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Tigers Sign Jake Thompson To Minor League Deal

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The Tigers announced Thursday that they’ve signed right-hander Jake Thompson to a minor league contract. The former top prospect was originally a second-round pick by the Tigers back in 2012 and will now return to his original organization.

Detroit traded Thompson and then-prospect Corey Knebel to the Rangers back in 2014, netting righty Joakim Soria for their bullpen in that July 23 swap. Thompson continued on an upward trajectory in the Texas minor league ranks, so much so that he was viewed as a key piece when the Rangers flipped him to the Phillies a year later in the 2015 Cole Hamels blockbuster. (Remember when teams actually made trades in July? Nostalgia!)

Things never really panned out for Thompson in Philadelphia, however. The right-hander pitched in parts of three seasons from 2016-18 but managed a pedestrian 4.87 ERA with 6.3 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9 in 116 1/3 innings. Home runs, in particular, were a struggle for Thompson during his time with the Phillies, as evidenced by a career 1.5 HR/9 mark at the big league level.

Rather than pursue a minor league pact in free agency this winter, Thompson instead opted to sign with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization. There, he posted a 4.74 ERA with 8.6 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 through 62 2/3 innings in the extremely hitter-friendly KBO environment. Lotte cut him loose last month, though, and he’ll now return stateside in attempt to once again pitch at the big league level.

Thompson, still just 25, certainly picked a good organization to give him that opportunity. The Tigers have lost Michael Fulmer, Matt Moore and, quite possibly, Tyson Ross for the season. There’s a chance that Matthew Boyd could be traded in the next six days, and it’s a near-certainty that closer Shane Greene will be on the move. Detroit has numerous vacancies in a patchwork rotation that has struggled all season, and the bullpen offers even more possible opportunities. Thompson hasn’t pitched since being released in late June, so the Tigers assigned him to Class-A Advanced to begin ramping back up. But it’s not unthinkable that if he performs even reasonably well in the minors, he could emerge as a possible big league option at some point in mid August or early September.

Tigers Interested In Packaging Trade Chips

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As they continue to explore various trade scenarios regarding their most appealing veteran players, the Tigers are attempting to package multiple trade chips, according to MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. It’s part of a bid to draw top-end prospect talent to Detroit this summer.

The concept of a package deal isn’t a new one. On occasion, it’s even pulled off — such as with this memorable swap we recently looked back on — though most such ideas tend to end up on the cutting-room floor.

In this case, the Detroit organization has three chief attractions to dangle. Outfielder Nicholas Castellanos is the most obvious trade piece as a pending free agent, but he’s not going to draw a franchise-altering return on his own. Reliever Shane Greene has thrown well at the right time and has another season of control remaining, though rivals surely value him somewhere in the realm of the mid-point between this year’s 1.22 ERA and last year’s 5.12 mark.

Much as the Tigers might like to turn Castellanos and Greene into a significant prospect haul, they’re likely aware that even two quality MLB pieces such as those won’t induce hesitant contenders to part with premium prospects. With the purpose in mind “to access the highest tier of available prospects,” as Morosi characterizes it, the Tigers are at least opening the door to package arrangements involving the third and most valuable major trade chip: starter Matthew Boyd.

In this day and age, it’s as hard as ever to pry top prospects free via trade. But controllable, high-quality starting pitching is an increasingly rare asset in its own right. The Tigers’ best hope of getting big-time new talent is surely to line something up for Boyd and his three remaining seasons of arbitration control. While the southpaw hasn’t quite maintained his hot start in terms of results, he can shoulder a workload and carries appealing peripherals (including a 14.0% swinging-strike rate).

Boyd is the sort of pitcher that might get a contender to pay a price it’d rather not, though his breakout is still fresh and there are surely questions as to its sustainability. Adding in another much-needed piece could help move the ball, no doubt, but it’s questionable whether the Tigers’ other top trade chips are valuable enough secondary pieces to do so. There’s an argument to be made that Castellanos is the top rental bat available as a young and established slugger, but he’s not particularly cheap and there are alternatives. Greene seems likelier to tip the scales as a late-inning reliever with another season of control, but he’s going to be due a big raise (from his $4MM current salary) and has a rather uneven overall track record.

Tigers Select Drew VerHagen

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The Tigers announced that they’ve optioned lefty Daniel Stumpf to Triple-A Toledo following today’s game and will select the contract of righty Drew VerHagen to start tomorrow’s contest. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, Detroit transferred catcher Grayson Greiner to the 60-day injured list.

VerHagen is no stranger to the Tigers. The 28-year-old was their fourth-round selection back in 2012 and spent the 2014-16 seasons being optioned back and forth between Toledo and Detroit as a depth piece. He’s been designated for assignment twice in the past couple of years but remained with the club after clearing waivers on each instance. He’ll now rejoin the club for the first time since last being outrighted in early May.

Earlier this season, VerHagen was clobbered for 10 runs in just six innings of work, but he’s posted much better results in his return to Triple-A. Through 53 frames with the Mud Hens, he’s worked to a 4.42 ERA with 8.7 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 0.85 HR/9 and a 40.4 percent ground-ball rate. His return to the Tigers could be short-lived, as Detroit’s rotation and bullpen are both in constant states of flux this season while their rebuild trudges on. Then again, with the Tigers likely to deal at least one arm (Shane Greene) and possibly some others (Matthew Boyd, Joe Jimenez, Buck Farmer) in the next week, it’s possible that there’s room for VerHagen to stick around beyond tomorrow’s spot start.

Rays Have “Checked In” On Nicholas Castellanos

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The Rays have at least “checked in” with the Tigers regarding outfielder Nicholas Castellanos, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). That said, there’s no indication that the sides are particularly close to making a deal.

We’ve heard plenty about Tampa Bay’s interest in various pitching targets, but the club is also clearly angling for a new righty bat. The organization was connected yesterday to Hunter Pence, who’d be a cheaper alternative to the younger Castellanos as a DH and part-time corner outfielder.

It’s clear that the Detroit organization is willing to discuss Castellanos in trade talks. The 27-year-old is earning $9.95MM this year before reaching the open market at season’s end. For a rebuilding club, there’s little reason to hold on to such a player unless there’s a strong chance he’d receive and decline a qualifying offer.

Castellanos has turned things on of late and has been about 20% better than the league-average hitter for the past four seasons. His youth is another feather in his cap. On the other hand, Castellanos’s defensive shortcomings are well-documented. While he has improved, metrics still view him as a clear negative and Statcast measures are less-than promising. It’d be a bit surprising to see the Tigers planning to issue a QO, as it’d be tough for Castellanos to say no given his inherent market limitations.

That being said, it could be that other organizations aren’t overly concerned with the fielding questions. Castellanos has reportedly drawn interest from two National League organizations — the Phillies and Cubs — that wouldn’t be able to hide his bat in the DH slot. That creates at least some market competition to help the Tigers pry something of value in return, though the team’s best hope for a significant prospect haul would be for multiple American League clubs to decide that Castellanos is an impact bat worth acquiring as a full-time DH.

Phillies Have Discussed Boyd, Greene With Tigers

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The Phillies have had recent trade talks with the Tigers, and general manager Matt Klentak will be travel to Detroit to get an in-person look at the Tigers’ trade candidates, reports Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Of particular interest to the Phils are lefty Matthew Boyd and closer Shane Greene, although Salisbury suggests that the two teams have at least discussed outfielder Nicholas Castellanos and left-handed starter Daniel Norris.

Both the pitching staff and the bullpen are logical areas of focus for the Phillies, who recently demoted Nick Pivetta to the bullpen in favor of a dice roll on Drew Smyly (whose first start as a Phillie was excellent). Aaron Nola scuffled through a sluggish stretch earlier in the season, while Jake Arrieta is pitching through a bone spur that’ll eventually require elbow surgery. Righty Zach Eflin has been a solid mid-rotation piece, but Pivetta, Vince Velasquez, Jerad Eickhoff and rookie Cole Irvin have all struggled in their starts.

The bullpen has been an entirely different brand of problematic. David Robertson, Seranthony Dominguez, Tommy Hunter, Pat Neshek, Edubray Ramos and Victor Arano have all missed significant time due to injury in 2019, which has frequently left the Phillies to rely on questionable arms. Of late, closer Hector Neris has become extraordinarily homer prone after what had been a strong two-month run that saw him yield one homer in 22 1/3 innings.

The Phillies are only a half-game back of the Nationals for the second NL Wild Card spot and, at 7.5 games behind the Braves, are technically still within plausible reach of a push for the division — although unseating Atlanta for the division crown is admittedly a long shot. Because of those long odds, though, it’s perhaps more natural to see the Phils paying particular interest to players who can be controlled beyond 2019. Dealing significant prospects for a rental when the most likely playoff scenario involves a one-game playoff is a tough sell for any front office.

Philadelphia has about $110MM committed to next season’s payroll — about $51MM less than the team is currently carrying. They’ve also seen their opening day payroll climb as high as $177MM back in 2014. With that level of financial breathing room — Nehsek, Hunter and Juan Nicasio will all be free agents; Maikel Franco could be non-tendered — the Phillies will be able to be aggressive in reloading for another run in 2020 regardless of this season’s outcome. Adding some salary right now in proactive moves to bolster this year’s Wild Card push and next year’s division chase is only logical.

Whether that proves to be some combination of Detroit’s controllable arms, at this point, is an unknown even to the Tigers and Phillies themselves. Team president Andy MacPhail recently expressed reluctance to deal from the very top tier of the farm (e.g. Alec Bohm, Spencer Howard), and the asking price on Boyd alone is known to be enormous. Reports have ranged from seeking a young, established “star”-caliber player to a Jose Quintana-esque haul. (The Cubs sent the White Sox a four-player package headlined by Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease.) Salisbury suggests something similar to the latter in referencing a four-player package with two potential stars — and that’s just for Boyd.

If the Phils are to look elsewhere, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale again connects the team to Arizona ace Zack Greinke as well as D-backs left-hander Robbie Ray (Twitter link). It’s not at all clear whether the Diamondbacks will move either player, but the Phils have previously been linked to Greinke, in particular. The aforementioned payroll capacity would surely come into play in any talks involving the righty. Greinke is still owed $75MM+ in base salaries between now and 2021, plus a yearly $3MM payout on his annualized signing bonus. Beyond that, a substantial portion of his yearly salary is deferred. He’ll be paid $12.5MM annually from 2022-26.

The Phillies could certainly help alleviate some of that fiscal burden for the Diamondbacks, but Greinke is also enjoying a strong season and wouldn’t be traded away for pure salary relief. The two sides would, in all likelihood, need to agree on some combination of financial aid and still-appealing prospects. That’s a tall order under any circumstances but is especially cumbersome with a nine-day clock on negotiations at a time when the D-backs, with a 50-50 record, aren’t even decided deadline sellers. As if all of that isn’t a sizable enough roadblock, the Phillies are also on Greinke’s limited no-trade list.

Tigers, Edwin Jackson Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Tigers have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran righty Edwin Jackson, as was first indicated on the league transactions log at MLB.com. Jason Beck of MLB.com tweets that Jackson is joining the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Toledo.

It’ll be Jackson’s second tour of duty with the Tigers, as he spent the 2009 campaign in Detroit as well. That year was one of the best of Jackson’s career, as he logged a career-high 214 innings with a 3.62 ERA and the lone All-Star nod of his remarkable big league journey. Jackson was recently cut loose by the Blue Jays — the MLB-record 14th team for which he has pitched.

The 35-year-old Jackson couldn’t get on track in Toronto, limping to a miserable 11.12 ERA in 28 1/3 innings there. He was charged with 35 earned runs on a whopping 49 hits (12 home runs) and 13 walks with 19 strikeouts in that time. That said, “E-Jax” was a vital member of the Athletics’ surprising playoff push just a season ago. His 2018 campaign featured 92 innings of 3.33 ERA ball with 6.7 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and 1.2 HR/9.

Jackson still averaged 93.5 mph on his fastball in his time with the Blue Jays — a modest increase over last year’s velocity — so there’s still plenty of life in his arm. He’ll head to Toledo for now, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get a chance at the big league level in the near future. Detroit’a rotation has already lost Michael Fulmer (Tommy John surgery) and Matt Moore (knee surgery) for the season, and it’s not clear when (or if) Tyson Ross will be cleared to resume pitching in 2019. Add the possibility of a Matthew Boyd trade in the next nine days, and the uncertainty in the rotation is palpable. It’s also possible that Jackson could resurface as a bullpen option. There’s perhaps even more uncertainty in the Detroit relief corps, and closer Shane Greene is even likelier than Boyd to be traded before July 31.

Cubs Have Interest In Jarrod Dyson, Eric Sogard

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The Cubs have interest in D-backs outfielder Jarrod Dyson and have been “gathering information” on Blue Jays infielder Eric Sogard, according to Patrick Mooney, Sahadev Sharma and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Yesterday, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reported Chicago’s interest in outfielder Nicholas Castellanos, and today’s report from Mooney, Sharma and Rosenthal doubles down on that interest while also acknowledging that Castellanos’ remaining salary could make such a move difficult to piece together.

Chicago hopes to land a veteran hitter with quality contact skills, per The Athletic, and both Dyson and Sogard would fit that bill. Dyson is hitting .254/.335/.369 with six homers and 21 steals on the season. His strikeout rate is sitting at 19 percent, which is elevated quite a bit from the 13.3 percent clip he notched across the past three seasons but is still lower than the league average (22.2 percent among non-pitchers). Sogard, meanwhile, is batting .305/.369/.491 with 10 home runs, six steals and a 14.1 percent strikeout rate (career 13.3 percent).

Adding Dyson, 34, to the fray would give the Cubs an excellent defensive outfielder who can handle all three positions. His presence would surely push struggling Albert Almora Jr. out of the lineup against right-handed opponents. Dyson’s career platoon numbers are pronounced, and his left-handed bat makes him a natural pairing with Almora. The 25-year-old Almora has been uncharacteristically awful against lefties in 2019 but is still a career .286/.335/.420 hitter against them. Dyson owns a lifetime .257/.324/.360 line against right-handers.

Dyson is earning a reasonable $3.5MM in 2019 and is still owed about $1.32MM of that sum between now and season’s end. Contrast that with the $3.75MM remaining on Castellanos’ $9.95MM salary, and he’s not only the better defender of the two but the more affordable. Dyson can’t match Castellanos’ bat, though, and the Diamondbacks aren’t the slam-dunk sellers that the Tigers are known to be. It’s certainly possible that Arizona could deal Dyson and other short-term pieces, but at 50-50 through 100 games, the Snakes likely haven’t determined how they’ll proceed over the next nine days. As a pending free agent, Dyson could be moved even as the D-backs look to simultaneously add longer-term parts who can help in 2020 and beyond.

Sogard, 33, seems a near-lock to be traded so long as there’s sufficient interest. His power surge and general offensive production are largely out of the blue — Sogard was released by the Brewers in 2018 and signed a minor league deal in Toronto this winter — but his strong output has likely positioned as a piece the Jays can flip. As a versatile defender capable of handling second base, shortstop, third base and the outfield corners, Sogard could give the Cubs a sort of Ben Zobrist-lite skill set at a time when the organization still isn’t sure when (or if) Zobrist will return. Sogard’s numbers at second are down this season, but he has a long track record of plus defense there. And after inking a minor league pact in the offseason, he’s assuredly an affordable option for the Cubs or any other interested team.

Cubs Interested In Nicholas Castellanos, Shane Greene

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2:45pm: David Kaplan of NBC Sports Chicago adds (via Twitter) that the Cubs have also checked in on Tigers closer Shane Greene. The two teams could pursue a package deal that sends both Greene and Castellanos to Chicago, though as Kaplan notes, the Cubs would have to surrender considerable prospect capital to consummate such an agreement. The aforementioned pair includes two of the Tigers’ most coveted assets, and Detroit will be careful not to be undersold. Greene, unlike Castellanos, is controllable through the 2020 season.

11:01am: The Cubs are among the teams with interest in Tigers right fielder Nicholas Castellanos, per Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. “This one has some teeth,” McCosky adds.

Whether it’s Chicago or another team that acquires Castellanos, he’s a near lock to leave the Motor City by the July 31 trade deadline. The Tigers likely aren’t going to extend the 27-year-old impending free agent, so they figure to get what they can for him. For now, he’s on a $9.95MM salary.

While the Tigers don’t seem to want him around for the long haul, Castellanos is amid his fourth straight quality offensive season with the club. Castellanos has slashed .280/.339/.467 (111 wRC+) with 10 home runs in 404 plate appearances, and has posted a formidable .887 OPS over the past 30 days.

There’s little question Castellanos has value at the dish, but the same isn’t true of his work as a defender. And if he goes to the Cubs, he won’t be able to slot in as a designated hitter. Castellanos has combined for minus-33 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-24.6 Ultimate Zone Rating since moving from third base to right in 2017. He’s at minus-7 and minus-4.0 in those categories this year.

For the Cubs, acquiring Castellanos would likely mean moving bounce-back right fielder Jason Heyward to center, where the Cubs have deployed the light-hitting Albert Almora for most of the season. On the offensive side, a Castellanos pickup would almost surely improve the NL Central-leading Cubs’ outlook against left-handed pitchers, who have held their hitters to a below-average .232/.317/.405/ line. The righty-swinging Castellanos, on the other hand, has been a terror versus southpaws, whom he has crushed to the tune of .377/.451/.639.

Michael Fulmer Progressing In Tommy John Recovery

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  • Tigers righty Michael Fulmer provided an update Saturday on his recovery from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in March, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News relays. “Everything is going according to plan,” said Fulmer, who added he probably won’t pick up a baseball until October or November. The hope is that Fulmer will make it back to the Tigers’ rotation sometime next summer. While lefty Matthew Boyd is Detroit’s top trade chip nowadays, that honor belonged to Fulmer a couple years ago. However, thanks to the former Rookie of the Year’s recent downturn in performance, multiple injuries and his TJ procedure, Fulmer’s trade value is nil at the moment. Still just 26, Fulmer has another three years of arbitration eligibility left, so he could yet reemerge as a valuable starter for the Tigers.

Tigers Reportedly Seeking “Established Young MLB Star” In Boyd Talks

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According to hearsay purveyed by the MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the Tigers have been indicating to interested teams that they will be seeking an “established young MLB star” in any potential deal involving starter Matthew Boyd (Twitter link).

As Heyman points out, Boyd does figure to be one of the better arms available in what he terms a “seller’s market.” With twenty teams currently sitting in playoff position or within 5.5 games of a Wild Card berth, it stands to reason that only a few clubs will be looking to enter liquidation mode with more than two months still to play in 2019. Detroit GM Al Avila may be trying to play this situation to his advantage–today marks the second time in fewer than thirty days that we have heard reports from Detroit indicating a sky-high internal valuation of the admittedly sturdy Boyd.

Back in June, MLB.com’s Jason Beck conveyed that the Tigers were seeking a package in return for Boyd similar to the one the White Sox received in the 2017 Jose Quintana trade – a deal that saw the Cubs part with Eloy Jimenez, Dylan Cease, and two other prospects in exchange for a decidedly unsexy middle-of-the-rotation arm.

Many will question whether Detroit is justified in asking for the moon in exchange for Boyd. Since exiting his June 14th start against the Twins–an outing that saw him throw seven innings of three-run ball–Boyd has seen his season ERA jump from 3.08 to 4.13 across six poor showings. Put another way, Boyd has not thrown a quality start in nearly five weeks, and it is hard to imagine a team sacrificing foundational pieces for a player going through that kind of rough patch.

Still, the lefty is under contract for an affordable $2.6MM this year, and offers three more seasons of arbitration control as a former Super Two qualifier. Plus, his 4.13 ERA across 120 innings isn’t half as impressive as his sterling K/BB ratio or FIP numbers (6.67 and 3.56, respectively, in case you were wondering). Though pinpointing what, exactly, constitutes an “established young MLB star” is a worthwhile debate in itself, it seems safe to say the Tigers won’t be parting lightly with their widely coveted top starter.

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