Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Braves Rumors

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/31/19

By | at

The latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Braves have signed outfielder Lane Adams to a minor-league contract, according to Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It won’t be the 29-year-old’s first rodeo with the Braves; he played in 111 games with the club from 2017-2018, posting an overall .818 OPS in that span. His calling card is speed, having stolen 11 bases in his Major League career while not being caught once. There’s swing-and-miss in his game, though: playing in Triple-A with the Phillies’ affiliate, he’s struck out 103 times in 306 plate appearances. As Burns notes, general manager Alex Anthopoulos cited Adams as a player who could appear with the big-league team come September.
  • In one of the day’s lesser trades, the Rockies acquired minor-leaguer Jimmy Herron from the Cubs in exchange for international bonus pool money, per an official Rockies announcement. Herron, a 23-year-old outfielder, was a third-round draft choice by the Cubs last season. He’s played his first full professional season with the Cubs’ High-A affiliate, appearing in 92 games. He’s managed a .220/.320/.336 slash line while stealing 19 bases. MLB Pipeline ranks Herron outside of Cubs’ top 30 prospects.

Braves Designate Luiz Gohara

By | at

The Braves have designated left-hander Luiz Gohara for assignment.

This isn’t much of a birthday present for Gohara, a former high-end prospect who turned 23 today. But health issues, including shoulder problems this year, have dogged Gohara. He hasn’t pitched at all this season, nor will he, having undergone arthroscopic shoulder surgery earlier this month.

When Gohara did take the mound from 2017-18, he totaled 49 major league innings with an unsightly 5.33 ERA. He did, however, log a far superior 3.47 FIP and post terrific strikeout and walk rates (9.0 K/9, 2.94 BB/9) during that span. Gohara spent the majority of last season at the Triple-A level, where he recorded a 4.94 ERA/4.45 FIP with 9.05 K/9 and 2.47 BB/9 in 54 2/3 frames.

Although he’s unavailable this year, it’s conceivable someone will take a chance on Gohara now that he’s in DFA limbo. After all, he’s young, controllable, optionable, and isn’t far removed from a run as a coveted prospect.

Braves Acquire Shane Greene

By | at

The Braves have acquired right-handed closer Shane Greene from the Tigers for left-hander Joey Wentz and outfielder Travis Demeritte, per an announcement from Atlanta.

Greene has posted excellent results this year, but as a reliever with waning control on a rebuilding team, he has looked like an obvious trade candidate throughout the campaign. The 30-year-old’s on a $4MM salary this season and comes with arbitration eligibility for another winter.

Through 38 innings in 2019, Greene has pitched to a measly 1.18 ERA, but that surely won’t hold. His 3.70 FIP, 3.80 xFIP and 3.45 SIERA are all a good distance away, while there’s also a sizable gap between the weighted on-base average Greene has allowed (.221) and his xwOBA (.282). But that’s not to say Greene can’t be a significant asset going forward. He still owns an excellent 10.18 K/9 against 2.84 BB/9, an easily above-average 53.8 percent groundball rate and a solid 14.3 percent infield fly rate.

Greene, who has 22 saves on 25 attempts this season, may take over as the Braves’ closer immediately. Luke Jackson has been serving in the role, though he has blown seven saves on 24 tries. Plus, while Jackson has done good work for most of the year, he has endured an awful stretch in which he has yielded seven earned runs in six appearances dating back to July 12. With Jackson struggling and the NL East-leading Braves lacking an abundance of dependable relievers aside from him, they’ve now reeled in Greene, former Rangers righty Chris Martin and ex-Giants righty Mark Melancon since Tuesday evening.

Wentz, 21, joined the Braves as a sixth-round pick in 2016. He entered the season as the Braves’ 11th-ranked prospect, according to FanGraphs’ Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen, who noted at the time injuries and inconsistency have held Wentz back. He has gotten his first taste of Double-A action this season and put up a 4.72 ERA/4.36 FIP with 8.74 K/9 and 3.93 BB/9 over 103 innings.

The 24-year-old Demeritte did not rank among FanGraphs’ top Braves prospects entering the season, but they noted then he possesses “easy plus power and is passable at multiple positions defensively.” Demeritte has since slashed an outstanding .286/.357/.558 with 20 home runs in 399 plate appearances in his Triple-A debut. A first-round pick (No. 30) of the Rangers in 2013, Demeritte became a Brave via trade in 2016. He’s now on the move again.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported a trade was close. Buster Olney of ESPN reported the Braves had acquired Greene. Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweeted Wentz’s involvement. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Braves To Acquire Mark Melancon

By | at

The Braves and Giants have struck an intriguing pact that’ll send veteran reliever Mark Melancon to Atlanta, according to Jeff Passan and Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Righties Tristan Beck and Dan Winkler are going to the Giants in the deal, Robert Murray of The Athletic tweets. Melancon has full no-trade rights, but consented to the swap.

Melancon is owed a hefty $14MM this year and next. Rather surprisingly, the Braves are taking on all the remaining salary owed Melancon, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link).

Melancon originally joined the San Francisco organization on a four-year, $62MM pact in advance of the 2017 campaign. That contract really hasn’t worked out for the Giants, as Melancon has dealt with injuries and hasn’t been nearly as effective as he was heading into free agency.

That said, he has been a solid pen piece over the past two years. Through 85 1/3 innings since the start of 2018, he carries a 3.38 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. Importantly, Melancon has held opposing hitters to just five home runs in that span; whether that suppression can be maintained will tell on his future. He owns a monster 61.4% groundball rate this year.

With Melancon and Shane Greene joining the Atlanta relief unit, the club is obviously betting on worm-burners over strikeouts. Both have ample experience closing out games, but neither really profiles as a high-end game finisher for a prime contender. Just how the late innings will be handled remains to be seen.

In Beck, the Giants get a young hurler who has shown a bit of swing-and-miss potential. It’s still early in the developmental process, but the 23-year-old has reached the High-A level already. In eight starts there this year, he carries a 5.65 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco club will see if it can help Winkler rediscovery the form he showed over the prior two seasons, when he emerged as a quality reliever after battling through a litany of injuries. The 29-year-old has stumbled to a 4.98 ERA and allowed five long balls in 21 2/3 frames this year, enduring drops in his strikeout and walk rates (9.1 and 4.6 per nine, respectively) but boosting his swinging-strike rate to 14.8%. Winkler struggled all the more at Triple-A, walking 18 to go with twenty punch-outs in 16 2/3 innings.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Braves To Acquire John Ryan Murphy

By | at

The Braves are set to acquire catcher John Ryan Murphy from the Diamondbacks in exchange for cash considerations, Robert Murray of The Athletic tweets.

It’s a pure depth move to safeguard against injuries to Brian McCann and Tyler Flowers down the stretch — and possibly to roster a third catcher in September. Murphy, 28, is regarded as a premium defensive catcher but has had scant success at the plate in the Majors. He was outrighted off Arizona’s 40-man roster earlier this season after hitting .177/.250/.419 in 69 plate appearances and is a career .219/.265/.357 hitter in 673 MLB trips to the plate.

Braves, Nats Pursuing Shane Greene

By | at

12:36pm: The Tigers are still insisting the Nats part with top prospect Carter Kieboom to move Greene, according to Morosi (Twitter link). It’s frankly difficult to imagine that asking price being met with the highly regarded Kieboom dominating Triple-A pitching at 21 years of age. That’s all the more true given that Kieboom could fit on the Nats’ 2020 roster (if not the late-2019 roster) in a variety of ways.

12:07pm: The Braves and Nationals are not just engaged in a key series at the moment. It seems they’re also each pushing for the same relief arms — in particular, Tigers righty Shane Greene.

The Atlanta and Washington organizations are “leaders in the clubhouse” to secure the services of Greene, according to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News (Twitter link). Talks between the Braves and Tigers have “intensified” recently, with Greene “the focus,” per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter).

Greene, 30, is earning a reasonable $4MM this year for the Tigers. That’s nothing for his 38 innings of 1.18 ERA ball and 22 saves, though rival organizations still need to assess whether that’s what they can expect moving forward from Greene, who’ll be eligible for arbitration a final time next year.

Clearly, nobody thinks he’ll be able to sustain that sort of pitching output. But there’s good reason to think that Greene is and will remain a quality late-inning piece. He’s carrying 10.2 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 with a 53.8% groundball rate, with an 11.1% swinging-strike rate that’s substantially better than his prior two seasons.

Braves Acquire Chris Martin

By | at

The Braves added a new arm to their late-inning relief mix in advance of tomorrow’s trade deadline, announcing the acquisition of right-hander Chris Martin from the Rangers on Tuesday evening. Atlanta will send left-hander Kolby Allard to Texas in return. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the trade shortly before the teams announced the swap (Twitter link).

Chris Martin | Chris Martin

Martin, 33, bounced around the league as a minor league journeyman for much of the decade before reinventing himself in a stint with Japan’s Nippon Ham Fighters. The towering, 6’8″ righty emerged as one of the best relievers in Japan and parlayed that success into an affordable two-year pact with the Rangers prior to the 2018 season.

After a so-so first season in Arlington, Martin has turned in a very strong 3.08 ERA with an eye-popping 43-to-4 K/BB ratio in 38 innings of work. That fourth walk issued by Martin came in his most recent appearance — his most recent one had come nearly three months prior.

While Martin will only finish the season with two-plus year of MLB service time, he’s nevertheless a pure rental for Atlanta. The two-year, $4MM contract Martin signed upon returning to MLB stipulated that he can become a free agent at the end of the deal, so the Braves are only acquiring him for the current stretch run (barring some type of extension).

Martin will join, if not anchor a late-inning mix that currently looks nothing like the Atlanta front office expected heading into the season. Luke Jackson has emerged as the club’s primary closer, while former starter Sean Newcomb has become one of manager Brian Snitker’s more reliable setup men. Atlanta already added Anthony Swarzak in a minor trade that has paid big dividends earlier this season, and Josh Tomlin is still on board as a long reliever after only joining the organization late in Spring Training.

Dealing Allard will no doubt come as a shock to many Braves fans as the southpaw was Atlanta’s first-round pick (14th overall) back in 2015 and has ranked among baseball’s top 100 prospects in three different offseasons. Allard had back surgery in 2015 but has been relatively healthy since that time. However, his prospect star has dimmed in recent years.

Scouting reports have long touted Allard’s fastball control, which allows a fastball with rather pedestrian velocity to play up a bit. But he’s regarded more as a potential back-of-the-rotation starter at this point than the midrotation arm Atlanta may have once hoped. Baseball America and Fangraphs both dropped Allard to 12th among Braves minor leaguers on their summer re-rankings of the club’s farm system. In 110 innings with Triple-A Gwinnett in 2019 — his second full season at that level — Allard has pitched to a 4.17 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.23 HR/9 and a 50 percent grounder rate.

It’s nevertheless a strong return for the Rangers to receive in exchange for two months of a rental reliever. The Texas farm system has been starved for upper-level pitching, and even if Allard indeed tops out as a fourth or fifth starter, that’s precisely the top of serviceable asset the Rangers haven’t been able to squeeze out of their own farm system in recent years. The lack of such assets is what prompted Texas to (unsuccessfully) attempt to patch together the back of its rotation with the combination of Shelby Miller, Drew Smyly and Edinson Volquez this winter. Allard will give the team a potential immediate rotation candidate in the event of a Mike Minor trade or another injury among current starters. He may only have been considered to be the Braves sixth- or seventh-best pitching prospect but will quickly become one of Texas’ top overall farmhands.

Latest On Yasiel Puig

By | at

7:05pm: There are “mixed opinions” in regards to Atlanta’s interest, per Heyman, who names the Indians and Rays as teams that seem to be eyeing Puig. He’s not the first right-handed slugger Cleveland and Tampa Bay have been connected to in recent days.

6:45pm: The Braves, known to be on the lookout for outfield help, have shown interest in the Reds’ Yasiel Puig, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

The outfield may not have been a significant concern for the Braves until they lost starting right fielder Nick Markakis to a fractured wrist over the weekend. Markakis will likely be on the shelf until sometime in September. In the meantime, the Braves will continue trying to maintain their lead in the National League East. They currently hold a 4 1/2-game advantage over the Nationals, who were 7 1/2 back just a couple weeks ago.

As things stand, the Markakis-less Braves have Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley, Ender Inciarte and Adam Duvall as their top four outfielders. Aside from the great Acuna, there’s no surefire producer in the bunch. The rookie Riley began his career with a flourish, but his numbers have plummeted as the season has progressed, and they’ve been especially woeful in July. Inciarte, normally a solid all-around player, has been rather poor at the plate this season. And though Duvall (acquired from the Reds last summer) was a 30-home run hitter twice in a row in Cincinnati from 2016-17, he was so subpar between Cincy and Atlanta in 2018 that it took Markakis’ injury for him to earn a call-up to the Braves’ roster this year.

Enter Puig? The Reds are reportedly open to dealing the ex-Dodger, whom they acquired in the offseason. Puig’s a pending free agent, so unless the out-of-contention Reds plan to extend or qualify him, it would make sense to trade the 28-year-old this week. The mercurial Puig got off to a terrible start this year as he began his Cincy tenure, but he has been far better over the past several weeks. In all, Puig owns a .254/.304/.478 line with 22 home runs and 13 steals (18 attempts) across 401 plate appearances. Meanwhile, Puig has continued to serve as an asset in right (3 Defensive Runs Saved, 0.7 Ultimate Zone Rating), per defensive metrics. He’s also reasonably priced, albeit not cheap, with a $9.7MM salary.

Closer Market Rumors: Diaz, Vazquez

By | at

The Mets have numerous top trade chips on the market right now, including marquee offseason acquisition Edwin Diaz. The talented young closer remains highly valuable despite his 4.95 ERA, though it’s likewise true that there’s little chance the Mets would be able to recoup what they gave up to get him over the winter. Beyond the fact that Diaz is now just months away from arbitration, the Mets simply paid a hefty fee for Diaz at the outset. In addition to parting with rising prospects Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn, the club took on $64MM in new salary (after netting out the cash and salaries exchanged).

While that’s a particularly painful price in retrospect, the New York organization must now think primarily about what it wants its roster and payroll to look like moving forward. The latest on Diaz and the rest of the closer market:

  • Despite Diaz’s struggles in the earned-run department, there’s “significant” demand for his services, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (subscription link). At present, the Dodgers, Rays, Braves, and Padres are teams with active interest. Several of those teams have been linked clearly to Diaz of late.
  • While Rosenthal had also listed the Red Sox, who were connected yesterday to Diaz by ESPN.com’s Buster Olney, it seems that possibility has already fizzed. That match “remains unlikely,” Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports on Twitter. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand adds Raisel Iglesias of the Reds and Shane Greene of the Tigers as other top relievers unlikely to end up in Boston. (Twitter link.) The Braves, on the other hand, do indeed still seem to be in pursuit of Diaz. Per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, via Twitter, the Mets have continued to examine the Atlanta farm. From the Braves’ side, it seems Diaz is the top target, with starters Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler of ongoing but lesser interest.
  • If there’s a clear alternative to Diaz, it’s ace Pirates reliever Felipe Vazquez. The high-octane lefty has hit another gear in 2019, with 14.1 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 to go with his shiny 1.87 ERA on the season. We’ve seen him connected recently to the Dodgers, but there’s no indication the sides have momentum. Indeed, Rosenthal adds (in the above-linked column) that the Bucs are putting such a high price on Vazquez that he “essentially is not available.” That may be a bargaining ploy to see if a rival comes forward with a monster offer, but it’s certainly understandable that the Pirates aren’t just putting Vazquez up for auction. Rosenthal cites anonymous front office opinion that the Pittsburgh roster doesn’t have enough to compete in the near-term to justify keeping an asset such as Vazquez. That may well be the case, but it doesn’t mean the club should sell him short — particularly after seeing what the M’s were able to pry from the Mets for Diaz last winter.

Zack Wheeler Rumors: Astros Increasingly Seen As Favorite

By | at

We just knighted Mets righty Zack Wheeler the top trade deadline candidate in baseball. The results haven’t been there in 2019, but he’s got a power arsenal and is earning less than $6MM on the season. With deadline pressure reaching a breaking point, there ought to be a ton of chatter on him over the next day and a half.

We’ll keep tabs on all the latest right here:

  • The Astros are “working hard” to land Wheeler, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (subscription link). Despite the Houston organization’s stated intention to consider controllable starters, it seems the club has fixed its sights on Wheeler. Andy Martino of SNY.tv tweets that one rival exec “fully expect[s]” the ’Stros to come away with the righty.
  • Other teams obviously will remain involved until a deal is struck. Last night, Martino cited the Braves, Brewers, Yankeees, Rays, and Athletics as teams with varying levels of ongoing involvement in the Wheeler market. (Twitter links.) That picture could certainly change rapidly, though it stands to reason that each of those clubs will at least want to have a good sense of the price tag as talks work towards a conclusion.
  • As they continue to hold discussions on fellow righty Noah Syndergaard, the Mets “still seem much more likely” to ship out Wheeler, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. Frankly, it’s hard to imagine a reasonable scenario where Wheeler isn’t dealt unless the offers are so low that the Mets would rather hang onto him and make him a qualifying offer at season’s end. That’s not a terrible back-up plan, but it makes much more sense to take the bird in hand at the deadline given the evident levels of interest. (As for the concept of a Wheeler extension, that seems far too speculative to drive the team’s deadline strategy.)
Show all

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

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top