Tigers Rumors

NL News & Rumors: Braves, Brewers, Phillies, Rockies

By Connor Byrne | July 15, 2017 at 10:27pm CDT

The Braves, on the hunt for starting pitching, sent a top scout to Detroit this weekend to watch Tigers right-handers Justin Verlander and Michael Fulmer, reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com (on Twitter). Neither Verlander nor Fulmer seems like a realistic trade candidate, however. The Tigers reportedly want a noteworthy haul for Verlander, even though he’s 34, in the throes of a down season and still owed nearly $70MM through 2019. Verlander also has a full no-trade clause, so he could veto a deal even if the Braves do present an offer to the Tigers’ liking. Unlike Verlander, the 24-year-old Fulmer is both cheap and in his prime. Detroit would justifiably demand a ransom in return, then, but there’s no indication it’s interested in parting with him.

Cafardo’s Latest: Gray, Brewers, Cards, Dodgers, Royals, Tigers, BoSox

By Connor Byrne | July 15, 2017 at 8:20pm CDT

Of the several teams eyeing Athletics right-hander Sonny Gray in advance of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the Brewers have shown the most interest, reports Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The unexpected playoff hopefuls began doing “background work” on both Gray and now-former White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana just over a week ago, but the latter went to the NL Central rival Cubs on Thursday in a blockbuster trade. Acquiring Gray would be a quite a counterpunch by Milwaukee, which has a 5.5-game lead over the Cubs, and Cafardo observes that the Brewers have the prospect capital to make it happen. But even after getting Quintana, the Cubs haven’t closed the door on adding Gray, too.

More pre-deadline info from Cafardo:

The Cardinals, Dodgers and Royals seem to be leading the chase for Tigers contract-year slugger J.D. Martinez, according to Cafardo. As AL Central rivals of the Tigers, the Royals are especially familiar with Martinez, who has slashed .298/.379/.602 with 14 home runs in 219 plate appearances this year. The $11.75MM right fielder would significantly boost a below-average Kansas City offense that has received awful production from longtime franchise cornerstone Alex Gordon in left field. Meanwhile, with Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk on the disabled list, the Cardinals are shorthanded in the outfield. Winners of 40 of their past 51 games, the 62-29 Dodgers seemingly aren’t lacking for quality players anywhere, but picking up Martinez would make them all the formidable as they vie for a World Series.
Along with the previously reported Astros and Nationals, the Red Sox are interested in Tigers closer Justin Wilson, writes Cafardo. The Red Sox have come up as potential suitors for other on-the-block relievers, including David Phelps and Pat Neshek, so the connection to Wilson isn’t exactly shocking. The 29-year-old left-hander has posted outstanding numbers over 34 1/3 innings (2.36 ERA, 12.84 K/9, 3.41 BB/9) and would immediately become Boston’s top southpaw reliever, though Fernando Abad has held his own this season and Robby Scott has fared well against lefty-swingers. Wilson is making a highly affordable $2.7MM this season and comes with another year of arbitration eligibility.
Continuing the Tigers theme, righty Michael Fulmer is the Detroit starter who’s garnering the most attention from pitcher-needy teams, per Cafardo. Considering Fulmer’s among the top young hurlers in the game and controllable for the foreeseable future, that’s not surprising. There’s no indication the Tigers will seriously consider moving Fulmer, who informed Evan Woodbery of MLive.com that he doesn’t expect to go anywhere. Nevertheless, one NL executive told Cafardo that GM Al Avila is at least entertaining the offers that come in for the 24-year-old. “I think Al is being forced to listen,” said the exec. “The Tigers could get a huge haul for Fulmer, but they’re trying to get their payroll down and get younger. Trading Fulmer is not necessarily the way to do it.”

Diamondbacks Interested In J.D. Martinez

By charliewilmoth | July 15, 2017 at 9:58am CDT

The Diamondbacks have interest in Tigers slugger J.D. Martinez, Jon Morosi of MLB Network tweets. Talks between the two sides do not yet appear serious, however.

The Diamondbacks currently have a corner outfield vacancy with Yasmany Tomas on the DL with a groin injury, and Martinez would clearly be an upgrade even if everyone were healthy. Upon returning, Tomas would likely lose playing time if the Diamondbacks were to acquire Martinez, since fellow corner outfielder David Peralta is in the midst of a strong season and could move from right to left.

After starting the season late due to a foot issue, the 29-year-old Martinez has gotten off to a .298/.379/.602 start that’s terrific even by his lofty standards. He would complement a Diamondbacks offense that has rated seventh in the Majors in runs thanks in large part to contributions from corner infielders Paul Goldschmidt and Jake Lamb. Martinez makes $11.75MM this season. He’s eligible for free agency next winter, so it seems likely the 39-49 Tigers will strongly consider moving him.

West Notes: Hand, Harris, Wilson, Melancon, Richards

By Jeff Todd | July 14, 2017 at 11:47pm CDT

About half of the teams in the league have expressed some level of interest in Padres lefty Brad Hand, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union Tribune reports. Evidently, those discussions have yet to get truly serious, as Lin adds that the Friars aren’t believed to be closing in on any swaps. A significant portion of the rest of the pitching staff has received attention of some kind, too, Lin adds. There are a few other interesting pitching trade candidates on the San Diego roster — Trevor Cahill chief among them, perhaps — and it wouldn’t be surprising to see several deals go down before the deadline.

Here’s more from out west:

The Astros announced that reliever Will Harris is headed to the 10-day DL with right shoulder inflammation (h/t Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle, via Twitter). That’s somewhat troubling news at first glance, though Harris says he doesn’t anticipate a significant layoff (video via MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, on Twitter). The 32-year-old has continued his stellar run in Houston, compiling 34 2/3 innings of 2.86 ERA ball on the year — with 10.1 K/9 against just 1.3 BB/9. Clearly, he’s a key member of the pen and a big part of the team’s planning the rest of the way. (Harris is also controlled through 2019 at very appealing rates.)
Meanwhile, the Astros are likely focused on adding a starter and a lefty reliever. As regards the latter, the team is said to have an eye on Tigers lefty Justin Wilson, per Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network (via Twitter). The teams discussed Wilson over the winter, per Rosenthal, and the southpaw’s quality effort early over the first half surely hasn’t reduced the interest. Wilson currently carries a career-high 12.8 K/9 with 3.4 BB/9 along with a 2.36 ERA over his 34 1/3 innings.
Giants closer Mark Melancon seems unlikely to make it back before the trade deadline, likely removing him from consideration as a trade candidate, as Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News writes. The veteran righty, shelved for the second time this year with a forearm issue, has been able to pick up a baseball. But skipper Bruce Bochy suggested the team plans to bring him along slowly. As Baggarly suggests, it never seemed particularly likely that Melancon would end up being dealt regardless. For what it’s worth, though, I would add that Melancon would represent a very plausible August trade candidate if that proved desirable.
Angels righty Garrett Richards still hasn’t been cleared to throw, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes. The unfortunate hurler discussed the frustrations of his long-running effort to get healthy, telling Fletcher that he is at least encouraged that his current problem (with a biceps nerve) has improved somewhat — and that it doesn’t implicate his elbow, which he says still feels great. “Nobody knows anything about this injury,” said Richards, who says it isn’t clear when he’ll be deemed ready to begin throwing again. “I can’t worry about getting all caught up in playing right now,” he added. “I’ve got to worry about getting healthy first. When that happens, I’ll be ready.” Meanwhile, Fletcher notes that both Andrew Heaney and Tyler Skaggs are continuing to progress while working off of a mound, which seems to hold out some real promise of bolstering the team’s injury-riddled rotation in the relatively near future.

Reactions To And Effects Of The Jose Quintana Trade

By Jeff Todd | July 14, 2017 at 9:15am CDT

After a nearly silent All-Star break on the rumor front, the Cubs and White Sox stunned the baseball world by announcing a blockbuster deal that sent left-hander Jose Quintana from Chicago’s American League club to its National League team in exchange for minor leaguers Eloy Jimenez, Dylan Cease, Matt Rose and Bryant Flete. Over the past 24 hours, both teams have addressed the media, pundits from around the media have weighed in on the swap, and others have reported details on alternative talks that each team had leading up to the blockbuster move. Here’s a before-and-after, if you will, of how what might be the summer’s biggest trade transpired…

The Yankees, Brewers and Astros were all involved in varying levels of trade talks regarding Quintana before the Cubs ultimately acquired him, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com (via Twitter). The Braves, too, were in on Quintana “until the end,” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets. Meanwhile, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post tweets that the Rockies were “never really in” on Quintana despite a potential need for some rotation upgrades with some of their younger arms sputtering lately.
The Cubs tried to engage the Tigers in trade talks on Michael Fulmer before acquiring Quintana, reports Nightengale in a full column. However, Detroit gave no indication that it was willing to listen unless the Cubs were willing to include both Javier Baez and Ian Happ in trade talks. They also inquired on Justin Verlander, per Morosi (also via Twitter), though he notes that, similarly, talks between the two sides “never gained momentum.”
While many were stunned to see the Sox and Cubs line up on a trade — their first since 2006 — White Sox GM Rick Hahn scoffed at the notion that their shared city would serve as an impediment to trade talks, writes Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. “This notion that we wouldn’t do business with them because they’re in town — or somehow we would actually take an inferior baseball deal for non-baseball reasons because of emotion or a rivalry or something totally unrelated to putting the best possible team on the field for the next several years — is laughable,” said Hahn. The South Side GM went on to laud Jimenez’s upside, calling him a potential middle-of-the-order bat with power potential and the ability to hit to all fields. Hahn adds that yesterday’s package was “far and away the best offer, the best possibility, that we’ve discussed with any club since we’ve started this process roughly a year or ago or so.”
The Cubs believed that they were out of the running to acquire Quintana after talking to Hahn in June, president of baseball operations told reporters (via Gordon Wittenmyer of the Sun-Times). Hahn, though, re-engaged with Epstein on Sunday night, and the two talked over the next few days, including a conversation that included Hahn ducking behind an exhibit at All-Star FanFest in Miami to avoid being seen (per ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers, on Twitter). Ultimately, it became clear that the Cubs would have to part with two of their very best prospects to get the deal done. “This deal had zero-percent chance of happening without both Eloy and Cease in it,” said Epstein. The Cubs president went on to say that they’ve been trying to acquire a pitcher like Quintana for “a long time” and added that his analytics and scouting teams “[dug] deep” to determine whether there were any changes that led to Quintana’s slow start t the season. “Our assessment on both fronts was that he is the same guy, and our staff felt that way with conviction,” Epstein said.
Also via Wittenmyer’s column, Epstein said that the team isn’t necessarily done yet, though their play in the next two weeks will dictate what other moves are or aren’t made. “We need to play well coming out of the gates here, and we’ll assess what we’re trying to do in large part based on how we play and where we are in the standings, and how realistic we think a World Series run is this year,” Epstein said. “Everything is still on the table for this year.”
ESPN’s Keith Law opines (Insider subscription required and recommended) that both clubs did well in the trade. The Cubs picked up a durable arm that has a near-ace-level track record over the past three years whose raw stuff “didn’t really waver” even through his struggles earlier this season. Quintana can help offset the loss of right-hander Jake Arrieta after the season, joining Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks in the rotation for the next several years. His contract is also affordable enough that the team can comfortably pursue rotation help on the free-agent market this winter. Law projects Jimenez as a middle-of-the-order bat and suggests that he alone could’ve been an acceptable return, though the inclusion of Cease sweetens the deal. Cease has questions about his command as well as his durability and may end up in the ’pen, though his velocity and pair of potentially above-average secondary offerings make him a nice upside play. Law notes that he’s been leapfrogged by a pair of pitching prospects on the Cubs’ organizational rankings, which might’ve made him easier to deal.
Both Nightengale and Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network opine that it’s ridiculous that this is just the second trade these two teams have made this decade and offer praise for Hahn and Epstein for their pragmatic approach to dealing with one another. Teams are making more rational and data-driven decisions than ever before, Rosenthal notes, ultimately surmising that that trend should also include a willingness to deal within the same city and within the same division.
Yahoo’s Jeff Passan writes that Quintana’s contract was every bit as important to the Cubs as Quintana himself. With significant arbitration raises looming for players like Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Hendricks, Javier Baez, Carl Edwards Jr. and others looming in the next two years, the team’s enviable young core is going to rapidly become considerably more expensive. Shedding money from aging veterans like Arrieta, John Lackey and Ben Zobrist will obviously free up some cash, but Quintana’s contract meets an important nexus of future payroll flexibility, remaining under the luxury tax and improving the near- and long-term roster.

Trade Rumblings: Darvish, Marlins, Starters, Tigers, Astros, Iglesias, Hand

By Steve Adams | July 13, 2017 at 6:27pm CDT

There’s “increasing buzz” that the Rangers will listen to offers on top starters Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels if they don’t open the second half of the season with strong play, tweets ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. It’s been previously reported that the Rangers will hold onto Darvish even if they fall out of the race, so that’d represent something of a change of mindset for GM Jon Daniels & Co. Darvish is set to hit the open market at season’s end, so if the Rangers are out of the race and don’t trade him, they run the risk of losing him to free agency (though he’d obviously receive and reject a qualifying offer, affording Texas some draft compensation). Hamels, meanwhile, hasn’t been listed as a potential trade target to date. He’s earning $23.5MM this year and next, and he’s owed at least $6MM as the buyout on a $20MM club option for the 2019 campaign. That contract and a bizarrely low strikeout rate (4.9 K/9) could complicate Hamels’ market, though he’s shown recent improvement with 12 strikeouts in his past 14 1/3 innings of work.

More trade chatter from around the league…

The Marlins have told other clubs that they’re ready to sell off assets, a rival executive tells Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller. According to Miller, the Marlins have spoken to more than 10 teams about right-hander David Phelps, and there are two or three clubs that are showing “serious” interest in closer AJ Ramos. “They’re working on it and talking to clubs,” the exec tells Miller. “But the conversations always end with one caveat, that they don’t know that the owner won’t bail at the last minute.” Miller adds that Giancarlo Stanton isn’t likely to move until the Marlins accept that they won’t get someone to take his salary and give prospects back. The industry feeling is that it’d have to be almost a straight salary dump. (Stanton can also veto any deal via his no-trade clause.) Miller’s column features a look at all 30 teams and their possible deadline course as well.
Sonny Gray, Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole are available in trades, writes Jon Morosi of MLB.com, but the Athletics, Tigers and Pirates have each set a lofty asking price. Perhaps more interestingly, Morosi adds that the Braves have said right-hander Julio Teheran isn’t available, though he’s reportedly been drawing interest and others (including David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports) have said that Atlanta would at least consider offers. In addition to that overview of the market for pitchers, Morosi runs down a position-by-position preview of the market for bats.
Heyman reports that there’s little to no genuine interest in Justin Verlander at this time due to his huge contract and underwhelming numbers. Furthermore, he notes that due to Verlander’s status as a legend in Detroit, they can’t accept an underwhelming return and effectively signal to Tigers fans that his trade was a salary dump. There’s also very little interest in Ian Kinsler, according to Heyman, as the he’s struggled in 2017 and few teams are on the hunt for second base help. He adds that Alex Avila, J.D. Martinez and Justin Wilson are all drawing strong interest, however, so GM Al Avila should make some deals in the next 18 days.
In his weekly AL Notes column, Heyman reports that with few top starters left on the market, the Astros may instead pursue high-end bullpen help in an effort to shorten the game and load up the relief corps for the postseason. Unsurprisingly, their list of targets would include Zach Britton, if he’s available. (Most clubs in the league would perk up at the notion of acquiring a healthy Britton.)
Heyman also notes that Braves left-hander Jaime Garcia is one rental pitcher that interests the Royals. On the subject of Kansas City, he also notes that while the team does have interest in Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon, K.C. would want Miami to pay down some of the roughly $41MM remaining on Gordon’s contract, which the Fish aren’t willing to do. The same is true of the Angels and Blue Jays, he adds, both of whom like the player but not his current salary.
Meanwhile, in his NL Notes column, Heyman writes that the Reds are believed to be willing to listen to offers on closer Raisel Iglesias but would only move him for a package that would “blow them away.” The 27-year-old Iglesias has emerged as one of baseball’s best relievers and is controllable through the 2020 season. He’s affordable at the moment ($3.5MM in 2017), but his contract allows him to opt into arbitration once eligible, so his salary is going to balloon quite a bit between now and 2020. Heyman also notes that the Reds would be interested in a two- or possibly three-year deal with Zack Cozart but recognize that he can earn more than they’re willing to pay when he gets to free agency.
The Yankees, Nationals, Dodgers, Cubs, Brewers, Royals, Angels and Mariners could all be in the mix for lefty Brad Hand, Heyman reports. Regarding the Dodgers, Heyman and Robert Murray report that San Diego asked Los Angeles for top prospect Alex Verdugo in return, though there’s “no likelihood” of L.A. meeting that price. The Padres are also getting calls on cheap starters Trevor Cahill, Clayton Richard and Jhoulys Chacin, each of whom inked a one-year deal worth $1.75MM this past offseason.

AL Notes: Blue Jays, Panda, Verlander, Tigers, Smoak

By Steve Adams | July 12, 2017 at 5:11pm CDT

The Blue Jays have let teams around the league know that they’re open to offers on rental players like Marco Estrada, Francisco Liriano, Joe Smith and J.P. Howell, according to Robert Murray of FanRag Sports. The Jays are less open but not entirely closed off to the idea of moving lefty J.A. Happ and first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce, each of whom is affordably signed through the 2018 season, he adds. Toronto president Mark Shapiro recently suggested that the Jays still have enough pure talent to contend, though he also acknowledged that the club’s poor first half would require them to be open-minded. Certainly, it doesn’t seem as though the Jays are looking to tear things down entirely, and given their recent links to players like Dee Gordon, it’s possible that Toronto is even open to shedding short-term salary but still amassing some long-term assets to help beyond 2017. The 33-year-old Liriano, after all, has struggled all season, while Estrada limped into the All-Star break and the two relievers mentioned are presently on the disabled list.

Tigers Outright Matt den Dekker To Triple-A

By Jeff Todd | July 9, 2017 at 10:41pm CDT

TODAY: den Dekker has been outrighted to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports (via Twitter).

WEDNESDAY: The Tigers have designated outfielder Matt den Dekker for assignment, per a club announcement. Alex Presley will take his roster spot after being activated from the concussion DL.

It ended up being a short stay in Detroit for den Dekker. The 29-year-old outfielder saw just four games of action, though that was enough to make this the fifth straight year in which he has cracked the majors. He has been hitting well at Triple-A on the season, with a .258/.331/.490 slash over 176 total plate appearances.

Detroit came into the year expecting to give Presley a shot, but he hit the DL after just 54 plate appearances. He’ll work into the outfield mix, most likely joining some kind of platoon with center fielder Mikie Mahtook.

It’s possible that some additional playing time could come available in just a few weeks, depending upon what the Tigers do at the trade deadline. Presley and den Dekker (if he clears waivers and decides to stay) are just two of the left-handed-hitting outfielders in the organization.

Jim Adduci was just optioned after being activated from his own DL stint, and the Triple-A Toledo roster also lists Tyler Collins and Jason Krizan as southpaw swingers who can play some center field. The Double-A outfield is made up entirely of lefty bats, with former top prospect Steven Moya joined by current top-ten prospects Christin Stewart and Michael Gerber.

Gammons On Cubs, Tigers, Verlander, Lowrie, Cole

By Mark Polishuk | July 9, 2017 at 9:15pm CDT

“This is the reality: there are a lot more sellers than buyers right now,” a club personnel director tells Peter Gammons in the writer’s latest piece for his Gammons Daily website. Not only are some teams still wondering if they can get back into the postseason race, other teams further back in the standings are looking to rebound in 2018 and thus won’t engage in full-scale selloffs at the deadline. It makes for a lot of speculation but little hard facts at this point in July. As one GM jokes, “the whole countdown to deadline day has become akin to stores putting Christmas decorations in their showcase windows on Labor Day.” Here are some hot stove items from Gammons…

“The Cubs have called almost every team” in search of starting pitching, including asking the Tigers about Michael Fulmer and Daniel Norris. It would take a blockbuster offer for Detroit to eve consider moving Fulmer, as he has already displayed frontline-starter capabilities over his year and a half as a major leaguer, and he has yet to even reach his arbitration seasons. Norris would come at a lesser but still substantial price since he is controlled through 2022, though the southpaw has battled both injuries and inconsistency during his four years in the bigs. The Cubs are known to be looking for controllable young arms, and may be willing to deal from their surplus of young position players to do so.
One Tigers pitcher that isn’t on the Cubs’ radar is Justin Verlander, as one Cubs official tells Gammons that “no one is going to pay $70MM for him, even though he may still be a very good pitcher.” Chicago reportedly at least asked about Verlander at one point, though with Detroit apparently wanting to both get top prospects and get Verlander’s salary off the books, it isn’t surprising that the Cubs’ interest in Verlander was described yesterday as “more smoke than fire” by the Detroit Free Press’ Anthony Fenech.
Billy Beane told Gammons earlier this week that he hadn’t received any serious interest in Sonny Gray prior to last weekend, and the same goes for any serious calls about Jed Lowrie. The veteran infielder is thought to be a good target for teams in need of middle infield help and the Athletics to find lineup space for prospect Franklin Barreto, though it appears that Lowrie’s market has yet to develop with over three weeks still to go until the deadline. MLBTR’s Connor Byrne examined Lowrie, Gray and other Oakland trade candidates in a Taking Inventory piece earlier today.
Returning to Gammons’ original point about teams not wanting rebuild when they feel they have a chance in 2018, Pirates GM Neal Huntington said that his team isn’t likely to trade young right-hander Gerrit Cole. “We haven’t had a real conversation about Gerrit, and I don’t see us doing so,” Huntington said. “We think we can be serious contenders next year….Our goal is to maintain a level of competitiveness every year, and not to have to jump back and build all over again.”

Rosenthal’s Latest: Verlander, Cubs, D-backs, Orioles

By Connor Byrne | July 8, 2017 at 9:49pm CDT

While the Tigers have reportedly set a lofty asking price for right-hander Justin Verlander, his performance this year is going to make finding a taker difficult, says FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (video link). Across 104 2/3 innings, Verlander has seen his ERA (4.73), strikeout (8.43 K/9) and walk (4.39 BB/9) rates trend in the wrong direction, and ERA indicators such as FIP (4.28) and xFIP (4.99) also paint a somewhat bleak picture. Thanks in part to his struggles this season, teams view Verlander as a diminishing asset and aren’t going to surrender top prospects for him unless Detroit absorbs a significant portion of his contract, reports Rosenthal. Verlander is due roughly $70MM through 2019.

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