Cardinals Rumors

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.”

Cardinals Place Stephen Piscotty On 10-Day DL

By charliewilmoth | July 15, 2017 at 3:54pm CDT

The Cardinals have announced that they’ve placed outfielder Stephen Piscotty on the 10-day DL with a right groin strain. To take his place on the active roster, they’ve recalled outfielder Magneuris Sierra from Double-A Springfield.

The move leaves the Cardinals conspicuously short in the outfield, having placed Randal Grichuk on the 10-day DL yesterday with a lower back strain. In place of those players, the Cardinals will lean on Jose Martinez and Sierra to flank Dexter Fowler and Tommy Pham in the Cards’ outfield.

Grichuk has struggled this season and Piscotty hasn’t been outstanding (.236/.348/.371), so the 28-year-old Martinez has out-hit both players in his first sustained bit of big-league action, with a .280/.321/.464 line over 135 plate appearances. The 21-year-old Sierra, though, might be over his head if given much playing time — he’s batted a good, but not excellent, .293/.326/.403 for Springfield and has limited experience above the Class A level. He did fare well in two brief big-league stints earlier this year. MLB.com rates him the Cardinals’ eighth-best prospect.

The Cardinals also have another strong outfield prospect in Harrison Bader who’s hit very well for Triple-A Memphis. Unlike Sierra, though, Bader isn’t currently on the club’s 40-man roster, which might be why the Cardinals promoted Sierra instead for a stint in the big leagues that might again be short.

NL Notes: Green, Webb, Brewers, Dodgers, Cardinals

By Steve Adams | July 13, 2017 at 9:54pm CDT

While there was no contract length reported at the time of his signing, Padres skipper Andy Green inked a three-year contract when he was named manager of the club, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Green’s deal also contains at least one club option, according to Heyman, who notes that despite the club’s poor record under Green, the team’s decision-makers like him very much. It’s not really fair to judge Green based on the Padres’ record anyhow, given the team’s aggressive rebuild.

A few more notes from around the Senior Circuit…

Brewers GM David Stearns chatted with Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel following his team’s acquisition of left-hander Tyler Webb from the Yankees earlier today. The 26-year-old Webb’s history of missing bats and limiting free passes in the minors were points in his favor for the Brewers, per Stearns, whose big league bullpen has had few left-handed options thus far in 2017. “He has three options remaining, which gives us flexibility over the next couple of years, and we think he has the ability to help us in the near term as well,” said Stearns. “We’ve been looking, in general, to improve our depth and potentially upgrade our relief pitching as a whole. Those guys, we’ve used them a lot, asked a lot out of them.” It’s clear that the Brewers do view Webb as a near-term piece, as well, given that Haudricourt also tweeted today that Webb will jump directly into the Major League bullpen tomorrow, with Michael Blazek being optioned to Triple-A.
Stearns also spoke with MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand in the wake of the division-rival Cubs’ blockbuster acquisition of Jose Quintana. Asked if the Brewers felt any pressure to quickly “respond” to the trade by swinging a deal of his own, Stearns suggested that he wouldn’t act so rashly. “I think that can be a little bit dangerous,” the GM explained. “We have to make moves that make the most sense for our franchise, and that’s regardless of what a particular rival or another team in our division is doing. … Obviously we’re going to continue to look at the market and see if there’s a fit for us down the road.” Stearns didn’t expressly rule out making a significant addition of his own, though his further comments to Feinsand cast some doubt on how willing he would be to part with his top tier of prospects.
Dodgers president Andrew Friedman somewhat downplayed his club’s need to make a move, writes Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times, but McCullough reports that they’re expected to be on the hunt for bullpen upgrades. “[W]e’re a lot more selective than we’ve been in the past,” Friedman said. “Part of that speaks to our organizational talent level, at this point, as well as the depth behind it. But also, the culture that has been created among this group of players — it’s something that’s special. I can’t really see us messing with that, short of doing something that makes an incredible amount of sense to us.” The Dodgers do indeed have interest in Zach Britton, per McCullough, though it’s not clear that the Orioles will make him available. McCullough also adds that the club could take a look at right-hander Walker Buehler in a relief capacity later this season. The 2015 first-rounder has dominated through 10 Double-A starts thus far, but it stands to reason that the Dodgers will want to manage his workload eventually.
The Cardinals are in an uncertain position with the trade deadline looming, and president of baseball ops John Mozeliak tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he’ll have a very open-minded approach at the deadline. “The nuances of trying to determine how we think about improvement between now and July 31st still seems a bit unclear because of our inconsistencies,” said the recently promoted Mozeliak. “…“The point is over the next (18) days we have to be open-minded and really be willing to explore anything that we can put on the table.” Goold writes that while the Cards have a desire to bolster this roster — specifically, by adding a middle-of-the-order bat and/or a shortstop — it’s also possible that they could at the same time sell off some short-term assets like Lance Lynn.

Trade Chatter: Rangers, Rockies, Ramos, Mariners, Alonso, Cards

By Steve Adams | July 12, 2017 at 2:17pm CDT

With 19 days until the non-waiver trade deadline, the Rangers are telling other clubs that they plan to hold, at the very least, and may yet act as buyers on the trade market, Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). The Rangers, of course, are all but finished in the American League West as the Astros run away with the division. However, despite a 43-45 record, Texas is just three games back in the American League Wild Card race. Morosi notes that the defending AL West champs open the season’s second half with a 10-game road trip that will likely prove pivotal in the Rangers’ determination of a course of action prior to the deadline.

More trade talk from around the game…

The Rockies are eyeing relief help as the deadline approaches, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes in his latest mailbag column. One name that Saunders has heard connected to the Rox is Marlins closer AJ Ramos. The Miami Herald’s Clark Spencer reported recently that the Fish are scouting a number of rival farm systems in preparation to trade some veteran assets before the deadline, specifically naming the Rockies as a system of interest. It seems unlikely that Ramos would usurp Greg Holland as manager Bud Black’s closer, but he’d give the Rox an arm with huge strikeout potential that can be controlled through next season. And, with Holland all but certain to turn down his player option (barring an injury), Ramos would give the Rockies an option in the ninth inning in 2018. Ramos is earning $6.55MM this year and is controllable for one more season via arbitration.
Morosi also reports that the Mariners would like to add some pitching at this year’s trade deadline, but they’re not keen on adding any rentals (Twitter links). Seattle finished the first half poorly, and the notion of sacrificing prospects for a two-month rental and a chance at a one-game playoff is off-putting to the majority of teams around the league. Even if the Mariners’ slide continues, Morosi adds that the team has no plans to move slugger Nelson Cruz, who even at 37 years of age continues to be among the game’s most productive bats. Cruz is hitting .292/.372/.520 and is earning $14.25MM this year and next — the final two seasons of a four-year, $57MM pact inked prior to the 2015 campaign.
The Athletics have made it known to other teams that first baseman Yonder Alonso is available in trades “right now,” writes ESPN’s Buster Olney. Alonso’s availability isn’t exactly a new development, as he’s been among the most oft-speculated and reported trade candidates for most of the season’s first half. However, the A’s and Alonso’s camp were also said to be exploring talk of a possible extension. While Olney doesn’t mention the extension possibility one way or another, his newest report certainly doesn’t do much to inspire confidence that the two sides will agree to a deal. In addition to the oft-suggested Yankees fit, Olney speculatively lists the Royals as a possibility.
The Cardinals are still looking into adding a middle-of-the-order bat and will continue to do so up through the deadline, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote in a recent chat with readers. The Cards expect that type of pursuit to perhaps run right up to the deadline, however. Goold notes that he’s been told recently that St. Louis isn’t keen on adding rental bats (e.g. J.D. Martinez) but could rethink that mentality and take a late shot at a rental if their pursuits of longer-term assets don’t prove fruitful over the next couple of weeks.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/10/17

By Jeff Todd | July 10, 2017 at 7:58pm CDT

Here are the latest minor moves from around the game:

The Yankees have released first baseman Chris Carter, per the MLB.com transactions page. While Carter accepted one outright assignment from the club previously, with the Yankees calling him back up shortly thereafter, he’ll return to free agency this time around. Despite his struggles — a .201/.284/.370 slash over 208 plate appearances on the season — there ought to be a fair bit of interest in the 30-year-old. After all, Carter mashed 41 long balls last year and carried a .221/.318/.474 batting line over the five prior seasons. For organizations interested in getting ahold of some righty pop off the bench, Carter ought to hold appeal — particularly since the Yankees are paying his $3.5MM salary.
The Dodgers have acquired outfielder Todd Cunningham from the Cardinals, also per the transactions page. Cunningham, a 28-year-old switch-hitter, has seen brief MLB action in three seasons but has spent the bulk of his time at Triple-A in recent years. Since joining the Cards as a minor-league deal over the winter, he has slashed .270/.401/.400 with as many walks as strikeouts (37 apiece) over 286 plate appearances at Triple-A Memphis.

AL Notes: Quintana, Royals, Vargas, Rays

By Connor Byrne | July 9, 2017 at 12:02pm CDT

Scouts from the Yankees, Orioles, Royals, Angels, Blue Jays and Cardinals were in Colorado watching White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana pitch on Saturday, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Some of those teams likely don’t have the prospect capital to assemble a package for the on-the-block Quintana, so observing his outing may have been due diligence in certain cases (or those clubs could’ve been on hand to scout other players). Regardless, Quintana didn’t disappoint, striking out 10 over 5 1/3 innings, after which he indicated that his preference is to remain with the White Sox. At the same time, Quintana acknowledged that the decision is up to team brass. “Absolutely. I want to stay here,” he said.“But they know what’s the best for us, so I just try to do my job and that’s it.”

East Notes: Braves, Walker, Bird, Holliday, Headley, Jays

By Jeff Todd | July 5, 2017 at 2:17pm CDT

As the Braves continue to hover around .500, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution looks at their approach to the coming trade deadline. Atlanta has played well of late and is now welcoming back slugger Freddie Freeman, which perhaps gives some cause for optimism. While a postseason berth still seems a tall task, the club may well choose to avoid a sell-off after entering the year with the stated aim of being more competitive. O’Brien explores some ways in which the team might deal a few veterans while still sustaining (or even improving) the quality of the current roster — in particular, by looking into trades for controllable starting pitching.

Here’s more from the eastern divisions:

The Mets are seeing some progress from second baseman Neil Walker. Per James Wagner of the New York Times, via Twitter, Walker is taking balls at second base today as he begins to work back from a significant hamstring injury. It still seems unlikely he’ll be ready to return before the trade deadline, though his large salary makes him quite a plausible August trade piece as well.
It seems there’s still quite a bit of uncertainty surrounding Yankees first baseman Greg Bird. As Bryan Hoch of MLB.com writes, GM Brian Cashman says that Bird’s longstanding ankle issue could end up requiring exploratory surgery. That possibility is just that at present, however, as Bird himself suggests that he’s in no rush to go under the knife. Cashman noted that the organization is doing everything it can to determine the cause of the ongoing pain Bird is experiencing. Given his questionable status, among other factors, the team seems to have a rather obvious deadline needs at first base.
Veteran Matt Holliday could conceivably contribute at first base, at least on a part-time basis, but he too is on the DL. There’s good news on that front, as Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network reports on Twitter. Holliday tells her that he finally received a diagnosis for his illness — it’s viral in nature — and is now feeling better.
Whatever happens at first, the Yankees do not seem presently inclined to make drastic changes across the diamond, as MLB.com’s Matthew Martell writes. “Who do you want me to play there?” Cashman said when pressed about the status of third baseman Chase Headley. “Headley’s our third baseman. Sorry you don’t like it.” There’s probably still room for the team to consider alternatives in the trade market, of course, though a significant upgrade may be tough to find. Headley owns a serviceable .255/.347/.373 batting line, right in line with his work since landing in New York, and has generally rated as a steady enough defender. He’s also owed $13MM this year and next.
While Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said yesterday that he still wants to improve the team’s roster in the near-term, Jon Morosi of MLB.com writes that “multiple executives around the Major Leagues” think the Jays will end up selling. A few deals involving pending free agents wouldn’t be a surprise, of course, but Morosi suggests there’s potential for more significant pieces changing hands — though it’s not clear from the report whether any sources from within the Toronto organization view that as a real possibility. The Cardinals have internal interest in star Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson, per the report, though that hasn’t resulted in any trade talks to this point. Surely, plenty of other teams feel the same way about Donaldson and other core Jays performers. If Shapiro is to be taken at this word, a true rebuild isn’t really under consideration, though perhaps some lateral moves for younger or more controllable players could still be entertained.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/4/17

By Mark Polishuk | July 4, 2017 at 10:05am CDT

Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…

The Nationals signed infielder Ryan Jackson to a minor league contract. Jackson appeared in 42 Major League games with the Cardinals and Angels between 2012-15 and has since bounced around with a few different organizations. This is Jackson’s third minors deal of 2017 alone, as he previously inked deals with the Marlins and Mariners (plus a stint with the independent Sugar Land Skeeters). Jackson is a career .269/.344/.354 hitter over 3336 minor league plate appearances, and he’ll provide more minor league infield depth for Washington in the wake of Trea Turner’s injury.
The Cardinals recalled right-hander Luke Weaver from Triple-A yesterday, and Weaver made his season debut for St. Louis with a scoreless inning in last night’s victory over the Marlins. Weaver, ranked by Baseball America as the second-best prospect in the Cards’ system and as the 50th-best prospect in the game, made his big league debut in 2016, posting a 5.70 ERA over 36 1/3 IP. Weaver owns a 1.93 ERA and sterling peripherals over 56 Triple-A innings this season as a starter, though Cardinals manager Mike Matheny told MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch and other media that Weaver will be used in a variety of bullpen roles with the major league club.
The Rays outrighted Danny Farquhar to Triple-A, less than a week after designating the right-hander for assignment. Farquhar has a 4.11 ERA, 8.5 K/9 and 1.5 K/BB rate over 35 relief innings for Tampa Bay this year, numbers that could’ve made him a candidate to be claimed off waivers during his DFA period, though he’ll remain in the Rays organization.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/2/17

By Mark Polishuk | July 2, 2017 at 6:40pm CDT

Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…

The Braves have released outfielder Sanders Commings, tweets Robert Murray of FanRag. Commings joined the Braves for a $100K bonus in February, which came after a short career in the NFL as a defensive back with the Kansas City Chiefs. A fifth-round pick out of Georgia in 2013, Commings saw action in two games that year. Those proved to be Commings’ only NFL appearances, as he broke his ankle during training camp in 2014 and was waived with an injury settlement a year later. Commings played high school baseball before turning to football, and he was so promising that the Diamondbacks drafted him in 2008 (in the 37th round). In his return to baseball this year, Commings, 27, has played at the rookie level and hit .154/.267/.231 in a meager sample size (15 PA).
The Reds purchased the contract of right-hander Asher Wojciechowski, as per a team announcement. In corresponding moves, Brandon Finnegan was moved to the 60-day DL and righty Jackson Stephens was optioned to Triple-A. This is Wojciechowski’s second stint with the big league team this season, having been DFA’ed and outrighted off Cincinnati’s roster last month. Wojciechowski posted a 6.75 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 4.5 K/BB rate over 21 1/3 IP, and he allowed six homers over that brief stay in the majors.
The Cardinals acquired outfielder Lane Thomas from the Blue Jays in exchange for international bonus pool money, as announced by the Cards’ Twitter feed. Thomas, 21, was a fifth-round pick for Toronto in 2014 who has a .242/.321/.379 slash line over 1109 career PA, none above the high-A level. The Jays entered the July 2 int’l signing period with $4.75MM bonus pool and they have already reportedly spent $2.15MM of that total on two notable prospects.

Red Sox Acquire International Bonus Money In Trades With Reds, Cardinals

By Mark Polishuk | July 2, 2017 at 5:48pm CDT

5:48pm: The Reds sent $2.75MM in spending room to the Red Sox, tweets Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

10:33am: The Red Sox have acquired international bonus pool space from the Reds in exchange for minor league first baseman Nick Longhi, as per a Sox press release. In a separate deal, Boston also acquired more pool space from the Cardinals in exchange for minor league infielders Imeldo Diaz and Stanley Espinal. Specific financial terms weren’t announced for either trade.

The Sox made a big splash as the 2017-18 international signing period opened this morning, agreeing to deals with highly-touted prospects Daniel Flores, Danny Diaz and Antoni Flores for a combined $6.1MM in bonuses. Since the Red Sox had only $4.75MM available to spend in their draft pool, some trading was necessary to bring in the extra funds for these youngsters, as well as any other less-splashy international signings the Sox may make. Teams are allowed to acquire as much as 75 percent of their original draft pool, which works out to $3,562,500 in Boston’s case.

Longhi was rated as Boston’s 14th-best minor leaguer by the 2017 Baseball America Prospect Handbook, which described Longhi as “one of the best pure hitters in the Red Sox system” despite a lack of power. Longhi has six of his 16 career homers as a professional this season at Double-A, with a .262/.306/.401 overall batting line in 252 PA. The 21-year-old was originally a 30th-round pick for the Sox in the 2013 amateur draft.

Both Espinal and Diaz have appeared in just seven games each this season, all for Boston’s low A-ball affiliate in Lowell. Espinal, a 20-year-old third baseman out of the Dominican Republic, has a .682 OPS over 577 pro plate appearances. The 19-year-old Diaz also hasn’t shown much at the plate in his brief career, hitting .222/.279/.258 over 522 PA.

The Cardinals had $5.75MM and the Reds $5.25MM in available pool money for this July 2 class, though both teams are under the $300K limit since both exceeded their bonus pools in the 2016-17 signing period. It stands to reason that St. Louis and Cincinnati felt comfortable dealing their pool money since they didn’t plan on using all of it given their limited signing capabilities. It wouldn’t be a surprise if other teams facing the $300K penalty (the Astros, A’s, Cubs, Padres, Royals, Braves, Giants, Dodgers and Nationals) also deal some from their bonus pool funds in the coming weeks and months.

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