Twins To Acquire Sam Dyson
The Twins have acquired reliever Sam Dyson from the Giants, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register was first to report rumblings of the deal. According to Birch, prospects Prelander Berroa, Jaylin Davis and Kai-Wei Teng will head to the Giants in the swap. Dyson is the first-place Twins’ second veteran relief addition, as they picked up Sergio Romo Saturday night. The Giants, interestingly, traded away relievers Dyson, Mark Melancon, Drew Pomeranz, and Ray Black today while keeping Madison Bumgarner and Will Smith and adding second baseman Scooter Gennett.
Dyson, 31, has posted a 2.47 ERA, 8.3 K/9, 1.2 BB/9, 0.53 HR/9, and 55% groundball rate in 51 innings for the Giants this year. Last year, Dyson ranked ninth among MLB relievers with a 61.3% groundball rate. Dyson’s MLB career took off after a Marlins waiver claim back in 2013, and he posted a fine 38 save campaign for the 2016 Rangers. The Giants added Dyson in a June 2017 trade. The righty is earning $5MM this year and will be under team control for 2020. Dyson and Romo join a Twins bullpen led by Taylor Rogers, Ryne Harper, and Trevor May.
None of the three prospects obtained by the Giants rank within the Twins’ top 30, according to MLB.com. Berroa, 19, is a starting pitcher out of the Dominican Republic who currently sports a 5.40 ERA across seven starts in rookie ball. Davis, a 25-year-old outfielder, earned a promotion to Triple-A in June and is hitting a robust .298/.392/.563 with 25 home runs on the season. Teng, 20, is a low-A starting pitcher with a 1.60 ERA over 50 2/3 innings this year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Twins Acquire Marcos Diplan From Brewers
The Twins have acquired right-handed pitching prospect Marcos Diplan from the Brewers for cash considerations, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports. The Brewers designated Diplan for assignment earlier this week.
The 22-year-old Diplan ranked as FanGraphs’ 18th-best Brewers prospect as recently as the offseason, but that wasn’t enough to keep him in the organization after he struggled to start the 2019 campaign. He has made 30 appearances (five starts) at the Double-A level this season and pitched to a 4.99 ERA/4.41 FIP with 9.83 K/9 and 5.77 BB/9 in 57 2/3 innings.
Outrighted: Torres, Lavarnway
A couple of noteworthy outrights from Tuesday…
- Right-hander Carlos Torres has rejected an outright assignment from the Twins and returned to free agency, Dan Hayes of The Athletic tweets. The Twins designated Torres for assignment last weekend just over a month after signing him to a minor league contract. The 36-year-old Torres didn’t make it to Minnesota’s roster, instead logging a 4.15 ERA/4.10 FIP with 8.31 K/9 and 4.15 BB/9 in 17 1/3 innings with its Triple-A affiliate in Rochester. The nomadic 36-year-old previously pitched for the Padres’ and Tigers’ Triple-A teams this season. He also totaled six innings with Detroit.
- Reds catcher Ryan Lavarnway has been sent outright to Triple-A Louisville after clearing waivers, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Lavarnway could have chosen free agency, but he’ll remain in the organization. The 31-year-old joined the Reds on July 18 after the Yankees released him, but the Reds designated Lavarnway over the weekend. He totaled 19 plate appearances with the Reds before then and slashed a productive .278/.316/.722 with two home runs. However, Lavarnway struggled with the Yanks’ top affiliate in a much larger sample of work.
Latest On Twins’ Pitching Pursuits
Over the past few weeks, the Twins have reportedly pursued trades for several high-profile starters, including right-handers Marcus Stroman and Noah Syndergaard. Stroman, whom the Mets acquired from the Blue Jays on Sunday, is no longer an option for the Twins. Syndergaard, now one of Stroman’s teammates, could still move by Wednesday’s deadline. It doesn’t appear he’s going to end up in Minnesota, though. The Twins have balked at the Mets’ asking price for Syndergaard after turning down the Blue Jays’ requests for Stroman, La Velle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune reports.
Toronto ultimately gave up Stroman for prospects Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson, two pitchers who do not rank among the game’s top 100 farmhands. On the other hand, the Blue Jays informed the Twins any Stroman trade “had to include” one of shortstop Royce Lewis or outfielder Alex Kirilloff, Neal writes. Lewis and Kirilloff are comfortably within baseball’s top 100 range, and they’re among a select few prospects the Twins may be wholly uninterested in trading for just about anyone.
The Mets, meanwhile, sought a return including center fielder Byron Buxton in their Syndergaard-related discussions with the Twins, according to Neal. Unsurprisingly, giving up Buxton was out of the question for the Twins, who have seen the 25-year-old blossom into a highly valuable member of their AL Central-leading roster. Buxton, moreover, is making just $1.75MM this season and under control via arbitration for the next three years.
Having struck out on Stroman and Syndergaard, the Twins are prepared to move on to relief pursuits, per Neal, who writes they “seem comfortable” with the starters they have. Statistically, their rotation – which consists of Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi, Kyle Gibson, Michael Pineda and Martin Perez – has held its own this season.
Minnesota’s bullpen hasn’t been as successful as the team’s starters, and there has been no shortage of recent turnover in its relief corps with the deadline approaching. The Twins parted with Mike Morin, Matt Magill, Adalberto Mejia and Blake Parker after each racked up a solid number of innings for the club earlier in the season. Hoping to upgrade, the Twins acquired the established Sergio Romo from the Marlins on Saturday. It doesn’t appear chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and general manager are going to stop there. They’ve talked to every MLB team with relievers to trade – including the previously reported Padres (Kirby Yates) and Blue Jays (Ken Giles and Daniel Hudson) – and Neal suggests those discussions are likely to continue.
Blake Parker Elects Free Agency
Right-hander Blake Parker rejected an outright assignment from the Twins and has instead elected free agency, the team announced to reporters (Twitter link via Betsy Helfand the St. Paul Pioneer Press).
The 34-year-old Parker was non-tendered by the Angels last winter and went on to sign a one-year, $1.8MM deal with the Twins. Parker is still a bit shy of five years of MLB service time, meaning his decision to opt for free agency will actually result in him surrendering the remainder of that contract in exchange for a return to the open market. He’ll look to latch on with another club in hopes of a quick return to the big leagues.
Parker logged a 4.21 ERA in 36 1/3 innings with the Twins but struggled more than that number would indicate. The right-hander’s velocity dipped to its lowest mark since 2014 (91.5 mph average fastball), and he averaged four walks per nine innings pitched — the worst mark of his career excluding a small 17-inning sample in 2016. Parker’s overall strikeout rate, his swinging-strike rate and his first-pitch strike rate were all down from his 2017 peak with the Halos, and he gave up far too much hard contact; Statcast put his 42.9 percent opponents’ hard-hit rate in just the 10th percentile among MLB pitchers and felt that he was actually fortunate to escape with a .246/.331/.442 opponents’ batting line (based on the quality of the contact he allowed).
Parker turned in an outstanding 2017 season with the Angels when he logged 67 innings of 2.54 ERA ball with 11.5 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 with a 47-percent grounder rate. But after striking out more than a third of batters he faced that season, Parker whiffed just 21.7 percent of opponents this year, and his walk rate jumped four percent as well. Between the diminished K/BB numbers and a career-high 1.73 HR/9, fielding-independent metrics like FIP (5.35), xFIP (4.79) and SIERA (4.58) were all rather bearish on Parker’s performance.
Twins Designate Carlos Torres
The Twins have designated right-handed reliever Carlos Torres for assignment, per Besty Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via Twitter). The move clears roster space for fellow righty Sergio Romo, who was acquired from the Marlins yesterday.
The Twins’ ongoing bullpen shuffle ends Torres’ brief tenure in Minnesota. His contract had just been selected Wednesday to replace fellow reliever Blake Parker, who was himself designated for assignment. Torres, 36, never got into a game for the Twins, but he did pitch in four games earlier this season for Detroit, showing a low-90’s fastball. He’s also pitched in the Padres’ organization this season and again figures to draw interest on a potential minor-league deal once he (presumably) clears waivers.
Blake Parker Clears Waivers
Twins right-hander Blake Parker has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the club on July 24th, according to a tweet from The Athletic’s Dan Hayes. Parker is currently mulling whether or not to accept an assignment to Minnesota’s Triple-A club in Rochester.
The 34-year-old Parker, a veteran of five organizations, has pitched 36.1 innings for Minnesota’s big club this season, with middling bottom-line results. His 19.4% HR/FB rate, 3.96 BB/9 mark, and .245 BAA are not the markings of an elite reliever, but he has still registered strikeouts at a respectable rate and is just two years removed from logging a 2.54 ERA in 67.1 innings for the Angels. It is also worth noting that Parker owned a 3.25 ERA on the season before being shelled for four runs in an appearance on July 23rd. With that in mind, it is somewhat surprising that no club placed a claim on Parker as a late-season dice roll, given the volatility of relievers and the currently tight-fisted relief trade market.
The $1.8MM guarantee Parker held with Minnesota probably goes some way toward explaining his clearance through the waiver portal. Had he been claimed, his acquiring team would have been on the hook for the remainder of that sum; if Parker rejects his Triple-A assignment and elects free agency, he will be eligible to sign a pro-rated league minimum pact with a new club, which would go toward offsetting the remaining money that Minnesota owes the pitcher.
Twins, Rangers Have Discussed Mike Minor Trade
Mike Minor, one of the more heavily discussed trade targets of 2019, has apparently been the subject of conversations held between the Rangers and Twins, according to a tweet from Jon Morosi of MLB Network (Twitter link). Morosi adds that the “extent of progress in talks is unclear.”
We may not be aware of the degree of Minnesota’s interest in Minor, but we certainly know that Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and GM Thad Levine are keeping busy in advance of next week’s deadline. Just this evening, their club acquired Sergio Romo (the pioneer of the “opener” movement, it could be argued), and now we might presume they’re interested in additional staff reinforcements.
Minnesota has received a 3.88 collective ERA from its starters this year, with five of its rotation members–Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi, Kyle Gibson, Michael Pineda, and Martin Perez–having already posted WAR values north of 1.7 on the year. They may not make for the most obvious Minor landing spot, but the time-worn adage of “never having enough pitching” may be looming large in the mind of Falvey and Levine. Plus, the executives are surely mindful Berrios is their only lock to return in 2020. Odorizzi, Gibson and Pineda are soon-to-be free agents, and Perez has a $7.5MM club option (or a $500K buyout). Minor’s due to make $9.5MM next season to close out his contract.
While Falvey and Levine may be interested in welcoming Minor to the Twin Cities, it is uncertain if the player would share their enthusiasm. Minor has a 10-team no-trade list, but it’s unknown if the Twins are on it. Moreover, as a key part of a Rangers team that has defied expectations en route to an above-.500 record, Minor did not take kindly when pressed recently about trade rumors connected to his name. He said simply that, for players, such rumors, “make us mad”. Minor has made clear he does not want to be moved by Texas, but it remains to be seen if the team will comply with those wishes.
Twins Have Inquired About Robbie Ray
The Diamondbacks are reportedly gearing up to sell by Wednesday’s deadline, which could make left-hander Robbie Ray one of the game’s most popular trade candidates during the next few days. The Twins are among the teams that have inquired about Ray, Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets.
On paper, the 27-year-old Ray would be a quality get for the Twins or any other team. He’s a capable starter who’s affordable right now ($6.05MM salary) and controllable via arbitration through next season. One of the majors’ premier strikeout artists dating back to 2016, Ray has fanned a prodigious 11.85 batters per nine this year across 123 innings. At the same time, though, he has issued 4.24 walks per nine, induced ground balls at a mere 38.4 percent clip and allowed home runs on an unappealing 19.1 percent of fly balls. Ray’s control and homer problems have led to a 3.95 ERA/4.27 FIP, which is solid but not excellent.
In terms of bottom-line results, Ray’s not a massive upgrade over any of the Twins’ current complements to top starter Jose Berrios. Kyle Gibson, Jake Odorizzi, Michael Pineda and Martin Perez have posted similar numbers in the run prevention and-or fielding-independent pitching categories. With that said, a Ray acquisition could still make plenty sense for a Minnesota team facing a great deal of uncertainty in its starting staff after the season.
Aside from Berrios, nobody from the Twins’ rotation is a lock to return in 2020. Gibson, Odorizzi and Pineda are pending free agents, while Perez has a $7MM club option (or a $500K buyout). As such, adding Ray could bolster the AL Central-leading Twins’ rotation now while taking care of an offseason need in one fell swoop.
Notes & Rumors: Dyson, Romo, Twins, Brewers, Dodgers
There’s “a lot of trade interest” in Diamondbacks outfielder Jarrod Dyson, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. We already know the Cubs are among the teams that have eyed Dyson. It’s not clear, though, whether the Diamondbacks – who are in the wild-card hunt – will trade the 34-year-old. Dyson, who’s in the last season of a two-year, $7.5MM contract, has enjoyed a considerable bounce-back campaign with the bat. He’s still not much of a threat offensively, having hit .250/.332/.360 (83 wRC+) in 298 plate appearances, but the fleet-of-foot Dyson’s exemplary defense-base running combination gives him a high floor and could help someone in the postseason.
- The Twins, continuing their wide-ranging search for relief help, have shown interest in Marlins closer Sergio Romo, Craig Mish of FNTSY Sports Radio tweets. The soft-tossing, 36-year-old Romo has pitched well for the Marlins since he joined them on a $2.5MM guarantee last winter, making him a strong bet to depart by the trade deadline. Romo has recorded a 3.58 ERA/3.89 FIP over 37 2/3 innings, also adding 7.88 K/9, 3.11 BB/9 and 17 saves in 18 opportunities.
- The injury that forced Brewers righty Jhoulys Chacin to the IL on Thursday is a lat strain – not an oblique strain, as was previously believed – per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. The Brewers expect Chacin to miss two to four weeks. After back-to-back productive seasons, the 31-year-old has managed an awful 5.79 ERA/5.69 FIP across 88 2/3 innings in 2019. Chacin’s struggles, not to mention his injury, are among the reasons the Brewers could bolster their rotation ahead of the deadline.
- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Casey Stern of MLB Network Radio on Friday that Will D. Smith will take the reins as their primary catcher going forward. The Dodgers recalled the well-regarded Smith from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday and sent their previous No. 1 backstop, the slumping Austin Barnes, to the minors. Smith, 24, is now teaming with the grizzled Russell Martin to comprise the Dodgers’ catchers. Martin started LA’s win over Washington on Friday, but the plan is for Smith to handle the Dodgers’ next two games.
- More on the Dodgers, who sent corner infielder David Freese to the IL on Friday with a left hamstring strain. The move made room for just-acquired first baseman Tyler White. It seems especially inauspicious that Freese went to the IL with the same injury just over a month ago. It cost him a minimal amount of time then, but it’s unclear whether that will be the case again. When healthy, the 36-year-old has been one of the Dodgers’ most effective hitters, albeit in a limited role. Through 163 trips to the plate, Freese has slashed a tremendous .300/.399/.579 (157 wRC+) with nine homers.