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Trade Chatter: Braves, Eovaldi, Indians, Mets, Harvey, Moose

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Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos suggested today that he’s not looking only to make a minor addition or two. Rather, as Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM tweets, the Atlanta executive says his club “can afford to add a starter and reliever and a bat.” And the organization won’t just be considering adding supplemental temporary pieces; rather, per Anthopolous, “we are looking for acquisitions on players we can control rather than rentals.” Needless to say, those comments tend to expand the conceivable array of possibilities for the Braves. With a healthy array of prospects available to deal from, the Braves could certainly make a run at a player who’d be viewed as a major present and future asset.

Here’s more trade chatter from the day …

  • MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand pegs the Cubs as a possible Nathan Eovaldi suitor. It’s easy to see the connection: the Rays right-hander holds out some real promise of being a weapon down the stretch, but his injury history and thin recent track record will likely limit the return the Tampa Bay organization can achieve. Meanwhile, the Cubs are arguably well-positioned to take a risk on a dynamic arm, as they have a decent array of at-least serviceable hurlers already on hand and also perhaps lack the upper-level prospect capital to chase down a more valuable commodity.
  • Unsurprisingly, Feinsand further reports, the Indians are working hard to make an outfield addition. The club would prefer a player that’s capable of playing both center and right field, he notes. Perhaps the slate of targets depends most of all upon the degree to which the club feels it needs innings up the middle. Certainly, there are quite a few outfield possibilities listed among MLBTR’s top 75 trade deadline candidates. Among them, though, only a few really have significant experience in center. And the most obvious candidates that do — Curtis Granderson and Adam Jones — perhaps aren’t optimal up-the-middle defenders at this stage. (That’s not to say that either of those two names is currently of interest to Cleveland, though the organization has previously been tied to Jones.)
  • While the focus is on the pitching staff, the Mets are getting some hits on mid-season acquisitions Jose Bautista and Devin Mesoraco, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter). Both players are headed for the open market at season’s end, though they are in different contractual situations otherwise. Bautista is playing for the league minimum, while the Mets owe Mesoraco some real cash. (Per reports at the time Mesoraco was acquired for Matt Harvey, the Reds sent money sufficient to pay down the difference in the two players’ salaries, suggesting that the Mets still are responsible for the balance of a $5.6MM annual salary.) It seems reasonable to anticipate that both players will be moved. Since joining the Mets, Bautista has produced a strong .235/.396/.432 batting line and Mesoraco has sported a league-average bat while lining up behind the dish.
  • Speaking of Harvey, he’s also a potential trade chip after a mostly sturdy showing thus far with the Reds. ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick runs down the latest on his market, noting that the Mariners and Brewers have poked around a bit on the former ace. Both teams, presumably, see Harvey as a potential upgrade over internal options, though certainly there’s not much to commend him as a front-line hurler at this stage. Through 68 frames in Cincinnati, Harvey is carrying a mid-nineties heater. But he still hasn’t rebounded in the swinging-strike department and owns only a 4.50 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 2.0 B/9.
  • The Brewers are evidently open to being rather creative, as MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweets that they have actually considered the idea of bumping Travis Shaw to second base to facilitate the acquisition of Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas. That’s a bit of an eyebrow-raising concept at first glance, given that Shaw — who’s listed at 6’4 and 230 pounds — has never lined up at second base as a professional. While Moustakas figures to help out some contending organization, it’s not as if he’s a unique piece on the market. And there are quite a few accomplished hitters available who have experience up the middle.

Passan’s Latest: Mets, deGrom, Rays, Ervin, Drury, Choo, Healy

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Yahoo’s Jeff Passan has a landslide of trade chatter in his latest “10 Degrees” column, but he first kicks off with a look at what he terms “new depths of dysfunction” among the Mets’ front office and ownership. Passan echoes previous reports which have suggested that COO Jeff Wilpon is as caught up with whether the cross-town Yankees win or lose as he is with his own team’s success, and he also explores the startling lack of organizational communication that became increasingly apparent with this weekend’s Yoenis Cespedes debacle.

Passan also notes that a GM from another team and another exec from a second team have both wondered to him whether Wilpon is so concerned with the public perception of his team that he’d push for a trade of Jacob deGrom in an effort to engender some positive P.R. among a fanbase that has clamored for a rebuild. Most still expect the Mets to hang onto both deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, he adds, but even the notion that some teams feel Mets ownership could plausibly be leveraged or taken advantage of in that manner has to be unsettling for Mets fans.

Some more highlights from a column that anyone who follows the trade market should check out in its entirety…

  • The Rays aren’t planning to operate as a strict buyer or seller over the next eight days, Passan writes. Tampa Bay is marketing rental pieces like right-hander Nathan Eovaldi and injured catcher Wilson Ramos to other clubs but is also willing to part with prospects to acquire affordable, controllable pieces that can be retained for years to come. Passan spoke to someone familiar with the Rays’ talks surrounding Chris Archer who said he’d be “completely stunned” if Archer were actually traded this summer given the three reasonably priced years of control he has remaining on his contract.
  • While Ervin Santana hasn’t pitched in the Majors this season after undergoing surgery to repair a tendon in his right middle finger this February, scouts are planning to closely watch the Twins right-hander’s 2018 debut this week, Passan notes. Santana likely only has enough time to make a pair of starts before the non-waiver deadline, and that may or may not be enough to convince a team of his ability to help down the stretch. But he’s also owed the balance of a $14MM salary this season — about $5.2MM through season’s end — which could allow him to clear waivers in early August and emerge as a trade candidate next month.
  • The Yankees have been tied to multiple rentals this summer, but they’ve also been inquiring on controllable relief arms and, in some cases, showing a willingness to include Brandon Drury in those trade talks. Drury was added as a depth piece late in the offseason and opened the year as the Yankees’ third baseman, but the near-immediate success of Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar made him relatively superfluous in the season’s early stages. Drury has appeared in just 16 games for the Yankees this season despite the fact that he’d established himself as a solid contributor at the big league level over the past two years with the Diamondbacks.
  • The Rangers are willing to pay down a “significant” portion of Shin-Soo Choo’s remaining contract — he’s still guaranteed about $7.4MM through the end of 2018 plus $21MM in each of the next two seasons — but his lack of defensive value is a roadblock to a deal. Choo fits best on an AL club where he can serve as a designated hitter, but there’s no American League contender with much of an opening, and teams in both leagues would likely be reluctant to use him in the outfield.
  • A bit more surprisingly, Passan reports that the Royals are “poking around” on Mariners first baseman Ryon Healy in case he’s deemed redundant once Robinson Cano returns from his 80-game suspension. The Mariners have already expressed a desire to keep Dee Gordon at second base, which could push Cano to first base once he returns. That’d take away at-bats from Healy, who is showing impressive power but dismal on-base skills, with a .244/.274/.466 and 20 homers through 325 plate appearances. Healy is controlled through the 2022 season and won’t be eligible for arbitration until after the 2019 season, so while the Royals are obviously a rebuilding club, he could be a long-term piece for them if they’re able to boost his on-base percentage to a passable level.

Royals Acquire Brian Goodwin

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The Royals have acquired outfielder Brian Goodwin from the Nationals for minor league reliever Jacob Condra-Bogan, Washington announced. The Nats also recalled reliever Sammy Solis to take Goodwin’s roster spot.

A National since they chose him in the first round (34th overall) of the 2011 draft, Goodwin never became a full-time player with the club. He debuted in 2016 with a short stint and amassed a career-high 278 plate appearances last year, when he impressed by posting a .251/.313/.498 line (105 wRC+) with 13 home runs, six steals and a stellar .247 ISO. Goodwin had difficulty in the outfield, however, as he combined for minus-7 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-4.6 Ultimate Zone Rating.

Playing time was harder to come by in D.C. this season for the 27-year-old Goodwin, who was stuck behind fellow lefty-swingers Bryce Harper, Juan Soto and Adam Eaton – not to mention the righty-hitting Michael A. Taylor – in the team’s outfield pecking order. Each of Harper, Eaton and Taylor missed time because of injuries in 2017, while Soto wasn’t even in the majors – all of which opened the door for Goodwin.

With no clear path to action this season, Goodwin racked up just 79 PAs in his final run with the Nationals and batted .200/.321/.354. Along the way, he showed significantly less power (three HRs, .154 ISO) and raised his strikeout rate from 24.8 percent last year to 32.9 percent. Goodwin did increase his walk rate, which climbed from 8.3 percent in 2017 to 12.7, but that wasn’t enough to lift his offense to a respectable level.

Because Goodwin’s out of options and superfluous to the Nats’ roster, the logical move was to deal him. The rebuilding Royals are apparently in position to take a chance on Goodwin, who won’t be eligible for arbitration until after next season and is controllable through 2022. Kansas City has Alex Gordon and Jorge Bonifacio entrenched as corner outfield starters, but Goodwin could perhaps supplant the struggling Rosell Herrera in center. They’ll have to figure out how to deploy those players and right fielder Jorge Soler when he returns from the left toe fracture he suffered in mid-June. Soler is likely to come back in August, Rustin Dodd of the Athletic suggests.

To land Goodwin, the Royals gave up the hard-throwing Condra-Bogan, whom Maria Torres of the Kansas City Star profiled in June. The Royals signed Condra-Bogan, 23, out of the Frontier League in January, and he has since shown off 99 mph heat “without losing command of the strike zone,” per Torres. The righty has tossed 27 innings at the Single-A level this season and notched a 2.08 ERA with incredible strikeout and walk rates (13.5 K/9, .70 BB/9).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Trade Rumors: Abreu, Brewers, BoSox, Twins, Royals, Dodgers, Brach, Treinen

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As an established veteran on a cellar-dwelling team, White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu has come up often as a speculative trade candidate, but the club’s “strongly inclined” to retain him, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. The 31-year-old hasn’t exactly boosted his trade value this season, having hit a career-worst .250/.312/.435 (101 wRC+, compared to 139 from 2014-17) and accounted for a replacement-level WAR across 407 plate appearances. Regardless of whether the White Sox keep Abreu, he’s slated to go through arbitration once more over the winter. In the meantime, he’s on a $13MM salary this season.

More trade-related items as the countdown to the July 31 deadline continues…

  • The Brewers’ interest in Royals second baseman/outfielder Whit Merrifield has been known for a while, and Robert Murray of The Athletic (subscription required) explores the possibility of Milwaukee acquiring him. The Brewers haven’t pursued Merrifield as aggressively as they did during the winter, according to Murray, who hears he’d be rather expensive to pry out of Kansas City. Landing Merrifield would require “three higher-end prospects, at least,” an executive told Murray. Milwaukee happens to have a quality farm system, though it’s unlikely to trade its best prospect – second baseman Keston Hiura – suggests Murray, who goes on to run down farmhands the team could deal for Merrifield. The 29-year-old Merrifield has upped his stock during a terrific season in which he has hit .305/.375/.429 with five home runs and 17 steals through 412 PAs. Adding to his appeal, Merrifield’s on a near-minimum salary this season and won’t even be eligible for arbitration until after the 2019 campaign.
  • The Red Sox sent a high-level executive, senior vice president of baseball operations Frank Wren, to scout the Royals–Twins game on Friday, per Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press. It’s unclear which players Wren focused on, though it’s worth pointing out that Boston has shown reported interest in both Merrifield and Royals teammate Mike Moustakas. And with the Twins likely to sell at the deadline, Buster Olney of ESPN doesn’t rule out the Red Sox pursuing second baseman Brian Dozier.
  • Along with Baltimore’s closer, Zach Britton, the reliever-needy Dodgers are interested in Orioles setup man Brad Brach, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. The Dodgers have also scouted the Marlins and Rays and “monitored” Athletics closer Blake Treinen, Shaikin adds, though it seems improbable he’ll go anywhere with the A’s making a major push for a playoff spot. Conversely, as a pending free agent on a rebuilding team, the 32-year-old Brach is a good bet to end up in another uniform in the coming weeks. The problem for Baltimore is that Brach is in the midst of his least effective season in a while, with a 4.34 ERA/3.61 FIP and a 4.34 BB/9 in 37 1/3 innings. On the positive side, Brach has struck out upward of nine hitters per nine and generated swinging strikes at a solid clip (13.2 percent).

Royals Designate Enny Romero

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The Royals have designated lefty reliever Enny Romero for assignment, Maria Torres of the Kansas City Star reports. The move was made in order to recall right-handed starter Jakob Junis for tonight’s game.

As Torres notes in her above tweet, the Royals are the third team that the 27-year-old Romero has pitched for this season. He didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the league’s worst bullpen, allowing nine earned runs in just four innings pitched to go along with two walks and three strikeouts. On the whole, Romero’s 2018 season has seen him post a miserable 12.60 ERA and 8.46 FIP across eight appearances for the Pirates, Nationals and Royals.

Romero may yet get another opportunity elsewhere, though, as he’s only a year removed from a successful 2017 campaign with the Nationals wherein he tossed 55 2/3 innings of 3.56 ERA ball while missing plenty of bats (10.51 K/9). That may look to be an anomaly amidst Romero’s otherwise uninspiring 5.12 career ERA, but an average fastball velocity that hovers around 96 MPH and a career swinging strike rate of 11.8% still leaves room for some interesting potential. If he does land with a new team, they’ll have to hope he can work out his command issues; Romero’s walked batters at a very high clip throughout his career, issuing a free pass more than every other inning.

Royals Release Abraham Almonte

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July 19: Rather than place Almonte on outright waivers in an attempt to keep him in the organization for depth purposes, the Royals have simply released Almonte, per the team’s transactions log at MLB.com.

July 16: The Royals announced on Monday that they’ve designated outfielder Abraham Almonte for assignment. His roster spot will go to infielder/outfielder Rosell Herrera, who has been reinstated from the paternity list.

Almonte, 29, was claimed off waivers by the Royals back in the first week of the season but hasn’t produced in 151 plate appearances over the course of 50 games, batting just .179/.260/.284. Almonte has, at times in the past, been a plus defender and baserunner, but he’s been about a run below average in center field (per both Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved) and has gone 2-for-4 in stolen base attempts this season.

The Royals will have a week to either trade, outright or release Almonte. He has enough service to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, though he’d sacrifice the remainder of his $825K salary for the 2018 season by going that route, so it seems likely that he’ll remain in the organization if he clears waivers.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/18/18

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Here are the latest minor moves from around the game, all via Matt Eddy of Baseball America unless otherwise noted:

  • A few right-handed hurlers with some MLB experience have found new homes. Casey Coleman has returned to the Cubs on a minors deal after opening the year in indy ball. He has appeared previously in parts of four MLB seasons and thrown 177 1/3 total frames at the game’s highest level, mostly for the Cubs. Coleman has a lifetime 5.72 ERA in the majors and hasn’t seen time there since 2014. Meanwhile, Mike Broadway will go to the Rays after being released by the Royals. The 31-year-old has struggled in the upper minors of late after making 25 appearances in the bigs with the Giants in 2015 and 2016.
  • Another righty, Jeff Ames, has been announced as the newest member of the Brewers organization. The 27-year-old was a sandwich-round selection in the 2011 draft but has yet to make it to the majors. He had worked to a 5.70 ERA with 12.9 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 over 23 2/3 Double-A innings this year in the Nationals organization.
  • Eddy lists a variety of players who were cut loose, none more prominent than infielder Alexi Amarista. The 29-year-old, a seven-year MLB veteran, had been with the Phillies but slashed just .238/.285/.288 in his 173 plate appearances at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Amarista has a lifetime 68 OPS+ in 702 games of MLB action, so the lack of offensive production is hardly a surprise. He’s obviously valued primarily for his glovework.
  • Also released were outfielder Rymer Liriano (Angels) and lefty Jairo Labourt (Tigers). Both were in the not-too-distant past considered intriguing enough players to make it into the majors and then bounce around a bit via waiver claims. Liriano had posted a robust .268/.343/.523 slash in his 65 games of action at Triple-A with the Halos organization. But he had not yet been given a shot at the big league level this year and will now go looking for a better opportunity elsewhere. The 24-year-old Labourt, on the other hand, only made it into five rookie ball games with the Chicago organization, recording 11 strikeouts over 5 2/3 one-hit innings but also issuing nine free passes and allowing six runs (three earned).

Red Sox, Braves Interested In Mike Moustakas

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7:10pm: The Royals may have to wait until Manny Machado is traded before fully pursuing a Moustakas deal, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link).  Up to seven teams have been rumored to be involved in the Machado talks, and with some suitors already reportedly falling out of the running, it stands to reason that some of these teams could pivot to Moustakas.  The Braves, for instance, are also one of the clubs in on Machado.

4:00pm: The Royals are “more likely than not” to trade third baseman Mike Moustakas this month, per ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, who lists the Red Sox and Braves as a pair of playoff contenders interested in acquiring him.

The Red Sox already boast the majors’ best record (68-30) and a 4 1/2-game lead in the AL East, even though they haven’t gotten great production from third baseman Rafael Devers. But the 21-year-old still has plenty of time to turn into a foundational piece for the Red Sox, and it may behoove them to find an upgrade in the meantime. With Boston pushing for its fourth World Series title since 2004, the lefty-swinging Moustakas would seemingly qualify, having slashed .250/.306/.469 with 19 home runs in 386 plate appearances, easily beating out Devers’ numbers (.241/.292/.424 with 14 HRs in 367 PAs). Of course, Moustakas’ production also hasn’t been all-world, as he has logged a 106 wRC+ to Devers’ 87 and has dropped off precipitously since a red-hot April.

The Braves haven’t come close to matching the Red Sox’s excellence this season, but they’re still 52-42 – in possession of a National League wild-card spot and within half a game of the NL East-leading Phillies. Their starting third baseman, Johan Camargo, has actually outdone Moustakas by wRC+ (109), having batted .247/.346/.426 with nine homers in 263 PAs. The switch-hitting Camargo is capable of playing shortstop, however, and could perhaps usurp the starting role from the light-hitting, righty-swinging Dansby Swanson or at least platoon with him.

After failing to encounter much interest in free agency last winter, the 29-year-old Moustakas wouldn’t represent a long-term acquisition for any club. Moustakas is owed the rest of a $5.5MM salary this season, and then his employer will have to decide whether to exercise a $15MM mutual option for 2019 or pay him a $1MM buyout.

Trade Chatter: Britton, Merrifield, Mets, Beltre, Braves

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Zach Britton’s most recent outing was an encouraging one for scouts, writes Jon Heyman of Fancred in his latest notes column. One scout tells Heyman that the Orioles’ closer was finally beginning to look like himself in a recent save against the Yankees. Heyman notes that Britton was throwing 96-98 mph, although data from both Fangraphs and Brooks Baseball isn’t quite as bullish as that scout’s radar gun was. Certainly, though, Britton’s past few outings have been encouraging. In five scoreless frames, he’s averaged a slightly improved 95 mph on his heater and posted a strong 66.7 percent grounder rate with four strikeouts against one walk. Britton has thrown a first-pitch strike to just 41 percent of the hitters he’s faced in that time, and his ground-ball rate, velocity and swinging-strike rate are all still shy of his peak levels. Nonetheless, he’s certainly trending in the right direction — a welcome sight for the Orioles. Heyman notes that the Astros are believed to once again have interest in Britton after the Orioles backed out of a trade involving him last season, which would’ve sent Colin Moran and a Double-A outfielder to Baltimore.

Some more Thursday night trade rumblings…

  • Heyman also notes that he’s heard the Red Sox mentioned in connection with Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield. The 29-year-old has reportedly drawn interest from the Phillies and from the Brewers already, and the Sox would be a logical addition to that market, depending on the status of Dustin Pedroia. As Heyman notes, Merrifield is particularly enticing for the Sox given his minimal salary and their proximity to the top tier of luxury tax penalization. He’s shown, too, that he can play a number of positions, which would make him ideal for a utility role if the Sox get everyone healthy. That said, there’s no characterization of particularly strong interest in the report, the Sox have a thin farm system, and the Royals are under no urgency to trade Merrifield, who is controlled through 2022. Bullpen help has been rumored to be Boston’s primary focus on the trade market so far.
  • One more from Heyman, who notes that the Mets aren’t especially anxious to listen to offers on lefty Steven Matz. New York will certainly entertain offers on its entire roster, as they’re at least listening on Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, but it sounds like Matz is closer to that pair than to the more available Zack Wheeler. The report also indicates that offers for Asdrubal Cabrera, to this point, have been underwhelming and that the Mets have actually received some inquiries about Jose Bautista, who was hitting .230/.389/.425 in 144 PAs for the Mets before homering in tonight’s contest.
  • Sticking with the Mets, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that the team actually hasn’t received much in the way of inquiries on eiher deGrom or Syndergaard as of late (Twitter link). The general sense that the asking price would be overwhelming could be a factor; as Puma terms it, some teams may have sticker shock “without even seeing the sticker.” Puma also tweets, though, that the Mets are “confident” they’ll find a trade partner for Cabrera. That, he adds, would open a spot for 26-year-old Jeff McNeil — a potentially late-blooming prospect who has batted a combined .346/.417/.634 with 18 homers in 336 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A.
  • Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News takes a look at the situation in which the Rangers find themselves with Adrian Beltre. The third baseman has full no-trade rights and has not yet given indication about whether he’d prefer to play out the season with a contender, though he has said he wants to play with the Rangers again in 2019. “His value to the organization is above how we would normally consider trade acquisitions,” GM Jo Daniels tells Grant. “For us to consider anything, it’s got to be mutually beneficial, good for all parties involved.” Beltre, 39, hasn’t shown much pop but is hitting .288/.349/.401 on the season. He’s been DHing more of late in an effort to keep his legs healthy.
  • Though the Braves have a number of wants on the trade market — specifically upgrades to the pitching staff — they’re reluctant to trade any prospects of note for a rental piece, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic within his latest notes column (subscription required). Rosenthal also notes that a right-handed-hitting center field option to pair with Ender Inciarte would be appealing, though Inciarte’s glovework is so good that it lessens the blow of his 2018 struggles against lefties.

Royals Place Ian Kennedy On 10-Day DL

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The Royals announced this morning that righty Ian Kennedy is heading back to the 10-day disabled list. He had only just been activated to pitch yesterday, but left his outing after three frames.

The team indicates that a left oblique strain is again to blame for the placement, though the outlook isn’t yet clear this time around. Kennedy only missed one start in his prior stint on the DL, so perhaps there’s hope that this is still a fairly minor ailment. It surely helps that the All-Star break is right around the corner.

Of course, hitting the shelf now won’t do much for Kennedy’s prospects as a trade candidate. Truth be told, though, there was never much likelihood he’d be moved with a $16MM salary this year and $33MM left to go over the next two seasons.

Since joining the Kansas City staff in the 2016 campaign, the now-33-year-old Kennedy has compiled 444 1/3 innings of 4.58 ERA ball. But the results have headed in the wrong direction of late, as he has allowed more than five earned per nine over the past two seasons, due in large part to allowing far too many home runs.

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