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Brewers Claim Ariel Hernandez

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The Brewers announced today that they have claimed right-hander Ariel Hernandez off waivers from the Dodgers. He had been designated for assignment recently.

Hernandez worked at 98.1 mph with his fastball and produced a 12.6% swinging-strike rate in 24 1/3 MLB frames last year with the Reds. But he also handed out 22 free passes in that span, which perhaps led the Cincinnati club to designate him for assignment early in the present season.

It’s also clear, though, that teams are intrigued at the idea of harnessing Hernandez’s stuff. The Dodgers had to give up some value to acquire him in mid-April, indicating that there was competition, and now the Brewers will tie up a 40-man spot (for the time being, at least) in the middle of a pennant race.

Thus far in 2018, Hernandez has posted a 2.52 ERA in fifty frames over 37 appearances in the upper minors. But he has also produced just 49 strikeouts to go with 29 walks on the year. Hernandez has struggled in particular at the highest level of the minors; in 42 1/3 total frames there over the past two seasons, he has retired 40 batters on strikes but issued 39 free passes.

Corey Seager To Undergo Hip Surgery

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Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager is slated to undergo surgery on his left hip tomorrow, the club announced. He is already out for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

The organization says in its statement that Seager is “expected to resume baseball activities in January.” That would seemingly make it possible for him to participate fully in Spring Training.

Of course, that timeline is somewhat tighter than seems preferable. Seager has already been out for over three months and was experiencing some hip problems just before his elbow ligament popped. It obviously would have been preferable to use that time to rehab both issues. Presumably, there’s an explanation, though it hasn’t yet been given publicly.

Seager, 24, has been a high-end performer since breaking into the league at 21 years of age late in the 2015 season. He had not been in top form in the early stages of the 2018 season, though that might well have changed with a hot streak. All said, Seager carries a .302/.372/.494 slash with 54 home runs through 1,528 MLB plate appearances. He’ll be eligible for arbitration for the first time this fall, though his ill-timed health problems will significantly dent his expected earnings.

Dodgers Place Alex Wood On DL

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The Dodgers announced that they’ve placed left-hander Alex Wood on the 10-day disabled list with left adductor tendonitis. To take his roster spot, the team reinstated fellow southpaw Zac Rosscup from the DL.

It’s unclear exactly how much time Wood will miss, but his absence will clear the way for righty Ross Stripling to return to the Dodgers’ rotation in the near term, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com tweets. Stripling had been a revelation for the Dodgers this year until struggling to prevent runs in July, when he pitched to a 4.73 ERA despite excellent strikeout and walk rates (10.13 K/9, 1.01 BB/9) across 26 2/3 innings and five starts. The 28-year-old went on the DL on the last day of the month because of a toe injury, though it’s obvious he’s not dealing with a serious ailment.

Wood, 27, hasn’t been highly durable during his career, but this marks his first DL stint of the season. Thus far, Wood has racked up 22 appearances (all starts) and logged a 3.58 ERA/3.55 FIP with 7.81 K/9, 2.19 BB/9 and a 47.3 percent grounder rate over 123 1/3 frames, thereby continuing a career of above-average production. Losing him is an unfortunate development for an LA team which is tied with Arizona for the NL West lead, but the Dodgers should still boast a quality rotation with Stripling slated to rejoin Clayton Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, Walker Buehler and Rich Hill.

Drew Hutchison Opts Out Of Dodgers Contract

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Right-hander Drew Hutchison has opted out of his minor league contract with the Dodgers, tweets Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. The veteran right-hander, then, is a free agent and is now eligible to sign with any team.

Hutchison, 27, began the season with the Phillies and pitched to a 4.64 ERA with a 19-to-13 K/BB in 21 1/3 innings of work before being designated for assignment and ultimately landing with the Dodgers. While he never made it to the big leagues in L.A., he pitched brilliantly with Triple-A Oklahoma City, logging a 2.14 ERA with 8.6 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 in 42 innings at that level. More impressively, Shaikin notes that Hutchison snapped off a 23-inning scoreless streak to end his tenure with the organization.

Understandably, after not being brought to the Majors on the heels of that type of success, Hutchison will re-enter the open market in hopes of finding a new opportunity with a clearer path to the big leagues. The right-hander has struggled to find his footing in the Majors over the past several years, but he looked like an intriguing long-term rotation piece with the Blue Jays back in 2013, when he pitched 184 2/3 innings of 4.48 ERA ball with a strikeout per inning, solid control and a 3.85 FIP.

40-Man Moves: D-backs, Dodgers, Indians, Mets, Mariners, Cubs, Marlins, O’s

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This has been a trade-packed day across Major League Basbeall, meaning there are plenty of corresponding smaller moves that have been announced over the past couple of hours as teams make today’s agreed-upon deals official. Here’s a look at the DFAs, contract selections and other 40-man transactions that came along with today’s action…

  • The Diamondbacks designated left-handed reliever Jorge De La Rosa to make room for newly added southpaw Jake Diekman, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets. De La Rosa, a longtime Colorado starter who’s in his second season in Arizona, switched to a full-time relief role upon changing teams and hasn’t produced inspiring results. The 37-year-old has logged a 4.38 ERA/4.98 FIP with 7.51 K/9, 4.17 BB/9 in 86 1/3 innings since joining the D-backs. On the bright side, De La Rosa has posted a 48 percent groundball rate and been tough on left-handed hitters. Considering he’s only owed the balance of a $2.25MM salary, perhaps a team will be interested in taking a flyer on De La Rosa.
  • The Dodgers designated righty Ariel Hernandez for assignment to open a spot for John Axford, per the MLB.com transactions page. Hernandez, 26, scuffled through his first MLB action last year with the Reds and hasn’t made it back since. Over fifty frames this year in the upper minors, he’s carrying an appealing 2.52 ERA, but has also handed out 29 walks to go with his 49 strikeouts.
  • The Indians announced that they’ve designated outfielder Johnny Field for assignment. His spot on the 40-man will go to newly acquired outfield prospect Oscar Mercado, whom Cleveland acquired in a rare all-prospects trade with the Cardinals (full details here). Field, 26, only recently landed with the Indians himself after spending most of the year (and his entire professional career to that point) with the Rays. Field posted a meager .213/.253/.373 batting line in his first 179 MLB plate appearances, all accumulated earlier this season.
  • The Mets announced today that they’ve claimed infielder Jack Reinheimer, who was designated for assignment last week, off waivers from the Diamondbacks. A former fifth-round pick, Reinheimer received a cup of coffee with the D-Backs last year but hadn’t done much to force his way back to this point in 2018. In his fifty games at Triple-A, Reinheimer owns a .237/.312/.353 batting line. Additionally, outfielder Matt den Dekker cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Las Vegas. He’ll have the right to elect free agency now or at season’s end.
  • Outfielder Isaac Galloway is on his way to the Majors to make his MLB debut with the Marlins, the club announced. It’s a long time coming for an eleven-year pro who has never before tasted the majors. Through 356 plate appearances this year at Triple-A, Galloway carries a .262/.315/.429 triple-slash.
  • Galloway’s contract was selected following the trade of Cameron Maybin to the Mariners, who opened a spot for Maybin by moving right-hander Dan Altavilla from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL in yet another 40-man move. Similarly, Cubs righty Justin Hancock was transferred to the 60-day disabled list in order to open a spot for Brandon Kintzler, who was acquired from the Nationals today.
  • The Orioles are selecting the contract of right-handed reliever Cody Carroll, who will step into the roster spot of Kevin Gausman following today’s trade to Atlanta. Carroll landed with the Baltimore organization in the recent swap that sent reliever Zach Britton to the Yankees.
  • First baseman Ryan O’Hearn had his contract selected by the Royals, per a team announcement. Infielder Cheslor Cuthbert moved to the 60-day DL to open a spot. It’s the first crack at the majors for O’Hearn, who’ll get the call despite tepid results (.232/.322/.391) this year at Triple-A.
  • Righty Warwick Saupold cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A by the Tigers. The Aussie hurler threw 34 1/3 innings of 4.46 ERA ball this year in Detroit, but managed only 16 strikeouts and a 6.1% swinging-strike rate in that span.

Dodgers Acquire Brian Dozier

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3:52pm: The teams have announced the trade. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets that, for now, the sense is that the Twins will hang onto Forsythe. It’s possible, perhaps, that Minnesota will be able to find a taker for a portion of his contract in August if he performs well, though as a free agent at season’s end, Forsythe presumably isn’t viewed as any sort of long-term piece.

2:28pm: The two sides have a deal in place, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). Dozier is headed to Los Angeles. Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that Minnesota will take on Logan Forsythe’s contract in the deal and will also receive prospects Luke Raley and Devin Smeltzer in the swap.

2:23pm: The Dodgers and Twins are nearing a trade that’d send Brian Dozier from Minnesota to Los Angeles, according to Ken Rosenthal and Dan Hayes of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Brian Dozier | Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The trade of Dozier brings to an end the tenure of one of the best players in recent Twins history and also at last pairs Dozier with the Dodgers, who invested a significant amount of time in trying to acquire him in the 2016-17 offseason. While Dozier isn’t having nearly the season that he had in his best two years with the Twins, the 31-year-old is at least showing some power, with a .224/.305/.402 slash and 16 homers on the season.

Of course, at his best, Dozier was quite arguably among the top second basemen in the game, hitting .269/.349/.522 with 76 home runs, 65 doubles and nine triples in 1396 plate appearances with Minnesota from 2016-17. That hasn’t been the case in 2018, clearly, but the Dodgers will hope for a return to form. Furthermore, given his status as a rental player, the cost of acquisition paid by the Dodgers wasn’t overly steep.

What remains to be seen is precisely how Dozier will be shoehorned into an already tight L.A. infield mix. The Dodgers currently have Justin Turner on the disabled list, which alleviates the logjam a bit, but they’ll soon have an infield with Turner at third, Manny Machado at shortstop, Max Muncy at second base and Cody Bellinger at first base. Bellinger, of course, can play in the outfield, as can current shortstop Chris Taylor (who’ll slide back into a utility role once Turner is back).

Then again, the Dodgers have never fretted much over regular positions and/or playing time for most players under current management. Rather, harvesting incredible amounts of depth has become a hallmark of this front office, and today’s addition of Dozier only furthers that reputation. Skipper Dave Roberts will be able to mix and match his lineups with quite a bit of creativity — particularly if the Dodgers give Dozier occasional reps at third base or at the position he played upon breaking into the Majors: shortstop.

At the very least, Dozier will give the Dodgers a potent option against left-handed pitching — both down the stretch and in the playoffs. Through 1082 career plate appearances against lefties, Dozier has impressed with a .277/.356/.516 slash and 48 home runs. That’ll prove especially useful against the Rockies (Kyle Freeland, Tyler Anderson), Cubs (Jon Lester, Jose Quintana, Cole Hamels, Mike Montgomery) and Braves (Sean Newcomb, Max Fried) — each of whom is currently in the NL playoff picture.

Dozier is playing out the final season of a four-year, $20MM deal with the Twins and is earning $9MM in 2018. His salary, then, will be canceled out by that of Forsythe, who is also earning $9MM and may or may not ever suit up and play a game for the Twins down the stretch. The 31-year-old Forsythe has had a terrible season at the plate, hitting just .207/.270/.290 through 2011 plate appearances. Los Angeles had previously tried to unload him in other trade talks, and his inclusion in the deal is assuredly a means of keeping the Dodgers beneath the $197MM luxury tax threshold. It’s possible that the Twins will simply cut ties with Forsythe immediately and turn Dozier’s second base spot over to a younger option with more of a future with the team.

The 23-year-old Raley is the primary return for the Twins, ranking 19th among L.A. farmhands, per Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. A seventh-round pick in the 2016 draft, Raley has steadily risen through the Dodgers’ ranks and hit well along the way, topping out in Double-A to this point in his career. Through 435 plate appearances at that level so far in 2018, he’s posted a .275/.345/.477 slash with 17 homers, 17 doubles and five triples.

Callis and Mayo note that with slightly above-average speed and arm strength, Raley can handle either corner outfield spot, though he’s also capable of spending some time in center field or at first base as needed. Raley hasn’t walked all the much at the Double-A level (5.4 percent) and has struck out at a 24 percent clip, but he gives the Twins another corner bat with some decent offensive potential to slide into the middle tier of the farm system.

Smeltzer reached Double-A as a 22-year-old and has struggled against older, more experienced competition, posting a 4.73 ERA with 7.2 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9 with a 36.6 percent ground-ball rate at that level this season. He’s been primarily a starter in his pro career after being drafted in the fifth round back in 2016, though he’s worked in relief a bit this season. That’s the role Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs pegged him for back in 2016 when ranking him 25th among Dodgers farmhands. Smeltzer hasn’t appeared on Dodgers rankings since that time, but he’s displayed excellent control as a pro, averaging fewer than two walks per nine innings pitched while also showing an aptitude for missing bats prior to this year’s more average marks in that regard.

Dodgers To Acquire John Axford

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The Dodgers have struck a deal to acquire righty John Axford from the Blue Jays, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). Righty Corey Copping will go to Toronto in return, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter).

Axford, 35, has a 4.41 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, 1.06 HR/9, and 53.3% groundball rate in 51 innings this year for the Blue Jays.  Axford had signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays in February after a rough final season in Oakland that included over a month on the shelf with a shoulder strain.  He reinforces a Dodgers pen that has been relying on Kenley Jansen, Scott Alexander, and Daniel Hudson in the late innings, with Pedro Baez coming off the DL about a week ago.  Josh Fields and Tony Cingrani are among those still on the DL.  The Dodgers made their biggest July splashes in the middle infield, with the earlier acquisition of Manny Machado as well as the pickup of Brian Dozier today.

As for the Blue Jays, they’ve shipped off Roberto Osuna, J.A. Happ, Aaron Loup, and Seunghwan Oh in addition to Axford as part of a month-long dismantling.  Copping, the return for Axford, is a 24-year-old righty who recently earned a promotion to Triple-A.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

 

Pirates Moving Closer Deal For Chris Archer

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Rays righty Chris Archer has seemingly been in trade rumors for years; is this the day he finally gets dealt?  Here’s the latest…

 Earlier Updates

  • As this morning’s prior updates indicated, it seems that Archer is drawing the keenest interest from National League organizations. If he’s dealt, he’ll likely be changing leagues, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. He tabs the Braves, Brewers, and Pirates as the likeliest organizations to work something out. Meanwhile, Jim Bowden of The Athletic tweets that the Dodgers are also in the picture.
  • The Pirates appear to be heavily involved in Archer’s market, at least as of last night, according to Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). Though the Bucs at one point appeared likely to function as a seller, they have rushed back into a competitive position and struck a deal last night to improve their late-inning relief unit. Of course, that swap and any others that might come to fruition will likely be for affordable, controllable assets. In that regard, Archer certainly makes for a potential fit.
  • Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets that the Padres’ pursuit of Archer has “lost momentum.” That’s a notable development, given that San Diego has been perhaps the most prominently linked team to the Rays righty over the past few days. While the Friars obviously aren’t contending in 2018, the team has its sights set on contending in 2019 and beyond, and adding Archer right now could have been a forward-looking move that would’ve helped to alleviate the 40-man roster crunch San Diego will inevitably face when setting its 40-man roster prior to the Rule 5 Draft this offseason.
  • Meanwhile, Jim Bowden of The Athletic tweets that the Braves and Brewers are still in pursuit of Archer. Bowden lists some of the other organizations that have been in contact of late, though it’s not clear which remain firmly engaged on the popular right-hander. The Atlanta and Milwaukee organizations have been connected to controllable starting pitching for quite some time, of course, so it’s no surprise to see them lurking on Archer. Whether the trade deadline will provide sufficient impetus for either team to finally complete talks on a quality rotation piece remains to be seen.

Rays Ask For Final Offers On Chris Archer

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12:15pm: The Dodgers are also still “in play,” Jim Bowden of The Athletic tweets.

6:09pm: Despite some prior indications to the contrary, the Yankees remain involved in Archer’s market, per Andy Martino of SNY.tv (via Twitter). There are five additional clubs still involved as well, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reports: the Padres, Braves, Brewers, and two unnamed organizations.

5:24pm: The Rays have asked interested teams to make their best and final offers for right-hander Chris Archer, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay has been in touch with roughly a dozen teams about Archer and could spend tonight and tomorrow morning reviewing those offers before ultimately making a call on whether to deal Archer.

It should be noted that it’s far from a certainty that Archer is dealt at all. There’s a mix in the tone of reports surrounding the possibility of an Archer trade that is likely reflective of the lack of an industry consensus on whether he’ll actually be traded. For instance, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that there’s a stronger sense than ever before that Archer will finally move, as the Rays are cognizant that he’s approaching his 30th birthday and this may be their final chance to get an enormous haul for him.

On the flipside, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale spoke to one executive familiar with the market who took an “I’ll believe it when I see it” approach (Twitter link). ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, meanwhile, spoke to an exec who said he still feels Tampa Bay will need to be “overwhelmed” and, despite years of rumors, still “[doesn’t] see it happening.”

The full slate of teams who have submitted (or plan on submitting) an offer for Archer isn’t yet known. Over the weekend, the Braves, Dodgers, Yankees and Cardinals were all connected rather prominently to Archer, though Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweeted today that the Yankees are viewed as an “unlikely” fit for Archer. Sherman added earlier today that the Pirates have jumped into the mix as well, while the Brewers and the Athletics have both at least touched base.

The Padres, meanwhile, have been rumored to be the most aggressive pursuing Archer, envisioning him as a rotation fixture in 2019 and beyond as San Diego emerges from its rebuild and aims to contend. Yahoo’s Jeff Passan wrote today that San Diego has been “especially engaged” in the Archer market, though he notes that the Friars have not yet been willing to meet Tampa Bay’s lofty asking price. Topkin wrote yesterday that a young catcher and controllable power-hitting outfielder would be “a good start” to a package from the Rays’ vantage point, though Tampa Bay will obviously be seeking numerous young pieces in return for three-plus years of the right-hander.

Archer, 29, obviously remains a popular trade target despite a month-long stint on the disabled list and some bottom-line results that haven’t lined up with his peripheral stats in recent seasons. That’s once again the case in 2018, as Archer is sitting on a 4.31 ERA despite possessing a 3.62 FIP and xFIP as well as a 3.75 SIERA. He’s averaged a strong 9.6 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 with Tampa Bay this season and has made moderate gains in terms of swinging-strike rate (13.6 percent) and chase rate (32.3 percent). Archer is allowing just one homer per nine innings after struggling with the long ball in recent seasons, and he’s also boosted his ground-ball rate nearly three percent, from 42.0 up to 44.7.

Of course, the big draw with Archer is the affordability of his contract. He’s owed $2.o8MM through the end of the current season and is guaranteed just $7.5MM in 2019 before the Rays (or an acquiring team) have club options valued at $9MM and $11MM for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. In all, Archer can be controlled through 2021 for as little as $29.58MM, and in the event of a significant injury, he can be cut loose after 2019 and owed only a total of $11.33MM through the end of 2019.

Trade Talks On Chris Archer “Intensifying”

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7:43pm: In an interview with Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Archer called the trade chatter surrounding him “unsettling.” Topkin again notes that the industry sense is that Tampa Bay is more willing than ever to trade Archer, and he adds that a young catcher and a power-hitting outfield prospect would be “a good start” to a package from the Rays’ vantage point.

July 29, 8:58am: The Padres are still regarded as the favorites to land Archer if the Rays deal him, Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets. The Braves are also interested, per the New York Post’s Joel Sherman, who adds that the Rays had a pair of scouts watching Yankees pitching prospect Justus Sheffield at Triple-A on Saturday. However, it’s “a long shot” that the Yankees will acquire Archer, Sherman writes.

July 28, 12:50pm: Add the Yankees and Dodgers to the list of teams who’re pursuing Archer, according to a recent tweet from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

10:43am: Chris Archer has been the subject of trade speculation all season, and now talks surrounding Tampa Bay’s prized right-hander are “intensifying”, per a report from ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick.

A trade isn’t quite imminent, it seems, as Crasnick notes that it’s difficult to judge whether or not a team will actually pay the Rays’ asking price. After all, Archer can be controlled through 2021 for an average of less than $8MM per season, and is unsurprisingly being donned with a “No. 1 starter type of price tag”. It’s certainly plausible that Archer could be a part of the next contending Rays ballclub considering the wealth of talent in Tampa Bay’s farm system (recently ranked the fourth-best in baseball by MLB.com), which boasts six players among MLB Pipeline’s top 70 prospects.

Then again, the Rays have seen a host of promising prospects go down with Tommy John surgery this season. Right-handers Brent Honeywell and Jose De Leon and lefty Anthony Banda were all considered to be about major-league ready this season before each sprained his UCL and had to go under the knife. While one would expect all three to be ready to pitch again by the middle of next season based on the normal Tommy John recovery timeline, we know by now that the surgery isn’t a sure thing, and can lead to deeply-diminished production (Brady Aiken comes to mind as an example). It wouldn’t be out of the question, then, for the Rays to attempt to acquire an upside young arm along with some other valuable pieces in a package for their ace.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports noted soon after Crasnick’s report that the Padres (who have already been connected to Archer this season) have made progress in talks with the Rays, in part because Tampa Bay has shown “a greater willingness” to deal him. But Passan adds a dissent in agreeing that the price remains high, which has the Padres “balking for now.” We already know that the Padres are unwilling to exchange either of their top two prospects (shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. and southpaw Mackenzie Gore), though they’ve shown a willingness to deal second baseman Luis Urias, right-hander Cal Quantrill and even recently-acquired catching prospect Francisco Mejia.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch adds that the Cardinals “remain interested” in Archer, noting that the club attempted to deal for the 29-year-old just this past winter. Goold’s sources tell him that the Cards believe they can line up a “competitive offer”. It’s no surprise that St. Louis would be checking in on all available options to patch their injury-ravaged rotation; the club’s seen right-handers Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez succumb to oblique injuries and can’t know what type of late-2018 contributions to expect from either at this point. Meanwhile, top prospect Alex Reyes, who was expected to play a big role in the club’s plans this year, suffered a season-ending lat injury at the tail end of May. Adam Wainwright continues to be injury-prone and can’t be counted on for any type of meaningful production. The club is currently placing its playoff hopes on the resurgent Miles Mikolas and a cast of rookies including Jack Flaherty, Luke Weaver and John Gant.

To be fair, it’s not clear whether Archer is truly worth the price of an “ace”. The right-hander has posted ERAs north of four in each of the past two seasons and currently sports a six-year high figure of 4.31. While it’s true that his FIP (3.62) suggests quite a bit of bad luck has been involved, the same can also be said of each of his previous three seasons- Archer has a reputation as a pitcher whose results consistently fail to keep up with his peripherals. Still, it’s easy to imagine him catching fire and putting together an impressive second-half run, a possibility which plenty of contenders would like to take a chance on.

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