A’s Acquire Fernando Rodney
In a stunning move seemingly out of nowhere, the Athletics announced that they’ve acquired right-hander Fernando Rodney from the Twins in exchange for minor league righty Dakota Chalmers. Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports that the A’s will assume all of Rodney’s remaining salary (around 1.3MM).
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the transaction came as the result of a waiver claim by the Athletics, meaning Rodney never cleared revocable trade waivers. The 42-year-old was certainly a logical August trade candidate, as MLBTR’s own Connor Byrne noted this past Saturday; more recently, the Twins’ closer appeared near the top of our Top 20 August Trade Candidates, checking in at number seven. He’s a reasonably affordable option for the surging yet cost-conscious A’s.
[RELATED: How August Trades Work]
Rodney has long been an effective MLB reliever, and has served mainly as a closer across the past decade. His 325 career saves rank 17th all-time among relievers, and although he’s certainly shown some fluctuation in performance over the course of his lifetime, his 3.09 ERA at present would be his best in a full season since 2014 with the Mariners. The veteran has managed to strike out more than ten batters per nine innings in five of the past six campaigns and owns a solid if unspectacular 3.70 ERA (3.73 FIP) over the course of his 16-year MLB career.
For the A’s, it’s the latest move to bolster an already-spectacular relief corps. Headed into the second half of July, the club already boasted three relievers with a Win Probability Added of 1.00 or higher (Blake Treinen, Lou Trivino and Yusmeiro Petit). Since then, they’ve added Jeurys Familia in a trade with the Mets, claimed Shawn Kelley off waivers from the Nationals, and plucked Mike Fiers from the paws of the Tigers. Rodney serves as the club’s fourth major bullpen addition over the course of the past month, fortifying an already-terrifying group.
That’s excellent work on the part of the club’s front office, as it’ll help mask the club’s uninspiring rotation. Sean Manaea‘s currently the club’s only starter with enough innings to qualify for the ERA title, in no small part due to the wreckage of torn UCLs suffered by rotation candidates this season. Daniel Gossett, Kendall Graveman, Jharel Cotton and top prospect A.J. Puk are all done for the season after requiring Tommy John surgery, leaving the club with a starting group of ragtag veterans that includes Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson and Edwin Jackson, each of whom has outperformed expectations. With an eye on October, it seems as though the Athletics are likely to use starters for short outings in the postseason and rely on a deep bullpen to handle the remainder of the workload.
Perhaps one of the more surprising elements of this deal is the fact that Rodney went unclaimed by the Indians, who had waiver priority over the Athletics and one of the worst bullpens in baseball. With three strong lefties in their pen and no viable right-handed options beyond Adam Cimber and struggling closer Cody Allen, Rodney would have provided a strong upgrade to the Cleveland bullpen. Likewise, the Mariners (who’re in close competition with them for a wild card spot) also passed on Rodney, allowing him to be claimed by a division rival rather than using him to patch their own relief corps.
The inclusion of Chalmers is a fascinating element of this deal, as the 21-year-old right hander has yet to accrue any significant professional resume following his selection by the A’s as the 97th overall pick in the 2015 draft. He didn’t rank among the club’s top 30 prospects in MLB Pipeline’s latest rankings, but Fangraphs considered him to within that group, ranking him 23rd in the A’s farm system. Chalmers had to step away from baseball late in 2017 for personal reasons, and Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen mentioned that he’s struggled with his control since returning. Though his velocity sits in the low-to-mid-90’s, there’s some skepticism that he’ll ever develop the command necessary to work multiple innings. He won’t pitch for the remainder of 2018 after undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier this season.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/7/18
We’ll use this post to track the day’s minor moves …
Latest…
- The Blue Jays will hold Darnell Sweeney on their active roster no longer. The club has announced that he cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A. Sweeney earned just four plate appearances with Toronto this season prior to being designated for assignment; it was his first taste of major league action since 2015, when the 27-year-old was with the Phillies. It seems as though the move was more motivated by projected potential than performance. Although Sweeney didn’t get a hit in his four trips to the plate, he did manage to draw two walks. He did, however, hit just .235/.310/.398 at the Triple-A level, and while that’s good for a nearly-average 98 wRC+, he also struck out in more than 30% of his plate appearances.
- The Angels announced that they’ve placed infielder Luis Valbuena on release waivers. The 32-year-old is finishing up a two-year, $15MM contract with a 2019 club option, which clearly won’t be exercised. He’s long been a useful major-league asset, providing at least 1 fWAR across each of the past six seasons while with the Cubs, Astros and Angels. Unfortunately, this year has been an entirely different story, as he’s mustered just a .199/.253/.335 batting line across 288 plate appearances for the Halos while striking out a whopping 34.7% of the time. Valbuena’s performance has also suffered from a 6.6% walk rate that’s nearly four full percentage points below his career average of 10.5%.
Earlier…
- The Twins have released right-hander Todd Van Steensel, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter). It seems the organization simply ran out of room for the 27-year-old reliever, who has been with the Twins since 2011. The Aussie had spent the 2018 season at the Double-A level, working to a 3.07 ERA with 10.0 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9 while allowing just 26 hits over 44 innings.
Joe Mauer, Logan Morrison Clear Revocable Trade Waivers
The Twins have passed two of their veteran hitters through the trade waiver process, as Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports that Joe Mauer and Logan Morrison both went unclaimed by any of the 29 other teams. Mauer and Morrison are now eligible to be dealt for the remainder of the season.
Mauer has a full no-trade clause that he could’ve used to block a move to another team, had he been claimed and the Twins elected to let the claim stand. Still, it was a moot point since other clubs weren’t likely to make a move for a player who is owed significant money (roughly $6.92MM by Berardino’s calculation) for the remainder of the season, particularly since Mauer is hitting only .275/.357/.367 over 348 PA.
Once one of the league’s best players, Mauer has become only a decently above-average offensive contributor in the latter stage of his career, with a .277/.360/.387 slash line since the start of the 2014 season. He has consistently managed to get on base despite declining power numbers, however, and is less than a year removed from a strong 2017 season. Mauer is also a well-respected veteran who would add to any clubhouse’s leadership.
As of last week, Mauer said he hadn’t been approached by the Twins about a potential trade, and it isn’t clear if Mauer would consider waiving his no-trade clause to join a contender — he said last winter that he would find it hard to play for any team besides the Twins. Since Mauer’s contract is up after the season, however, Minnesota could look to re-sign Mauer in the offseason while giving him a shot at a championship over the last two-plus months of the 2018 campaign.
Morrison signed a one-year, $5.5MM deal with the Twins last winter with a $1MM buyout of a club option year for 2019. That option vests if Morrison reaches 600 plate appearances, though that isn’t likely to happen given that the veteran first baseman/DH has struggled to a .195/.289/.387 slash line and 15 homers over 343 PA. Morrison is just a season removed from a big 38-homer, .868 OPS season with the Rays, yet he had to settle for his modest contract from the Twins after not receiving much interest in free agency. Morrison will face another crowded market of veteran bats on the trade market, and teams aren’t likely to show much interest in his services unless he gets hot at the plate.
AL Central Links: Drake, Pineda, Chernoff, Herrera, Tigers
Oliver Drake earned an unusual spot in the record books upon making his Twins debut on Saturday, as the right-hander became the first player in history to pitch for five different MLB teams in a single season. After three waiver claims and a trade, the well-traveled Drake has now taken the hill for the Twins, Blue Jays, Angels, Indians, and Brewers since the start of the 2018 campaign. “It’s definitely been a long year,” Drake told MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger and other reporters. “It’s always a good thing to be wanted in this game. My wife definitely would appreciate being a little more settled. She’s been moving around a lot with me, and it’s kind of chaos. But it’s all part of it, it’s the lifestyle we live, and we’re just making the best of it.” Drake had already taken a long journey of a different sense just to reach the Show, as he was a 43rd-round pick for the Orioles in the 2008 draft and didn’t crack the big leagues until 2015. Ironically, Drake had a pretty stable run for much of his pro career, as he was a member of Baltimore’s organization until he was dealt to Milwaukee in April 2017.
Here’s more from around the AL Central…
- Also from Bollinger’s piece, Michael Pineda will officially begin his rehab assignment with the Twins‘ Gulf Coast League affiliate today. This will mark the right-hander’s first action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in July 2017. Minnesota signed Pineda to a two-year, $10MM contract last winter, with $8MM of that deal owed in 2019 as the team sees him as a potential rotation contributor when healthy. If all goes well in his rehab, Pineda is slated to get some Major League innings under his belt when rosters expand in September.
- Indians GM Mike Chernoff talks to The Athletic’s Zack Meisel (subscription required) about how a front office prepares for the trade deadline, as well as managing the hectic, last-minute flurry of calls and messages from other teams on deadline day itself. Cleveland had already acquired Brad Hand and Adam Cimber to reinforce the bullpen earlier in July, leaving the team with one less positional target to worry about as July 31 approached. “There have been times at the deadline where we’ve had multiple needs and you’re juggling a lot of different things at the same time….Because we addressed the bullpen much earlier in the process, we could really shift our focus to, ‘How do we help the outfield?’ “, Chernoff said. The piece is well worth a full read for an insight into the many factors that every team must juggle as it looks to make any trade, let alone multiple deals at the busiest time of the year for transactions.
- Rosell Herrera‘s rookie season has seen him go from the Reds to the Royals on a waiver claim, though now the 25-year-old looks to be shaping into a useful asset for his new club, the Kansas City Star’s Maria Torres writes. Herrera hasn’t shown much at the plate (.257/.291/.358 over 159 PA with Cincinnati and Kansas City), though he has displayed some versatility, lining up at second base, third base, and all three outfield spots this season. Torres details how Herrera, once a top-100 ranked prospect coming up in the Rockies’ system, first started playing the outfield since Colorado already had Nolan Arenado and Troy Tulowitzki on the left side of the diamond, and how wrist problems slowed his ascent through the farm system.
- The trade that sent J.D. Martinez to the Diamondbacks in July 2017 was the first of six major deals made by the Tigers as they began their rebuilding process, and MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery looks back on the prospect haul that Detroit has collected in those swaps. While it will obviously be several years before the impact of these deals can be fully assessed, the trade that sent Justin Wilson and Alex Avila to the Cubs at the 2017 deadline is already “a big win for the Tigers” since Jeimer Candelario has become a lineup regular.
Twins Interested In Retaining Fernando Rodney
Considering the Twins are out of playoff contention and soon-to-be 42-year-old closer Fernando Rodney isn’t signed for guaranteed money past this season, he may be a logical August trade candidate. However, the Twins are interested in picking up Rodney’s option for 2019, according to the Star Tribune’s LaVelle E. Neal III, who writes that the team would only move him this month for “a very nice offer.”
Rodney is due another $1.3MM this year, which is an affordable figure, as Neal notes. Contenders in the market for relief help (perhaps including the Red Sox, who showed interest in Rodney last month) may claim him if he ends up on trade waivers, then, though the Twins aren’t in a position where they have to jettison the veteran. Rather, the Twins could retain Rodney this year and exercise their $4.25MM option over the right-hander in the offseason, as opposed to buying him out for $250K, and either keep him for next season or shop him over the winter.
When the Twins signed Rodney to a $4.5MM guarantee last December, they were coming off a playoff-bound campaign and had designs on another postseason trip in 2018. Eight months later, Minnesota has stumbled to a 50-58 record and a nine-game deficit in the AL Central, though its struggles haven’t exactly been Rodney’s fault. For the most part, Rodney has made good on his deal by pitching to a 3.24 ERA/3.91 FIP with 10.15 K/9, 3.89 BB/9 and a 44 percent groundball rate in 41 2/3 innings. Never the most trustworthy game-ending option, Rodney has saved 23 of 29 opportunities this year, giving the journeyman a 79 percent success rate that slightly trails his career mark (82 percent, 323 saves on 395 tries).
Should the Twins bring the hard-throwing Rodney back in 2019, it would give them one fewer area to address in the offseason. The Twins’ bullpen may nonetheless be a focal point for chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine, though, given that the unit has posted the majors’ seventh-worst ERA in 2018. Minnesota’s relief corps has fared much better in terms of K/BB ratio (fifth) and fWAR (18th), though Ryan Pressly and Zach Duke played a role in that, and the team traded both hurlers prior to the non-waiver deadline on Tuesday. Thanks in part to those moves, Rodney clearly ranks as one of the best relievers who’s on track to return for the Twins next season.
Twins Claim Oliver Drake, Johnny Field
The Twins announced Friday that they’ve claimed right-hander Oliver Drake off waivers from the Blue Jays and outfielder Johnny Field off waivers from the Indians. Drake will step right into the MLB bullpen, while Field will head to Triple-A Rochester for the time being. Minnesota already had two open spots on the 40-man roster, so no additional 40-man moves were necessary to accommodate the pair of claims.
The 31-year-old Drake has already pitched for the Blue Jays, Brewers, Indians and Angels in 2018, making the Twins an incredible fifth MLB organization for which he’ll appear in a single season.
Drake has been rocked for a 7.57 ERA so far, but teams keep taking a chance on him, perhaps in part due to a strong 9.6 K/9 mark against 3.3 BB/9, as well as a healthy 13.3 percent swinging-strike rate. Drake also boasts terrific numbers in Triple-A, where he’s pitched to a 2.05 ERA with 155 punchouts against 43 walks in 110 innings of work. He’s out of minor league options, so the Twins (or a sixth MLB team) will have to carry him on the 25-man roster or try, once again, to pass him through outright waivers.
As for Field, the 26-year-old has batted just .213/.253/.373 through 179 MLB plate appearances this season, but he’s displayed some power and a bit of speed with six homers and a .160 ISO to go along with four steals. He’s drawn positive marks at all three outfield spots, in an obviously small sample, and has a career .271/.325/.440 slash in parts of three Triple-A seasons.
Dodgers Acquire Brian Dozier
3:52pm: The teams have announced the trade. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets that, for now, the sense is that the Twins will hang onto Forsythe. It’s possible, perhaps, that Minnesota will be able to find a taker for a portion of his contract in August if he performs well, though as a free agent at season’s end, Forsythe presumably isn’t viewed as any sort of long-term piece.
2:28pm: The two sides have a deal in place, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). Dozier is headed to Los Angeles. Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that Minnesota will take on Logan Forsythe‘s contract in the deal and will also receive prospects Luke Raley and Devin Smeltzer in the swap.
2:23pm: The Dodgers and Twins are nearing a trade that’d send Brian Dozier from Minnesota to Los Angeles, according to Ken Rosenthal and Dan Hayes of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The trade of Dozier brings to an end the tenure of one of the best players in recent Twins history and also at last pairs Dozier with the Dodgers, who invested a significant amount of time in trying to acquire him in the 2016-17 offseason. While Dozier isn’t having nearly the season that he had in his best two years with the Twins, the 31-year-old is at least showing some power, with a .224/.305/.402 slash and 16 homers on the season.
Of course, at his best, Dozier was quite arguably among the top second basemen in the game, hitting .269/.349/.522 with 76 home runs, 65 doubles and nine triples in 1396 plate appearances with Minnesota from 2016-17. That hasn’t been the case in 2018, clearly, but the Dodgers will hope for a return to form. Furthermore, given his status as a rental player, the cost of acquisition paid by the Dodgers wasn’t overly steep.
What remains to be seen is precisely how Dozier will be shoehorned into an already tight L.A. infield mix. The Dodgers currently have Justin Turner on the disabled list, which alleviates the logjam a bit, but they’ll soon have an infield with Turner at third, Manny Machado at shortstop, Max Muncy at second base and Cody Bellinger at first base. Bellinger, of course, can play in the outfield, as can current shortstop Chris Taylor (who’ll slide back into a utility role once Turner is back).
Then again, the Dodgers have never fretted much over regular positions and/or playing time for most players under current management. Rather, harvesting incredible amounts of depth has become a hallmark of this front office, and today’s addition of Dozier only furthers that reputation. Skipper Dave Roberts will be able to mix and match his lineups with quite a bit of creativity — particularly if the Dodgers give Dozier occasional reps at third base or at the position he played upon breaking into the Majors: shortstop.
At the very least, Dozier will give the Dodgers a potent option against left-handed pitching — both down the stretch and in the playoffs. Through 1082 career plate appearances against lefties, Dozier has impressed with a .277/.356/.516 slash and 48 home runs. That’ll prove especially useful against the Rockies (Kyle Freeland, Tyler Anderson), Cubs (Jon Lester, Jose Quintana, Cole Hamels, Mike Montgomery) and Braves (Sean Newcomb, Max Fried) — each of whom is currently in the NL playoff picture.
Dozier is playing out the final season of a four-year, $20MM deal with the Twins and is earning $9MM in 2018. His salary, then, will be canceled out by that of Forsythe, who is also earning $9MM and may or may not ever suit up and play a game for the Twins down the stretch. The 31-year-old Forsythe has had a terrible season at the plate, hitting just .207/.270/.290 through 2011 plate appearances. Los Angeles had previously tried to unload him in other trade talks, and his inclusion in the deal is assuredly a means of keeping the Dodgers beneath the $197MM luxury tax threshold. It’s possible that the Twins will simply cut ties with Forsythe immediately and turn Dozier’s second base spot over to a younger option with more of a future with the team.
The 23-year-old Raley is the primary return for the Twins, ranking 19th among L.A. farmhands, per Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. A seventh-round pick in the 2016 draft, Raley has steadily risen through the Dodgers’ ranks and hit well along the way, topping out in Double-A to this point in his career. Through 435 plate appearances at that level so far in 2018, he’s posted a .275/.345/.477 slash with 17 homers, 17 doubles and five triples.
Callis and Mayo note that with slightly above-average speed and arm strength, Raley can handle either corner outfield spot, though he’s also capable of spending some time in center field or at first base as needed. Raley hasn’t walked all the much at the Double-A level (5.4 percent) and has struck out at a 24 percent clip, but he gives the Twins another corner bat with some decent offensive potential to slide into the middle tier of the farm system.
Smeltzer reached Double-A as a 22-year-old and has struggled against older, more experienced competition, posting a 4.73 ERA with 7.2 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9 with a 36.6 percent ground-ball rate at that level this season. He’s been primarily a starter in his pro career after being drafted in the fifth round back in 2016, though he’s worked in relief a bit this season. That’s the role Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs pegged him for back in 2016 when ranking him 25th among Dodgers farmhands. Smeltzer hasn’t appeared on Dodgers rankings since that time, but he’s displayed excellent control as a pro, averaging fewer than two walks per nine innings pitched while also showing an aptitude for missing bats prior to this year’s more average marks in that regard.
Brian Dozier Market Heating Up
The market for Twins second baseman Brian Dozier is heating up, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick agrees, noting increased chances of a deal before today’s 3pm central time trade deadline.
Dozier, an impending free agent, is struggling mightily with the bat this season after posting four consecutive years of above-average offensive performance. Dozier was a star from 2016-17, with his 11.2 wins above replacement trailing only Jose Altuve among second basemen. Though potential suitors like the Red Sox, Brewers, Phillies, Dodgers, and Diamondbacks have acquired other infielders, the Giants and Indians were linked to Dozier by Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Saturday.
The Twins’ pursuit of a possible trade suggests a reluctance to make a qualifying offer to Dozier after the season (possibly in the $18MM range), or at least a sense that they feel they can acquire players superior to the potential draft pick they could receive as compensation. That draft pick could be after Competitive Balance Round B, if Dozier signs elsewhere for less than $50MM. Such a draft pick could be in the range of #75 overall.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Deadline Chatter: Beltre, Outfielders, Starters, Bucs/Friars, Romo
Here are the latest rumors from around the game on the eve of the non-waiver trade deadline:
- The Red Sox and Braves have each at least held talks with the Rangers on third baseman Adrian Beltre, per Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston and Morosi. It’s not at all clear, though, that either club is going to push hard enough to get Texas to move the veteran. Indeed, talks with Atlanta may already have sputtered, MLB.com’s TR Sullivan tweets. He adds that there is some indication the Red Sox aren’t actually all that inclined to go after Beltre, so much as the future Hall of Famer likes the idea of going back to Boston, and Rob Bradford of WEEI.com hears there’s not much of a connection between the clubs (Twitter link). In addition to other hurdles, Beltre’s no-trade rights present an obstacle. ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick notes on Twitter that Beltre may not wish to go somewhere if he isn’t going to receive regular playing time. In any event, to this point, Beltre has not been presented with any possible trades to consider, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets.
- When it comes to rental outfielders, there aren’t a huge number of appealing options. But there are certainly some veterans drawing interest. The Yankees and Phillies have put out feelers on Curtis Granderson of the Blue Jays, per Morosi (Twitter link). Granderson isn’t the only notable name on the Phils’ radar, as Heyman connects the organization to the Mets and Jose Bautista, via Twitter. Meanwhile, the Marlins are still dangling outfielder Cameron Maybin, per Jon Heyman of Fancred (via Twitter). Among the clubs that are at least considering him are the Indians, Yankees, and Mariners.
- Some of the most interesting potential trade candidates, of course, won’t end up going anywhere. Indications are that some top hurlers will stay at home. It does not appear that any rivals have made a real push to force the Mets to part with righty Jacob deGrom, per Jon Heyman of Fancred (on Twitter). Despite “some late action” on Noah Syndergaard, Andy Martino of SNY.tv tweets, it still seems there’s nothing brewing there. Meanwhile, the Orioles don’t appear to have been enthused with trade offers for top pitchers Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy (or their other controllable players), Heyman indicates in a tweet.
- The Pirates and Padres appear to have quite a lot to talk about, as Ken Rosenthal and Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic report (in a tweet) that the Pittsburgh organization has “aggressively pursued” pitching from San Diego. It’s not evident which hurler the Bucs are eyeing, though Rosenthal suggests that veteran Craig Stammen could be a sensible target. Stammen and Kirby Yates appear to be the likeliest remaining trade chips in the Padres’ pen, owing to their quality output and relatively short remaining control rights (one year and two years, respectively).
- While the present focus is on another member of the Rays pitching staff, reliever Sergio Romo is drawing quite a lot of looks, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Romo is affordable ($2.5MM salary), battle-tested in October, and still capable of getting outs in the majors at 35 years of age. Romo’s swinging-strike rate is down to 12.6%, his lowest since 2009, but he’s carrying a 3.69 ERA through 46 1/3 innings on the season.
- If you’re looking for more reading, check out the latest column from Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. He runs through a variety of situations, including the Giants‘ in-between position, the Twins‘ struggles to market Brian Dozier, and more. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports also has quite a bit of chatter in his latest column, some of which we’ve already highlighted on the site. Among other items of interest, Passan checks in on the Brewers‘ efforts to find a starter, suggesting they are a prime suitor for Zach Wheeler of the Mets.
Yankees Acquire Lance Lynn From Twins For Tyler Austin
The Twins and Yankees have announced a trade that will send veteran righty Lance Lynn to New York. First baseman/outfielder Tyler Austin and minor-league right-hander Luis Rijo are headed to Minnesota.
Notably, the Twins will also send some cash in the swap. Lynn is earning $12MM this year, around $4MM of which remains to be paid. The sides will split the paychecks from this point forward. That will allow the Yankees to remain more or less cash-neutral after sending out righty Adam Warren in another trade this evening.
The Yanks clearly prefer Lynn to Warren, as the former will take the place of the latter on the roster. Though Lynn has worked exclusively as a starter since establishing himself in the majors, he seems likely to work from the bullpen upon his arrival in New York. While his numbers lag those of Warren, though, Lynn provides a clear backstop in the rotation.
There have been some positives this year for Lynn. He’s getting swinging strikes (10.1%) and groundballs (50.8%) more than ever before while operating near his peak velocity levels (94.1 mph). Still, there’s no sugarcoating the results. Through 102 1/3 innings in Minnesota, Lynn allowed 5.10 earned runs per nine.
While the magnitude of his difficulties has come as a surprise, many observed that the long-effective hurler seemed a strong candidate for regression when he reached the open market last winter. He had enjoyed a string of seasons in which he suppressed home runs to an extent that did not seem sustainable, then benefited from an unnaturally low BABIP-against (.244) upon returning from Tommy John surgery in 2017. This year, Lynn has allowed a .322 BABIP and 15.0% rate of home runs per flyball.
Of course, the market was aware of those concerns and priced them in. Lynn’s body of work still seemed impressive enough to support a multi-year deal, but he settled for a $12MM pillow contract with the Twins. The organization didn’t get what it bargained for, but then it also doesn’t need to worry about any ongoing salary entanglements.
Austin was a piece the Yankees could part with at will, as he just did not seem to have a place on the active roster and was in his final optionable year. The 26-year-old split the 2018 season between the majors (where he produced at a league-average clip) and Triple-A. In parts of four seasons at the highest level of the minors, Austin carries a .270/.347/.479 sash with 32 home runs through 829 plate appearances. He’ll likely enter camp next year with at least a shot at carving out a role on the 2019 Minnesota roster.
As for Rijo, he won’t turn twenty until September but did recently crack the High-A level. In 39 innings on the year in the low minors, he carries a 2.77 ERA with 32 strikeouts against just three walks.
Jon Heyman of Fancred (Twitter links) first reported the deal, with Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeting it was for Lynn. Both reporters also had further details (Twitter links.)
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Photos.