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D-Backs Acquire Eduardo Escobar

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The Diamondbacks have officially struck a deal with the Twins that sends infielder Eduardo Escobar to Arizona. Ken Rosenthal and Dan Hayes of The Athletic (Twitter link) reported an agreement was close, while Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets that there is in fact a deal in place.

In return, the Twins will get three Class A ballplayers in the deal, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports tweets. Righty Jhoan Duran and outfielders Ernie De La Trinidad and Gabriel Maciel are all going to Minnesota. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 had tweeted that a trio of minor-leaguers would go to the Twins in the deal.

Escobar will reach free agency at season’s end, making him an obvious trade piece for the Twins. While the Minnesota club is still not fully buried in the AL Central, with a seven-game deficit, the club obviously determined that it was not close enough to the talented Indians to hold off on moving veteran assets.

With the deadline drawing near, Escobar arguably rated as the top infielder available. He is earning just $4.8MM this year, so his salary was rather easy to absorb for most contenders. Esobar sat at 18th on MLBTR’s recent listing of the top 75 trade deadline candidates, though he would have been significantly higher had it been clear that the Twins were ready to deal.

Even with Escobar leaving the market, there still remain quite a few other potential infield targets. Top rentals include now-former teammate Brian Dozier (who is likely limited to second base), Asdrubal Cabrera, Adrian Beltre, Ian Kinsler, and a group of veteran shortstops (Adeiny Hechavarria, Jose Iglesias, Freddy Galvis).

For the time being, at least, it seems likely that Escobar will slot in at third base, which is where he has spent most of the year. D-Backs incumbent Jake Lamb is dealing with a shoulder injury that may require a DL stint. He has also struggled mightily at the plate this year after two consecutive quality campaigns.

Escobar certainly has not had any difficulties putting bat to ball in 2018. He’s sporting a career-best .274/.338/.514 batting line with 15 home runs through 408 plate appearances. That’s a fair sight more than the switch-hitter has ever produced at the plate over a full season in the past, though Escobar has posted roughly league-average batting lines in three of the past four campaigns.

Of course, the Diamondbacks will surely still hope that Lamb can return and provide a boost. It’s notable, then, that Escobar has extensive experience at shortstop and also has spent time at second base (as well as the corner outfield). He may ultimately end up moving around the diamond as needs dictate down the stretch.

On the Twins’ side, there’s some interesting young talent coming back. Per MLB.com’s recently updated organizational rankings, Maciel ranked as the 11th-best prospect in the Arizona system, with Duran listed in the 19th spot. Maciel is valued for his ability to get aboard and do damage on the basepaths when he does. Entering the season, Baseball America rated both of those players among the thirty best Diamondbacks prospects. In their latest look, they bumped Duran into the club’s top-ten list on the basis of his big heater and “power curve.” While he still needs a third pitch to profile as a future starter, it seems there’s a lot to like about his arm.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Twins’ Ryan Pressly Drawing Significant Trade Interest

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“Virtually every contender” has reached out to the Twins to inquire about the availability of reliever Ryan Pressly, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). The strong levels of interest have compelled the Twins to “at least listen” to offers on Pressly, who is controlled through the 2019 season.

Pressly, 29, is in the midst of his best season in the Majors to date. The former Rule 5 pick (out of the Red Sox organization in 2012) has seen his velocity trend upward in recent years, and he’s averaging 95.8 mph on his heater with a ridiculous 13.0 K/9 mark against 3.6 BB/9 through 47 2/3 innings this season. His 18 percent swinging-strike rate ranks fifth among qualified relievers. Pressly also has an above-average 47.9 percent ground-ball rate, and though his 3.40 ERA is plenty solid, fielding-independent metrics are even more bullish; FIP pegs Pressly at 2.95, while xFIP has him at 2.86 and his SIERA sits at 2.72.

Rosenthal notes that Pressly has the second-highest spin rate in the Majors — a nod to Pressly’s curveball, which does indeed check in second behind only Garrett Richards in terms of its spin, per Statcast (min. 100 curves thrown). It’s also worth noting that Pressly’s four-seamer has the seventh-highest spin rate, and his slider ranks 16th in that regard (again, min. 100 of each pitch type thrown).

Pressly is earning just $1.6MM in 2018 and would be controlled for one more season via the arbitration process. As Jake Kaplan of The Athletic points out (also on Twitter), Pressly fits the Astros’ preferred template of a high-spin four-seamer and curveball, though surely that skill set holds a fairly broad level of appeal throughout the Majors.

Robust as the interest in Pressly may be, it’s not yet clear whether the Twins have any intent to move pieces that are controlled beyond the 2018 season. The American League Central is still generally looks weak, and while the current season hasn’t played out as Minnesota had hoped, the team has a number of quality young pieces locked up into 2019 and beyond. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman recently reported with regard to Kyle Gibson, who is also controlled through ’19, that the Twins have “fielded inquiries” but are more open to moving impending free agents.

At present, the Twins are seven games back in the American League Central, though they’ve won four in a row. Their final four games before Tuesday’s deadline come against some of the best competition in the AL, with three games remaining in their current series in Boston plus a Monday tilt against the division-leading Indians. If Minnesota can pull within another game or two before Tuesday afternoon, perhaps it’ll hang onto most of its trade assets, though the team could choose to operate in a variety of ways. GM Thad Levine told 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson earlier this month that his team could also look to add some pieces that are controlled into 2019 as a means of doing some offseason shopping in advance.

Twins Have Received Interest In Gibson, But Trade Unlikely

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  • The Twins “have fielded inquiries” on right-hander Kyle Gibson, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, but they’re more interested in dealing their impending free agents than Gibson, who is controlled through 2019 and is in the midst of a breakout season. The former first-round pick was brilliant against the Red Sox last night, allowing one run over eight innings and lowering his ERA to 3.42 in the process. Through 129 innings, Gibson has averaged 8.8 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 and 0.91 HR/9. His fastball is up nearly a mile per hour over its 2017 average, and his 12.2 percent swinging-strike rate is easily a career-high. The Twins are currently seven games back of the division lead in the AL Central, but they’ve won four in a row. With three games in Boston and another hosting Cleveland before Tuesday’s non-waiver deadline, Minnesota faces a tough road to closing that gap.

Yankees Inquired On Ervin Santana Before J.A. Happ Trade

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  • 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.

Could Kyle Gibson Become Part Of Brewers Talks?

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  • 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.

Phillies Interested In Adam Jones, Eduardo Escobar

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The Phillies’ list of trade targets includes Orioles outfielder Adam Jones and Twins infielder Eduardo Escobar, Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman reports.  Indeed, MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi lists the Phillies and Indians as “two of the most serious contenders” to acquire Jones before the trade deadline.  (Morosi initially reported on Cleveland’s interest in Jones earlier this month.)

Philadelphia and Baltimore have been linked in trade talks for much of the summer, as the Phils were known to be suitors for Manny Machado and Zach Britton before both former O’s stars were dealt to the Dodgers and Yankees, respectively.  It’s fair to assume that the Orioles have a very good sense of the Phils’ farm system at this point, both from scouting and negotiations and the simple fact that there are more than a few former Baltimore executives in Philadelphia’s front office (chief among them club president Andy MacPhail and GM Matt Klentak).

Jones, who turns 33 on August 1, is owed roughly $7MM for the remainder of the season.  He’s a free agent this winter, so he’d represent a pure rental for the Phillies, who would get a veteran upgrade in their outfield that wouldn’t represent a long-term roadblock for younger talents like Nick Williams.

With Odubel Herrera locked into everyday center field duty, Jones’ likeliest role with the Phillies would be to take over from Williams as the regular right fielder.  It’s worth noting that Williams (.250/.329/.438 in 286 PA, 12 homers, 104 OPS+, 105 wRC+) is actually hitting better than Jones (.277/.304/.422 in 411 PA, 10 homers, 100 OPS+, 96 wRC+) this year, though Jones brings a much longer track record of performance to the table.  Williams also has been a very subpar defender in right field, so Jones should represent an upgrade in that area even if his own metrics in the more challenging center field position have been well below average for the last three years.  The recent demotion of Aaron Altherr left the Phillies in need of a backup outfielder, so Williams would step into that role.

Escobar has mostly played third base for the Twins this year, though with Maikel Franco hitting better in recent weeks, the Phillies would likely use Escobar in place Scott Kingery at shortstop.  Escobar is in the midst of an outstanding .278/.338/.522 campaign over 397 PA, and the 29-year-old has also delivered 15 homers and a league-best 37 doubles.  He is another rental player, and only has roughly $1.7MM still owed to him for the rest of the season.

Twins Activate Ervin Santana, Designate Taylor Motter For Assignment

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The Twins announced after tonight’s game that they’ve designated infielder/outfielder Taylor Motter for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster for right-hander Ervin Santana, who has been activated from the 60-day disabled list.

It’ll be the season debut for Santana, who underwent surgery on his the middle finger on his right hand back in February. Originally expected to miss around 12 weeks, Santana wound up missing the entire first half of the season (and then some) as his rehab proved to be considerably slower than expected. He’ll now join a Twins club that has significantly underperformed in 2018 and will almost certainly be acting as a seller leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline.

Santana himself, in fact, could emerge as a trade option for the Twins, though he’ll likely only have enough time to make a pair of starts (at best) before next Tuesday’s deadline. But, with $4.94MM of his $13.5MM salary still yet to be paid out, Santana may very well clear waivers in early August and allow the Twins to market him there. There’s a chance that Santana could be controlled into the 2019 season, be it by the Twins or another club, but he’d need to pitch quite well in the season’s final couple of months in order to convince a club to exercise his $14MM option for the 2019 season.

The 35-year-old Santana’s absence has played no small role in Minnesota’s 2018 flop, as he’d been the staff’s most consistent starter over the past two seasons. Dating back to 2016, Santana logged 392 2/3 innings of 3.32 ERA ball, averaging 7.2 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and 1.1 HR/9 with a roughly 42 percent ground-ball rate along the way. The Twins had hoped he’d pair with Jose Berrios to lead an improved rotation mix and make a run at the AL Central, but instead Minnesota has received no value any of Santana, Byron Buxton or Miguel Sano over the course of the season. As a result, players like Santana, Brian Dozier, Eduardo Escobar, Zach Duke, Fernando Rodney and others will find themselves on the trade block in the coming days.

As for Motter, he was claimed off waivers after the Mariners designated him for assignment earlier this summer. The versatile 28-year-old managed just one hit in 23 plate appearances, though, missing time with a concussion along the way. The Twins will have a week to trade Motter or run him through outright waivers. He’s a career .190/.263/.313 hitter in the Majors (407 plate appearances), but he’s had considerably more success at the Triple-A level.

Ervin Santana Could Emerge As Late Trade Chip

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  • While Ervin Santana hasn’t pitched in the Majors this season after undergoing surgery to repair a tendon in his right middle finger this February, scouts are planning to closely watch the Twins right-hander’s 2018 debut this week, Passan notes. Santana likely only has enough time to make a pair of starts before the non-waiver deadline, and that may or may not be enough to convince a team of his ability to help down the stretch. But he’s also owed the balance of a $14MM salary this season — about $5.2MM through season’s end — which could allow him to clear waivers in early August and emerge as a trade candidate next month.

Ervin Santana To Make 2018 Debut On Wednesday

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  • Ervin Santana will make his season debut on Wednesday when he takes the hill for a start in Toronto, Twins skipper Paul Molitor told reporters (including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger).  Santana underwent surgery on the middle finger of his throwing hand back in early February, a procedure that was thought to require only a 10-to-12 week rehab stint.  Unfortunately for the right-hander, he battled continued soreness in his finger as well as a rather troubling velocity drop during his recovery process, and is only now ready to return to action.  Due to that extended absence, Bollinger writes that Santana’s $14MM club option for 2019 is ” not expected to be picked up” by the Twins, though I’d suspect that the team would at least consider retaining the veteran if he shows any of his old form over the final two-plus months of the season.  Santana did post excellent numbers in 2016-17, delivering a 3.32 ERA, 2.77 K/BB rate, and 7.2 K/9 over 63 starts and 392 2/3 IP for Minnesota.

Twins Asked About Moving Dozier, Escobar In Same Trade

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Among the many trade proposals being tossed around behind the scenes, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (Twitter links) hears that the Twins have been approached about dealing Brian Dozier and Eduardo Escobar in the same trade, while teams interested in Zach Britton have also asked the Orioles about a larger deal involving Dylan Bundy or Kevin Gausman.  Rosenthal is doubtful either scenario takes place, as Baltimore may not be looking to deal from its rotation and, more generally, teams usually prefer to deal players individually rather than package together several trade chips in a single blockbuster move.  In regards to the Twins, Rosenthal speculates that the Brewers could have been the team who asked about the multi-player deal — Milwaukee has the most glaring need of any contender for middle infield help, and the Brew Crew has been connected to both Dozier and Escobar in reports.

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