Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Guardians Rumors

Guardians Promote Tyler Freeman

By | at

The Guardians have called up infield prospect Tyler Freeman for his Major League debut and optioned infielder Ernie Clement to Triple-A Columbus in his place, per a team announcement. (Zack Meisel of The Athletic first reported that Freeman was being called up). Freeman is already on the 40-man roster, so the Guardians didn’t need to make any additional transactions to accommodate the move.

Freeman, 23, was the No. 71 overall pick back in 2017 and has long rated as one of the best prospects in the organization — if not the entire league. Baseball America, FanGraphs and MLB.com all ranked him inside the game’s top-100 minor leaguers heading into the season, although Freeman has fallen just off some of those lists on midseason updates. He still ranks seventh in their system at both BA and FanGraphs.

That’s not to say he’s had a poor year in 2022, but Freeman underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder last summer and hasn’t quite picked up where he left off with the bat. After turning in a strong .323/.370/.470 batting line in 180 plate appearances at the Double-A level last year, he’s hitting .279/.372/.364 in 340 Triple-A plate appearances this season. The six home runs he’s hit in 2022 are already a career-high, but he hasn’t been producing the other extra-base hits typically expected (seven doubles, zero triples).

Freeman, similarly to teammate Steven Kwan, was always viewed as a player with a plus hit tool and below-average power, though he’s typically been able to rack up doubles and the occasional triple. That hasn’t been the case this year, but his bat-to-ball skills have been on full display, as he’s punched out in just 9.1% of his plate appearances. Adding Freeman to a lineup that also features Kwan (8.9% strikeout rate), Jose Ramirez (9.5%), Myles Straw (14.7%) and Amed Rosario (14.9%) should only further drop Cleveland’s already MLB-low 18.6% strikeout rate.

It’s an unorthodox approach to lineup construction in today’s brand of three-true-outcome baseball, particularly given that the glut of contact comes at the expense of power. Cleveland has trotted out a mostly punchless lineup for much of the season and ranks 29th in MLB with 82 home runs as a team. Guardians hitters also don’t walk much, landing 22nd with a 7.6% walk rate, and Freeman (7.4% walk rate in Triple-A, 4.4% in Double-A last year) isn’t going to bolster their outlook in that regard. Still, Cleveland ranks 16th in the Majors in runs scored and 17th with a collective 99 wRC+, so the approach of surrounding the superhuman Ramirez with generally high-contact slashers has combined for middle-of-the-pack offensive output.

The question regarding Freeman will be one of where he slots into the lineup. He’s split his time quite evenly between the two middle infield slots this season, but the Guardians have Andres Gimenez in the midst of a breakout year at second base (Freeman’s best position) and Rosario is having a solid year at shortstop. Freeman gives Cleveland a bench upgrade over Clement (particularly with the bat), but it doesn’t appear as though there are regular at-bats to be had, barring an injury that’s yet to come to light.

Freeman could always be mixed in as a utility option, spelling Gimenez, Rosario and Ramirez on occasion while also seeing time at designated hitter in light of Franmil Reyes’ recent demotion to Triple-A Columbus. Cleveland has shielded lefty-swinging rookie Nolan Jones from facing southpaws, and first baseman Josh Naylor has floundered against lefties himself — so Freeman could add a righty bat to the mix against southpaws, giving manager Terry Francona some additional platoon scenarios. Freeman has struggled badly against lefties in Triple-A this season (.241/.339/.278), but that’s a sample of just 62 plate appearances and he’s crushed southpaws in each of his other four minor league campaigns.

Deadline Recap: American League

By | at

A wild trade deadline has now passed, with contenders fortifying themselves for a World Series run or a playoff push, rebuilding teams looking towards the future, and some teams in both camps being more cautious in their moves.  Here is the recap of every American League club’s most notable trades of the last few days, with the NL wrap-up coming on Wednesday….

New York: Though the Yankees’ rotation had been a big reason for their first-half dominance, the team still added Frankie Montas (one of the biggest trade candidates of the last few months) to reinforce the pitching staff.  Bringing in Montas and reliever Lou Trivino cost New York four noteworthy prospects, yet the Yankees were able to hang onto everyone in their true top tier.  Beyond Trivino, the Yankees further bolstered the relief corps by landing Scott Effross from the Cubs.  Acquiring Montas also gave New York the rotation depth for a fascinating one-for-one trade, as Jordan Montgomery was sent to the Cardinals for Gold Glove-winning center fielder Harrison Bader.

Assuming Bader returns from his current bout of plantar fasciitis in his normal form, he’ll form quite a defensive tandem with another reigning Gold Glover in Andrew Benintendi, acquired from the Royals earlier in the week.  The struggling Joey Gallo was subtracted from the outfield mix, as New York sent Gallo (a big get at last year’s trade deadline) to the Dodgers for pitching prospect Clayton Beeter.  Gallo is an example of how sometimes the best deadline moves on paper don’t work out, but the Yankees look to have fortified themselves well for a return to the World Series.

Houston: The Astros are in hot pursuit of the Yankees for top spot in the AL, and also made multiple moves to shore up some weaker spots on the roster.  With catcher Martin Maldonado and first baseman Yuli Gurriel both struggling at the plate, Houston brought in two longtime faces of AL East franchises — former Oriole stalwart Trey Mancini and former Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez, for the combined cost of three prospects and young center fielder Jose Siri.

The Astros also dipped into their rotation depth to move veteran Jake Odorizzi for an experienced bullpen arm, moving Odorizzi to the Braves for Will Smith.  One need Houston didn’t address was center field, so it looks like the team will stick with the tandem of Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick down the stretch.

Seattle: The Mariners are chomping at the bit to finally make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2001, and this aggressiveness manifested itself in one of the summer’s biggest blockbusters.  After months of speculation, the Reds finally moved Luis Castillo, and it was the Mariners who stepped up with a big package of four prospects (including top-50 types Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo) to land the All-Star right-hander.

Castillo only adds to a rotation that was already among baseball’s best, and on deadline day itself, the M’s patched a few more holes.  Curt Casali and Jake Lamb were acquired for bench depth, and Matthew Boyd was acquired from the Giants as an intriguing flier for September.  Boyd has missed the entire season rehabbing from flexor tendon surgery, but if he is able to return, he projects as a left-handed option for a bullpen short on southpaws.

Minnesota: Speaking of trading for Reds starters, the Twins nabbed Cincinnati’s other available (and controllable through 2023) righty in Tyler Mahle, after checking in on most of the bigger starters available.  While Castillo’s better track record meant the Mariners had to pay more, Minnesota’s concession was nothing to sneeze at, with three young prospects headlined by infielder Spencer Steer.  Still, having Mahle for as many as two postseason runs was worth the cost in the Twins’ view, and Mahle should only help a Twins rotation that has already been quite respectable amidst several injuries.

The bullpen was the greater pitching need, and the upgrades came at the cost of a total of five prospects.  But, the Twins made two significant trades in landing Jorge Lopez from the Orioles and Michael Fulmer from the Tigers.  The duo could instantly step right in as Minnesota’s primary late-game combo, or at least take some of the pressure off rookie Jhoan Duran and second-year hurler Griffin Jax.  The Twins also got Sandy Leon in a minor trade with the Guardians, bringing some catching depth on board with Ryan Jeffers still injured.

Toronto: The Blue Jays also mostly checked in on pitching, reportedly coming close to landing Noah Syndergaard and also being linked to such pitchers as Raisel Iglesias, Michael Fulmer, Luis Castillo, and Frankie Montas.  Instead of a headline-grabbing move, Toronto settled for reinforcing the bullpen by acquiring the hard-throwing Zach Pop and former Jay Anthony Bass from the Marlins, and getting swingman Mitch White from the Dodgers.  The Jays had to move some of their own young pitching to get White, and dealt top-100 prospect (but struggling at Triple-A) Jordan Groshans to Miami.

The Cubs’ Ian Happ was frequently mentioned as a Blue Jays target leading up to deadline day, yet Happ wasn’t dealt anywhere, and the Jays instead obtained longtime Royal Whit Merrifield.  The former All-Star is struggling through his worst season, but the Jays are hoping that a change of scenery will help Merrifield get back into form, and add depth at multiple positions around the diamond.  The trade with Kansas City was presumably made with the knowledge that Merrifield will be able to play in Toronto, as he recently missed a Royals/Blue Jays series because he wasn’t vaccinated.

Tampa Bay: Beset by injuries in the outfield, the Rays adjusted by acquiring Siri from the Astros (for young righties Seth Johnson and Jayden Murray) and David Peralta from the Diamondbacks (for catching prospect Christian Cerda).  While fan favorite outfielder Brett Phillips was designated for assignment and then traded to the Orioles to make room, the Rays feel they’ve reinforced their lineup — the weak link on a wild card contender with excellent pitching.

Garrett Cleavinger and Jeremy Walker also acquired from the Dodgers and Giants to bring a couple more arms into the pipeline.  The Rays did at least explore a real eye-opening move in checking in with the Nationals about Juan Soto, and one position left unaddressed was the catching position, though Tampa reportedly had interest in Willson Contreras.

Cleveland: The Guardians are another team with a longstanding need at catcher, and it seemed like Cleveland was getting close to a deal for A’s backstop Sean Murphy — especially since the Guards were reportedly open to making a big move by offering one of their controllable starters.  However, though the Guardians were said to be looking hard for pitching of their own and also flirted with the idea of an offer for Juan Soto, all of the talk resulted in a very quiet deadline.

Other than moving Sandy Leon to Minnesota, the Guardians didn’t make a single trade.  Especially with so many other contenders fortifying their rosters, the Guards’ inaction was a risky move for a team in the thick of the AL Central and wild card races.  Cleveland is counting on its internal mix to step up over the last two months, but if the Guardians fall short of the postseason, there will be some what-ifs asked about this deadline.

Chicago: In somewhat similar fashion to the Guardians, the White Sox are in the AL Central/wild card races, checked in on a big name (Shohei Ohtani), focused on pitching additions (linked to such familiar Chicago names as Jose Quintana, David Robertson, and Mychal Givens) and…ended up coming away without much on deadline day.  White Sox GM Rick Hahn even openly stated that he was “disappointed” at his team’s relative inaction.  The Sox did add some needed left-handed depth to the bullpen in landing Jake Diekman from the Red Sox in an exchange for backup catching Reese McGuire, even if Diekman’s control problems don’t exactly promise drama-free innings.

Boston: With a dismal July record, the Red Sox were exploring trading their veteran players leading up to the deadline, and to some extent this did happen when Christian Vazquez and Jake Diekman.  But, the likes of Nathan Eovaldi, J.D. Martinez, and Rich Hill are all still in Red Sox uniforms, and the Sox even added two more veterans in Tommy Pham and Eric Hosmer.  In Pham’s case, he’ll likely be a rental player due to his mutual option for 2023, but Hosmer is signed through 2025.

In an odd turn of events, Hosmer used his no-trade clause to refuse heading to the Nationals as part of the Juan Soto blockbuster, and has now landed in Boston along with two prospects in exchange for former first-rounder Jay Groome.  Since the Padres are paying virtually all of Hosmer’s salary, in a way it’s kind of a no-lose proposition for the Red Sox, except for the fact that Hosmer has been more or less a league-average player for the last four-plus seasons.  It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Sox look to flip Hosmer again after the season, but for now, the idea is that Hosmer and Pham can help the club regroup and make a late run at a wild card slot.

Baltimore: The surprisingly competitive Orioles entered today’s play 2.5 games out of a wild card berth, but rather than make a true playoff push, the O’s kept their eyes focused on the future.  As a result, team leader Trey Mancini and breakout closer Jorge Lopez were each traded, with a total of six pitching prospects coming back as further reinforcements to Baltimore’s minor league system.  The three-team Mancini trade involving the Astros and Rays also unofficially netted the Orioles Brett Phillips, as the O’s acquired Phillips as backup outfield depth after Tampa Bay designated him for assignment.  It surely isn’t the outcome that Baltimore fans wanted to see after so many years of rebuilding, but with the steps forward the team has made in 2022, it now seems possible that the Orioles could again be on the buyer side of the ledger by the 2023 deadline.

Texas: Another “wait until next year” team, the Rangers spent a ton on its roster in the offseason but 2023 seemed like the real target point for the club’s return to contention.  Perhaps reflecting this in-between state, Texas didn’t do much buying or selling at the deadline, apart from moving reliever Matt Bush to the Brewers in a swap for the versatile Mark Mathias and left-handed pitching prospect Antoine Kelly.

Detroit: 2022 was the go-for-it year for the Tigers, yet a swath of injuries and slumping players quickly put the team back into seller mode.  Reflecting the disastrous nature of the season, the Tigers were reportedly willing to discuss “just about everyone” in trade talks, but rather than a truly transformative move, Detroit played it pretty safe on the trade front.  Impending free agents Michael Fulmer (to the Twins) and Robbie Grossman (to the Braves) were dealt, but though Detroit had plenty of good bullpen arms on offer, GM Al Avila felt “the market was flooded with relievers,” limiting the Tigers’ leverage.

Kansas City: Trading Carlos Santana to the Mariners in late June gave the Royals an early jump on their trade plans, and they ended up making more significant deals in swapping Andrew Benintendi to the Yankees and longtime Royal Whit Merrifield to Toronto.  It was pretty easy to figure out Kansas City’s goal — six of the seven young players acquired in those three trades were pitchers, adding more arms to all levels of the farm system.  There was plenty of interest in other Kansas City veterans like Michael A. Taylor or Josh Staumont, but the Royals to some extent held steady on a true housecleaning.

The Royals also brought in a more experienced arm in Luke Weaver, giving K.C. a pitcher (who may used either as as a reliever or starter) controlled through the 2023 season.  For Weaver, the Royals sent the Diamondbacks Emmanuel Rivera, who was likely an odd man out amidst Kansas City’s multitude of infield options.  The Royals also acquired Brent Rooker to help fill the holes in the outfield, landing Rooker from the Padres for backup catcher Cam Gallagher.

Oakland: The Athletics have been in rebuild mode for months, and Frankie Montas was finally moved after countless rumors.  As in their offseason moves of star players, the A’s continued to pursue a mix of big league-ready and longer-term prospects, getting four young pitchers back in return from the Yankees for Montas and Lou Trivino.  JP Sears has already made his MLB debut and Ken Waldichuk is the highest-ranked prospect of the quartet.

With Montas so widely expected to be dealt, his situation took up much of the buzz surrounding the Athletics, though the club also looked into moving Sean Murphy and Ramon Laureano.  Since Murphy and Laureano are each under arbitration control through 2025, however, the A’s didn’t quite have as much urgency in working out a trade immediately.  Despite those years of control, it’s probably safe to expect Oakland to continue taking calls on both players this winter as the A’s continue their latest roster overhaul.

Los Angeles: Another disappointing season led the Angels to take perhaps more of a bigger-picture view of their roster, as the team at least heard out other clubs’ offers for Shohei Ohtani, even if nobody met the Halos’ understandably huge asking price.  However, the Angels were still quite busy, and reloaded by dealing away Noah Syndergaard and Brandon Marsh to the Phillies, and Raisel Iglesias to the Braves.

Getting Iglesias’ remaining $51MM in salary off the books is itself a win for Anaheim, but the team also obtained a top young catching prospect (Logan O’Hoppe), a controllable starter (Tucker Davidson), a familiar face of a veteran pitcher (Jesse Chavez), an outfield prospect (Jadiel Sanchez) and a lottery ticket of a former first overall pick (Mickey Moniak).  It is an interesting array that falls a bit short of a true reload for 2023, but it gives the Angels some options, flexibility, and plans for the future as they work out their next steps.

Guardians Option Franmil Reyes To Triple-A, Activate Oscar Gonzalez From 10-Day IL

By | at

The Guardians activated outfielder Oscar Gonzalez from the 10-day injured list, as Gonzalez returns to action after missing just over a month with an intercostal strain.  To create roster space, Cleveland made the notable move of optioning the struggling Franmil Reyes to Triple-A Columbus.

Reyes also spent time on the IL this season, missing about four weeks due to right hamstring tightness.  Sandwiched around that IL stint was 280 plate appearances of subpar batting, as Reyes has hit only .213/.254/.350 with nine home runs.  Reyes is mostly a DH, but between his shaky glovework in his games in the outfield and with his performance at the plate, he has been a sub-replacement player, with -0.9 fWAR.

It isn’t at all what was expected after Reyes’ first four seasons of solid production, including a 37-homer season in 2019 and 30 more dingers last year.  The Guardians were certainly thinking they had one of the sport’s burgeoning young sluggers in their lineup, yet Reyes’ numbers have entirely fallen off.

He is still making lots of hard contact, but while there has always been a lot of swing-and-miss in Reyes’ game, his 37.1% strikeout rate is the worst of his career and among the worst in baseball.  Reyes’ walk rate has also plummeted to the 10th percentile of all hitters, after sitting above the league average in both 2020 and 2021.  In yet another dropoff, Reyes has struggled to hit sliders and four-seamers after crushing both pitches last year.

The Guards can only hope that some time in the minors can get Reyes on track, as the 2021 version of the 27-year-old would be a huge boost to the lineup.  Reyes is also entering his second year of arbitration eligibility, and while he’ll still get some level of a raise (but not a huge one given his lower numbers), it would seem unlikely at this point that the Guardians would consider a non-tender.  If Cleveland has doubts about Reyes over the long term, however, the Guards could consider dangling him in trade talks, especially with the team facing something of a 40-man roster crunch over the winter.

With Reyes struggling, Gonzalez is one of the players who has picked up some of the offensive slack.  Gonzalez was something of an off-the-radar prospect during his early years in Cleveland’s farm system, but he posted big numbers at Double-A and Triple-A after returning from the canceled 2020 minor league.  That performance led to Gonzalez’s first big league promotion this year, and he kept it rolling with a .285/.315/.431 over his first 130 PA in the majors.

Twins Acquire Sandy Leon From Guardians

By | at

The Twins and Guardians have swung an inter-division trade, with Minnesota picking up catcher Sandy Leon.  Right-hander Ian Hamilton is headed to Cleveland on the other end of the swap.  The two players have been respectively assigned to their new teams’ Triple-A affiliates.

Ryan Jeffers suffered a thumb fracture in mid-July that will keep him out of action for another 4-6 weeks, leaving the Twins short at catcher behind Gary Sanchez.  The veteran Leon will provide some defense-first depth behind Sanchez, with rookie Caleb Hamilton and the more experienced Chance Sisco (on the Triple-A roster) also in the mix.

Leon’s second stint in Cleveland didn’t last long, as the Guardians only acquired him from the Reds in cash deal in late June, and then outrighted him off the 40-man roster two weeks ago.  For the season, Leon has appeared in only eight MLB games and posted a .514 OPS over 21 plate appearances.  Other than an offensive outburst over 78 games with the Red Sox in 2016, Leon has been a defensive specialist for much of his career, well-regarded as a pitch-framer and for his ability to manage pitchers and call games.

Hamilton has amassed 14 2/3 innings over parts of three MLB seasons, including 2 2/3 frames with the Twins this year.  An 11th-round pick for the White Sox in 2016, Hamilton had some excellent numbers at Triple-A this year, with a 1.88 ERA, 32.1% strikeout rate, and 7.1% walk rate in 28 2/3 relief innings.

Juan Soto Talks Between Padres, Nationals Reportedly Gaining Momentum

By | at

10:33am: There’s growing momentum in talks between the Padres and Nationals, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com and Jim Bowden of the Athletic. No deal has yet been finalized, but Jon Heyman of the New York Post hears similarly that there’s “optimism” the Padres can pull off a deal.

7:41am: There is a “growing sense” that the Padres are the likeliest landing spot for not only Soto but also Josh Bell, tweets Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post. There’s some momentum in those talks, he adds. Similarly, the Post’s Jesse Dougherty tweets that the Nationals are beginning to narrow the field.

San Diego, of course, already has Eric Hosmer installed at first base, but they’ve been trying for more than a year to unload the remainder of that contract. Speculatively speaking, if the Nats truly want to maximize the return on Soto (and perhaps Bell), they could be the ones to absorb the remaining three years and $39MM on Hosmer’s contract themselves. The trio of Hosmer, Patrick Corbin and Stephen Strasburg would be a lot of underwater contracts for one team, of course, but the Nats have little else on the payroll in the immediate future.

7:12am: Major League Baseball’s trade deadline is now under 12 hours away, and the Juan Soto trade possibility that has captivated the entire sport and its fanbase remains unresolved. As of yesterday, the Soto auction was generally believed to be a three-team bidding war, with the Padres, Cardinals and Dodgers all reported to be heavily involved. That doesn’t preclude another team (or teams) from jumping in to make a late push, of course; it’d frankly rate as something of a surprise if that didn’t happen, in fact. Teams will miss out on other targets, priorities will pivot, and stances on “off limits” prospects will soften.

Up until this point, a sticking point for the Cardinals has been their unwillingness to include young outfielder Dylan Carlson and their very best prospects, Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets. The 23-year-old Carlson is known be of interest to the Nats as an immediate outfield plug-in, and as a former first-round pick and top-10 overall prospect (per Baseball America), that’s not surprising — even if he’s been more of a solid regular than a star to this point in his young career. The switch-hitting Carlson is batting .260/.334/.426 dating back to last season, and he’s cut down his strikeout rate considerably this season.

Carlson can be controlled another four years beyond the current season and is capable of handling all three outfield spots. There’s perhaps a sense that given his youth and pedigree, he has another gear that he’s not yet tapped into. Further clouding the Cardinals possibility, Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggests that Washington may not be as high on lefty Matthew Liberatore as others in the industry; The Athletic’s Jim Bowden wrote something similar a couple weeks back.

Turning to the Padres, the health of one of their own top young arms, southpaw MacKenzie Gore, is a potential complication. Gore has been shut down with with an elbow strain. He’s expected to avoid surgery, but the specter of an arm injury for a potential key pitcher in the deal has surely altered the Nats’ valuation. The Padres, meanwhile, are now over the luxury-tax threshold after their stunning addition of Josh Hader yesterday. They’ve reportedly been loath to cross that line for a second consecutive season. However, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale suggests that if it means acquiring both Hader and Soto, the Padres “won’t mind blowing completely past” the tax line.

Over in Los Angeles, the Dodgers have become increasingly optimistic about their chances over the past couple days, per Jack Harris of the L.A. Times. The Dodgers’ perennially deep farm system is rife with top prospects — they have seven of Baseball America’s top 100 farmhands at the moment — and they also possess controllable young big leaguers of potential interest. Both Harris and Heyman suggest infielder Gavin Lux (four more years of team control) and righty Dustin May (nearing return from Tommy John surgery, with three more years of control) as potential targets for Washington.

As of yesterday morning, the Yankees were reported to be a “long shot,” the Rangers weren’t said to be particularly aggressive, and Mariners president Jerry Dipoto had gone on record to suggest his team is unlikely to land Soto. Adding to that list of teams that inquired but seems unlikely to be a serious player, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Guardians looked into Soto but talks never gained traction. Washington was interested in top Cleveland pitching prospect Daniel Espino, but health was again a factor in talks, as he’s been out since April due to a knee injury.

Guardians Select Will Benson

By | at

The Guardians have selected Will Benson’s contract from Triple-A Columbus, putting the outfielder in line to make his Major League debut.  In corresponding moves, outfielder Alex Call was optioned to Triple-A, while Anthony Gose was moved from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list.

Benson was selected 14th overall by Cleveland in the 2016 draft, but after posting decent but unspectacular numbers in the minors, his prospect stock gradually fell to the point that neither MLB Pipelin or Baseball America list Benson as one of the Guards’ top 30 minor leaguers.  However, Benson seems to have turned a corner in his sixth pro season, and is hitting .279/.426/.522 with 17 home runs over 401 plate appearances in Columbus this year.

While this production comes with the caveat of a .340 BABIP, Benson’s 22.7% strikeout rate is far and away a career low, and is a good sign that the 24-year-old has corrected a longstanding issue in making consistent contact.  If this problem has really been solved, Benson can now better unlock his natural power and bat speed, and might even have some five-tool potential.  Benson also has a strong throwing arm that has mostly placed him in right field throughout his career (but he has seen time in left and center as well), and he has good speed that has allowed him to steal 86 bases in 108 opportunities.

The outfield has long been a weak link in Cleveland, yet the Guardians have now established Steven Kwan and Myles Straw as everyday options in left and center field.  Right field is still a question mark, but top prospect Nolan Jones and the unheralded Oscar Gonzalez have both played well at the position, with Franmil Reyes, Josh Naylor, and Kwan also getting a handful of games in right.  Gonzalez is on a minor league rehab assignment after missing a month due to an intercostal strain, so it is possible Benson might just be a short-term callup until Gonzalez is healthy.

In terms of other lineup openings, Naylor has been slowed by a balky ankle lately, though he is healthy enough to DH.  Reyes has seen the bulk of DH action but he also struggled for much of the 2022 season.  If the Guardians wanted more pop in the lineup, Reyes might lose playing time for other players getting rotated into the DH role, which could create more opportunity for a youngster like Benson to establish himself.

Guardians, A’s Have Discussed Sean Murphy

By | at

The Guardians and Athletics have had trade discussions surrounding catcher Sean Murphy, writes Zack Meisel of The Athletic.

Murphy’s name has been in trade rumors since the offseason, when the A’s were poised to undergo a major selloff. He never seemed like the highest priority, though, given he’s not set to reach free agency until after the 2025 season. However, in one of the trades that the A’s did make, they sent Matt Olson for a package of prospects that included catcher Shea Langeliers. Since that time, Langeliers has been having an excellent season in Triple-A, hitting 19 home runs and slashing .280/.363/.529 for a wRC+ of 118. That theoretically gives Oakland incentive to trade Murphy, despite his remaining control, allowing them to improve elsewhere on the roster while letting Langeliers take over the catching duties. As such, Murphy has been the focus of recent trade rumors, with the Guardians apparently among those checking in.

The fact that the Guardians are interested isn’t terribly surprising. For one thing, they typically run low payrolls and would surely be interested in the fact that Murphy won’t even reach arbitration for the first time until this winter. Secondly, they haven’t gotten any offensive production from their backstops this season, with Austin Hedges and Luke Maile getting the bulk of the playing time. Though both are considered strong defenders, Hedges has hit .172/.235/.278 for a wRC+ of 46 with Maile slashing .192/.299/.273, wRC+ of 69. Murphy, on the other hand, has a .241/.317/.428 line for a 114 wRC+, making him an obvious upgrade with the bat. And he’s no slouch with the glove either, having won the AL Gold Glove for catchers last year.

Despite that lackluster showing from behind the plate, the Guards are still in the thick of the postseason mix. Their 52-49 record has them just one game back of the Twins in the American League Central and just 1 1/2 games behind the Rays for a Wild Card spot. Bringing on Murphy could give them a boost for the final months of the season but also for the next three campaigns. The A’s, on the other hand, are 39-65, the worst record in the American League, paving the way for their selloff to continue as planned.

They don’t have any real hurry to trade Murphy, meaning they can wait for a truly satisfying offer. As such, Meisel reports that the trade talks with Cleveland have yet to gain any real traction. If the Oakland decision-makers aren’t truly bowled over by an offer, they can sit tight and wait. Having Murphy and Langeliers on the same roster in the future wouldn’t be ideal but would certainly be workable, as long as some at-bats in the designated hitter slot were available to keep both guys in the lineup.

Still, if talks pick up again between now and the deadline, there are reasons Cleveland could push a deal over the line. At the end of Meisel’s piece, he notes that the Guardians have nine players who will likely need to be added to the club’s 40-man roster at the end of the year in order to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. A similar situation played out last year, when the club added ten players to their roster and had to designate seven others for assignment to create room. The only player on the roster headed into free agency this winter is Hedges, with Bryan Shaw potentially a second, as a the Guardians have a club option for his services next year. As such, the club might have to think about trades wherein multiple prospects are exchanged for a single big league regular. Although the A’s might be sticking to a high asking price, the Guardians might be the team in the best position to pay it.

Draft Signings: July 30

By | at

Here is today’s roundup of top-39 (first round, supplemental round, Competitive Balance Round A) draft picks and some other notable selections who have signed their first pro contracts.  For further reference, here is the full list of recommended slot prices, and you can click the links for full pre-draft rankings and scouting reports from Baseball America, Fangraphs, MLB Pipeline, The Athletic’s Keith Law, and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel.

  • The Guardians announced that all 21 members of their 2022 draft class have signed, including first-rounder Chase DeLauter.  The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported last week that DeLauter had agreed to sign, and MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis reports that DeLauter received $3.75MM, slightly below the $3,937,600 slot value of the 16th overall pick.  McDaniel (31st) and Law (35th) were lower on DeLauter than the other pundits, who all had the James Madison outfielder in the 18-21 range.  DeLauter has a lot of hitting potential and likely profiles as a right field down the road, but he missed most of the spring due to a broken foot.
  • Oklahoma State right-hander Justin Campbell received a $1.7MM bonus from Cleveland, Callis reports, below the $2,101,800 slot price for the 37th overall pick.  On the pundits’ boards, Campbell ranged from 27th (Baseball America) to 42nd (Fangraphs), with BA being particularly impressed by “one of the best changeups in this year’s draft,” as well as Campbell’s plus curveball.
  • The Guardians also made a notable above-slot deal with their 10th-round selection, as right-hander Jacob Zibin received a $1.2MM bonus that Callis reports is the highest given to any tenth-rounder.  The $1.2MM figure dwarfs the $152K slot price for the 301st overall pick, and it may have been necessary to pull Zibin away from his commitment to the University of Kentucky.  The 17-year-old Zibin is a product of Florida’s TNXL Academy, and would have also been draft-eligible next year due to his age.

Phillies Interested In Zach Plesac

By | at

  • Reports surfaced earlier this week that the Guardians were open to discussing their controllable starting pitchers in trade talks, and Jon Heyman of The New York Post reports that the Phillies have interest in right-hander Zach Plesac.  A trade for Plesac or any controllable pitcher would be a little complex, since Cleveland is naturally in the playoff race and is likely looking for at least some players that can provide immediate help.  This could perhaps help the Phils, who don’t have a terribly deep farm system, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski recently said that “I just don’t think we’re there” in terms of having the flexibility to deal their top prospects.  Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia thinks the Phillies are likelier to move position-player prospects than young pitchers.  Speculatively, a top-100 prospect like catcher Logan O’Hoppe could be of particular interest to a Guardians team that has been looking for a long-term answer behind the plate.

Guardians Among Most Aggressive Teams In Pitching Market

By | at

  • For all the teams seeking pitching help, however, it’s the trio of AL Central front-runners that are the most aggressive at the moment, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets. The Twins, Guardians and White Sox are all looking to bolster their pitching staffs (rotation and/or bullpen help alike). The American League Central is the one division in the sport where there are three legitimate contenders for the division crown at the moment, and both Cleveland and Chicago (who currently trail Minnesota) are within 3.5 games of a Wild Card berth as well. There’s been prior speculation (here included) about the White Sox potentially going another direction, but they’ve been playing some of their best ball of the season this month and have thusly not had any discussions about the possibility of trading away veteran arms like Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweets.
Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top