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Latest On Jose Berrios

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The Twins are discussing Jose Berrios with multiple teams including the Padres and Dodgers, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB Network.  According to SNY’s Andy Martino, the Mets are not one of those other clubs at this time.

Berrios, 27, figures to be wildly popular on the trade market since he’s under team control for 2022 as an arbitration eligible player.  He ranks ninth in MLB with 121 2/3 innings, sporting a 3.48 ERA, 25.7 K%, and 6.5 BB%.  Berrios appears to have little interest in giving the Twins a discount on an extension, so naturally the team is listening to potential trade offers.  Dan Hayes of The Athletic wrote this month, “Early indications are the Twins asked another team that inquired about Berríos for a pre-arb player and two top-100 prospects.”  Speaking of top 100 prospects, Baseball America just updated their list.

In an earlier tweet, Morosi suggested the Yankees, Red Sox, Giants, Dodgers, Padres, Astros, and Phillies “are active in the starting pitching market now.”  But it’s difficult to name any contender that couldn’t push aside their worst starting pitcher for Berrios.

AL Central Notes: Duffy, Dodgers, Ramirez, Twins

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The Dodgers have interest in injured Royals southpaw Danny Duffy, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports (via Twitter).  This completes the trio of NL West contenders looking at Duffy, since the Padres and Giants have also been linked to the veteran left-hander.  San Francisco is known to be interested despite Duffy’s injury, and it can be assumed that the Dodgers are in the same position, considering that Duffy has been on the 10-day injured list for five days now.

Duffy is out of action with his second left flexor strain of the season, so he might not be available until at least early September, based on the timeline of his last IL visit.  Since the NL West teams currently have a big lead on the rest of the National League for the two wild card positions, the Dodgers can be reasonably comfortable of reaching the postseason in one form or another, so Duffy could be saved as a late-season reinforcement.  While it can certainly be argued that Los Angeles should spend its prospect capital on a healthy pitcher, the Royals’ asking price for Duffy probably isn’t very high, considering his injured status.  Duffy controls his trade destiny thanks to 10-and-5 rights, and the California native might be willing to waive those rights to join a team in his home state.  (If this is the case, the Angels and Athletics would also seem like hypothetical fits for a Duffy trade.)

More from the AL Central…

  • It remains to be seen if the Indians will be buyers, sellers, or a bit of both at the trade deadline, but there don’t appear to be any plans to move Jose Ramirez.  MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (Twitter link) reports that Cleveland isn’t having “active talks” about a Ramirez deal with any rival team, which perhaps isn’t surprising considering the big-picture ramifications of such a trade.  Moving a star player with such an affordable contract would seemingly indicate a turn towards a rebuild for the Tribe, who haven’t given any indication they’re not planning to contend again in 2022.  Unsurprisingly, “the asking price is extremely high” for Ramirez, Morosi writes.
  • The Twins are considering all options as the trade deadline approaches, including the possibility of including two or more players together in a single trade.  In an interview on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM earlier today, Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey told Jon Morosi and company that such a package deal is “something we have talked about.”  Possibilities abound for such trades, though since the Twins are reportedly not keen to move players controlled beyond 2021, however, I would think a package deal might be more suited as a way of generating a greater return for rental players.  Someone like Andrelton Simmons or Michael Pineda alone might not bring back much in the way of prospects, but putting the two veterans into one deal might get a team to budge on a slightly higher-tier minor leaguer.  Conversely, the Twins could also look into packaging a rental player with someone with more control (i.e. Byron Buxton or Taylor Rogers).

Dodgers Place Mookie Betts On 10-Day Injured List

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Mookie Betts has been placed on the Dodgers’ 10-day injured list due to right hip inflammation, the team announced.  In the corresponding move, right-hander Jimmy Nelson was activated from his own 10-day IL stint to take Betts’ spot on the active roster.

There was no mention made of a retroactive placement date, which is somewhat curious since Betts hasn’t played since July 19.  Teams are allowed up to three days of back-dating on IL placements, so Betts would have been eligible to return to action in a week’s time.  Instead, the star outfielder is now set to miss 10 full days beginning today.

Manager Dave Roberts said last week that Betts was dealing with multiple “nagging” injuries beyond just his hip, so it could be that this 10-day break might be necessary to get Betts fully healed up and ready for the stretch drive.  Betts has also missed a couple of games this year with such maladies as a sore shoulder and a sore back, though this represents his first actual IL placement since a minimal 10-day stint in 2018.

After a slow start to the season by his standards, Betts is now back producing at his usual superstar level.  The outfielder has 14 home runs and a .270/.374/.502 slash line in 374 plate appearances, and his absence will create another notable gap in the L.A. lineup.  Corey Seager and Gavin Lux are also on the injured list, and while Cody Bellinger is dealing with a balky hamstring.  Pitching is thought to be the Dodgers’ primary focus at the trade deadline, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the club added another bat to the bench.

Nelson’s return will provide some reinforcement to the bullpen, as the righty missed a little over two weeks due to a back strain.  Nelson had another 10-day IL trip earlier this year, but health aside, it has been a very successful comeback year.  After missing the entire 2020 season due to back surgery, Nelson has become a full-time relief pitcher and delivered a 2.00 ERA and 41 strikeouts over 27 innings.

Rays Claim Jake Reed Off Waivers From Dodgers, Place Collin McHugh On 10-Day Injured List

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The Rays have claimed right-hander Jake Reed off waivers from the Dodgers, per the team. Reed’s time with the Dodgers was short, but memorable. He began the year in the Angels’ minor league system, but he was released on June 2. He signed with the Dodgers two days later and made his Major League debut with the Dodgers little more than a month later.

The Tucson native appeared in six games from July 6-18, starting one as an opener. He tossed 5 1/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five. He will head to Triple-A to join the Durham Bulls.

Earlier today, the Rays placed Collin McHugh on the 10-day injured list with arm fatigue, replacing him on the active roster with Ryan Sherriff, who joined the taxi squad yesterday, per the team.

In his first action since leaving the Astros after 2019, McHugh has been a tremendous swingman for the Rays. He’s logged 41 2/3 innings in 23 appearances (including four starts) with a 1.51 ERA/1.36 FIP, good for a chunky 1.5 fWAR. The 34-year-old allows his share of fly balls with just a 40.0 percent groundball rate, but his strikeout and walk numbers are sterling. McHugh has a 36.6 percent strikeout rate and a 5.0 percent walk rate.

NL West Injury Notes: Weathers, Bellinger, Betts, Kershaw, Belt, Crawford, Kelly

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Padres left-hander Ryan Weathers was activated off the 10-day injured list earlier today, and he marked the occasion with four shutout innings and his first career home run in San Diego’s 3-2 loss to the Marlins.  Weathers had to be helped off the field after suffering what looked like an ugly leg injury on July 11, though he ended up only fracturing a small bone in his right ankle.  He looked none the worse for wear today, which is a nice boost to a Padres team that has battled through multiple pitching injuries and might yet look to add more arms by the trade deadline.

More injury updates from around the NL West…

  • Cody Bellinger is day-to-day after leaving Friday’s game due to hamstring tightness, though Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told The Los Angeles Times’ Jeff Miller and other reporters that Bellinger was on the field working out prior to today’s game.  When he does return, Bellinger might be utilized at first base in order to reduce his running, Roberts said.
  • Roberts also had more updates on other injured Dodgers stars, including Mookie Betts’ continuing right hip problems.  Betts received a cortisone shot and the plan is for the outfielder to play on Tuesday when the Dodgers begin a series with the Giants.  Betts hasn’t played since July 19 and hasn’t started a game since July 17.  Clayton Kershaw (placed on the 10-day IL with forearm inflammation on July 7) threw a bullpen session today and is slated for a simulated game on Tuesday.
  • Brandon Belt may be close to a rehab assignment, as the Giants first baseman ran the bases today as he continues to work his way back from knee inflammation.  Belt told reporters (including John Shea of The San Francisco Chronicle) that he feels “way better than I thought I was going to feel at this point,” considering that there was some consideration of knee surgery when he initially hurt his knee almost exactly one month ago.  Belt intends to wear a protective sleeve over his knee when he returns to the field.
  • In other positive injury recovery news for the Giants, Brandon Crawford began baseball activity today.  Crawford was placed on the 10-day IL with what was considered to be a minor left oblique strain on July 19, and it looks like Crawford will indeed only be out of action for a minimal amount of time.
  • Diamondbacks catcher Carson Kelly will began a rehab assignment on Thursday and will move to High-A Hillsboro on Sunday, MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert tweets.  A fractured wrist sent Kelly to the injured list on June 20, interrupting an outstanding season for the 27-year-old backstop.  Kelly has hit .260/.385/.460 with eight home runs over 187 plate appearances.

Dodgers Recall Brusdar Graterol, Place Max Muncy On Paternity Leave

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The Dodgers made a number of expected roster moves this evening, namely placing Max Muncy on paternity leave and recalling right-hander Brusdar Graterol to take his roster spot, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).

Muncy shouldn’t be away for overlong, which is a good thing given the monster season he’s having thus far. The All-Star has posted 4.7 rWAR with a triple slash line of .273/.413/.565 over 351 plate appearances. He continues to be, if not the most recognizable Dodger star, one of their most efficient performers.

As for Graterol, things have not gone as smoothly since joining the Dodgers as part of the Mookie Betts’ deal. He was reportedly out of shape upon arriving to spring training, and he has yet to contribute much in the way of positive value this season. Still, with the Dodgers looking outside the organization for bullpen help, the 22-year-old former top prospect might represent the best hope for internal improvement.

Otherwise, southpaw Darien Nunez was also recalled, while Garrett Cleavinger was optioned to Triple-A. Nunez has been solid in Triple-A, posting a 2.70 ERA through 16 appearances covering 30 innings. He has four outings with the big-league club, tossing six innings and giving up four earned runs on five hits, including two long balls.

Cleavinger, meanwhile, has been a big part of manager Dave Roberts’ bullpen. The 27-year-old swingman has made 20 appearances (including one start) and tossed 17 innings with an impressive 2.12 ERA. He hasn’t been used that much of late, however, with just one total inning dating back to July 11th. Heading back to Triple-A for a spell should give him the opportunity to get some work in.

Dodgers Considering Ian Kennedy

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The Dodgers are interested in acquiring Ian Kennedy, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

This isn’t terribly surprising news, as every contending team is always interested in improving their pitching arsenal as the trade deadline approaches. What is surprising is that the Dodgers find themselves three games behind the Giants in the NL West, a team that few picked as division favorites at the start of the season. And that divisional alignment is at least somewhat attributable to the fact that the Dodgers have lost to the Giants by blowing ninth-inning leads the past two nights.

Overall, the bullpen hasn’t been a glaring weakness for the club this year. The Dodgers’ relievers, as a whole, have an ERA of 3.73, the 10th best in the Majors. But they’ve also taken some hits lately, with Jimmy Nelson and Scott Alexander heading to the Injured List. David Price has also had to move from the bullpen to the rotation, in order to cover for the recent injury to Clayton Kershaw.

For Kennedy, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that he will be changing jerseys in the coming week. He is a free agent at year’s end and is currently playing for a Rangers team that is 35-62, behind every team in the American League except the Orioles. Thus far, he’s pitched 31 1/3 innings for Texas, accumulating 15 saves with an ERA of 2.59. Advanced metrics are somewhat skeptical, with xERA, FIP and xFIP pegging him at 3.40, 3.80 and 3.88, respectively. But he has excellent strikeout and walk rates of 26.8% and 5.7%.

Kenley Jansen has been the Dodgers closer for a decade now, and will probably continue in that role. But there are reasons for pessimism in his profile this year. Despite 21 saves, an ERA of 3.05 and a strikeout rate of 27.2%, Jansen has a ghastly walk rate of 16%, more than double his career rate. That’s probably why some advanced metrics think his ERA is a mirage, with xFIP placing him at 4.79 and SIERA at 4.56.

It’s possible this is just small sample noise, since we’re only talking about 38 1/3 innings and Jansen’s Statcast profile still looks quite healthy. But since Jansen is in the last year of his contract and will be 34 years old by season’s end, the Dodgers don’t have to be invested in Jansen for the long term and could certainly pivot to an alternative such as Kennedy if they felt they had to.

On the money side, Kennedy’s is playing on a salary of $2.15MM this year, leaving less than a million still to be paid out. The Dodgers don’t have to worry about tiptoeing under the luxury tax, since they’ve already blown past the top threshold of $250MM. (Roster Resource currently has their luxury tax calculation at $262MM.) But that means that they’re paying a whopping 62.5% tax on any additional salary they take on, which could make a modest contract like Kennedy’s more appealing than a costlier addition such as Craig Kimbrel, who is still owed over $6MM of his $16MM salary this year.

Dodgers Acquire Billy McKinney From Mets

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The Dodgers announced they’ve acquired outfielder Billy McKinney from the Mets for outfield prospect Carlos Rincon. New York had designated McKinney for assignment earlier in the week. To create space on the roster, Los Angeles designated reliever Jake Reed for assignment.

McKinney has already suited up for the Brewers and Mets this season. Between the two clubs, he’s compiled a .213/.282/.415 line with eight home runs across 202 plate appearances. That’s more or less a match for the left-handed hitter’s career .225/.288/.430 line in parts of four seasons.

The 26-year-old strikes out a bit more than average and doesn’t draw many walks — thus the low on-base percentage — but he has a fair amount of power. Over 613 MLB plate appearances (roughly one full season), McKinney has popped 26 home runs. He owns a .205 ISO (slugging minus batting average) that checks in a fair bit north of the .163 league average.

McKinney is out of minor league options. The Dodgers will have to keep him on the active roster or again make him available to other clubs. He’ll add a lefty bat to the corner outfield/bench mix and could pick up some playing time against right-handers when L.A. rests A.J. Pollock. Pollock’s having a second straight very strong season, but he’s had his share of injury issues in the past.

The Dodgers selected Reed two weeks ago, positioning the righty to log his first big league action. Reed has since tossed 5 1/3 innings of three-run ball, striking out five while issuing a pair of walks. The former Twins’ prospect has a 5.57 ERA across 21 innings in Triple-A this year, split between the Angels’ and Dodgers’ top affiliates. To Reed’s credit, he’s been much better since joining the Dodgers organization and his minor league strikeout and walk rates (29.5% and 7.4%, respectively) have been impressive.

Los Angeles will have a week to trade Reed or expose him to waivers. Between his recent success and three remaining minor league option years, it’s possible another club adds him via a minor transaction.

In exchange for McKinney, the Mets add Rincon to the farm system. The 23-year-old corner outfielder has spent the year with Double-A Tulsa, hitting .263/.343/.470 with 12 home runs across 265 plate appearances despite playing in a pitcher-friendly league. Rincon has big raw power but scouts have expressed trepidation about his approach at the plate and lack of defensive value as a corner player.

Dodgers Designate Andy Burns For Assignment

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The Dodgers announced they’ve designated infielder Andy Burns for assignment. The move creates space on the 40-man roster for the promotion of top pitching prospect Josiah Gray, which has been made official.

Los Angeles selected Burns, a longtime minor league veteran, to the roster last month. He tallied fifteen plate appearances over nine games, his first MLB action since a cameo with the 2016 Blue Jays. Burns has spent the bulk of the year with Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he’s performed quite well. The 30-year-old has a .259/.382/.459 line with five home runs and a massive 16.4% walk rate over 165 plate appearances with the Dodgers’ top affiliate this year.

The Dodgers will have a week to trade Burns or place him on waivers. He has previously been outrighted in his career, so Burns would have the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency if he passes through waivers unclaimed.

Dodgers Promote Josiah Gray

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The Dodgers announced they’ve promoted top pitching prospect Josiah Gray. He’ll make his major league debut during tonight’s game with the rival Giants.

Selected by the Reds in the second round of the 2018 draft out of Division II Le Moyne College, Gray was traded to Los Angeles a few months later as part of the deal that sent Yasiel Puig to Cincinnati. The following season, he emerged as one of the game’s better pitching prospects. He dominated across three minor league levels in 2019, demonstrating a three-pitch mix and surprisingly advanced command for a player who didn’t convert to pitching full-time until his final season at Le Moyne.

Entering the year, Gray appeared on the top 100 prospect lists of each of Baseball America, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs and Keith Law of the Athletic. Longenhagen was the most bullish of that trio, slotting the 23-year-old as the #29 prospect leaguewide. In his scouting report, Longenhagen raved about Gray’s repertoire and strong fastball command, noting that he projects to be a “mid-rotation stalwart” at his peak. BA and Law echoed those sentiments, pointing to Gray’s continued development of his secondary pitches and strong understanding of pitching as reasons for optimism he’ll continue to improve.

Gray has reached Triple-A Oklahoma City for the first time this year, but a shoulder injury sidelined him for two months. He’s only made four appearances because of that, but Gray’s shown no difficulty adapting to the minors’ highest level. He’s allowed just five runs across 15 2/3 innings, striking out 22 while issuing a pair of walks.

Adding rotation help before the July 30 trade deadline figures to be a priority for the Dodgers. Los Angeles trails the Giants by one game in a tightly-contested NL West. Gray pitching well right out of the gate would go a long way towards stabilizing the starting staff, although that’ll likely be a target area for president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and his front office regardless of Gray’s early performance.

Even if Gray is in the majors for good, he won’t reach free agency until the conclusion of the 2027 season. He’s not slated for arbitration eligibility until the 2024-25 offseason. Future optional assignments could push back that service time projection.

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