Guardians Rumors

Indians Acquire Oscar Mercado From Cardinals

By Steve Adams | July 31, 2018 at 3:42pm CDT

In a rare prospects-only swap, the Indians announced Tuesday that they have acquired minor league outfielder Oscar Mercado from the Cardinals in exchange for another pair of minor league outfielders: Conner Capel and Jhon Torres.

The acquisition of Mercado is an interesting one for the Indians, who spent much of the week leading up to the deadline seeking outfield upgrades but ultimately swung only a minor deal to acquire veteran Leonys Martin from the division-rival Tigers, While Martin can serve as a useful platoon partner for fellow veteran Rajai Davis, the addition of Mercado gives the Indians an advanced prospect capable of playing all three outfield spots who isn’t that far from MLB readiness.

Mercado, 23, has spent the season performing well with the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate in Memphis. Through 427 trips to the plate, he’s batted .285/.351/.408 with eight homers, 21 doubles, a triple and a hefty 31 stolen bases (in 39 attempts). He was the No. 10 prospect in the Cardinals’ system on MLB.com’s midseason update, slotting in behind newly acquired Justin Williams (acquired earlier today in the Cardinals’ Tommy Pham trade with Tampa Bay). MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo note that the converted infielder is a plus runner with a plus arm who profiles as a plus defender and “looks like he was meant to roam the outfield.”

It’s a somewhat puzzling move for the Cardinals, who will receive a pair of lesser-regarded outfielders in return — albeit two that won’t have to be added to the 40-man roster this winter, thus giving the Redbirds a bit of flexibility in that regard. Capel is the higher-profile of the two, at least per prospect rankings (link to MLB.com, Fangraphs), though he’s not as well regarded as Mercado.

The 21-year-old Capel has spent the season in Class-A Advanced, where he’s posted a .261/.355/.388 slash with strong plate discipline despite facing older competition (12.8 percent walk rate vs. 18.8 percent strikeout rate). Reports on him praise his above-average power and speed, with MLB.com suggesting he has the potential to stick in center while Fangraphs pegs him as a corner bat with the ability to hit.

Torres is 18 years of age and has yet to progress beyond the Indians’ Rookie-level affiliate. He’s hitting .273/.351/.424 with four homers in 111 plate appearances thus far in short-season ball but generally hasn’t been regarded among Cleveland’s best prospects.

Robert Murray of The Athletic first reported the deal (on Twitter).

Indians Acquire Leonys Martin

By Jeff Todd | July 31, 2018 at 1:22pm CDT

The Indians struck a trade with the Tigers that will bring center fielder Leonys Martin to Cleveland for shortstop prospect Willi Castro as well as minor league righty Kyle Dowdy. The deal is now official.

This match makes quite a lot of sense on paper. The Indians, after all, are running away with things in the AL Central but had a clear need in the outfield. In particular, the team was missing a left-handed-hitting outfielder capable of playing center after watching Bradley Zimmer struggle and ultimately go down for the year with an injury. Martin will likely share time up the middle with veteran Rajai Davis, who hits from the right side. There’s not much left on Martin’s tab for the present season, as he’s earning just $1.75MM. He’ll also be controllable for 2019 via arbitration, so could represent a piece of the puzzle next year as well.

Though Martin’s .251/.321/.409 batting line is below average, it’s still the best work of his career to date. A left-handed batter, Martin is an ideal candidate for a platoon. He’s long been a defensive asset in center field, with strong metrics dating back to 2013.

On the other side of this swap, the Tigers had every reason to get what they could for Martin. While he could certainly have been retained, cashing him in now better fits the team’s priorities. Castro, a shortstop signed five years ago out of Puerto Rico, earned a 50 overall grade from MLB Pipeline. Currently at Double-A, Castro is a switch-hitter with an above average bat and a good chance to stick at shortstop, according to MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. The Tigers did well to sign Martin affordably in December, and then spin him into Castro several months later. Dowdy, a 25-year-old righty, began the year as a Double-A reliever, then jumped into the Triple-A rotation for the Toledo Mud Hens before a move back to Double-A.

Robert Murray of The Athletic broke the trade, with Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free-Press adding the Dowdy detail. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Brad Ziegler Rumors: Tuesday

By Steve Adams | July 31, 2018 at 11:26am CDT

Though an MLB.com report of a near agreement on a Brad Ziegler trade between the Cubs and Marlins was ultimately retracted, there’s still plenty of chatter on the veteran submariner, who looks quite likely to change hands today. Ziegler is owed about $2.95MM of his $9MM salary through the end of the season and has pitched to a brilliant 0.93 ERA with 22 strikeouts, 11 walks and a superlative 80.3 percent ground-ball rate in 29 innings over the past two months. Here’s the latest chatter…

The Marlins are moving closer to a trade involving Ziegler, but the Cubs are not in the mix anymore, tweets Frisaro. The field, it seems, is down to only a couple of teams.
Meanwhile, both Mish and Nightengale have tweeted that Ziegler has been traded, though multiple reports have stated otherwise. Neither Mish nor Nightengale has been able to glean exactly where Ziegler is headed. It seems fairly obvious that Ziegler will be moved, but things appear to be fluid as the Marlins try to hammer out a final deal.
Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal, meanwhile, tweets that the Red Sox aren’t likely as they’re prioritizing power arms.

Earlier Updates

The Yankees have been in touch with the Marlins about both Cameron Maybin and Ziegler, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter links). New York has reportedly been eyeing an extra outfielder with Aaron Judge and Clint Frazier on the DL, and Maybin would fit that bill, while Ziegler would further deepen an already solid ’pen by giving them a strong weapon against right-handed opponents.
The Cubs do not have an agreement in place with the Marlins, but they remain the front-runner to land his services, per MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. However, other teams remain in the mix to acquire him, per Frisaro, who notes that the Indians, Red Sox, Dodgers and Astros have all scouted Ziegler in recent weeks.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that the Cubs are indeed expected to land a reliever today and are engaged with the Marlins in trade talks surrounding Ziegler (Twitter link).
SiriusXM’s Craig Mish tweets that the Indians are still in the picture for Ziegler as well. Mish also suggested last night that the Marlins are aiming to move Ziegler to a team that can absorb the remaining money on his contract (roughly $2.95MM, as previously noted above) and also has international bonus pool money to spare. Miami was connected last week to top international prospect Victor Victor Mesa (per MASNsports.com’s Byron Kerr, on Twitter), so it’d be reasonable to see the Fish try to boost their pool as teams await Mesa to be cleared for free agency by MLB.

Andrew McCutchen Drawing Trade Interest

By Steve Adams | July 31, 2018 at 11:07am CDT

11:07am: Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets that the Yankees’ interest in McCutchen is “soft.” They’re expected to add an outfielder today, he adds, but it doesn’t appear that McCutchen is high on the list of targets at this time.

Meanwhile, Bob Nightengale tweets that the Giants do not expect to move McCutchen at all today.

8:22am: The Yankees, Phillies and Indians are all showing “varying levels of interest” in Giants outfielder Andrew McCutchen, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi, who writes that San Francisco is more open to moving potential free agents than it was earlier this summer. On the other hand, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic tweets that while the Giants may indeed consider a move involving McCutchen, he doesn’t believe the team would seriously consider doing so until next month in a potential waiver deal. Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle strikes a similar tone, tweeting that Giants are actually still looking at adding to their outfield or rotation in an effort to improve the team’s 2018 chances.

The Giants, of course, have slipped in the NL West standings this month, though they’re still just five and a half games back of the division lead. The reported possibility of surgery for right-hander Johnny Cueto doesn’t do any favors for the team’s hopes of climbing back up the standings, but GM Bobby Evans and president Brian Sabean have never been overly inclined to send their team into “sell” mode in the past.

It’s not hard to see why any of the teams listed by Morosi would at least have interest in McCutchen, though the Yankees’ need may be too short-term in nature for a player like McCutchen. New York has reportedly been seeking an extra outfield bat with Aaron Judge and Clint Frazier on the shelf, but McCutchen would be a costly addition (financially speaking) and crowd the team’s outfield mix in fairly notable fashion if and when Judge is ready to return next month.

Cleveland and Philadelphia, meanwhile, both showed some interest in Adam Jones but have come to learn that he’s unlikely to waive his 10-and-5 no-trade protection. As such, both have been tied to other bats on the market in recent days. The Indians, in particular, are said to be focusing on an upgrade in center field, though McCutchen is clearly better-suited for corner outfield work at this stage of his career.

McCutchen, 31, is earning $14.75MM this year in his final season before reaching free agency for the first time in his career. He’s enjoyed a solid season at the plate, though his offensive output hasn’t been anywhere near his peak levels, when he was the 2013 NL MVP and widely considered to be among the game’s best all-around players. In 454 plate appearances with San Francisco, McCutchen is hitting .258/.352/.407 with 10 homers, 24 doubles and a pair of triples — still above the league average (especially considering his cavernous home park) but no longer at elite levels.

For the Giants, there’d be some financial incentive in moving McCutchen, as shedding the remainder of his salary (roughly $4.84MM) would help to ensure that they remain south of the $197MM luxury tax threshold. But, doing so would also thin their outfield mix and serve as a gut-punch in the clubhouse. Ultimately, it doesn’t seem likely that the Giants will opt to deal McCutchen prior to the non-waiver deadline, though the interest in him and the potential for a move down the line are of at least some note.

Bryce Harper Rumors: 7/30/18

By Jeff Todd | July 30, 2018 at 9:51pm CDT

While the Nationals have done background work in anticipation of a potential pivot to a selling stance, all indications to this point have been that the club has little appetite for offers on superstar outfielder Bryce Harper. That does not mean, however, that there’s no room for trade talks to occur. And there’s increasing indication now that the Nats may be more open than ever to the once-unthinkable possibility of trading a franchise cornerstone in his prime.

Here’s the latest on Harper heading into tomorrow’s trade deadline …

The Nats are “making it known to other teams” that Harper “is indeed available,” per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). That’s assuredly notable news, though it remains unclear whether the D.C. organization is yet committed to moving Harper. There’s a big difference between being open to taking a big offer, on the one hand, and auctioning a player for the best return possible. It seems doubtful the Nats would do the latter. After all, while Harper is a pending free agent, the team is still in reasonable striking distance of the division and also may have designs on trying to re-sign the franchise’s marquee player this winter. Then again, surely there’s an argument to be made that the club should either hold or sell most of its rental assets rather than only moving a few of them.
Meanwhile, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post presents things in a somewhat less-committed manner. The Nats aren’t ruling out a move, she says, though the precise level of willingness to do a deal remains unclear. As she puts it: “The gap between picking up the phone and actively negotiating is wide, and no one with the team gave any indication of whether they had bridged it.”
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, on Twitter, reconciles things to an extent. The Nats are putting out “feelers,” he says, seeing if some team will go overboard with an offer. It seems, then, that the organization is actively interested in seeing what it can get for Harper, but hardly committed to moving him.

Earlier Updates

The Indians have held discussions with the Nationals on Harper, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com, though there’s no indication that the sides have gained any traction. Earlier today, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports noted that Harper would make quite a lot of sense as a target for the Indians — presuming, of course, that the Nats would make him available.

Deadline Chatter: Beltre, Outfielders, Starters, Bucs/Friars, Romo

By Jeff Todd | July 30, 2018 at 7:44pm CDT

Here are the latest rumors from around the game on the eve of the non-waiver trade deadline:

The Red Sox and Braves have each at least held talks with the Rangers on third baseman Adrian Beltre, per Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston and Morosi. It’s not at all clear, though, that either club is going to push hard enough to get Texas to move the veteran. Indeed, talks with Atlanta may already have sputtered, MLB.com’s TR Sullivan tweets. He adds that there is some indication the Red Sox aren’t actually all that inclined to go after Beltre, so much as the future Hall of Famer likes the idea of going back to Boston, and Rob Bradford of WEEI.com hears there’s not much of a connection between the clubs (Twitter link). In addition to other hurdles, Beltre’s no-trade rights present an obstacle. ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick notes on Twitter that Beltre may not wish to go somewhere if he isn’t going to receive regular playing time. In any event, to this point, Beltre has not been presented with any possible trades to consider, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets.
When it comes to rental outfielders, there aren’t a huge number of appealing options. But there are certainly some veterans drawing interest. The Yankees and Phillies have put out feelers on Curtis Granderson of the Blue Jays, per Morosi (Twitter link). Granderson isn’t the only notable name on the Phils’ radar, as Heyman connects the organization to the Mets and Jose Bautista, via Twitter. Meanwhile, the Marlins are still dangling outfielder Cameron Maybin, per Jon Heyman of Fancred (via Twitter). Among the clubs that are at least considering him are the Indians, Yankees, and Mariners.
Some of the most interesting potential trade candidates, of course, won’t end up going anywhere. Indications are that some top hurlers will stay at home. It does not appear that any rivals have made a real push to force the Mets to part with righty Jacob deGrom, per Jon Heyman of Fancred (on Twitter). Despite “some late action” on Noah Syndergaard, Andy Martino of SNY.tv tweets, it still seems there’s nothing brewing there. Meanwhile, the Orioles don’t appear to have been enthused with trade offers for top pitchers Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy (or their other controllable players), Heyman indicates in a tweet.
The Pirates and Padres appear to have quite a lot to talk about, as Ken Rosenthal and Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic report (in a tweet) that the Pittsburgh organization has “aggressively pursued” pitching from San Diego. It’s not evident which hurler the Bucs are eyeing, though Rosenthal suggests that veteran Craig Stammen could be a sensible target. Stammen and Kirby Yates appear to be the likeliest remaining trade chips in the Padres’ pen, owing to their quality output and relatively short remaining control rights (one year and two years, respectively).
While the present focus is on another member of the Rays pitching staff, reliever Sergio Romo is drawing quite a lot of looks, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Romo is affordable ($2.5MM salary), battle-tested in October, and still capable of getting outs in the majors at 35 years of age. Romo’s swinging-strike rate is down to 12.6%, his lowest since 2009, but he’s carrying a 3.69 ERA through 46 1/3 innings on the season.
If you’re looking for more reading, check out the latest column from Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. He runs through a variety of situations, including the Giants’ in-between position, the Twins’ struggles to market Brian Dozier, and more. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports also has quite a bit of chatter in his latest column, some of which we’ve already highlighted on the site. Among other items of interest, Passan checks in on the Brewers’ efforts to find a starter, suggesting they are a prime suitor for Zach Wheeler of the Mets.

Indians Focused On Adding Center Fielder

By Steve Adams | July 30, 2018 at 3:49pm CDT

The Indians are “focused” on adding a center fielder in the 23 hours leading up to Tuesday’s non-waiver trade deadline, tweets ESPN’s Buster Olney. His colleague, Jerry Crasnick, offered plenty of additional insight into the matter earlier this morning as well (all Twitter links).

As Crasnick points out, the market for center field upgrades is fairly limited in nature. Adam Jones reportedly isn’t planning on waiving his 10-and-5 rights to approve a trade away from the Orioles, Billy Hamilton is once again having a dreadful season at the plate, and Leonys Martin has battled injuries while struggling at the plate recently. Crasnick lists Houston’s Jake Marisnick as a potential rebound candidate who could pique the Indians’ interest, though the Astros have no plans of merely giving him away, and Marisnick isn’t hitting well at all in 2018.

Looking beyond that group, the Rays and Marlins would surely be open to deals involving respective outfielders Carlos Gomez and Cameron Maybin, though neither is performing well at the plate this season (especially in Gomez’s case). Speculating further, the Padres have a number of outfielders on the roster, and 27-year-old Travis Jankowski could conceivably be moved given San Diego’s depth. He’s not hitting especially well in 2018, either, but has gotten on base at a respectable clip and has a solid defensive reputation.

The Cleveland outfield has been slammed by injuries in 2018, as Bradley Zimmer is done for the year due to shoulder surgery while Lonnie Chisenhall will be sidelined into September by a calf issue. The Indians also just lost Tyler Naquin to a hip injury, only furthering the team’s need to add to the outfield. While there’s been speculation about the possibility of Cleveland adding a second baseman such as Minnesota’s Brian Dozier in order to shift Jason Kipnis to center field, Olney suggests a conventional addition of a more experienced center fielder to be a likelier option.

Indians Interested In Brad Ziegler

By Connor Byrne | July 29, 2018 at 1:09pm CDT

Both the Braves and Cubs are making pushes for Orioles reliever Brad Brach, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. Brach, a pending free agent on a $5.165MM salary, looks like a shoo-in to move prior to Tuesday’s non-waiver deadline. The 32-year-old has endured an uncharacteristically mediocre season, however, with a 4.85 ERA/4.01 FIP and unexciting strikeout and walk rates (8.77 K/9, 4.38 BB/9) over 39 innings.

More rumors with the deadline nearing…

No fewer than six teams have shown legitimate interest in Mets right-hander Zack Wheeler, though New York doesn’t feel it has to trade him, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. Wheeler, who’s making just $1.9MM this season, still has another year of affordable control remaining. As such, “there’s no urgency for the Mets to move him,” a National League talent evaluator tells Feinsand.
Meanwhile, ex-Met and current Reds righty Matt Harvey is likely to move by Tuesday, per Feinsand. Harvey has pitched better in Cincinnati than he did in New York this season, but the soon-to-be free agent still hasn’t come close to replicating his halcyon days. As a result, teams aren’t showing much excitement over the 29-year-old, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic relays.
More from Feinsand, who observes that the Marlins shouldn’t have difficulty finding a taker for pending free-agent reliever Brad Ziegler. In the end, though, it may be a relatively quiet deadline for the Marlins, who are “intent on keeping their crop of controllable players, including their young, talented bullpen pieces,” Feinsand writes. That may rule out trades involving the likes of Kyle Barraclough, Drew Steckenrider and Adam Conley, each of whom has come up in the rumor mill this summer. Unlike those three, Ziegler hasn’t enjoyed a strong season overall (4.06 ERA/4.69 FIP with 6.18 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 51 innings), but the 38-year-old has gotten much better results since June and is continuing to induce ground balls at a ridiculous clip (74.5 percent). Ziegler has approximately $3.5MM coming his way through season’s end. The Cubs, Indians and possibly the Red Sox are among the teams with interest in Ziegler, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.
There have been rumblings about the Braves trading young left-hander Luiz Gohara for relief help, but that’s not going to happen, according to Rosenthal. Rather, Atlanta’s only going to move Gohara (or pitching prospect Kolby Allard) if it gets controllable starting pitching in return.
“A few teams” have interest in Cardinals minor league third baseman Patrick Wisdom, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Regardless of whether Wisdom’s dealt this season, Goold regards him as a lock to be out of the Cardinals organization by next year. The Cardinals spent the 52nd overall pick on Wisdom back in 2012, but he still hasn’t made it to the majors. The 26-year-old has shown some promise of late at the Triple-A level, where he homered 31 times and posted a .263 ISO in 506 plate appearances last season. That power came with a so-so .243/.310/.507 slash, which Wisdom has improved on in 2018 (.293/.373/.485 in 370 PAs).

Indians Scouting Keone Kela

By Connor Byrne | July 28, 2018 at 11:07pm CDT

There were five teams on hand Saturday to scout Rangers closer Keone Kela, Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram reports. The Diamondbacks and Pirates – both of whom have had previously reported interested in Kela – as well as the Red Sox, Indians and Giants were in attendance, according to Wilson. Kela didn’t pitch, though the 25-year-old has bolstered his trade value this season with a 3.28 ERA/2.85 FIP, 10.85 K/9 against 3.03 BB/9 and 23 saves in 24 chances over 35 2/3 innings. Adding to Kela’s appeal, he’s making a relative pittance this season ($1.2MM) and still has three more arbitration-eligible years remaining. The Dodgers are interested in Kela, too, per the Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant, who adds that LA has also been scouting fellow Texas relievers Jose Leclerc, Alex Claudio and Jake Diekman,

More on the Rangers, who have yet another potential trade chip in pending free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre. While the Braves have been connected to Beltre this week, one source “downplayed” their interest in the future Hall of Famer to Wilson. Grant passes along different information, writing that the Braves’ interest in Beltre is “serious.” Whether a deal comes together will largely be up to the 39-year-old Beltre, who, as a 10-and-5 player, has full no-trade rights. Beltre spoke about his future Saturday, telling Grant and others in regards to the Rangers: “We have talked. I’ve always been at peace with being here. Obviously, we have talked before [about a trade], and if it makes sense for both parties, I would consider it. But up until now, there’s nothing concrete that we can sit and talk about.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Ian Browne of MLB.com and other reporters Saturday that third baseman Rafael Devers is likely headed to the disabled list with a hamstring injury. It would be the second DL placement this month for Devers, who went on the shelf July 12 on account of left shoulder inflammation, thus adding to a disappointing season for the well-regarded 21-year-old. After an impressive debut in 2017, Devers has batted a below-average .245/.295/.425 in 396 plate appearances this season, though he has shown off respectable power (15 home runs, .180 ISO).
Blue Jays uber-prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is now one step from the majors, having been promoted from Double-A to Triple-A on Saturday. The 19-year-old third baseman tore through Double-A pitching in 266 PAs this season, hitting .402/.449/.671 with 14 home runs and nearly as many walks (21) as strikeouts (27) prior to his promotion. Both Baseball America and MLB.com regard Guerrero as the game’s best prospect.
The Twins brought third baseman Miguel Sano back to the majors on Saturday. Sano earned a surprise demotion to the minors in mid-June after opening the season with a .191/.247/.353 line with seven home runs and 30 strikeouts against a mere two walks in 73 PAs. The 25-year-old’s only a season removed from an All-Star campaign in which he slashed .264/.352/.507 with 28 homers over 483 PAs.

Latest On Indians' OF Search

By Connor Byrne | July 28, 2018 at 6:43pm CDT

Blue Jays outfielder Curtis Granderson, Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton and Marlins utilityman Derek Dietrich are on the Indians’ “radar”, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Either Granderson or Hamilton would add a much-needed upgrade to Cleveland’s outfield, which lost Tyler Naquin to the disabled list Saturday, while Dietrich may be able to help both at the keystone and in the outfield. Dietrich has spent the majority of his career at second base, but the 29-year-old – who happens to be a Cleveland native – has amassed 84 appearances in left field this season. Dietrich’s amid his best offensive season, having hit .283/.348/.454 with 13 home runs in 388 plate appearances.

Headlines

Guardians Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect