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Dylan Bundy Drawing Interest From Twins, White Sox, Braves

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Los Angeles Angels right-hander Dylan Bundy has drawn trade interest from the Twins, White Sox, and Braves, per MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter).

After an up-and-down career in Baltimore, Bundy has put together a solid stretch for the Angels here in 2020 to make himself an intriguing trade target. Through six starts in Los Angeles, Bundy is 3-2 with a 2.58 ERA/3.08 FIP and gaudy 5.50 K/BB ratio. Bundy takes the hill tonight for the seventh time this season in what could be his final start in Los Angeles.

If the Angels are believers in Bundy’s progress this year, their chances of contending in 2021 would take a hit by sending him out of town. As much as the Angels have struggled to sign and develop pitching, however, Bundy has just one more season of control remaining. GM Billy Eppler may see an opportunity here to fleece a market shy on sellers and to re-stock their development pool. The Angels gave up four minor-league arms to acquire Bundy, so the price figures to be high. Still, with as much promise as Bundy showed as a prospect, he owned just a 4.67 ERA/4.75 FIP coming into this season, and the Angels could look to sell high on the 27-year-old.

In terms of their suitors, the Twins, White Sox, and Braves are all jockeying for playoff position and could use an additional rotation arm. The Braves have seen their once-strong depth depleted this season and suddenly find themselves lacking certainty in the rotation after Max Fried. Ian Anderson had a strong debut, but he’s just one start into his big-league career. They’d probably prefer to move Josh Tomlin back into a swing role, and Robbie Erlin’s overall numbers aren’t all that encouraging (6.14 ERA in three starts with the Braves).

The White Sox are known to be scouring the league for an additional rotation contributor. Lance Lynn and Robbie Ray are said to be on their list of potential targets. Chicago has a whole host of options for the back end of their rotation, but none of Reynaldo Lopez, Carlos Rodon, or Gio Gonzalez have been able to muster the health and consistency that the Pale Hose seek. Dane Dunning has looked good thus far, but the White Sox remain likely to land a starter sometime before the deadline.

The Twins reportedly reached out to the Reds about Trevor Bauer but were rebuffed. The Twinkies have stumbled of late, falling behind the upstart White Sox in the AL Central standings. Kenta Maeda and Randy Dobnak have been solid at the front of the rotation, though there’s at least a bit of smoke-and-mirrors behind Dobnak’s sterling 1.78 ERA. Rich Hill and José Berríos occupy two other rotation spots, but the fifth spot is currently up-for-grabs now that Homer Bailey and Jake Odorizzi have both landed on the injured list. In terms of targets, the Angels might be interested in prospects Jordan Balazovic and Jhoan Duran, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. More than likely the Angels would be targeting pitching in any potential return for Bundy.

Reds Not Planning To Sell At Trade Deadline

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The Reds have won three straight games to improve to a 14-17 record, putting them one game out of second place (and an automatic playoff berth) in the NL Central and one game out of the NL wild card race.  With the postseason still within reach, Cincinnati isn’t planning to sell any meaningful pieces by Monday’s trade deadline, and if anything will be deadline buyers, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson (audio link) has the same information, with the intriguing tidbit that “a Twins official” was recently told by the Reds that Trevor Bauer wasn’t going to be dealt.  This would seem to imply that Minnesota had some interest in Bauer, and could now turn their attention at another front-of-the-rotation type if Bauer isn’t on the market.

Bauer will be a free agent after the season, though moving him would subtract from a rotation that has thus far been the Reds’ biggest strength.  As for the rest of the team, as Heyman puts it, the “Reds mainly need to get hitters and relievers to play to their abilities.”  Eugenio Suarez, Mike Moustakas, Joey Votto, Shogo Akiyama, and Tucker Barnhart have all yet to heat up at the plate, while the struggles of the normally reliable late-game duo of Raisel Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen have been a big reason why the Reds bullpen ranks 23rd in ERA and 29th in HR/9.

Adding a new arm to the relief corps seems like a logical move, though upgrading the lineup may be slightly more difficult, as so many of their struggling stars are entrenched in their positions (though longtime franchise icon Votto has been benched for the last three games).  With Nick Senzel on the injured list, left or center field could be an area of need, as Akiyama and rookie Mark Payton have been getting the bulk of playing time with Senzel out and the scorching-hot Jesse Winker alternating between left field and DH.  From a more speculative point of view, Cincinnati could also look to replace Barnhart with a more productive catching option — Red Sox backstop Christian Vazquez would cost the most in prospects, though other potential trade candidates include the Angels’ Jason Castro or the Mariners’ Austin Nola.

Twins Designate Danny Coulombe, Select Juan Minaya

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The Twins announced that they’ve designated left-hander Danny Coulombe for assignment in order to open a roster spot for right-hander Juan Minaya, whose contract has been selected from the alternate training site in St. Paul. Minnesota will also add lefty Lewis Thorpe from St. Paul as the team’s 29th man for today’s doubleheader against the Tigers.

Coulombe, 30, appeared in a pair of games for Minnesota, tallying 2 2/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts and three walks. He inked a minor league contract over the winter after posting excellent Triple-A strikeout numbers with the Yankees and Brewers over the past couple season: 61 in 36 1/3 frames. This year’s small sample of data shows him relying much more on his curveball than his slider — a departure from his past big league work which could help to explain his recent jump in punchouts.

Overall, Coulombe has pitched in parts of six MLB seasons, working to a combined 4.19 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 4.0 BB/9, 0.99 HR/9 and a 56.3 percent grounder rate. The Twins will have a week to run him through outright waivers or release him, and they can also trade him to another club before Monday afternoon’s deadline.

As for Minaya, he’s spent the past four seasons with the division-rival White Sox, where he’s pitched to a combined 3.93 ERA with 10.0 K/9, 54.6 BB/9, 0.98 HR/9 and a 36.8 percent grounder rate in 128 1/3 frames. Minaya’s control has caused him troubles in the past, but he’ll give the Twins a fresh bullpen arm with some swing-and-miss abilities prior to tonight’s doubleheader.

Trade Notes: Mets, Twins, Pirates, Red Sox

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Typically one for bold and confident statements, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen offered a more measured approach when asked about the trade deadline this week, per Newsday’s Tim Healey. While the Mets will be open to making improvements, Van Wagenen spoke of exercising caution and being “responsible for the future of the organization.” The agent-turned-GM added that he expects other clubs to take a similarly conservative approach due to the short nature of the 2020 season — particularly the post-deadline period. None of this rules out a move of note for the Mets, and Van Wagenen went to the oft-used “opportunistic” as an adjective to describe his mentality as Monday’s deadline loom.

The Mets dropped both games of yesterday’s doubleheader against the Marlins, falling to 12-16 in the process. However, they’re part of a tightly bunched group of NL clubs with mediocre records. The Pirates are currently the only team in the NL more than 2.5 games back from a potential playoff spot.

Some more trade chatter from around the game…

  • The Twins are tied with the Rays for the second-best record in the American League, but a major move to further separate them from the pack may not be in the offing. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey instead emphasized to Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune the importance of getting some key internal reinforcements in the near future. Righty Michael Pineda will be eligible to return from a reduced PED suspension Sunday, adding a big arm to the club’s rotation mix. Likewise, third baseman Josh Donaldson, out for much of this month with a calf issue, is nearing a return. Falvey acknowledged taking an overly “conservative” approach to Donaldson’s rehab, given his history of calf troubles and the desire to have him at 100 percent for the playoff push. The Twins are open to trade opportunities, of course, but don’t seem as pressed to make a move thanks to their strong start and existing depth.
  • On the opposite side of the coin, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington is “trying to sell everything,” one rival executive tells Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. That’s hardly a surprise given the Pirates’ miserable start to the 2020 season and the recent regime change that installed Cherington atop the baseball ops hierarchy. Cherington will have a difficult line to walk as his best chips (Keone Kela and Joe Musgrove) have injury concern while others who should be appealing (e.g. Gregory Polanco, Josh Bell, Adam Frazier) have gotten out to disastrous starts that will likely weaken the offers submitted by other clubs (or eliminate interest entirely).
  • Christian Vazquez knows that the Red Sox will be fielding offers for him over the next five days, writes Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, but he hopes to remain in Boston and says he’d prefer to spend his whole career with the Sox. That’s obviously out of his control at the moment, with the Sox likely willing to move just about anyone outside of Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers. As Speier examines, the history of starting catchers changing hands and making a sizable impact during deadline season is more limited than some might think. Vazquez himself weighed in on the challenges that would exist in jumping to a new club and trying to educate himself on a new pitching staff and build a rapport with so many new arms, likening it to being a “rookie” all over again. Vazquez is guaranteed $6.25MM in 2021 and has a $7MM option for the 2022 season, though, which does make him a rather appealing trade target for clubs with catching needs that span beyond 2020.

Twins Place Jake Odorizzi On 10-Day IL, Transfer Homer Bailey To 45-Day IL

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The Twins have placed RHP Jake Odorizzi on the 10-day injured list due to a chest contusion, reports Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. He’ll be joined by Zack Littell, who’s dealing with elbow inflammation. Meanwhile, Homer Bailey has been transferred to the 45-day injured list after a case of tendinitis in his throwing arm landed him on the IL in early August. Righty Sean Poppen and lefty Danny Coulombe were added to the active roster.

Odorizzi was forced out of last night’s matchup with the Royals in the fourth inning after sustaining a line drive to the chest off the bat of Alex Gordon. Per Statcast, the ball was hit at 103.2 mph off the bat, and Odorizzi would later tell reporters that he was having some trouble moving around and catching his breath.

It’s a tough break for Odorizzi, who was making just his third start of the season after dealing with an intercostal strain earlier this year. He’s struggled to get going in 2020, surrendering 9 runs in 10 innings and allowing a home run in each of his starts.

Hopefully, several days of rest will allow Odorizzi to get back to full health without having to spend more than the requisite 10 days on the shelf.

But with Odorizzi out of commission for the time being and Bailey’s injury keeping him out of action for longer than expected, the Twins may be pressed to more aggressively pursue starting pitching in the days leading up to the August 31 trade deadline. Minnesota shouldn’t be in panic mode with Randy Dobnak showing some potential and Michael Pineda not far off a return from suspension, but an upgrade certainly couldn’t hurt. We’ll have to wait to see which names are available and just how active the trade market is, but the Twins are one of the teams that could benefit most from an additional starter.

Twins Place Mitch Garver, Byron Buxton On Injured List

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4:50pm: The Twins don’t seem overly concerned about Buxton, who’s dealing with soreness, manager Rocco Baldelli said (via Park). Baldelli added Buxton’s surgically repaired labrum is in good shape.

3:55pm: The Twins have placed catcher Mitch Garver (right intercostal strain) and center fielder Byron Buxton (left shoulder inflammation) on the 10-day injured list, per Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com. In other moves, they selected catcher Ryan Jeffers and recalled both righty Zack Littell and outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr.

Already down third baseman Josh Donaldson for the past three weeks, the Twins are now missing a couple more regulars in Garver and Buxton. But Garver, who was quietly one of the majors’ elite offensive performers in 2019, has started slowly this year with a .154/.262/.212 line and just one home run in 61 plate appearances. Fortunately for Minnesota, backup Alex Avila, who has played frequently thanks to Garver’s struggles, has gotten on base at a 41.5 percent clip through 41 PA, though he hasn’t hit for average (.200) or power (one homer).

With Garver down, Jeffers will join Avila to make up the Twins’ top two catchers. Jeffers, 23, joined the Twins as a second-round pick in 2018 and has posted great numbers at all four minor league levels at which he has played (rookie ball, Single-A, High-A, Double-A). MLB.com ranks Jeffers as the club’s sixth-best prospect, crediting him for his all-around game and positing that he looks like the Twins’ “catcher of the future.”

Buxton’s injury looks rather troubling when you consider he underwent season-ending surgery on the same shoulder last September. There’s no word this time on whether he’ll require an absence of more than 10 days. Like Garver, Buxton has not begun well at the plate (.221/.225/.456 with five HRs in 71 attempts). The defensive standout has once fared splendidly in that area, though, and has played center in every Twins game over the past couple weeks. Max Kepler, Jake Cave and Wade took the reins there last season when Buxton went down. They’re candidates to do so again now.

Twins Activate Rich Hill, Outright Cory Gearrin

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The Twins have activated left-hander Rich Hill from the injured list, the team announced. They also outrighted reliever Cory Gearrin to their alternate site after he cleared waivers and optioned righty Zack Littell.

Hill, who will start the Twins’ game against the Brewers on Wednesday, missed roughly three weeks with shoulder fatigue. While injuries have been a consistent problem during Hill’s late-career renaissance, he has offered front-line numbers with several teams when he has been able to take the mound. The 40-year-old has made just one start this season for the Twins, who signed him during the offseason, but it was an effective one, as he threw five innings of scoreless, two-hit, two-walk ball in a win over the Cardinals. He’ll rejoin a Twins rotation that has gotten superb production from Kenta Maeda and Randy Dobnak, while Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi have come out of the gates slowly.

The well-traveled Gearrin, 34, signed with the Twins on a minors pact in the offseason. He threw two scoreless innings for the team Aug. 9 before it designated him for assignment.

AL Injury Notes: Yordan, White Sox, Donaldson, A’s

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Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez was out of their lineup for the second straight day on Monday on account of right knee soreness, and it doesn’t seem as if a return to a regular role is imminent. While Alvarez’s MRI on Monday came back negative, he may only be a pinch hitter for the club in the near term, Alyson Footer of MLB.com writes. Alvarez’s lack of availability (he didn’t debut until Aug. 14 because of coronavirus-related problems) has been an enormous blow to a Houston team that has also dealt with several other significant health woes in the early going. The club lost yet another standout Saturday when it placed outfielder Michael Brantley on the IL with a right quad injury.

  • General manager Rick Hahn issued updates Monday on a pair of injured White Sox, second baseman Nick Madrigal and left-hander Aaron Bummer (Twitter links via James Fegan of The Athletic). The news on Madrigal is encouraging, as Hahn said the rookie has resumed “virtually all baseball activities” and remains on track to return by the end of this month after separating his shoulder Aug. 5. On the other hand, there’s no timetable for Bummer, who went to the IL on Aug. 8 with a left biceps strain. The groundball-heavy Bummer was off to a great start before then and seemed as if he was on his way to a second straight season as one of the game’s most effective relievers. Now, Bummer only has a little more than a month to return to regular-season action, and he’ll have to go through a throwing program before then.
  • Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson isn’t dealing with any issues in his recovery from a right calf strain, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets. Donaldson went on the IL on Aug. 7, and it remains unclear when the big-money offseason signing will return to their lineup. The 34-year-old came out of the gates slowly prior to the injury, albeit over a mere 27 plate appearances, as he hit .182/.296/.318 with one home run. Nevertheless, The Twins have started 15-8 and sit atop the AL Central – a division they won last season.
  • Athletics right-hander Burch Smith headed to the IL over the weekend with a a forearm strain, which is always ominous for a pitcher. Manager Bob Melvin said Monday that Smith does not have any structural damage, but it’s up in the air whether he’ll pitch again in 2020, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle relays. Smith has been part of a slew of organizations, but he finally seemed to find a home in Oakland this season before the injury. The 30-year-old has logged a 2.25 ERA/2.30 FIP with 9.75 K/9 and 0.75 BB/9 in 12 innings from the A’s bullpen.

Twins Designate Cory Gearrin For Assignment

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The Twins have designated right-handed reliever Cory Gearrin for assignment, per a club announcement. Minnesota also activated righty Zack Littell from the injured list, placed fellow right-hander Cody Stashak on the 10-day IL due to lower back inflammation and activated recently acquired infielder Ildemaro Vargas.

Gearrin, 34, inked a minor league deal with the Twins in early 2020 and was added to the big league roster over the weekend after beginning the season at their alternate training site in St. Paul. He pitched a pair of scoreless innings Sunday, and in doing so ensured that he’d pitched in his sixth consecutive Major League season.

Gearrin has never been an overpowering reliever, but he has a solid track record in the Majors. From 2016-19, he averaged 63 relief appearances per year and worked to a tidy 3.42 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, 0.79 HR/9 and a 47.9 percent ground-ball rate. Overall, Gearrin carries a 3.61 ERA and 3.81 FIP in 304 innings at the Major League level. Given the number of struggling bullpens around the game, he could appeal to another team on a waiver claim or a minor trade.

As for Littell, he’ll return to the club after missing about two weeks with a hamstring strain. He was tagged for four runs in his first three innings of work this season, but Littell flourished in the Minnesota bullpen last year, finishing out the season with 30 2/3 frames of 0.88 ERA ball after being recalled from Triple-A in late June. Stashak had his own impressive run for the Twins in the second half of 2019 and has allowed three runs on five hits and a pair of walks with 10 punchouts through seven innings thus far in 2020.

D-backs Trade Ildemaro Vargas To Twins

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The Twins announced that they have acquired switch-hitting utility infielder Ildemaro Vargas from the Diamondbacks for cash. Minnesota will make a 28-man roster move to accommodate Vargas’ activation at a later date. Arizona designated Vargas for assignment late last week.

Vargas, 29, has a strong Triple-A track record at the plate and plenty of versatility, given that he’s a switch-hitter with more than 1000 innings of experience at each of shortstop, second base and third base. Vargas has also seen time at all three outfield spots and first base, though only a few games’ worth of innings at each slot.

However, despite that versatility, Vargas’ production from Triple-A hasn’t really carried over to the Majors. He’s a career .326/.371/.464 hitter at the top minor league level but has mustered just a .257/.287/.357 slash in the Majors. He hasn’t received much of a look at the big league level with the D-backs, however, so perhaps the Twins feel that he can thrive with a bit more playing time. Then again, the Twins already have plenty of infield options themselves, so playing time could continue to be difficult to come by. Vargas is also out of minor league options, so the Twins can’t send him to their alternate training site in St. Paul unless they designate him for assignment themselves and Vargas subsequently goes unclaimed on waivers.

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