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Minor MLB Transactions: 7/31/17

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Here’s a wrap-up of some recent minor league moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post.

  • Right-hander Al Alburquerque cleared waivers and elected to become a free agent, the Kansas City Star’s Rustin Dodd tweets.  The Royals designated Alburquerque for assignment last week and requested release waivers on him two days ago; Alburquerque was previously DFA’ed earlier this season, though that time he accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A.  The righty signed a minors deal with Kansas City last winter and has a 3.60 ERA, 8.1 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 over 10 innings out of the Royals bullpen.
  • Infielder Nick Franklin cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate, the team announced on Twitter.  Franklin was designated for assignment two days ago, and it was his third DFA of 2017 — he was designated by the Rays in April and then claimed by the Brewers, then designated by the Brewers and traded to the Angels in late June.  After posting above-average production in a part-time role with Tampa Bay last season, Franklin has been unable to get things going this year, with a combined .179/.269/.283 slash line over 119 PA with the Angels and Brewers.
  • The Diamondbacks released catcher Hank Conger, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports.  Conger signed a minor league deal with the Snakes last winter and has a .239/.316/.394 slash line over 206 PA at Triple-A Reno.
  • Also from Eddy, the Rockies released outfielder Domonic Brown.  Colorado signed Brown to a minors contract in the offseason.  Once considered one of baseball’s top prospects when coming up in the Phillies system, Brown was an All-Star in what looked like a breakout season in 2013, though badly struggled in his next two seasons and hasn’t since returned to the big leagues.  Brown did hit a decent .304/.327/.449 over 171 PA at the Triple-A level this season, though in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
  • Earlier this week, the Marlins announced that first baseman Chris Parmelee had been signed to a minor league deal.  Best known for his stint as a part-timer with the Twins from 2011-14, Parmelee appeared in just eight MLB games last season (with the Yankees) and has yet to reach the Show this season after being released from a minors contract with the A’s in June.
  • Catcher Eric Fryer elected to become a free agent last week, the Cardinals announced.  Fryer was designated for assignment on July 21 and had been outrighted to Triple-A before opting to hit the open market.  The light-hitting catcher has played in parts of seven seasons in the bigs, most recently serving as Yadier Molina’s backup in St. Louis.
  • The Rangers released veteran southpaw Wesley Wright earlier this month.  Wright posted a 4.16 ERA in 307 innings over eight big league seasons from 2008-15, though he hasn’t been back to the majors since, plus he’s struggled at the Triple-A level in the Texas and Boston organizations over the last two seasons.
  • Earlier this month, the Dodgers signed left-hander Tommy Layne to a minor league deal, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets.  Layne posted good numbers out of the Red Sox and Yankees bullpens in 2015-16, though his career-long struggles with control plagued him this year, as Layne posted a 7.62 ERA over 13 IP for New York, with eight walks against just nine strikeouts.

Royals Discussing J.A. Happ, Marco Estrada With Blue Jays

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The Royals have already made several additions, but they have engaged with the Blue Jays on a pair of starting pitching targets, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link). Kansas City is discussing both lefty J.A. Happ and righty Marco Estrada with Toronto, which just agreed to send southpaw Francisco Liriano to the Astros.

Happ, 34, is certainly enjoying more success at the moment among the two pitchers under consideration. He owns a 4.15 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 over his 78 frames on the year. Happ isn’t exactly cheap — he’s owed $13MM this year and next — but has been well worth the salary commitment for his production. That additional year of control, though, has led to prior suggestions that Toronto isn’t all that interested in moving him.

As for Estrada, he has been tied to the Royals for some time. While he’s punching out 9.6 batters per nine on strikes, the veteran has stumbled to a 5.43 ERA — though he has also been healthy, with 114 1/3 innings on his ledger. The pending free agent is playing on a $14.5MM salary this year, and the Jays would surely need to hold onto a decent chunk of what’s left (or add an underperforming contract in return) to make a deal.

Royals Acquire Melky Cabrera

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The Royals have acquired outfielder Melky Cabrera and cash from the White Sox in exchange for minor league righty A.J. Puckett and minor league lefty Andre Davis, the White Sox announced. Kansas City has designated minor league righty Andrew Edwards for assignment in a corresponding roster move, tweets MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that the White Sox are paying about half of the roughly $5.2MM that Cabrera is still owed on this year’s $15MM salary. Cabrera is a free agent at season’s end.

[Related: Updated Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox depth charts]

Melky Cabrera | Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Cabrera, 32, will return for his second stint with the Royals — though things are different in Kansas City this time around. Cabrera had a fine year in Royal Blue back in 2011, hitting .305/.339/.470 with 18 homers and 20 steals as a 26-year-old. However, the Royals finished out that season 20 games below .500 and finished fourth in the American League Central.

Now in his second Royals tenure, Cabrera joins the team not as an up and coming outfielder but as an established veteran that will be inserted into a potential playoff contender’s lineup. The switch-hitter has a strong .295/.336/.436 batting line through 428 plate appearances this season, and he’s been especially effective against left-handed pitching (.296/.327/.500). That was surely an area of focus for GM Dayton Moore with tomorrow’s non-waiver deadline approaching, as the Royals have posted a collective .250/.305/.415 — good for just an 87 wRC+ that ranks 20th in the Majors.

For the White Sox, the 22-year-old Puckett is the more highly regarded pickup in this deal. The Pepperdine product was selected with the 67th overall pick in the 2016 draft and ranks as the Royals’ No. 13 prospect, per Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. In 108 1/3 innings this season, Puckett has worked to a 3.90 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 48.9 percent ground-ball rate. Callis and Mayo note that Puckett is more about pitchability than power, with a 90-94 mph fastball and a plus changeup. Their report also pegs the 6’4″, 200-pound righty’s control at above-average, despite the 3.8 BB/9 rate that Puckett has turned in this season.

Davis, 23, was the Royals’ eighth-rounder in 2015 and has spent the season pitching against younger competition in Class-A Lexington. In 85 2/3 innings out of the rotation, he’s posted a 4.82 ERA with 9.1 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 43.9 percent grounder rate. He’s been exclusively a starter this season, but if that track doesn’t pan out, Davis’ numbers against lefties in Class-A are solid; he’s held same-handed opponents to a .216/.289/.352 batting line through 97 plate appearances in 2017.

Edwards, 25, has spent the bulk of the 2017 season with Kansas City’s Double-A affiliate in Northwest Arkansas. He’s punched out 34 hitters in 30 2/3 innings but has also struggled to a 7.92 ERA after allowing 45 hits and 14 walks in that same time frame.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/29/17

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.

  • The Royals have requested release waivers on righty Al Alburquerque, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan tweets. The Royals designated Alburquerque for assignment when they acquired Trevor Cahill, Brandon Maurer and Ryan Buchter from the Padres last week. The 31-year-old Alburquerque pitched ten innings for the Royals in 2017, allowing four runs while striking out nine and walking six. The hard-throwing, control-challenged righty has a 3.23 ERA, 10.9 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in 237 career innings spanning seven big-league seasons.
  • The Giants have signed 27-year-old righty Casey Kelly to a minor-league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Sacramento, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Kelly, a former first-round pick of the Red Sox, headed to the Padres with Anthony Rizzo in a 2010 trade for Adrian Gonzalez, then to the Padres five years later in a deal involving Christian Bethancourt. He signed with the Cubs last winter and posted a 4.65 ERA, 6.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 12 outings, including 11 starts, for Triple-A Iowa before being released last week. He’s struggled in brief big-league opportunities spanning three seasons with the Padres and Braves.
  • The Phillies have announced that they’ve selected the contract of righty Pedro Beato from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Beato will presumably take the roster spot vacated when the Phillies traded Howie Kendrick yesterday. Beato, 30, posted a 2.72 ERA, 7.0 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 46 1/3 innings of relief with Lehigh Valley. He’s pitched in the big leagues with the Mets, Red Sox and Braves, but hasn’t appeared in the Majors since 2014.

East Notes: Nationals, Wilson, Tulowitzki, Straily

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The Nationals are keenly interested in Tigers lefty Justin Wilson, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets. The rumors surrounding Wilson have been hot and heavy, with 11 teams connected to him yesterday alone, and Rosenthal notes that no team is close to completing a deal for Wilson and that there are around eight clubs still involved in the bidding. In Washington, Wilson would join an already lefty-heavy bullpen that currently features Enny Romero, Oliver Perez, Matt Grace, Sammy Solis and the newly acquired Sean Doolittle. Of course, he would be used in a late-inning role where handedness isn’t crucial. Wilson has a 2.75 ERA, 12.6 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings so far this season. Here are more quick notes from the NL.

  • The Blue Jays have placed shortstop Troy Tulowitzki on the 10-day disabled list and recalled the newly acquired Rob Refsnyder, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi tweets. The oft-injured Tulowitzki suffered an ankle injury yesterday and will have an MRI. With Tulowitzki on the shelf, some combination of Ryan Goins and Darwin Barney will likely handle shortstop duty, with Refsnyder perhaps playing a bit of second base. Tulowitzki is batting .249/.300/.378 in 260 plate appearances this season.
  • The Brewers, Royals, Rockies and Yankees all have interest in Marlins starter Dan Straily, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald writes (Twitter links). Yesterday, a report indicated that the Marlins had “taken [Straily] off the market,” although, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams noted, it would have been surprising if Straily truly were completely unavailable when the Marlins were reportedly recently initiating contact with other teams about him. At last check, the Marlins were hoping to land a terrific trade package for Straily, who’s in his second straight year as a productive starter, with a 3.84 ERA, 8.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 over 117 1/3 innings. He also has three years of control remaining after this one, potentially making him an interesting addition for a team like the Brewers or Yankees that has an eye on the future as well as the present.

Dodgers Acquire Luke Farrell From Royals

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The Dodgers announced on Friday that they’ve acquired right-hander Luke Farrell from the Royals in exchange for cash. Farrell was designated for assignment earlier this week when Kansas City acquired the trio of Trevor Cahill, Brandon Maurer and Ryan Buchter from the Padres. The Dodgers moved lefty Adam Liberatore to the 60-day disabled list to create space on the 40-man roster.

Farrell, 26, made his MLB debut with K.C. this season but was shelled for five runs on seven hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings. Unsightly as that spot start was, Farrell has produced some solid results with Triple-A Omaha in each of the past two seasons, working to a combined 3.92 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and roughly a 36 percent ground-ball rate. He comes from a good baseball family as well, given that his father, John, currently manages the Red Sox.

Farrell has never ranked among the Royals’ top echelon of prospects, though Fangraphs prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen did mention him when profiling the Royals’ farm system this offseason. Per Longenhagen, Farrell works 90-92 mph with his fastball and has an average cutter and fringe curveball.

Trade Rumblings: Lynn, Darvish, Strickland, Johnson, Cubs, Blevins

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Teams around the league are waiting for the Cardinals to give a clear indication that they intend to trade right-hander Lance Lynn, tweets ESPN’s Buster Olney. The impending free agent is among the most sought-after assets in a thin market for starting pitching, Olney adds. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests, though, that the Cardinals haven’t exactly made Lynn’s availability a secret. St. Louis is “in the process of generating a market and offers” for Lynn, according to Goold, though they’re also still trying to acquire a bat to put in the middle of their lineup. Goold speculates that once Sonny Gray is finally traded, other clubs may then pivot to the Redbirds and make their best offer for Lynn, who hasn’t had any substantive talks with Cardinals brass about an extension. The Yankees have interest in Lynn, per Goold, who also notes that the Dodgers and Indians have scouted St. Louis recently. MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweets that the Royals have also had recent talks with the Cardinals about Lynn.

More trade rumblings with the non-waiver deadline now less than 72 hours away…

  • Yu Darvish is still the Dodgers’ top target, but the team isn’t likely to surrender any of its “very top prospects” in order to pry him away from the Rangers, per Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. The Dodgers view Sonny Gray as a fallback option for Darvish, who is also drawing interest from the Yankees, Cubs and Astros, according to Heyman.
  • ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Giants are open to moving Hunter Strickland but feel that the vast number of relief options available on the trade market could prevent them from extracting max value. As such, San Francisco may simply elect to hold onto the 28-year-old with the intent of pairing him with Mark Melancon, a returning Will Smith and a seemingly rejuvenated Sam Dyson at the back of the bullpen in 2018. (On a somewhat related note, MLBTR recently ran down the trade market for right-handed relievers and for left-handed relievers.)
  • Also from Crasnick (Twitter link), the Braves are listening to offers for right-hander Jim Johnson, though they’re not actively trying to move the veteran, either. The 34-year-old is playing out the first season of a two-year, $10MM extension inked last October. He’s worked to a 4.10 ERA through 41 2/3 frames, albeit with a career-high 10.8 K/9 that has contributed to a more encouraging 3.21 SIERA mark. Johnson’s 50.5 percent ground-ball rate is the lowest of his career, though, and his 3.2 BB/9 represents his highest mark since a brutal 2014 season.
  • The Cubs have been oft-connected to Tigers catcher Alex Avila as they seek to acquire a more experienced backup option to young Willson Contreras, but MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that Avila is one of many names on the Cubs’ list. He’s not a priority for the Cubs, per Rosenthal, who adds that Chicago is seeking more of a defense-first upgrade. MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets that Chicago could be in on Marlins veteran A.J. Ellis as a possible option. Among the catchers that are likely to be available, Rene Rivera may well have the best defensive reputation.
  • Newsday’s Marc Carig tweets that teams have continued to call the Mets on the availability of left-hander Jerry Blevins, but GM Sandy Alderson and his staff aren’t keen on moving the 33-year-old. Blevins is viewed by the Mets as an important piece to the team’s 2018 plans, per Carig. Blevins is much more of a specialist than fellow southpaw trade candidates Justin Wilson and Brad Hand, having limited same-handed opponents to a putrid .173/.230/.185 batting line. Conversely, right-handed opponents have absolutely clobbered Blevins (.316/.469/.632) through 49 plate appearances. He’s earning $5.5MM i 2017 and has a $7MM club option for the 2018 campaign.

Heyman’s Latest: Royals, Lynn, Gray, Rockies, Brewers

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In his Inside Baseball column today, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag takes a look at some of the most important remaining trade deadline scenarios. He also runs down some news and notes from both the American League and National League. Among the highlights with relevance to the trade market:

  • The Royals remain on the hunt for rotation help even after netting Trevor Cahill, Heyman writes. (That much may be evidenced by their apparent talks for Francisco Liriano, which are reportedly progressing.) Heyman notes that Kansas City even called the Athletics on Sonny Gray and the Rangers on Yu Darvish, though the team was realistic about the fact that it doesn’t have much of a chance of outbidding the competition for either player.
  • If the Cardinals ultimately make Lance Lynn available, the Yankees would have interest in the right-hander, though Sonny Gray remains New York’s top target. Lynn is a free agent at season’s end, and as such wouldn’t help fill any of the upcoming voids in the Yankees’ rotation after the 2017 season.
  • The Braves have scouted Gray more than any team in the league, per Heyman, though they’re not currently believed to be the favorite to land him. Heyman notes that the money saved in the Jaime Garcia deal could help facilitate the acquisition of Gray, which is a suggestion that has been made in recent days. It seems worth bearing in mind, though, that Gray is only earning $3.575MM in 2017. Plus, any financial crunch the Braves had would only have been present due to the fact that the team acquired Garcia (and Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey) as stopgaps in the first place.
  • Starting pitching remains a target area for the Rockies after picking up Pat Neshek in a trade, and Colorado even considered Darvish as an option, though the Rockies are unsurprisingly on Darvish’s no-trade list. (That’s not a knock on the Rockies by any means, but I’d imagine that most pitchers, if given the opportunity, would want to safeguard themselves from being traded to pitch at Coors Field.)
  • Brewers owner Mark Attanasio is more willing to part with top prospects in order to land Sonny Gray than his front office is, according to Heyman. General manager David Stearns and his staff are reluctant to part with the club’s very top prospects, and Attanasio has been deferring to the preferences of his baseball operations staff. The Athletics are eyeing center field prospect Lewis Brinson, Heyman continues, but it seems that the Brewers’ front office isn’t keen on parting with that level of talent.
  • It’s been reported that the Mets are likely to hang onto lefty Jerry Blevins, and Heyman notes that GM Sandy Alderson’s rationale is that if he traded Blevins, he’d merely be looking to fill that void with a free agent in a market where most relievers will enter the offseason seeking three-year deals. (Of course, that logic could also be used to argue that Blevins’ value is all the higher, and the Mets managed to pick up Blevins on a one-year guarantee even though he reportedly sought three years himself early last offseason. Boone Logan, who also signed a one-year deal in Cleveland, was also reportedly seeking three at one point.)

Blue Jays, Royals “Making Progress” On Francisco Liriano Trade

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6:13pm: Among the clubs with at least some interest in Liriano are the Cubs, per Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network (via Twitter), who would view the lefty as a possible reliever.

2:32pm: Sherman tweets that the Jays and Royals had discussed both Liriano and Marco Estrada, but Liriano now looks to be their sole focus. Morosi tweets that other clubs have had interest in Liriano, though there’s no readily apparent indication that talks with other teams have produced any kind of traction.

2:14pm: The Jays and Royals are “making progress” on a deal involving Liriano, reports MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter).

2:03pm: Francisco Liriano has struggled mightily this season, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the lefty is still drawing some interest. Sherman adds that the Blue Jays “may be close to dealing him.” To this point, the Royals have been the one club that has been definitively connected to the 33-year-old Liriano.

Playing out the final season of a three-year, $39MM contract, Liriano has seen his strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates each trend in the wrong direction, and his ERA has correspondingly soared to an unpalatable 5.99. Liriano’s 8.2 K/9, 4.9 BB/9 and 43.1 percent grounder rate would all rank as his worst marks since a disastrous 2012 campaign split between the Twins and White Sox. The lefty reinvented himself upon signing with the Pirates in 2013 and had three strong seasons there before being dealt to Toronto last season at the halfway point of the free-agent deal he signed to return to the Bucs.

Liriano was outstanding for Toronto down the stretch in 2016, averaging 9.5 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 and a 52.2 percent ground-ball rate en route to a 2.92 ERA. Obviously, he’s been wholly unable to replicate that production in 2017. He’s still owed the balance of his $13MM salary in 2017 — a sum of about $4.69MM.

Yesterday, when profiling the trade market for left-handed relievers, I speculated that it’s at least plausible that some clubs would view Liriano as a relief option. Nearly all of his struggles this season have come against right-handed hitters (.289/.394/.512), as he’s limited opposing lefties to a putrid .241/.267/.379 batting line. Liriano has a 16-to-1 K/BB ratio against lefties in 2017 and has struck out nearly 27 percent of the left-handed hitters he’s faced. His heater is still averaging 92.6 mph as a starter, and one has to imagine that said velocity would tick upward if Liriano were to move to a short-relief role.

Then again, some clubs may simply look at the past success Liriano has had as a starting pitcher and think that a change of scenery could get him back on track. Consistency has long been a problem for Liriano in the Majors, but he’s often flashed stretches of brilliance when his mechanics are at their best. Considering his struggles in 2017, it wouldn’t cost an acquiring club much of anything (in terms of prospect value) to get its hands on Liriano and hope that he can again deliver some value, be it in a rotation or relief capacity.

Royals Discussing Francisco Liriano With Blue Jays

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The Royals are “in talks” with the Blue Jays on starter Francisco Liriano, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). Kansas City has been rumored to be looking at starters even after striking a deal to add Trevor Cahill from the Padres. The club may also have some interest in Jays righty Marco Estrada, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation notes on Twitter.

Liriano, a 33-year-old southpaw, has had a rocky season thus far, posting a 5.99 ERA over 76 2/3 innings over 17 starts. After providing good results late in 2016 upon arriving in Toronto, his longstanding walk problems have resurfaced as his swinging-strike rate has fallen to a career-low 9.7%. On the year, he has managed only 8.2 K/9 to go with 4.9 BB/9.

The Jays are surely interested in finding a taker for Liriano with the club sputtering in the standings. Doing so will undoubtedly require eating a significant portion of the remainder of his $13MM salary. As K.C. looks to find improvements without giving up much in the way of prospects or taking on huge additional payroll obligations, the pending free agent could represent something of a buy-low candidate; he might also conceivably pair well with Cahill if the team sees merit in the idea of piggybacking the two pitchers rather than dedicating a single rotation spot to either.

That said, it is unclear as yet whether the Royals will ultimately choose to go after Liriano. MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan hears (Twitter link) that Kansas City has watched his last two outings. But the southpaw’s “inconsistency has been concerning” to the Royals’ talent evaluators.

Inconsistency has indeed marked Liriano’s career. He was one of the game’s most productive hurlers from 2013 through 2015, when he turned in 510 innings of 3.26 ERA ball. But he has managed only a 5.11 mark in his 239 innings since. And this year, Liriano has made it through more than six innings only twice; he also spent time on the DL with shoulder inflammation.

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