Brewers Rumors

Sonny Gray Trade Rumors: Deadline Day

By Tim Dierkes | July 31, 2017 at 1:47pm CDT

With about one hour remaining until the trade deadline, all eyes are on Athletics ace Sonny Gray. Gray comes with a 3.43 ERA on the season and club control through 2019. The latest:

The Yankees’ dialogue continues on Gray, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports says the Yankees and A’s have had some movement on a trade, but aren’t quite there yet. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com feels Gray will either go to the Yankees or stay with the A’s. There is a strong belief within the A’s organization that a Gray trade will get done, tweets MLB.com’s Jane Lee.

Earlier Updates

The Cubs would love to acquire Gray and are monitoring the situation in case the Yankees’ talks with the A’s crumble, tweets John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. But as Shea notes, the Cubs don’t have as much to offer as the Yankees, having depleted their farm system with trades dating back to last summer. Shea’s colleague Susan Slusser hears that several other clubs are in the same boat as the Cubs.
The Brewers love Gray and could get involved in talks with the A’s if negotiations with the Yankees drag on, tweets Jon Heyman. Joel Sherman believes the A’s like the Yankees’ bid more, however.
A trade of Gray to the Yankees is “gaining more traction,” tweets Joel Sherman. Sherman adds that a deal is “still not at finish line, but [is] becoming more than less likely now.” In a subsequent tweet, Sherman cautions the A’s could still walk away. Meanwhile, Mark Feinsand has three sources who expect the Yankees to acquire Gray, though they believe it could come down to the final hour.
Jon Heyman says some pieces have been agreed to in a potential Yankees-A’s Gray swap, with the Yankees remaining the favorite. Heyman says the A’s want three or four top prospects, below the tier of Gleyber Torres and Clint Frazier. Here’s a look at the Yankees’ top prospects from MLB.com, in case you’d like to speculate.
The Braves’ interest in Gray has cooled, tweets Joel Sherman. Sherman takes that as a sign the A’s will either trade Gray to the Yankees today or hold onto him until the winter.
Deals involving Gray and Yu Darvish are “not expected to materialize” until the final hour of the deadline, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports notes that the Cubs checked in on Gray, but the asking price seems to be too steep.
While the Yankees remain the strong favorite for Gray, according to Jon Heyman, the Braves are at least one other team that is in contact with the A’s regarding the 27-year-old righty. Heyman feels that the Yankees are a better match than the Braves for Gray given Oakland’s positional needs, noting that the Braves won’t deal Triple-A outfielder Ronald Acuna.
The Yankees and A’s are “still close enough to get over the hump” on a trade for Gray today, a source tells ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. Joel Sherman notes that the two teams continue to talk, and quotes an “involved person” saying the Yankees have “pieces to make it work.”

Sonny Gray Rumors: Saturday

By charliewilmoth | July 29, 2017 at 10:39pm CDT

With two days left before the deadline, here’s the latest on the market for Athletics starter Sonny Gray, with the most recent updates at the top.

Gray to the Yankees is “somewhere between likely to inevitable,” according to Sherman, who reports that the trade could happen Sunday. An executive who has been involved in Gray talks told Sherman that the Yankees are “holding firm” in what they’re willing to offer because they’re not convinced there are any other serious bidders. In case their negotiations with the A’s collapse, the Yankees are discussing starters with other teams as fallback options, per Sherman.

Earlier updates:

Neither the Astros nor Brewers are “serious players for Gray,” writes MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal, who adds that the Braves and Cubs also don’t look likely to acquire him. The Dodgers are the biggest threat to the Yankees in this sweepstakes, but Gray isn’t LA’s main focus, per Rosenthal. With that in mind, Rosenthal expects the Yankees to land Gray, though it might not happen until Monday. Gray to the Bronx makes sense, opines Rosenthal, who notes that the Yankees need answers in their rotation beyond this year (only Luis Severino and Jordan Montgomery are locks to return in 2018) and want to get under the $197MM luxury-tax threshold next season. Acquiring the affordable Gray would help them on both fronts.
Heyman, Sherman, Bob Nightengale of USA Today and Buster Olney of ESPN (on Twitter) each report that the A’s and Yankees are making progress in Gray talks. There’s “optimism” a deal will happen, per Nightengale.
As expected, Oakland has pushed Gray’s next start from Sunday to Monday, reports Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports California (Twitter link).
The A’s talks centering on Gray have been heavier with the Yankees than any other team over the past 48 hours, per Morosi (Twitter link).
Gray will, in fact, skip his start tomorrow if he hasn’t been traded by then, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. Bob Klapisch of USA Today previously tweeted that the A’s were likely to pull Gray from his scheduled start tomorrow due to requests from teams interested in trading for him.
The Yankees’ reluctance to part with Torres or Frazier is not currently holding up talks with the A’s about Gray, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets. The two sides are currently discussing other players and still have not reached an agreement. In fact, Morosi tweets that the A’s prefer another Yankees prospect, Estevan Florial, to Frazier because of his center field defense.
Only after the A’s trade Gray will there be a flurry of activity surrounding other starters, Jon Morosi writes for MLB.com. Teams in the pitching market are primarily seeking multiyear assets like Gray rather than rentals, Morosi writes. That means there are more teams interested in Gray than in rentals like Yu Darvish or Lance Lynn.
The Brewers and Athletics have hit an impasse in their discussions about Gray, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets. The hangup, it seems, is that the A’s want top young outfielder Lewis Brinson, and the Brewers don’t want to trade him. Brinson arrived last winter in the Jonathan Lucroy deal and made his big-league debut last month.
The Yankees still have interest in Gray, but are now looking to rental options like Darvish, Lynn and Jaime Garcia, FanRag’s Jon Heyman writes. (A report earlier today also connected the Yankees to Dan Straily.) As was previously reported, the Yankees do not want to part with Gleyber Torres or Clint Frazier. Still, teams expect Gray to be traded before Sunday, when he’s scheduled to start.
The Yankees “might take” first baseman Yonder Alonso to help “facilitate” a Gray deal, but they aren’t currently focused on first base, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick writes (Twitter links). If the Athletics don’t reduce their price for Gray, the Yankees are prepared to look elsewhere. To state the obvious, Alonso is a terrific asset in his own right, and does not fit the profile of a player a team would take merely to facilitate a trade. The first baseman is batting .262/.360/.525 with 21 home runs this season.

Brewers, Marlins Discussing Dan Straily

By Connor Byrne | July 29, 2017 at 5:50pm CDT

The Brewers and Marlins are “engaged in ongoing dialogue” about Miami right-hander Dan Straily, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network (on Twitter). Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald first noted the Brewers’ interest in Straily.

A report Friday indicated that the Marlins had taken Straily off the market after briefly shopping him, yet they continue to discuss him as Monday’s trade deadline nears. In theory, Straily should represent a cheaper alternative to the Athletics’ Sonny Gray, the most desirable controllable starter available. However, one National League executive told Jon Heyman of FanRag that the Marlins have placed a “Sonny Gray type price” on Straily, whom they seemingly want to keep.

Straily is “no Sonny Gray,” one rival exec told Heyman, but he’d still bring back a legitimate return in his own right. The 28-year-old is an established major league starter who’s making a near-minimum salary now and comes with arbitration eligibility through 2020, so moving him would help the Marlins restock their fallow farm system.

After logging appealing results in Cincinnati last year, where he registered a 3.76 ERA, 7.62 K/9 and a 3.43 BB/9 over 191 1/3 innings, Straily went to the Marlins in an offseason trade involving righty Luis Castillo and has fared well again in 2017. Straily has thrown 117 1/3 frames and recorded a 3.84 ERA, 8.21 K/9 and a 2.53 BB/9. While Straily’s ground-ball rate is at just 34.4 percent (up from 32 percent a year ago), he has offset that with a 14.4 percent infield fly mark that ranks No. 1 among major league starters.

As was the case last year, ERA indicators such as FIP (4.38), xFIP (4.65) and SIERA (4.32) aren’t really buying into Straily’s success, and he’s once again benefiting from a low batting average on balls in play (.272 this season, .239 in 2016). Statcast data paints a rosier picture, though: Straily’s weighted on-base average against is a strong .318, but his xwOBA is an even better .298, per Baseball Savant (Gray’s is a strikingly similar .296).

Thanks to Straily’s performance and affordable control, it’s easy to see why teams – including the Brewers – would want him. Milwaukee has lost nine of 14 since the All-Star break to fall to 55-50 and lose its grip on the National League Central, which the Cubs now lead by a half-game, and seen its playoff odds dwindle significantly. While a postseason trip might not be in the cards for the upstart Brewers this year, acquiring Straily would give them a third proven big league starter who’s under wraps at palatable costs through 2020. The team already has Chase Anderson, who’s soon to return from a lengthy absence stemming from an oblique injury, and Jimmy Nelson. Adding Straily to that duo would ostensibly increase the Brewers’ chances to contend this season and in future years.

Brewers Designate Wily Peralta For Assignment

By charliewilmoth | July 29, 2017 at 2:47pm CDT

The Brewers have announced that they’ve designated righty Wily Peralta for assignment. The move clears space on their active and 40-man rosters for outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis, whose contract they’ve selected from Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Peralta had been a longtime member of the Brewers’ rotation, making 120 starts since his MLB debut with the club in 2012. He typically pitched serviceably or downright well, as he did in 2014, when he produced a 3.54 ERA, 7.0 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 over nearly 200 innings.

This year, however, has been disastrous for Peralta — he has a 7.85 ERA, 8.2 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 over 57 1/3 frames, with many of those coming in relief. He also only recently returned after missing a month due to a calf issue. He’s making $4.275MM in his second year through the arbitration process as a Super Two player, so it’s highly unlikely he’ll be claimed on waivers.

Brewers Interested In Dan Straily

By charliewilmoth | July 29, 2017 at 10:21am CDT

The Brewers, Royals, Rockies and Yankees all have interest in Marlins starter Dan Straily, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald writes (Twitter links). Yesterday, a report indicated that the Marlins had “taken [Straily] off the market,” although, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams noted, it would have been surprising if Straily truly were completely unavailable when the Marlins were reportedly recently initiating contact with other teams about him. At last check, the Marlins were hoping to land a terrific trade package for Straily, who’s in his second straight year as a productive starter, with a 3.84 ERA, 8.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 over 117 1/3 innings. He also has three years of control remaining after this one, potentially making him an interesting addition for a team like the Brewers or Yankees that has an eye on the future as well as the present.

Brewers Showing Interest In Curtis Granderson

By Jeff Todd and Steve Adams | July 27, 2017 at 11:47pm CDT

The Brewers have indicated some interest in veteran Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson, according to Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network (Twitter link). At this point, though, the sides don’t seem to have made any real progress toward a deal. The left-handed-hitting Granderson would add a new dimension to the lineup, which features a variety of right-handed outfield options.

Sonny Gray Trade Rumors: Thursday

By Steve Adams | July 27, 2017 at 11:11pm CDT

11:03pm: Gray’s market is still in flux, with Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reporting that the Yankees are balking at the A’s requests for a package centered around Clint Frazier or Gleyber Torres. Even if Oakland checks down to some of the Yanks’ next tier of prospects, such as Estevan Florial, it seems that New York will remain reluctant to pull the trigger on Gray — though the club has seemingly focused on him to this point.

In his own look at the market for Gray, Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network says the Astros and Brewers are “not significantly involved” at present. He notes, too, that the Padres’ interest may be more serious than has previously been thought.

9:33am: Rosenthal now tweets that the Nationals are not, in fact, in on either Gray or Rangers ace Yu Darvish. Rather, the team might simply elect to pursue another reliever to further boost the back of the bullpen.

12:00am: Earlier tonight, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that rival clubs believe that most teams have informed the Athletics which centerpieces they’re willing to part with in a potential trade for right-hander with Sonny Gray, adding that the Yankees are believed to be the front-runners. According to Sherman, many expect that the A’s will deal Gray before this Sunday’s scheduled start against the Twins.

Though the Yankees are the perceived front-runner, Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets that both the Nationals and Mariners have some interest in Gray, though the extent of that interest isn’t clear. MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal writes that the Mariners and A’s haven’t touched base on Gray in about a week, though multiple rivals from around the game believe that ever-active GM Jerry Dipoto will find a way to make a competitive bid despite a thin farm system.

Rosenthal outlines a speculative scenario in which the M’s could pair a big league outfielder with top prospect Kyle Lewis (among other pieces), then pivot to acquire a new corner outfielder in what is currently a buyers’ market for short-term corner bats. (Rosenthal’s column has multiple quotes on Dipoto’s whirlwind style of trading, including one unnamed exec opining: “I don’t think he’s burning [the farm system] to the ground. I think he knows it’s already on fire and is trying to do what he can with the assets he has.” It’s well worth a full look.)

As for the Nats, Rosenthal reports that a deal could hinge on whether the Nats would part with prized prospect Victor Robles in a deal (Twitter links). Some in the Nationals’ organization now value fellow outfield prospect Juan Soto over Robles, though that hardly suggests that Washington has soured on Robles or given up on him in any way.

Sherman suggests that one factor working in favor of the Yankees is that some believe the Astros to be the team most willing to roll the dice on Orioles’ closer Zach Britton, which could take some of their focus off Gray. Sherman notes that the Astros do still have some trepidation about the various red flags surrounding Britton this year (injuries, lack of appearances on consecutive days, etc.). Houston GM Jeff Luhnow again emphasized to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick today, however, that he doesn’t feel obligated to overpay for any addition given the team’s significant lead in the American League West. “We have a pretty good team, and if we can improve it without giving up too much of our future, we will,” said Luhnow.

Brewers Debating Pursuit Of Sonny Gray

By Steve Adams | July 27, 2017 at 9:12pm CDT

Brewers owner Mark Attanasio is more willing to part with top prospects in order to land Sonny Gray than his front office is, according to Heyman. General manager David Stearns and his staff are reluctant to part with the club’s very top prospects, and Attanasio has been deferring to the preferences of his baseball operations staff. The Athletics are eyeing center field prospect Lewis Brinson, Heyman continues, but it seems that the Brewers’ front office isn’t keen on parting with that level of talent.

Justin Wilson Trade Rumors: Thursday

By Steve Adams | July 27, 2017 at 5:38pm CDT

Justin Wilson has been among the most talked-about assets on the trade market, and the sheer volume of updates on the expansive market for his services is enough to warrant its own dedicated post with the deadline looming. Here’s the latest on the Tigers southpaw, who currently boasts a 2.75 ERA with 12.6 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a 36.1 percent ground-ball rate…

It seems the list of possible suitors isn’t getting any shorter just yet. To the contrary, the Indians have also asked about Wilson’s price tag, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). Cleveland is down a lefty after losing Boone Logan.

Earlier Updates

The Yankees have joined the pursuit of Tigers lefty Justin Wilson, reports Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. It was New York that traded Wilson to the Tigers in the first place (for righties Chad Green and Luis Cessa), and while the Yanks have already beefed up their ’pen with the additions of David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle, they appear further interested in adding a shutdown lefty. The Tigers, though, are aiming extremely high in talks for Wilson, with Fenech suggesting that they’re seeking an Aroldis Chapman -esque return for Wilson. While the 29-year-old Wilson is earning a bargain $2.7MM salary and can be controlled through 2018 via arbitration, that’s still a sky-high ask. The Cubs sent Gleyber Torres, Billy McKinney, Adam Warren and Rashad Crawford to New York in exchange for Chapman last summer.
The Astros could be the most focused team on Tigers southpaw Justin Wilson, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). Wilson has leapfrogged Orioles closer Zach Britton on the Astros’ list of targets, though all indications are that the ask on Wilson is extremely high. Houston is hardly alone in its pursuit of Wilson and has yet to definitively separate itself from the pack, however, per Crasnick (Twitter links). There are at least six teams still in on Wilson, with the Nationals “strongly” in the mix. Lastly, Crasnick tweets that the odds of a package deal sending Wilson and Justin Verlander to a team “are not good” due to the complex nature of such negotiations.
FanRag’s Jon Heyman writes that the Brewers, Astros and Red Sox were recently considered to be the leaders in the Wilson sweepstakes, though others are in on him as well. Heyman lists the Cubs, Rockies, D-backs, Dodgers and Nationals as other potential landing spots in a trade.

Brewers Acquire Anthony Swarzak

By Steve Adams | July 26, 2017 at 10:01am CDT

TODAY: Milwaukee has announced the swap, making it official.

YESTERDAY: The Brewers and White Sox have reportedly agreed to a trade that will send right-handed reliever Anthony Swarzak from Chicago to Milwaukee in exchange for 25-year-old infield/outfield prospect Ryan Cordell.

After signing a minor league deal with a $900K base salary this offseason, the 31-year-old Swarzak has broken out with the best season of his career. In 48 1/3 innings with the South Siders, he’s averaged 9.7 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 with a 40.5 percent ground-ball rate en route to a 2.23 ERA.

The former second-round pick is averaging 94.5 mph on his heater this year and has posted a 14 percent swinging-strike rate that dwarfs his previous career-high of 10.6 percent. Swarzak’s 71.9 percent contact rate sits nearly six percentage points below the league average of 77.5 percent.

Swarzak figures to serve as a setup man to breakout closer Corey Knebel. He’ll be joined in the relief corps by the likes of Jacob Barnes, Jared Hughes and Josh Hader. Veteran Carlos Torres and midseason acquisition Oliver Drake have both logged significant innings out of the Milwaukee ’pen, though each righty has struggled recently.

Cordell, 25, has spent the season with Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate, hitting .284/.349/.506 with 10 homers and nine steals in the hitter-friendly environment of Colorado Springs. He’ll ultimately spend less than a full season in the Brewers’ system, as he’d previously been acquired as the player to be named later in last summer’s Jonathan Lucroy/Jeremy Jeffress trade with the Rangers.

The versatile Cordell ranked 17th among Milwaukee farmhands on the updated top 30 list published by MLB.com today. A former 11th-round pick, Cordell has appeared at shortstop, third base and all three outfield positions in his career and could project as a super-utility option with some pop and speed in the Majors. While some scouts may project him as a fourth outfielder (as MLB.com’s report indicates and as Yahoo’s Jeff Passan suggests on Twitter), Cordell is essentially a very near-MLB-ready piece and should have a chance to convince the ChiSox that he’s capable of more in the very near future.

Swarzak becomes the latest domino to fall in the White Sox’ aggressive, ongoing rebuilding effort. Chicago GM Rick Hahn has moved Jose Quintana, Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle this summer, in addition to shipping out center fielder Adam Eaton and ace Chris Sale this past offseason. There could still be more pieces on the move in Chicago as well, with Melky Cabrera, Miguel Gonzalez and Derek Holland all set to hit free agency at season’s end. Outfielder Avisail Garcia, too, could see his name bandied about the rumor circuit over the next five to six days, as he’s only controlled through the 2019 campaign.

FOX’s Ken Rosenthal first reported the two sides were in talks. FanRag’s Jon Heyman reported that an agreement was in place (via Twitter). Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reported that Cordell was going to the White Sox in return for Swarzak (via Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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