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Latest On Jay Bruce

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With the Aug. 1 trade deadline closing in, Reds right fielder Jay Bruce is “a bit surprised” to still be in Cincinnati, he told FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman, who writes that the 29-year-old would likely waive his limited no-trade clause to play for a contender.

“What I want most is the chance to play in a World Series,” said Bruce, who can block trades to the Yankees, Red Sox, Athletics, Rays, Marlins, Twins, Indians and Diamondbacks, Heyman reported last month.

Of that group, only the Red Sox, Marlins and Indians are above .500. Boston and Miami are on the hunt for pitching more than an outfielder, though, per Heyman, who expects Bruce would waive his no-trade clause to remain in Ohio with the Indians despite recently adding them to his no list.

“I’m not ruling anything out,” Bruce stated. “But I think it would be shortsighted to rule out a team that wanted me and has a chance to win. I’d likely have to at least strong consider it.”

Aside from the Tribe, the defending World Series champion Royals and other playoff hopefuls – the Blue Jays and perhaps the Giants and Nationals (previous report via FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal) – could try to augment their outfields and-or first base situations by the deadline. That might put them in the market for Bruce, who has rebounded from back-to-back subpar offensive seasons to post a .267/.315/.538 line with 18 home runs in 343 trips to the plate this year.

Bruce’s strong output at the plate over the first few months of the 2016 campaign earned him his third career All-Star selection, though advanced fielding metrics like Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved are heavily down on his work in right. Because of that, fWAR grades Bruce as a replacement-level player this year. But it’s up for debate how much of a defensive liability Bruce actually is, as FanGraphs’ August Fagerstrom detailed last week.

The way teams assess his defense could certainly impact the trade value of Bruce, who’s on a $12.5MM salary for the remainder of this season and is controllable by way of a $13MM club option next year.

“I’m interested to see what happens,” said Bruce, who’s no stranger to potential deals after the Blue Jays nearly acquired him from the Reds over the winter.

Indians Release Joba Chamberlain

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The Indians have released veteran reliever Joba Chamberlain, according to the team’s official transactions page.  MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports (Twitter link) that Chamberlain elected to become a free agent rather than an accept an outright assignment to the minors.  Cleveland designated Chamberlain for assignment earlier this week.

Chamberlain posted a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings out of the Tribe’s bullpen this season, though ERA predictors (3.83 FIP, 4.27 xFIP, 4.35 SIERA) weren’t as impressed with the right-hander’s work.  Chamberlain benefited from a .216 BABIP and he had some control issues, as evidenced by a 4.95 BB/9.  Still, the 30-year-old posted an 8.10 K/9 and 52.9% grounder rate, and was still averaging 93.4 mph on his fastball.

It was exactly one year ago that Chamberlain was released by the Tigers, and he has since pitched for the Blue Jays (in the minors), Royals and Indians in that timeframe. Despite his rather up-and-down track record as a reliever, Chamberlain’s 2016 numbers and past status as one of the game’s top prospects make him a pretty good bet to catch on with another team in need of bullpen help.  Chamberlain guaranteed himself a $1MM salary for 2016 (plus $2MM in incentives) by making Cleveland’s roster, so the Tribe will be on the hook for the approximately $460K still owed, while another team can sign Chamberlain for just a prorated minimum salary.

Central Notes: Tigers, Indians, Cardinals

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Two members of the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate in Toledo, outfielder Anthony Gose and manager Lloyd McClendon, were involved in a contentious argument in the dugout during the first game of a doubleheader Saturday, writes Katie Strang of ESPN.com. McClendon then removed Gose from Toledo’s lineup in the third inning and the 25-year-old didn’t play in the second game. Gose’s personal belongings were not in his locker afterward, per the Toledo Blade. When asked about it, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said, “Anytime a player reacts that way to a manager, it’s a concern, but it’s certainly not anything that can’t be dealt with or gotten past.” However, Gose failed to report to the ballpark Sunday, according to Tigers vice president of player development Dave Littlefield, who said their front office will discuss the matter during the All-Star break and decide how to proceed (Twitter link via George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press). The speedy Gose, whom the Tigers acquired from the Blue Jays for second baseman Devon Travis in November 2014, has appeared in 170 games with Detroit (30 this year) and hit .247/.315/.363 in 636 plate appearances.

A couple more notes from the majors’ two Central divisions:

  • Indians left fielder Michael Brantley, on the shelf since May 10 because of right biceps tendinitis, will begin a Class-A rehab assignment Monday, reports Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com. The Indians are “excited” about the progress Brantley has shown since receiving a cortisone shot June 21, said manager Terry Francona. Brantley underwent November shoulder surgery and didn’t make his 2016 debut until April 24, and he then succumbed to more trouble in that area after appearing in only 11 games. At 52-35, first-place Cleveland has been surprisingly effective without Brantley, who batted a superb .319/.382/.494 with 35 homers and 38 steals in 1,272 trips to the plate from 2014-15. One of many reasons for the Indians’ success is Jose Ramirez, but he’ll lose playing time when Brantley returns, per Hoynes. Ramirez, who has mostly divided his time between third base and left field, has slashed .296/.354/.418 with 26 extra-base hits in 315 PAs.
  • Since 2010, the versatility-driven Cardinals have had no fewer than 20 players advance at a position more challenging or of a different discipline than the one they arrived playing, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch details. Among the group is Double-A backstop Carson Kelly, a 2012 second-round pick who shifted from third base to catcher in 2014 and will partake in Sunday’s Futures Game. “When you look at the modern game, there does seem to be a real value in having a roster with some flexibility,” general manager John Mozeliak told Goold. “Having multi-position players is a benefit.”

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/9/16

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

  • Veteran lefty Tom Gorzelanny has declined his outright assignment with the Indians and is now a free agent, the team has announced. The Indians designated Gorzelanny for assignment on Monday after he allowed seven runs in three innings for them. Gorzelanny, who turns 34 this week, has a career 4.40 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in parts of 12 seasons with the Pirates, Cubs, Nationals, Brewers and Tigers in addition to the Indians.
  • The Cardinals have announced that they’ve allowed outfielder Carlos Peguero to depart for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan. They will receive cash considerations in return. The 29-year-old Peguero has played with the Mariners, Royals, Rangers and Red Sox in parts of five big-league seasons, but has never stuck, accumulating just 319 career plate appearances. He’s shown big power in the minors, though, with 95 home runs and a .277/.346/.520 in the equivalent of about three full seasons at Triple-A.
  • The Rays have signed reliever Casey Coleman to a minor league deal, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Coleman opted out of his deal with the Mariners last week after posting a 2.08 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 39 strong innings with Triple-A Tacoma.
  • One of Coleman’s new Durham Bulls teammates is lefty Dana Eveland, who was designated for assignment this week. Via SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (on Twitter), Eveland has accepted the Rays’ outright assignment. He posted an 8.55 ERA, 8.1 K/9 and 6.8 BB/9 in 20 innings of relief with the Rays this season.
  • The Pirates have outrighted catcher Jacob Stallings, as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Bill Brink tweets. The Bucs designated the defensive specialist for assignment last week. The 26-year-old has batted just .200/.235/.326 this season, but he received a brief callup because of a rash of injuries to Pirates catchers.

Indians Claim Tyler Olson From Royals

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The Indians have announced that they’ve claimed lefty Tyler Olson from the Royals and optioned him to Triple-A Columbus. The Royals designated Olson for assignment last week.

Olson has had a busy few months moving from organization to organization — the Dodgers and then Yankees acquired him in minor deals over the offseason, and the Royals claimed him last month. The 26-year-old appeared briefly for the Mariners last year and with the Yankees this year, mainly throwing in the upper 80s in his big-league stints. He’s pitched for two Triple-A teams this season, posting a 4.81 ERA, 6.1 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 over 33 2/3 innings mostly spent in relief.

Red Sox Acquire Michael Martinez From Indians

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The Indians announced today that utilityman Michael Martinez has been traded to the Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations. Martinez had been designated for assignment this past Saturday.

[Related: Updated Red Sox & Indians Depth Charts]

The 33-year-old Martinez has never hit much in the Majors but brings some defensive versatility to the Red Sox’ depth chart. Though he’s just a .199/.244/.272 hitter at the big league level, Martinez does have experience at second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield positions. He batted .283/.306/.383 in 63 trips to the plate with Cleveland this season and is a lifetime .282/.336/.395 hitter in parts of nine seasons at the Triple-A level.

AL Notes: Medlen, Desmond, Brantley, Shaw, Yankees, Jepsen, Rasmus

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Royals right-hander Kris Medlen suffered a setback in his return from right shoulder inflammation in today’s rehab outing, reports MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. Medlen has been out since mid-May with the injury and suffered a strain of the same shoulder while throwing a breaking pitch on the 49th pitch of his outing, per Flanagan. He’s set to be re-evaluated later today but seemingly won’t be an option for the Royals at any point in the near future.

Here’s a look at some of the latest news out of the American League …

  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels says that the club would have interest in working out a long-term deal with outfielder Ian Desmond, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Though he said that he wouldn’t discuss the matter beyond acknowledging that fact, Daniels heaped praise upon the deserving All-Star. Grant argues that the time is now for Texas to try to strike a deal. That certainly won’t be easy, but as Grant notes, Desmond may have some added motivation given that he previously turned down a chance at a major payday.
  • Michael Brantley finally received some good news and is progressing toward a return to the Indians, per Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Brantley received a cortisone shot after a recent diagnosis of tendinitis in his biceps and will resume batting practice tomorrow before possibly progressing to simulated games and a rehab assignment. It’s not clear exactly when after the All-Star break Brantley will return, per Hoynes, but both Brantley and Indians manager Terry Francona implied that the DL stint may not last all that much longer.
  • The Red Sox are holding their breath on third baseman Travis Shaw, who fouled a ball off of his foot tonight. As Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal tweets, initial testing was inconclusive and Shaw’s foot is showing lots of swelling. Whether or not there’s a serious injury remains to be seen, but a glance at Boston’s depth chart shows that the club could be pressed regardless if Shaw is out for more than a day or two. Brock Holt could be a replacement option, but he’s being utilized in left field at the moment. Marco Hernandez is the only other infielder on the active roster with Josh Rutledge on the DL, while the 40-man possibilities at Triple-A are Sean Coyle and Deven Marrero.
  • While it remains unclear what path the Yankees will take at the trade deadline, the organization is already working to reshape its roster, Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees blog explains. Reducing the role of Alex Rodriguez, demoting Nathan Eovaldi to the bullpen, enhancing Aaron Hicks’s playing time, and keeping Rob Refsnyder up are among the recent decisions that Jennings explores.
  • Assuming he clears waivers, the Rays have interest in a reunion with reliever Kevin Jepsen, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Jepsen was designated recently by the Twins, who had picked him up from the Rays last summer. The 31-year-old righty has fallen off badly after a long track record of solid pen work; given his salary ($5.3MM and change), a claim seems unlikely, though perhaps a trade could materialize if Minnesota is willing to keep most of that obligation.
  • Angels reliever Cory Rasmus needs core muscle surgery, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Rasmus, who already underwent such an operation last year, had been placed on the DL with what had been called a groin strain. The 28-year-old was carrying a 5.40 ERA through 21 2/3 innings and had taken a big step back in the K/BB department, having issued 14 free passes while K’ing just 13 batters.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Red Sox, Indians, Rangers, Twins

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Here’s the latest hot stove buzz from Ken Rosenthal’s latest notes column for FOXSports.com…

  • “The universal feeling” within the Red Sox organization is that top prospect Andrew Benintendi will surpass the likes of Kyle Schwarber and Michael Conforto in terms of being an all-around player.  There is also some sentiment that Dave Dombrowski “is sold on Yoan Moncada becoming a superstar.”  So the Sox could well have their long-term answers at left field and third base spoken for, or Boston could deal one of these top youngsters for a pitching upgrade.  Rosenthal feels that the Sox would only move one of these two “a true, controllable ace,” and no pitcher like that appears to be available at the deadline.  Boston might go for a lower-key pitching upgrade at the deadline and then wait to pursue an ace in the offseason when such names as Jose Fernandez or Matt Harvey could be had.  Since so many of Boston’s issues can be traced back to its struggling rotation, Rosenthal doesn’t think Dombrowski will or should make a rash move like firing John Farrell or trading a top prospect for anything less than full value.
  • The Indians will be looking to add both a reliever and another bat before the trade deadline.
  • Beyond the Rangers’ top prospects, they have several other minor leaguers getting attention for possible trades.  First baseman Ronald Guzman, outfielder Ryan Cordell, catcher Jose Trevino, and righties Ariel Jurado and Connor Sadzeck are a few names who Texas could possibly use as trade chips if the likes of Lewis Brinson, Jurickson Profar or Joey Gallo are untouchables.
  •  “A low-revenue team cannot afford to miss on so many decisions,” Rosenthal notes in a review of several moves that have recently backfired on the Twins.  The signings of Kevin Jepsen and Byung Ho Park were justifiable and Park could still develop into a productive bat, though Minnesota has gotten little return from Phil Hughes’ extension and the acquisitions of Ervin Santana, Ricky Nolasco and John Ryan Murphy.

Indians Designate Joba Chamberlain, Tom Gorzelanny

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The Indians have announced a host of pitching moves, with the club clearing roster space by designating righty Joba Chamberlain and lefty Tom Gorzelanny. They’ll be replaced by southpaw T.J. House and righty Mike Clevinger.

[Related: Updated Indians Depth Chart]

Chamberlain, 30, had been generating results for Cleveland after signing a $1MM deal in the offseason. He owns a 2.25 ERA over twenty frames, with 8.1 K/9 against 5.0 BB/9 and a 52.9% groundball rate. The veteran is still working with an average fastball of over 93 mph, and ought to draw some interest — particularly given the cheap salary.

Things hadn’t gone quite as well for the 33-year-old Gorzelanny, who was tagged for seven earned runs in just three innings of work over seven appearances. He had been useful at the Triple-A level, though, putting up 18 2/3 innings of 3.38 ERA pitching with 9.2 K/9 against 5.3 BB/9.

Cafardo’s Latest: Yanks, Rays, BoSox, Dodgers

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Surprisingly, Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia has revived his career to the point that he might actually have value in a trade, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The soon-to-be 36-year-old has bounced back from multiple underwhelming seasons in a row to post an excellent 3.17 ERA in 76 2/3 innings in 2016, through his strikeout and walk ratios per nine innings (7.16 and 3.52) are each below average and he’s on a $25MM salary through 2017. In addition to Sabathia, hot-hitting 39-year-old right fielder/designated hitter Carlos Beltran, left fielder Brett Gardner, catcher Brian McCann, third baseman Chase Headley, and starters Michael Pineda and Nathan Eovaldi are Yankees who could have value around the deadline (not to mention their much-ballyhooed relievers, of course). The only member of that group who’s set to become a free agent at season’s end is Beltran. As Cafardo points out, it’s currently up in the air whether the playoff hopeful Yankees would move any of these players, though he wonders if clinging to postseason dreams is the right course for the 39-41 club.

More inside stuff from Cafardo:

  • Led by former Rays general manager and current president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers are in pursuit of Tampa Bay right-hander Chris Archer. The Rays aren’t planning on moving the 27-year-old as of now, though, which backs up FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal’s report from Saturday.
  • The presence of senior vice president of baseball operations Frank Wren, formerly the Braves’ GM, could lead the Red Sox to go after Atlanta right-hander Julio Teheran. Wren – who’s high on Teheran – is Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski’s right-hand man, Cafardo notes, and could push him toward putting together a package for the 25-year-old.
  • If they’re unable to swing a deal for Teheran, the Red Sox might turn their attention to Rays southpaw Matt Moore – in whom they’re interested. Moore, who has three more years of team control left via club options, also intrigues the Astros, Dodgers, Orioles, Royals, Yankees and previously reported Rangers.
  • With the possible exception of right-handed reliever Zach McAllister, the Indians aren’t going to give up pitching to augment their offense. Further, the organization has a reputation for keeping its payroll low and avoiding big-money acquisitions, which could take it out of the running to pick up a well-compensated trade chip. Athletics third baseman Danny Valencia, who’s on an affordable $3.15MM salary this season and has another trip through arbitration scheduled, is a potential target for Cleveland.
  • Hard-throwing Diamondbacks lefty Robbie Ray, who’s eighth in the majors in K/9 (10.42), is drawing interest from teams looking for starters. The 24-year-old has thrown 214 innings of 4.00 ERA ball dating to 2015 and won’t even become eligible for arbitration until after 2017, meaning he has four full seasons of club control remaining.
  • The Marlins are aggressively pursuing pitching, as evidenced already by their acquisition of reliever Fernando Rodney and reported interest in starters Drew Pomeranz and Jake Odorizzi. However, the Fish might not have the prospects to land a significant arm for their rotation, writes Cafardo.
  • Blue Jays scouts are keeping a close watch over the Astros’ system, so the two AL playoff contenders could have some kind of deal in the works.
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