Brewers Acquire Mike Moustakas
The Brewers have lined up with the Royals on a deal that will bring third baseman Mike Moustakas to Milwaukee, as MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan first reported (via Twitter). Outfielder Brett Phillips and righty Jorge Lopez are going to Kansas City in return.
This appears to be a fascinating agreement for a variety of reasons, beginning with the fact that it’s the official farewell between Moustakas and the Royals, who surprisingly reunited last winter. It seems the Brewers will be rolling the dice on Travis Shaw‘s ability to play second base, as the long-time third-bagger will apparently make way for his new teammate. For the Royals, meanwhile, the focus of this swap is on acquiring MLB options rather than far-off, higher-ceiling talent.
It’s a notable acquisition price for the Brewers to pay, but also a palatable one for a club that had other plans at these positions. After watching Manny Machado, Eduardo Escobar, and Asdrubal Cabrera head elsewhere, the club pivoted to the veteran Moustakas and got something done without giving up prized future pieces.
That said, the fit seems awfully curious; indeed, we expressed some skepticism of that match when it was first suggested. The Milwaukee organization clearly believes that Shaw is capable of playing second base, but he has never yet done so in a professional baseball contest. It certainly helps that the club can still call upon a variety of other infielders to slot in at second when the situation calls for it.
Of course, slotting Moustakas’s bat into a lineup promises to vastly increase the offensive output over the run of marginal bats that left the Brewers with one of the least-productive second base units in the game. He has seen his numbers dwindle over the course of the year, but still owns a .249/.309/.468 batting line that’s good for a 107 wRC+ and falls mostly in line with his typical output at the plate.
Otherwise, Moustakas is grading out as a solid defender and poor baserunner on the year, leaving him as a quality regular. But he’s most effective against right-handed pitching, albeit not by a huge margin, so perhaps skipper Craig Counsell can extract added some added value both by means of seeking platoon advantages and remaining mindful of situational priorities.
It appears that the Brewers will take over Moustakas’s contract, which promised him just $5.5MM this year with a $1MM buyout in a 2019 mutual option. There’s no particular reason to think that the option will be seen as anything more than a formality in this coming offseason, so the Milwaukee organization likely views this as a pure rental situation.
As they send Moustakas on his way, the Royals will receive an interesting return of two young players who already have some MLB experience. Neither is currently billed as highly as they have been in the past. And both will continue to occupy 40-man spots, meaning they’ll be part of the roster picture at the major-league level from the outset.
Phillips still rated as the Brewers’ sixth-best prospect on the latest Baseball America board, though MLB.com wasn’t quite as bullish in rating him tenth. The 24-year-old still has intriguing tools, though he has also struggled to a .240/.331/.411 slash in 299 plate appearances this year at Triple-A. He’ll join the recently acquired Brian Goodwin in giving the Royals organization a group of outfielders that suddenly seems much more interesting.
Lopez, meanwhile, has fallen even farther from grace. Once a consensus top-100 prospect, the 25-year-old has run into some problems of late. He pitched to a 4.25 ERA in 103 2/3 Double-A frames in 2017, but posted much more promising peripherals that supported a 3.21 FIP an 3.13 xFIP. Unfortunately, there’s not much cause for optimism in his 2018 output. Lopez has a 2.75 ERA in 19 2/3 MLB innings, but he also carries a 15:13 K/BB ratio. In 28 2/3 Triple-A frames, he’s working to a 5.65 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Brewers, Orioles Holding “Serious Discussions”
The Brewers and Orioles are “engaged in serious discussions,” per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter), though the precise focus of the chatter remains unclear. He does suggest that the sides could be negotiating over second bagger Jonathan Schoop and/or starter Kevin Gausman.
It’s hardly new to hear that these clubs are on the horn with one another. After all, they reputedly batted around proposals involving Manny Machado and Zach Britton, both of whom were ultimately sent elsewhere. It seems reasonable to assume, then, that the organizations are rather familiar with their respective priorities.
With its two major rental pieces already sent out the door, the Baltimore organization has perhaps shifted its attention to weighing proposals for more controllable assets. That said, the club does still have a few pending free agents to work on. There’s little reason to think outfielder Adam Jones would be of interest to the Brewers, though perhaps reliever Brad Brach might.
Ultimately, though, it does stand to reason that the Brewers would mostly be piqued by the possibility of adding one of the two players suggested by Rosenthal. The team’s second-base situation remains in flux, and it has long figured as a likely buyer of a starter. Having missed on Machado and a few other rental infielders who went out the door today, and with the market for rental starters showing little of real interest in stock, GM David Stearns is surely considering a move for assets that also come with future value.
The idea of giving value for players who’ll contribute in later seasons holds obvious appeal, particularly for a smaller-market organization that has turned back into a contender somewhat more rapidly than was generally anticipated. Much as the team wants to take down the Cubs in the NL Central, it will be cognizant of the need to keep one eye on sustainability. Plus, finding an answer at second and bolstering the rotation will likely be offseason priorities regardless.
Both Schoop and Gausman are players with long-evident talent who have had some ups and downs this year. On the heels of a breakout 2017 season, Schoop slumped through the first half of the current season only to go on a tear over the last month. Gausman, meanwhile, has had some inconsistencies and continues to allow a few too many home runs. But he owns a career-high 11.3% swinging-strike rate and some metrics like him better than his 4.54 ERA (4.59 FIP/4.05 xFIP/4.12 SIERA).
Of course, the Orioles also have little reason to move these two players for less-than-enticing returns, as there’s no pressure to cash them in now. Schoop is earning $8.5MM with one season of arbitration control remaining, while Gausman is taking home $5.6MM with two more to go. The Baltimore organization has acknowledged the obvious when it comes to competing in 2018, but it’s still not clear how long a turnaround the club is aiming for when it comes to putting the next contender on the field. It’s certainly notable that the club has some high-priced veterans on the roster.
In any event, for the time being this seems an interesting story to watch rather than something that’s likely to blossom into a finished deal in the immediate future. Roch Kubtko of MASNsports.com tweets that “nothing is imminent” for the O’s this evening.
Latest On Asdrubal Cabrera, Zack Wheeler
12:03pm: Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets that the Mets and Brewers have discussed a package deal that would send both players to Milwaukee, though there’s no indication that anything is close to being completed. The D-backs are indeed in the mix for Cabrera, he adds.
9:05am: Teams who’ve spoken to the Mets about the availability of Asdrubal Cabrera have gotten the impression that he’ll be traded soon, reports Andy Martino of SNY.tv. While “soon” is a relative term, especially with the non-waiver trade deadline just four days away, Martino adds that the Mets then plan to shift their “full attention” to finding a trade partner for Zack Wheeler. Presumably, they’ll want to leave themselves ample room to discuss that swap, so it stands to reason that they’d hope to wrap up a Cabrera swap in short order.
ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted yesterday that the Diamondbacks have “checked in” on Cabrera as they seek to bolster their own infield mix. Joel Sherman of the New York Post adds the Indians and the Phillies to the fray, though he notes that Philadelphia’s interest would be stronger were Cabrera still viewed as a capable shortstop. Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweets that the Braves and Brewers, too, may be in the market. While a number of teams have inquired to some extent, the Post’s Mike Puma surmised yesterday that there are three or four teams with legitimate interest in Cabrera (Twitter link). As for Wheeler, he’s generating interest from the Brewers and Reds, per Martino. The Cubs had shown interest, though yesterday’s agreement to acquire Cole Hamels would quite likely put an end to that pursuit.
While the Mets have had just about everything possible go wrong for them over the past couple of seasons, their signing of Cabrera in the 2015-16 offseason has proven to be an excellent one. He’s earning $8.5MM in the third year of what proved to be a $25MM contract (after his 2018 option was exercised) and is hitting .277/.329/.488 with 18 homers, 23 doubles and a triple. Cabrera, though, has received dreadful defensive ratings for his work at second base (-18 Defensive Runs Saved, -6 Ultimate Zone Rating), which won’t do his trade value any favors.
As for Wheeler, he’ll obviously have the greater value of the pair, given his affordable salary, the fact that he’s controlled through 2019, his recent success and the plethora of teams seeking to bolster their rotation in the coming days. Over his past 10 starts, Wheeler has worked to a 3.50 ERA (3.40 FIP, 4.17 xFIP) with 7.8 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and 0.56 HR/9 with a 40.2 percent ground-ball rate. His fastball has averaged 96.4 mph in that span, and he’s posted a strong 11.3 percent swinging-strike rate. Puma noted yesterday that as many as 10 teams have displayed some level of interest.
Latest On Matt Harvey, Reds
The Brewers and Reds are maintaining “ongoing” talks about the potential for a Matt Harvey swap, tweets MLB.com’s Jon Morosi, but outside of a move to send out their lone impending free agent, is seems the Reds may have a quiet deadline. President of baseball ops Dick Williams told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon yesterday that “other teams aren’t spinning their wheels talking about players we’re not interested in moving at this point,” and there’s even been talk of Cincinnati adding pieces controlled beyond the 2018 season in an effort to return to contending next season.
Williams, in fact, confirmed as much to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic on Thursday (subscription required), plainly stating that the Reds have inquired on players they “see as fits for us in the next few years.” Rosecrans likens the possibility to Cincinnati’s 2009 acquisition of Scott Rolen as a sub-.500 team at the deadline (and takes an interesting look back at that scenario, talking to Williams, former GM Walt Jocketty and first baseman Joey Votto about that swap). “We think our window is opening up and we may not be able to wait until the offseason to acquire a player we like,” said Williams before going on to acknowledge that starting pitching is an area of need.
Of course, to simply call the rotation an area of need would be underselling the importance of bolstering the starting staff in Cincinnati. Reds starters have pitched to a combined 5.25 ERA that ranks among the 15 worst performances of any collective starting staff in Major League Baseball dating back to the 2010 season. The only Reds starters with an ERA under 5.00 are Matt Harvey, who will be traded within the next few days, and Tyler Mahle (4.53). The Cincinnati rotation ranks last in the Majors in FIP (5.30), 23rd in xFIP (4.57) and 26th in SIERA (4.61).
To be sure, the Reds have youth on their side in many cases, as none of Mahle, Luis Castillo or Sal Romano is even 26 years old yet (nor are Triple-A options Robert Stephenson, Cody Reed and Jose Lopez). Nonetheless, it’s still eye-opening to see a team without even one starting pitcher performing at a league-average level begin to discuss adding pieces with an eye toward contending in the very near future. And given that multiple teams in the National League Central appear well-positioned to maintain some success heading into 2019, the road back to competitive baseball in Cincinnati looks all the more difficult to navigate in the short term.
That said, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal is the latest to tweet that dealing Harvey might be the only trade the Reds end up making. Cincinnati is “inclined to keep” affordable relievers like Raisel Iglesias, David Hernandez and Jared Hughes, each of whom has been at least speculated upon as a trade candidate.
It’s not entirely clear who the Reds even have eyes on attempting to acquire. The starting pitching market, generally speaking, has a dearth of quality controllable arms available in the first place. Rays righty Chris Archer is the most prominent name with a seemingly realistic chance of being moved, especially now that the Tigers are even unlikelier to deal Michael Fulmer when he’s on the disabled list. Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom, of course, have been prominently mentioned, though most reports indicate that the Mets are planning to hold onto both. Clubs have been inquiring on Orioles right-handers Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy, but there’s been little indication that the O’s are open to moving either. The rebuilding Royals, meanwhile, reportedly have “no intention” of trading southpaw Danny Duffy.
The field may expand when looking at players controlled only through the 2019 season (e.g. Zack Wheeler, Kyle Gibson), though should be wary of surrendering much in the way of future assets in exchange for a player controlled for just one more season, given the uncertainty surrounding their current starters and the strength of the teams atop their division.
Pitching Market Rumors: Stroman, Wheeler, Harvey, Yankees, Giles
The Braves are known to be in the market for rotation upgrades, and Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports that GM Alex Anthopoulos has reached out to his old team, the Blue Jays, to discuss a potential Marcus Stroman trade. However, Morosi also adds that there’s “no evidence of progress in those negotiations.” Anthopoulos has suggested recently that he’s not interested in surrendering significant talent to acquire a rental, so it’s not surprising to see Atlanta exploring the possibility of adding a pitcher who is controlled through the 2020 season. The Jays, of course, have been active on the trade market in the past 24 hours, dealing Seunghwan Oh to the Rockies and J.A. Happ to the Yankees. But GM Ross Atkins downplayed the possibility of moving players controlled beyond the 2018 season earlier today, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet (Twitter link). “We’re not aggressively having those discussions,” Atkins replied when asked about moving some of his more controllable assets.
Some more chatter on the market for pitchers…
- Morosi also tweets that the Brewers and Mets have discussed a possible Zack Wheeler trade, though they’re not close to a deal. The Brewers, who acquired Joakim Soria from the White Sox earlier today, have been tied more to infield upgrades than rotation help in recent days, though they’ve generally been tied to myriad upgrade possibilities. Wheeler would affordably slot into the Milwaukee rotation both this year and next, before reaching free agency, and he’s been raising his profile as of late. In his past 10 starts, he’s worked to a 3.50 ERA with 7.8 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 0.56 HR/9 and a 40.2 percent ground-ball rate through 64 1/3 innings. Of course, the Brewers are hardly alone in their interest. Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets that there are eight to 10 teams that’ve shown some level of interest in acquiring Wheeler.
- Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams spoke to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon about the looming non-waiver trade deadline, and while he declined to go into too many specifics, Williams acknowledged his ongoing Matt Harvey negotiations with other clubs. While Harvey was shelled for eight runs in his most recent outing, that one poor showing didn’t do much to hinder interest. “I certainly didn’t have anybody call and drop out after that,” Williams told Sheldon. “…I think the body of work is there that shows that he’s been a good, consistent Major League pitcher since we acquired him. And the potential for him to help a team down the stretch is certainly there.”
- Prior to the their acquisition of J.A. Happ, the Yankees also spoke to the Twins about Ervin Santana “and others,” per Jon Heyman of Fancred (via Twitter). Both Jake Odorizzi and Kyle Gibson are controlled through the 2019 season and could theoretically emerge as trade candidates, while Lance Lynn is a free agent at season’s end and is quite likely already available (though he has not fared well at all in 2018). It seems likely, though, that New York’s pickup of Happ will end their looks at the Twins’ available starters.
- Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports in his latest notes column (subscription required) that some executives within the industry believe the Astros would sell low on recently demoted closer Ken Giles. Rosenthal adds that one team approached the Mariners about the possibility of a three-team trade, believing that they could get Giles and flip him to Seattle. While the M’s had interest, however, talks failed to progress. The Astros maintain that they’re not shopping Giles, however, per the report.
Brewers Acquire Joakim Soria
2:46pm: Chicago will send just over $1MM, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter).
12:23pm: The Brewers have officially agreed to a deal to acquire righty Joakim Soria from the White Sox, as first reportedy by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). Former first-round pick Kodi Medeiros is one piece in the deal, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (Twitter link), with Feinsand tweeting that righty Wilber Perez is the other.
Per the announcement, the White Sox will pay down an unstated portion of Soria’s contract. He’s earning $9MM this year — some of it still paid for by the Dodgers, as part of the three-team deal that sent him to Chicago — with a $1MM buyout still to come on a $10MM 2019 mutual option.
While his name hasn’t been circulated much around the rumor mill, Soria ranked 12th on MLBTR’s recent list of the top 75 trade deadline candidates on the basis of his strong showing thus far. He becomes the sixth of the first 13 names on that ranking to be dealt in the past week or so.
Soria, 34, has worked as the White Sox’ closer and carries a 2.56 ERA through 38 2/3 innings on the season. He’s sporting an impressive combination of 11.4 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9, buttressed by a career-best 14.6% swinging-strike rate.
There’s a lot to like about the way the veteran hurler is throwing right now. Soria is getting whiffs both by drawing quite a few more chases out of the zone (35.6%) than ever before and by holding opposing hitters to a 77.3% contact rate on pitches in the zone, which is also a career-best rate.
Soria carried sparkling peripherals last year, too, though he only ended the season with a 3.70 ERA, so he seems to be on something of a late-career run of excellence. The long-time late-inning hurler has tamped down on the home runs quite a bit over the past two seasons, allowing only three balls in total to leave the yard in that span.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Yankees Nearing Deal For J.A. Happ
There was quite a lot of chatter yesterday surrounding Blue Jays lefty J.A. Happ, with a run of rumors that certainly suggests negotiations are building toward a conclusion. The Toronto organization has seemingly decided it’d rather move Happ now than let him take the ball this weekend, and Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets that the team is sending that message to interested rivals.
We’ll use this post to track today’s developments on the veteran southpaw, a pure rental player who’s earning $13MM this year:
- The Yankees appear to be zeroing in on Happ. The club is said by Sherman (Twitter links) to be “getting closer” to a deal structured around Drury. Jon Heyman of Fancred has it even closer to the finish line, tweeting that the Yanks and Jays are working to finalize a swap.
Earlier Updates
- As of this morning, it seems there are still multiple organizations in the mix. Largely reflecting the state of play last night, as reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Bob Nightengale of USA Today suggests on Twitter that the Brewers and Yankees are still the two likeliest landing spots, with the Cubs also still “in the mix.”
- Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets that, as Sherman also previously suggested, infielder Brandon Drury has arisen in talks between the division-rival Jays and Yanks. That “could lead to [an] expanded deal,” Rosenthal notes, with the Yankees perhaps also eyeing some catching depth. New York GM Brian Cashman said yesterday that he’s open to bolstering his group of receivers with Gary Sanchez on the shelf. The phrasing of the report doesn’t really appear to suggest that high-priced veteran (and former Yankee) Russell Martin is a target. The more obvious candidate seems to be reserve Luke Maile, who has been a solid performer this year in Toronto, though there’s no direct reporting to establish any particular connection.
Trade Buzz: Wheeler, Harper, Liriano, Greene, Castellanos, Braves
Scouts from at least a dozen teams watched Zack Wheeler‘s start on Tuesday, SNY.tv’s Andy Martino reports. There’s enough interest in Wheeler that the feeling is “” for the Mets, and he “Beyond the Yankees and Reds, who were already known to be looking at Wheeler, the list of interested parties also included such clubs as the Rangers, Mariners, and Red Sox. It isn’t any surprise that contenders like Seattle and Boston are checking in, though the Sox may have already addressed their rotation need with their acquisition of Nathan Eovaldi earlier today. Texas is an interesting name, as the Rangers could’ve been doing their due diligence or (since Wheeler is under control through 2019) considering making an early move to upgrade next year’s pitching staff, which will be a clear offseason need for the club.
Here are more rumblings from around baseball as we’re less than a week away from the trade deadline…
- “Something extreme would have to happen for us to consider moving [Bryce Harper],” Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told Joel Sherman of the New York Post. While short of an outright denial, it doesn’t seem like a Harper trade is even a longshot possibility for the Nats. If anything, Rizzo said the team is still looking to add (in the form of starting pitching and a catcher), though Sherman notes that the general manager didn’t rule out the possibility of eventually selling some impending free agents if Washington can’t get back into the pennant race. Such moves would be lower-level veterans and not Harper, as Sherman runs through the rather limited and difficult market the Nationals would face if they did make him available.
- Dodgers scouts have been watching Tigers closer Shane Greene both before and after Greene’s recent DL stint, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports. Greene only missed 12 days due to some minor shoulder inflammation, and has since pitched in five games. He has posted solid numbers (4.19 ERA, 9.63 K/9, 2.3 BB/9) despite some issues with allowing home runs (1.5 HR/9). Kenley Jansen obviously isn’t going anywhere as the Dodgers’ ninth inning arm, so Greene would bolster the Los Angeles setup corps.
- Also from Fenech’s piece, he reports that a Red Sox executive was recently in attendance to see Francisco Liriano in action, and notes that Liriano could be a fit as a left-hander out of Boston’s bullpen. The Sox are currently going with eight right-handed relievers, with southpaws Bobby Poyner, Robby Scott, and Williams Jerez down at Triple-A, all of whom are far less experienced than a veteran arm like Liriano. While Liriano has struggled overall as a starting pitcher for the Tigers this year, he has dominated left-handed hitters and would fit as a LOOGY in a return to relief work.
- The Braves have a lot of trade options to consider, chiefly in adding starting and/or relief pitching, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman explores in an overview of the team’s deadline plans. If Atlanta does look for hitting, there is some speculation that Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos could be a target, as Detroit has had scouts looking at the Braves farm system (though the Braves’ past interest in Michael Fulmer surely also played a role in those evaluations). Castellanos may be available, if not outright shopped, in trade talks, though the Tigers have put a high asking price on the slugger.
- Kyle Gibson could emerge as part of the talks between the Twins and Brewers, MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi tweets, should the two teams expand their negotiations beyond just infielders. Milwaukee was in need of pitching even before recent bad injury news about Brent Suter and Zach Davies, and adding a controllable (through 2019) pitcher in the midst of a strong season like Gibson would be a major boost to the Brew Crew’s rotation. Adding Gibson to the mix might help Minnesota get a better return in a trade, as Brian Dozier and Eduardo Escobar are only rental players.
Blue Jays “Appear Close” To Striking J.A. Happ Swap
10:18PM: “The industry belief” is that the Yankees and Brewers are the front-runners for Happ, Sherman writes. The Cubs still “might be in play,” though Chicago also asked the Jays about Marcus Stroman. In another tweet, Sherman mentions that the Blue Jays like Yankees infielder Brandon Drury.
9:33PM: The Yankees still look like the favorite for Happ right now, with Feinsand calling them “the leader” of the teams in pursuit, and SNYTV’s Andy Martino saying the Bombers are “in strong position.” A trade may not be imminent, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that a deal is “unlikely” to take place tonight. (All links to Twitter.) Both Feinsand and Martino list the Cubs and Brewers still being involved, with Martino adding the Rockies as a new team to the Happ rumor mill. Feinsand feels the number of teams in on Happ will result in a nice trade return for the Blue Jays.
9:10PM: There are conflicting reports about the Yankees’ involvement in the trade, as Steve Phillips of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM tweets that the Jays are “focusing on finalizing” the Happ deal with New York. Fancred’s Jon Heyman, however, reports that other teams are still in the running, and the Yankees “seem unaware they are getting [Happ], as of this moment.”
3:46PM: The Yankees are “heavy in the mix” for Happ, Feinsand tweets, with other teams (such as the Brewers) still possibly being in play. The Cubs are one of the other teams involved, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
3:39PM: As the Blue Jays and Twins began action at 3:07pm CT today, Happ hadn’t heard about a trade, Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweets. Happ is in Toronto’s dugout, Sportsnet.ca’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and others have reported.
2:54PM: The Blue Jays “appear close” to striking a deal to send lefty J.A. Happ to a contender, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). Particulars of the potential match are entirely unknown, though certainly a variety of contenders make sense generally as destinations for the veteran starter.
Happ has mostly been a quality performer for the past several seasons. He currently sits at a 4.18 ERA on the present season, with peripherals suggesting he has been even more effective than the results would suggest. Though Happ endured a few rough outings recently, he racked up nine strikeouts and allowed just one earned run over five innings in his last start.
As a pending free agent on a struggling Toronto team, it has long seemed clear he’d be dealt this summer. Happ ranked sixth among trade deadline candidates on MLBTR’s recent list.
Last we heard, the Jays were said to be lowering their asking price on Happ as the deadline draws near. The Yankees, Phillies, and Cubs have been linked to him in recent weeks, though it’s not at all clear whether any of those teams is pressing to land the southpaw today.
Central Notes: Davies, Fulmer, Castellanos, Moustakas, Duffy
The Brewers have received some poor news of late on the health of their rotation. Righty Zach Davies is slated to undergo an MRI, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy tweets, rather than embarking on a rehab assignment as had been planned. Davies hit the DL with rotator cuff inflammation nearly two months back. Now, though, he’s said to be dealing with a back issue. The Milwaukee organization certainly seems as likely as ever to pursue a rotation piece on the trade market, especially after the recent news on Brent Suter.
Here’s more chatter from the central divisions:
- It seems the Tigers likely won’t be moving some of their most notable potential trade assets. Jayson Stark of The Athletic had tweeted that Detroit isn’t interested in structuring a deal involving starter Michael Fulmer while he’s on the DL and likely won’t be moving outfielder Nicholas Castellanos “barring a huge overpay.” He has pared down those rather definitive characterizations in a subsequent tweet, suggesting greater openness on the Tigers’ part to consider trade scenarios. There’s still no real indication that either player is particularly likely to be moved, though it seems that talks could still take place.
- There’s wide interest in Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). Indeed, a whopping nine teams are said to be “in discussions” with the Kansas City organization on a possible agreement. That is rather a surprising figure to hear, if only because it seems to include almost every realistic contender, but perhaps quite a few teams can at least imagine a place for Moustakas on their roster. While his limits as a player are well known, Moose still delivers a useful, power-heavy bat and has returned to drawing above-average ratings at the hot corner.
- While Moustakas is a near-certain trade piece, the same is not true of Royals teammate Danny Duffy. Nightengale tweets that the organization has “no intention” of striking a deal involving its top starter. That’s really not terribly surprising, as Duffy has not been in top form this year. On the other hand, the southpaw has been on a much better run of late. Since taking the hill on May 24th, he has allowed just twenty earned runs over 69 2/3 innings. Duffy is earning $14MM this year with $46MM guaranteed over the ensuing three campaigns.