving him. Players on the injured list are eligible to be traded, but it’s likely contending clubs in search of innings would look elsewhere if Davies were still on the shelf at the end of July. The team will presumably provide more details on his recovery outlook over the coming days.
Diamondbacks Designate Ryan Weiss For Assignment
The Diamondbacks announced a few roster moves prior to today’s game. As was previously reported, lefty Dallas Keuchel was selected to the roster to start today’s game. To create room on the active roster, right-hander Sean Poppen was optioned following yesterday’s game. To create space on the 40-man roster, righty Ryan Weiss was designated for assignment.
A fourth round selection in the 2018 draft, Weiss was primarily a starter in his first few years as a pro. Based on a solid showing at some stops in the lower levels of the minors, he was ranked the #18 prospect in the system by Baseball America in 2019. As Weiss has climbed the ladder, however, he’s been gradually transitioned into bullpen duty. Last year, between Double-A and Triple-A, he threw 78 1/3 innings with a 4.60 ERA, 27% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate.
That was enough for Weiss to get added to the club’s 40-man roster in November, ahead of the Rule 5 draft that ended up getting quashed by the lockout. This year, however, things have gone south for Weiss, as he’s put up a 5.74 ERA in 26 2/3 innings, again split between Double-A and Triple-A. He’s improved his walk rate to 6.7% but also seen his strikeout rate dip to 20.8%.
Based on those mediocre results this season, it’s easy to see why the Diamondbacks felt they had to move on. However, he may still have appeal to other clubs based on the fact that he’s still just 25 years old and has all three of his option years remaining.
Diamondbacks To Select Dallas Keuchel
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo informed reporters, including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, that lefty Dallas Keuchel will start Sunday’s game for the club. Keuchel isn’t currently on Arizona’s 40-man roster, meaning a corresponding move of some kind will be required.
Keuchel, 34, began the season with the White Sox, in the final season of the three-year deal he signed with them prior to the 2020 campaign. His first season of the deal was brilliant, as he threw 63 1/3 innings in the shortened season with a 1.99 ERA. However, there were reasons to be skeptical of those results, with the advanced metrics grading him less kindly, possibly due to his .255 BABIP and 4.7% HR/FB rate. Indeed, the pendulum swung the other way in 2021, with Keuchel’s ERA shooting up to 5.28. In 2022, things got even worse, as his ERA was at 7.88 after eight starts when the White Sox released him.
Once Keuchel cleared release waivers, any other team could sign him for the prorated league minimum rate, with the White Sox on the hook for the remainder. The Diamondbacks stepped up and offered him a minor league deal, reuniting Keuchel with Brent Strom, who was the pitching coach with the Astros during Keuchel’s best seasons but is now with the D-Backs. That deal came with opt-outs on June 25, July 3 and July 11. With yesterday being the first of those opt-outs, it’s possible that motivated the team to make the move, though it’s not known if Keuchel indeed triggered his opt-out. Since signing that deal, Keuchel made a pair of starts at the Complex League level, logging 12 innings and allowing six earned runs, 17 strikeouts and a pair of walks.
The Diamondbacks have used four primary starters this year: Zac Gallen, Madison Bumgarner, Merrill Kelly and Zach Davies. The fifth slot was taken by Humberto Castellanos for most of the season until he landed on the IL at the end of May. Since then, the club has been patching the last spot together, giving the occasional spot start to the likes of Tyler Gilbert and Luke Weaver. But it seems now they will give the ball to Keuchel and see if he can take over a role and stabilize the back end of the rotation.
Currently 32-41, the Diamondbacks are 8 1/2 games out of a playoff spot at the moment. With just over a month to go until the August 2 trade deadline, the club will likely be considering doing some selling in that time, at least when it comes to players with short windows of control. Keuchel himself isn’t likely to garner huge amounts of interest, given that he just had to settle for a minor league deal. However, it’s possible Arizona will trade another member of the rotation between now and then. Zach Davies is on a one-year contract and headed towards free agency at the end of the year. There is a mutual option for 2023, though those are almost never picked up by both sides. After a miserable season with the Cubs in 2021, Davies is having a nice bounceback here in 2022, putting up a 3.94 ERA through 80 innings.
If the club pulls the trigger on a deal, Keuchel could potentially provide some veteran innings down the stretch. For him personally, he’ll look to show some improved results before returning to free agency at the end of the year.
NL Notes: Bryant, Marte, Severino
Kris Bryant is set to begin his rehab assignment on Tuesday, per Danielle Allentuck of the Denver Gazette (via Twitter). The club hopes he’ll be ready to rejoin the team when they head to Minnesota, per MLB.com’s Thomas Harding (via Twitter). Bryant’s first season with the Rockies certainly hasn’t gone as planned. The 30-year-old left fielder has slashed .270/.342/.333 in a mere 73 plate appearances. Needless to say, the former MVP has yet to really make his impact felt on the last-place Rockies.
- Ketel Marte suffered a grade 1 lateral hamstring strain, per MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert (via Twitter). Marte is day-t0-day for now. The Diamondbacks’ second baseman is hitting .269/.341/.435 over249 plate appearances this season. Unlike in years past, Marte has really been able to settle in at second base this season.
- Pedro Severino began his rehab assignment playing first base, per The Athletic’s Will Sammon (via Twitter). The Brewers will have a bit of a logjam at catcher when Severino is ready. Victor Caratini and Omar Narvaez have both posted 0.9 rWAR while splitting time behind the dish for the Brewers. It’s not inconceivable that the team could carry three catchers, but doing so wouldn’t necessarily maximize their offense, even if Severino or Caratini spent time at first base.
Mariners Claim Drew Ellis From D-Backs
The Mariners announced they’ve claimed third baseman Drew Ellis off waivers from the Diamondbacks and optioned him to Triple-A Tacoma. Outfielder Mitch Haniger has moved from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
A former second-round pick, Ellis is a career .248/.352/.455 hitter in parts of five minor league seasons. He’s had brief looks at the big league level in each of the past two years but struggled mightily, mustering a .134/.268/.207 line in 34 games. Ellis has spent the bulk of this season with the D-Backs top affiliate in Reno, where he’d posted a .217/.369/.399 mark in 179 trips to the plate. He walked in a massive 18.4% of his plate appearances with the Aces, but he’s run slightly elevated strikeout totals for much of his career.
The D-Backs designated Ellis for assignment over the weekend, eventually ending his tenure in the organization. The M’s will take the opportunity add a right-handed bat to the upper minors. Ellis is in his second minor league option year, so the team can bounce him between Seattle and Tacoma through the end of next season if they keep him on the 40-man roster.
Haniger’s IL transfer is a formality. He’s been out since April 30 due to a right high ankle sprain. The 60-day window is backdated to his original placement, meaning he’ll first be eligible to return at the end of this month. Haniger isn’t likely to be ready by then anyhow, as his recovery was always expected to linger into July.
NL Notes: Nationals, Diamondbacks, Cubs
With veteran Alcides Escobar sidelined with a hamstring strain, the Nationals had little choice but to turn to Luis Garcia, a former top prospect who came into the year sporting a 79 wRC+ through 386 career plate appearances. Despite a host of veteran signings that seemed to block Garcia from regular playing time, his time has come. Manager Dave Martinez has made clear that Garcia is his starting shortstop from here on out, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. Since taking over, Garcia has hit .352/.368/.519 over 57 plate appearances. That’s obviously above and beyond what the Nats can expect from Garcia, but even developing into an average regular would be a boon for a Nats team with few offensive building blocks beyond Juan Soto and Keibert Ruiz. Elsewhere around the National League…
- The Diamondbacks don’t yet know what their approach will be when it comes to the trade deadline, per MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert. GM Mike Hazen wants to see a little more from his club, who at 30-35 sits 6.5 games out of a wild card spot. It does not sound like the Diamondbacks are willing to move any heralded prospects, no matter how the next few weeks go, but if they remain in the race, Hazen could augment his current roster around the periphery, certainly when it comes to pitching, Gilbert notes.
- Cubs prospect Caleb Kilian is going to be in the rotation for the foreseeable future, and while that’s certainly their long-term hope for him, right now it’s more about need than performance, per The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney. With Wade Miley, Marcus Stroman, Adbert Alzolay, and Drew Smyly all on the injured list, the Cubs are going to let Killian earn his keep in the rotation, at least for a while.
- As for Stroman, he played catch today for the first time since going on the shelf, per Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). That puts Stroman still aways from a return. No timetable has been put on his official return schedule.
Nick Ahmed To Undergo Shoulder Surgery
Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed has elected to undergo surgery on his ailing right shoulder, manager Torey Lovullo informed reporters (including Theo Mackie of Arizona Central). Lovullo expressed hope Ahmed would be able to return at some point this season.
That the veteran infielder will go under the knife isn’t particularly surprising. He’d headed for a consultation with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, and the team already placed him on the 60-day injured list last week. That combination of factors seemed to hint at a forthcoming procedure, and that’ll indeed come to pass. That Lovullo isn’t ruling out a possible late-season return would seem to indicate it’s not quite as invasive a surgery as some other players have undergone, but any kind of shoulder procedure is obviously notable.
Ahmed’s shoulder has given him problems dating back to 2020. He played through the issue for most of last season but eventually landed on the IL during the final week of the year. Ahmed was still bothered this spring, receiving a pair of cortisone injections and missing the first 15 days of the regular season. He returned to appear in 17 games before being diagnosed with COVID-19, and the shoulder issues again arose during his rehab process.
The 32-year-old is under contract through 2023 under the terms of an extension he signed in February 2020. He’s making $7.875MM this season and will receive a $10.375MM salary next year. The surgery all but rules out the possibility of the D-Backs finding a trade partner for him before this summer’s deadline.
With Ahmed out, the D-Backs have leaned on Geraldo Perdomo as their primary shortstop. The 22-year-old has long been viewed by evaluators as one of the better prospects in the system, and Arizona figures to give him everyday run for the bulk or all of the season with Ahmed out of action. Perdomo, a switch-hitter, owns a .214/.328/.286 line through 181 trips to the plate this year.
Diamondbacks, Dallas Keuchel Agree To Minor League Deal
TODAY: Keuchel’s deal actually contains three opt-out dates, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. The three dates are June 25, July 3, and July 11.
JUNE 6: The Diamondbacks have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with free agent lefty Dallas Keuchel, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). He’ll head to Triple-A for the time being but has an eventual opt-out date worked into the deal if he’s not added to the MLB roster by that time. Keuchel is represented by the Boras Corporation.
It’s a no-risk deal for the D-backs, who’ll owe only the prorated league minimum to Keuchel for any time spent in the Majors. The remaining balance of his $18MM salary will still be paid by the White Sox, who released him late last month. The Sox are also still on the hook for the $1.5MM buyout on Keuchel’s 2023 option.
Keuchel is headed to the minors for now, but the new agreement reconnects him with D-backs pitching coach Brent Strom, who was Keuchel’s pitching coach during his peak years with the Astros. At least for now, the two won’t be working side-by-side on a daily basis with Strom on the big league staff, but the connection quite likely played a role in the mutual interest between player and team.
The 2015 American League Cy Young Award winner, Keuchel was a force atop the Houston rotation from 2014-18, pitching to a 3.28 ERA with a 20.2% strikeout rate, a strong 6.4% walk rate and a sky-high 60% ground-ball rate over the life of 950 1/3 innings. That included his standout 2015 campaign, wherein Keuchel paced the American League in wins (20), shutouts (two) and innings pitched (232) — all while pitching to a career-best 2.48 ERA. He hasn’t replicated that success since, but that was one of three sub-3.00 ERAs that Keuchel posted in a four-year span.
Despite the impressive resume with Houston, Keuchel’s first trip through the free-agent process didn’t pan out as hoped. Saddled with the burden of draft-pick compensation after rejecting a qualifying offer from the Astros, Keuchel wound up waiting until after the 2019 draft to sign a prorated one-year deal with the Braves. (In waiting that long, he shed the draft-pick compensation provision.)
It was a surprising scene, likely due to a combination of multiple factors. The draft compensation undoubtedly played a role, and Keuchel surely hit the market with lofty multi-year goals that many teams found unreasonable. He’d also had multiple IL stints since that Cy Young year and reached the market on the heels of a 2018 season that saw him post his lowest strikeout and ground-ball rates since his 2012 rookie season.
Keuchel still reeled in a prorated $20MM salary on that deal (about $13MM), and he pitched well down the stretch with Atlanta. In 112 2/3 frames that year, he notched a 3.75 ERA with a revitalized 60.1% grounder rate. It was enough for the White Sox to guarantee Keuchel $55.5MM on a three-year deal as they emerged from a lengthy rebuilding effort.
The first season of that deal proved to be an overwhelming success, as Keuchel turned in a career-best 1.99 ERA over 11 starts (63 1/3 innings) during the Covid-shortened 2020 season. Keuchel got out to a strong start in Year Two of the deal as well, logging a 3.78 ERA through his first 14 starts of the season, but he fell into a disastrous slump shortly thereafter and has yet to really recover.
Keuchel has made 24 starts since June 20 of last year, allowing runs in 23 of them. During that time, he’s pitched to a 7.02 ERA with a bottom-of-the-barrel 12.4% strikeout rate against an elevated 10.2% walk rate. He’s still inducing grounders at a better-than-average 52.2% clip, but that’s a good ways off from his peak levels. It also bears mention that Keuchel has averaged just 87.8 mph on his heater during that span — nearly three miles per hour slower than the 90.4 mph he averaged during that Cy Young-winning season.
Arizona’s top four starters this season have been anywhere from solid to excellent, as each of Zac Gallen (2.40 ERA), Madison Bumgarner (3.31), Merrill Kelly (3.66) and Zach Davies (4.18) have made at least 10 starts and totaled at least 54 innings. The fifth spot has been more of a challenge to fill. Luke Weaver moved to the bullpen earlier in the year and hit the injured list not long after. Humberto Castellanos (nine starts), Tyler Gilbert (tw0) and Caleb Smith (one — which was only one inning) have made the remainder of the team’s starts and generally fared poorly. Castellanos recently hit the injured list with an elbow strain.
Keuchel will give the D-backs some depth to slot in behind that group. He’ll join fellow big league veteran Dan Straily, who has struggled on a minor league deal of his own following a big showing in South Korea, as a non-roster player down in Reno. The Snakes also have the aforementioned Gilbert, righty Luis Frias and former top prospect Corbin Martin on the 40-man roster as options down in Triple-A.