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Marlins Acquire Chris Reed From Dodgers

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The Marlins have acquired lefty Chris Reed from the Dodgers in exchange for fellow southpaw Grant Dayton, Miami announced. Reed had recently been designated for assignment by Los Angeles.

In Reed, the Marlins have added a former first-round pick who entered the season rated the 10th overall prospect in the L.A. system by Baseball America. The former Stanford closer had worked as a starter for most of his professional career, but was shifted back to the pen this year. The results were not terribly promising, as Reed has walked more batters than he’s retired by strikeout and is carrying a 5.97 ERA.

Meanwhile, Dayton is a 27-year-old who has pitched almost exclusively from the pen. He owns a 2.83 ERA on the year in his second season at Triple-A, with 9.0 K/9 against just 1.3 BB/9. Unlike Reed, Dayton will not require a 40-man spot at present, allowing the Dodgers to stash him in the upper minors along with a dizzying array of other recently-acquired pen arms.

Marlins Outright Jordany Valdespin

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We’ll track the day’s minor moves here:

  • The Marlins have announced that utilityman Jordany Valdespin was outrighted to Triple-A. Valdespin, 27, made a brief stop in Miami before being designated, but has spent most of the season working to a .287/.342/.378 slash at the Triple-A level. He does have a fair amount of big league experience to his credit, with a career .217/.273/.371 slash over 464 total plate appearances. Having previously been outrighted, Valdespin has the option to refuse the assignment.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/13/15

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the league, each courtesy of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy unless otherwise stated (it should be noted that Eddy’s weekly piece contains far too many moves to cover individually and is always worth an extended look beyond the highlights we mention here)…

  • The Diamondbacks have released right-hander Blake Beavan from Triple-A Reno. The 26-year-old was one of four players who went from Texas to Seattle in the 2010 Cliff Lee trade, but he’s struggled for much of his time in the Majors. Formerly the 17th overall pick in the draft, Beavan struggled to a 6.32 ERA in 15 2/3 innings with the Aces this year. Beavan has a career 4.81 ERA in Triple-A and a 4.61 ERA in 293 big league innings. He’s averaged just 4.2 K/9 in the Majors, though his 1.4 BB/9 mark is impressive.
  • The Marlins have released third baseman Scott Sizemore. The former Tigers/A’s third baseman has spent the past couple of seasons attempting to work his way back from a pair of major knee surgeries but struggled with Triple-A New Orleans, slashing just .223/.343/.301 in 235 plate appearances. Now 30 years old, Sizemore once ranked as the game’s No. 57 prospect (per Baseball Prospectus) and was a candidate to be a long-term fixture in the Detroit infield.
  • The Red Sox released 27-year-old lefty Daniel Rosenbaum. Boston acquired Rosenbaum from the Nationals this winter in exchange for minor league catcher Dan Butler, but Rosenbaum tallied a 7.00 ERA in 18 innings between Class-A and Double-A prior to his release from the organization. Rosenbaum walked more hitters (12) than he struck out (11).

NL Central Notes: Fernandez, Reds, Bruce, Pirates

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Marlins star Jose Fernandez, who shut out the Reds on Thursday, could have been pitching for the other side if things went differently in 2011, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes.  Fernandez was initially ruled ineligible by the Florida High School Association four years ago for issues stemming from his defection from Cuba.  The Reds had a $1.3MM deal ready for Fernandez if he lost his appeal, but the hurler ultimately got the decision overturned.

“I talked to them,” Fernandez said. “But I ended up playing my senior year. I don’t know what would have happened. Life is crazy. You never know.”

Here’s more from the NL Central..

  • One person familiar with the Reds thinking tells Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that he believes there’s at least a 50/50 chance Jay Bruce is traded in July.  Recently, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports heard that Bruce is as “as good a bet as anyone” on the team to be dealt.  Bruce, 28, is controllable for three more years and offers an established power bat.
  • Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette turned in his mid-season report card for the Pirates.  Brink gave the Bucs’ front office an A grade for the offseason it had, including the signing for Jung-ho Kang, which was viewed as a risk by some at the time.  Kang has given the Bucs a .267/.343/.385 slash line with four homers while playing solid defense at third base.
  • Reading between the lines, Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel suspects that a transition to a new Brewers GM is underway.  Haudricourt reasons that if Melvin was going to remain the team’s GM in 2016, the club would have announced it by now.  Sometime before the end of the season, the scribe believes the Brewers will announce that Melvin is out as GM, giving them time to search for a successor and have someone in place for important offseason decisions.  Earlier this month it was reported that Melvin is considering a new role within the club.

Cafardo On Mariners, Pirates, Zobrist

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In today’s column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe looked at five teams that need to make a move before the trade deadline.  That list includes the Mets, who have pitching they can trade for hitting.  The most obvious fit for them would be Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, but Cafardo also mentions teammate Carlos Gonzalez as well as A’s hitters Josh Reddick and Steven Vogt.  As always, Cafardo’s entire column is worth a read, but we also compiled a handful of highlights below..

  • The Mariners continue to consider Phillies outfielder Ben Revere as the deadline approaches, Cafardo hears from a major league source.  The M’s need a leadoff hitter and while his slash of .294/.335/.377 doesn’t make him the ideal guy for that, Revere does have 21 steals on the year.  Earlier today we learned that the Pirates also have their eye on Revere.  However, it’s worth noting that Revere is also dealing with hamstring issues at the moment and that could delay a possible trade.
  • The Pirates recently watched Marlins right-hander Dan Haren pitch at Fenway Park.  Haren has been mentioned quite a bit as a trade candidate and while he made demands in the offseason, he has now settled into the fact that he might get moved.
  • Speaking of the Marlins, former closer Steve Cishek is drawing interest despite his difficult season and mechanical issues. The Twins, Tigers, Blue Jays, Red Sox, and other clubs have been keeping an eye on the 29-year-old.
  • Now that Marlins first baseman/outfielder Michael Morse is healthy once again, Cafardo wonders if teams like the Mets, Pirates, Nationals, and Royals could come calling.  A team acquiring Morse would have to pay the rest of his $7.5MM salary for 2015 and his $8.5MM salary next season, but Cafardo hears that he is in fact being scouted by clubs. Recently, MLBTR’s Charlie Wilmoth ran down the Marlins’ possible trade chips, including Haren and Cishek.
  • The Mets, Yankees, Giants, and Nationals are among the teams with interest in A’s outfielder/infielder Ben Zobrist.  Zobrist has played in left field, second base, and right field this season and Cafardo notes that he could also play third base if needed, despite having only four career games there.
  • One AL exec tells Cafardo that he thinks the Tigers could listen on David Price.  “It bears watching,” said the executive. “I don’t think he’s going back there. The Tigers need to revamp their farm system, so it’s not cut and dried that they won’t entertain a package for him.” Cafardo, however, doesn’t see Price going anywhere.  He envisions Detroit possibly adding a starter.

East Notes: Gordon, Orioles, Hamels, Clippard

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The Marlins will be without All-Star second baseman Dee Gordon for at least two weeks, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Gordon dislocated his thumb sliding headfirst into first base. There was no ligament damage or broken bones per Rosenthal. Gordon will be replaced on the All-Star roster by Troy Tulowitzki. Fellow Rockie DJ LeMahieu will now start for the NL All Stars.

Here’s more from the East divisions:

  • Miami is weighing trades ahead of the deadline, writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. The club is 10.5 games back in the NL East and 14 games below .500. They will probably have to get hot in the next couple weeks to change the current plan. As MLBTR readers are well aware, pending free agents Mat Latos and Dan Haren are trade candidates. The Marlins have also received interest in former closer Steve Cishek and swing man Brad Hand.
  • The Orioles could be primed for a quiet trade deadline, writes Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun. The club already has a host of impending free agents. It could be ill-advised to deal controllable assets like they did last season. Dan Duquette dealt Eduardo Rodriguez for Andrew Miller, a trade he may now regret given Rodriguez’s success in Boston. Additionally, top prospects Dylan Bundy and Hunter Harvey are sidelined with injuries. Mike Wright showed some promise but ultimately struggled in two stints with the club.
  • It’s imperative that the Phillies trade Cole Hamels before the end of the month, opines Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer. While the club could find it easier to swap Jonathan Papelbon or Ryan Howard over the offseason, a robust group of free agent starters will hurt Hamels’ value in the winter. In my opinion, it would be quite shocking if the Phillies held Hamels for the rest of the season. If they did fail to find a deal to their liking, they could position Hamels as a cost effective alternative to aces like Johnny Cueto and David Price.
  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro is excited about the state of the farm system, writes Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. “I would put our farm system up against anybody’s,” said Amaro. He specifically mentioned Aaron Nola and Aaron Altherr, both of whom are finding success at the Triple-A level. It’s widely assumed that Nola will soon join the club. Trades could also open the door for Altherr. Nola is not on the 40-man roster, but Altherr already has a spot.
  • The Yankees and Mets should consider adding Athletics closer Tyler Clippard, suggests Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Even though neither club technically needs relief help, Martino references the Royals dominant trio of relievers from last October. Their ability to shorten the game is critical in October. Particularly with the Yankees, a trio of Clippard, Dellin Betances, and Miller would be intimidating.

Marlins To Designate Jordany Valdespin

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The Marlins have announced that they will designate 2B/OF Jordany Valdespin for assignment. The move will clear space on their active roster for lefty Adam Conley, who will start tomorrow in place of Mat Latos, who has been scratched with a foot bruise.

The Marlins selected Valdespin’s contract just this week, and he collected only one plate appearance in the big leagues. He’s hit .287/.342/.378 in 235 plate appearances with Triple-A New Orleans this season. The 27-year-old has collected 464 plate appearances in parts of four seasons with the Mets and Marlins, batting .217/.273/.371 for his big-league career. He’s generally made more headlines for his behavior than his play, butting heads with Mets manager Terry Collins and earning a PED suspension in 2013.

Heyman On Grilli, D-backs, Marlins, Dodgers

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Here are the highlights from Jon Heyman’s massive new Inside Baseball article for CBS Sports. Be sure to check out Heyman on the latest edition of the MLBTR Podcast.

  • The Braves have had “serious talks” about dealing closer Jason Grilli to a contender, Heyman writes, with the Blue Jays and Dodgers among the teams that make the most sense.
  • The Diamondbacks have made infielder Aaron Hill and pitchers Jeremy Hellickson and Addison Reed available in trades, and all three players have attracted at least some interest.
  • The Marlins could trade starter Dan Haren for the right return. On paper, the Dodgers would seem to make sense, but that seems unlikely, since the Dodgers treated Haren basically as a throw-in in the Dee Gordon trade in the offseason. The Dodgers would also prefer to find a starter they could use in the playoffs, and Haren likely doesn’t qualify.
  • Dodgers shortstop Jimmy Rollins could become available in a trade as top prospect Corey Seager continues to demonstrate he’s ready for the big leagues.
  • The Dodgers, Blue Jays, Nationals and perhaps other teams had scouts on hand as Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma returned from a lat injury this week. Iwakuma could be a trade candidate, but Heyman notes that giving up four homers to the Tigers probably didn’t exactly increase his value.
  • Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez still seems set on retiring after the season, despite agent Paul Kinzer’s efforts to get him to continue.
  • The Padres have been scouting the Mets lately, leading to speculation that the Mets could be trying to trade for Justin Upton.
  • The Phillies are “not bending” in their demands for Cole Hamels, and his limited no-trade clause remains an obstacle.
  • The Giants have had talks with free agent infielder Everth Cabrera. The Orioles released Cabrera last month. He would provide depth for San Francisco.

NL East Notes: Amaro, Span, Morse, Latos

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GM Ruben Amaro’s recent declaration that Chase Utley might not be the Phillies’ everyday second baseman when he returns from injury is a tough one for fans to take, David Murphy of the Daily News writes. For those unfamiliar with Amaro’s comments, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal provided a good summary earlier this week. “Cesar Hernandez is our best second baseman,” Amaro told reporters, including CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury. “I would assume that Cesar would be our second baseman.” After getting off to a poor start this season, Utley is currently on the DL with ankle inflammation, and Hernandez has performed well in his absence, but Amaro’s remarks understandably haven’t sat well with Phillies fans, who don’t want to see a franchise icon pushed off the stage. The core of the problem, as Murphy sees it, is that Phillies fans have to endure the marginalizations or departures of players who were key to the Phillies’ run of successful seasons several years back, while the team’s front office can continue to use that same run of successful seasons to justify its own continued employment. Rosenthal, meanwhile, wonders whether Amaro — who had already appeared to be a lame duck — might be hastening his departure with his tone deaf comments. Here’s more from the NL East.

  • The Nationals have placed outfielder Denard Span on the disabled list, Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider writes. Span, who had not played since Sunday, has been dealing with back tightness. The injury means the Nationals are down yet another position player. They currently also have Anthony Rendon, Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman on the DL.
  • The Giants have had at least a bit of interest in acquiring Michael Morse from the Marlins, but the Giants would need to take on a significant portion of the approximately $11MM remaining on Morse’s contract for the Marlins to consider the deal, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes (scroll down). The Marlins would seem to have somewhat less use for the right-handed Morse with today’s addition of fellow righty corner infielder Casey McGehee, and Justin Bour has taken over the bulk of the Marlins’ playing time at first base anyway. The Giants surely have fond memories of Morse from his solid performance with their 2014 World Series team, but Morse has hit a disastrous .210/.273/.304 with his usual poor defense in 2015, so it’s doubtful the Giants would be willing to take on much salary to acquire him. Morse would serve as a right-handed bench option in San Francisco.
  • The Marlins have also received “several” calls regarding starting pitcher Mat Latos, Jackson writes. That’s not surprising — Latos is a free agent at the end of the season, and as MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently noted, Latos’ velocity has returned lately, seemingly making him a more attractive trade candidate than his overall numbers suggest he should be.

Marlins Sign Casey McGehee

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TODAY: Miami has announced the signing of McGehee.

YESTERDAY, 4:38pm: McGehee is actually still on release waivers until tomorrow, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets. Once he clears, the Marlins are expected to make “a strong push” to sign him. McGehee is represented by Meister Sports Management.

4:12pm: The Marlins have agreed to terms with infielder Casey McGehee, Andy Slater of 940 AM-WINZ tweets. Slater notes that McGehee should join the team on Friday.

The Giants released McGehee yesterday, according to MLB.com’s transactions page. They had previously designated him for assignment after an awful .213/.275/.299 performance in 138 plate appearances. The Giants will still be on the hook for most of the remainder of McGehee’s $4.8MM salary.

With Martin Prado on the disabled list with a shoulder issue, the Marlins have lately gone with Derek Dietrich and Miguel Rojas at third base, the position McGehee has played almost exclusively in the big leagues since last season. Both Dietrich and Rojas have performed well at the Triple-A level this year, and Dietrich is also off to a good start in the big leagues, hitting .259/.333/.481 in 60 plate appearances.

Dietrich is, however, left-handed, as is primary first baseman Justin Bour. One would think the right-handed McGehee would still be able to play first base, so the he could potentially fill for one or the other against left-handed pitching. The Marlins already have righty first base options in Michael Morse and Jeff Baker, although Morse is in the midst of a very poor season and Baker is currently dealing with an oblique injury. McGehee has struggled this season too, of course, although the fact that he performed well with the Marlins in 2014 (after which they traded him to San Francisco) might earn him more chances in Miami than he might receive elsewhere. The corresponding move the Marlins make when they officially add McGehee to their roster will likely help explain how they plan to use him.

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