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AL Notes: Twins’ GM, Santana, Indians, Miller, Chapman, Soto, Astros

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Twins upper management told Terry Ryan a month ago that he wouldn’t be retained beyond the present season, and allowed him to choose his own method of departure, Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN reports (links to Twitter). Ryan, obviously, asked to be let go rather than hanging on the rest of the way, as reflected in today’s announcement. Looking ahead, Minnesota intends to look outside the organization for a permanent replacement, but didn’t commit to that route. Notably, owner Jim Pohlad said that the new GM will not have a chance to replace skipper Paul Molitor.

Here’s more from Minnesota and the rest of the American League:

  • The Twins have engaged in talks with the Red Sox, with Boston keeping an eye on righty Ervin Santana, according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press. But the teams do not appear to be lining up at the moment. Meanwhile, Minnesota still needs to decide if it wants to keep useful veterans around its talented but not fully realized core, and Berardino wonders whether it will end up making sense to part with the final two years of Santana’s deal now that he’s pitching fairly well.
  • One factor in the Twins’ decisionmaking will obviously be related to the financial ramifications of any deals, but now-acting GM Rob Antony says that there isn’t a mandate to trim payroll. As Berardino tweets, Antony says that the organization doesn’t “have financial problems” in need of resolution at the deadline.
  • Despite losing Yan Gomes for a lengthy stretch, the Indians aren’t prioritizing the addition of a backstop, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The club is relatively bullish on both Roberto Perez and Chris Gimenez, it seems. Presumably, that assessment is also informed by the club’s view on other needs.
  • Outfield would certainly be one area where the Indians could stand to improve, but relief pitching is likely the most pressing. Per Rosenthal (Twitter links), Cleveland is focused on adding a lefty to the team’s right-handed-heavy pen mix. Andrew Miller of the Yankees is “probably” at the top of the club’s wish list, says Rosenthal, though you could certainly say the same of many other organizations that are looking for relief upgrades.
  • Whether the Yankees shop Miller or fellow power lefty Aroldis Chapman remains to be seen, but it’s a fait accompli in the view of Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. He argues that the club shouldn’t stop at dealing away pending free agents, but should be willing to deal most any players who draw interest — with Miller among the possible exceptions. Feinsand also notes that New York is taking a close look at the Indians’ Triple-A affiliate.
  • Even if he’s traded away, Chapman says that he’d remain interested in re-uniting with the Yankees as a free agent, Feinsand tweets. “I would love to come back and be part of the team again,” said the fireballing southpaw, who matched his own record tonight by launching a ridiculous 105.1 mph heater.
  • The Angels announced that catcher Geovany Soto is headed to the 15-day DL with left knee inflammation. That seems to take him off the table for pre-deadline dealing, though Soto could certainly end up being dealt in the revocable waiver trade period. Los Angeles selected the contract of Juan Graterol to take his place on the active roster. The 27-year-old will receive his first major league opportunity after opening the year with a .292/.331/.357 slash in his first full year at the Triple-A level.
  • Astros GM Jeff Luhnow says that he expects to be busy over the coming weeks, as MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart writes. But that doesn’t mean the club will be pushing the action; Luhnow says “there’s no real sense of urgency on our part necessarily.” Rather, he explained, “as teams pick up the pace, we’re certainly going to be involved in the conversations.” It’s possible to imagine Houston targeting a starter, as McTaggart notes, but Luhnow says that he’d only be interested in a certain kind of arm. The ’Stros would be looking at starters who are not only healthy and effective at present, but who are capable of slotting into the team’s hopeful post-season rotation.

Twins Fire Terry Ryan

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The Twins announced today that they have relieved general manager Terry Ryan of his duties. Longtime assistant GM Rob Antony will act as the team’s new general manager on an interim basis. Unlike many teams the dismiss their GM midseason, the Twins will not delay their search for a new general manager until the offseason and are expected to begin considering candidates in the coming weeks, reports Jon Morosi of FOX Sports and MLB.com (via Twitter).

“Since joining our organization as a player in 1972, Terry has been a dedicated, loyal and respected member of the Minnesota Twins family,” said Twins owner Jim Pohlad in a statement. “Terry has been a gifted leader of the baseball department for over eighteen seasons. It is impossible to overstate his contribution to our game, our team and the Upper Midwest baseball community. The decision to part with Terry was difficult, painful and not obvious. We are extremely grateful and very thankful to Terry, his wife Karilyn, and their family for being a part of the Minnesota Twins.”

Ryan has spent two separate stints as the Twins’ general manager, first from 1994 through 2007 and once again from 2011 through present day. Longtime Ryan lieutenant Bill Smith was Minnesota’s GM between Ryan’s two stints, though the Twins’ tailspin into their current status as AL Central bottom-dwellers began under Smith, prompting the club to replace him with Ryan. Trades of Wilson Ramos and J.J. Hardy as well as the ill-fated signing of Tsuyoshi Nishioka under Smith set the club back, and while Ryan did well to rebuild a farm system that has received plenty of national acclaim, the Twins have seen few of those farmhands convert into difference-making talent at the big league level. Moreover, the Twins have simply performed as one of the worst teams in baseball over the past half-decade under Ryan’s watch, and while his defenders can point to a bolstered farm system, the Twins had no shortage of missteps in terms of free-agent signings and trades for big league talent under Ryan’s watch.

The signing of Ricky Nolasco, to this point, hasn’t worked out in the least, and the three-year extension of Phil Hughes on the heels of his breakout 2014 campaign looks questionable with the benefit of hindsight. Injuries, of course, have played a role in each of those now ill-fated contracts, though the Nolasco deal in particular seemed to come with limited upside even at the time of the signing. The three years that Mike Pelfrey spent in a Twins uniform produced little to no on-field value, and the decision to re-sign him to a two-year deal following a woeful debut campaign was questioned by many. Minnesota also inked Ervin Santana to a four-year, $55MM contract under Ryan, and while he’s performed reasonably well when on the field — Santana served an 80-game PED suspension before ever throwing a regular-season pitch in a Twins uniform — the Twins already had a host of mid-rotation arms at that point.

On the trade front, swapping three years of Denard Span for Alex Meyer hasn’t paid off (though, again, Meyer’s balky shoulder has largely contributed to that disappointment), and the additions of Vance Worley and Trevor May in exchange for Ben Revere haven’t yielded much big league value for the Twins outside of a solid 2015 campaign for May. The Kevin Jepsen pickup panned out well in 2015, but Jepsen has struggled all season in 2016 and was recently released by Minnesota.

All that said, Ryan was a significant factor in the Twins’ rise to prominence in the early to mid-2000s. Faced with minimal payrolls and an unflattering home venue that made it difficult to use the limited resources he had to lure free agents to Minnesota, Ryan and his staff were able to bring the Twins from the brink of contraction to perennial contender in the American League Central. Ryan remained loyal to Minnesota even in the face of contraction, turning away the opportunity to join the Blue Jays due to his longstanding place within the Twins organization. Those in the media and in the industry persistently offer nothing but the utmost praise and respect for the longtime executive. The Twins’ 2000s core of Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Torii Hunter and Michael Cuddyer were all success stories from the draft, and the club’s Rule 5 pickup of Johan Santana will go down as one of the best in history. Ryan’s trade of A.J. Pierzynski for Francisco Liriano, Joe Nathan and Boof Bonser is to this day lauded as one of the more lopsided swaps in recent memory.

History aside, the 2016 Twins are considered one of the most, if not the single most disappointing team in baseball, having gone from an 83-win club that looked to be headed in the right direction to a last-place team that is on pace for fewer than 60 wins and has seen rising young talent like Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, and Kyle Gibson all perform considerably below expectation. With Ryan out of the picture and former manager Ron Gardenhire swapped out for Minnesota native Paul Molitor, the Twins have moved on from one of the longest-tenured leadership pairings in all of Major League Baseball.

The question, then, is whether the Twins will continue their traditional trend of promoting from within the organization or look to move in another direction entirely in the front office. The Twins are regarded as a largely traditional club, typically eschewing more modern statistical analysis in favor of traditional scouting tactics. That’s not to say that the club has no analytics department in place whatsoever, of course, but it’ll be interesting to see if the club follows the path of organizations such as the Brewers and Phillies — who hired young, analytically inclined execs David Stearns and Matt Klentak — or mirror an organization like the D-backs, which replaced an “old-school” GM (Kevin Towers) for a similarly traditional blend of executives (Tony La Russa, Dave Stewart).

Shifting from a more long-term outlook to a short-term lens, the decision to part with Ryan will task Antony, special assistant Wayne Krvisky (formerly the Reds’ GM) and vice president of player personnel Mike Radcliff with navigating the team’s trades in the coming two weeks. Ryan has previously said that he felt it necessary to be open to listening on any player, and given Minnesota’s standing, it’d be a surprise if the remaining decision-makers employed a different approach to the non-waiver deadline. Players like Santana, Eduardo Nunez, Kurt Suzuki, Fernando Abad and Brandon Kintzler each could hold appeal to teams in the hunt for midseason upgrades, as each is performing well and offers limited remaining control for the Twins.

Cafardo’s Latest: Encarnacion, Jays, BoSox, Moore, O’s, Royals

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Standout Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion is a pending free agent, and the division-rival Red Sox will have a designated hitter opening at season’s end if David Ortiz goes through with his retirement. The idea of the Red Sox signing Encarnacion in the offseason as Ortiz’s replacement has come up as a result, and Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports that the 33-year-old has some important fans in Boston. Manager John Farrell, bench coach Torey Lovullo and third base coach Brian Butterfield – all of whom were previously in Toronto – are Encarnacion supporters, which could factor into whether the BoSox pursue him. In regards to his future, Encarnacion offered, “We’ll see what’s going to happen. For now I’m with the Blue Jays and I’m just trying to contribute to us winning.”

More from Cafardo:

  • Left-hander Matt Moore is the likeliest Rays starter to end up on the move, team executives believe. Having posted a 4.33 ERA, 7.58 K/9 and 2.63 BB/9 through 116 1/3 innings, the 27-year-old is drawing interest from the Blue Jays, Dodgers, Royals, Red Sox, Orioles, Marlins and Rangers (notably, Rob Bradford of WEEI reported Saturday that the Rays aren’t open to dealing with division-rival Boston; the same might hold true with Baltimore and Toronto). Moore is reasonably priced via club options through 2019.
  • All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy offered some possible explanations as to why the Brewers haven’t traded him yet, despite incessant rumors.“There haven’t been that many catchers who have been injured this year so that’s one reason,” he said. “Some teams think it’s tough to bring a catcher in at midseason because they have to get to know a whole new set of pitchers. That’s not a huge factor for me. And then whatever it is you have to give up.” Considering his elite two-way production and cheap control through 2017, Milwaukee should be in line for a lofty return if it finally moves the 30-year-old before the deadline.
  • The Twins would willingly take a lesser return for right-hander Ervin Santana if it enables them to jettison the remainder of his $28MM salary. The Orioles and Royals, whom Santana previously pitched for, are potential fits for the 33-year-old. Santana has logged a 4.12 ERA, 6.68 K/9 and 2.58 BB/9 in 98 1/3 frames this year.
  • It’s unclear if the Angels will make right-hander Matt Shoemaker available, though their stated unwillingness to rebuild makes it unlikely. The 29-year-old’s decent 4.08 ERA across 106 innings belies the dominance he has displayed since mid-May, when he rejoined the Halos after a minor league demotion. Going back to May 21, Shoemaker has amassed 88 strikeouts against nine walks in 76 1/3 frames. In his latest outing, he threw a complete game, 13-K shutout against the White Sox on Saturday. Adding to Shoemaker’s value is that he won’t make his first trip through arbitration until after the season, meaning he has four full years of team control left.
  • Former big league skipper Ozzie Guillen, now a broadcaster for Latin American media outlets, would “absolutely” like another managerial job in the majors. Guillen hasn’t managed since Miami fired him in the wake of pro-Fidel Castro comments he made in 2012.

Twins Release Kevin Jepsen

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JULY 11: The Twins have released Jepsen, tweets Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

JULY 3: The Twins have designated right-handed reliever Kevin Jepsen for assignment, reports LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (Twitter link). To replace Jepsen on its roster, the club has recalled outfielder Eddie Rosario from Triple-A Rochester, tweets Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.

[Related: Updated Twins Depth Chart]

Jepsen, whom the Twins acquired from the Rays for minor league righties Chih-Wei Hu and Alexis Tapia at last year’s trade deadline, is in the midst of his worst major league season. Aside from his 3.52 walk rate per nine innings, which matches his career total, most of the longtime Angel’s numbers have dropped off precipitously this year. It’s no surprise, then, that his stint filling in for injured closer Glen Perkins went poorly. Over 30 2/3 innings with the Twins this season, the 31-year-old Jepsen posted a 6.16 ERA, 6.46 K/9, 30.2 percent ground-ball rate and blew four of 11 save opportunities.

For his career, Jepsen has recorded a 3.83 ERA, 8.31 K/9 and 46.4 percent grounder rate in 381 major league frames. The fact that Jepsen is fresh off his best two-year stretch makes his decline this season more surprising, as he pitched to a 2.47 ERA and backed that with an 8.96 K/9, 3.34 BB/9 and 46.6 percent grounder mark from 2014-15.

Jepsen’s average fastball velocity has fallen since 2014, though it’s still at 94 mph. Given his velo and recent viability as a late-game option, Jepsen could catch on with another team for the stretch run. If he clears waivers and then signs elsewhere, the Twins will owe Jepsen the remaining portion of his $5,312,500 salary  – which is $2.64MM, per Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press – minus the prorated league-minimum amount he’d earn from his next club.

The Best Minor League Signings Of 2016

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Minor league deals often go unnoticed or are met with an eye roll from fans — the ever-witty “Championship!” comments abound following such deals — and more often than not, they end up as inconsequential moves that are quickly forgotten. Each year, though, a handful of minor league signings yield legitimate value for their new clubs. With the more than half of the season in the books and the All-Star break upon us, enough of the season has passed that we can discern which minor league deals have yielded the most significant dividends in 2016…

Position Players

  • Robbie Grossman, Twins: Grossman wasn’t an offseason minor league signing, but he inked a minors pact with the Twins in mid-May and was brought up to the big leagues almost immediately thereafter. Since arriving in Minneapolis, he’s seen regular playing time and enjoyed the most productive stretch of his career. The switch-hitter is batting .289/.421/.465 with six homers and 10 doubles over the life of 195 plate appearances and has walked at an incredible 18.5 percent clip. Defensive metrics are way down on his work in left field, but the bat has been good enough that Fangraphs pegs him at a strong 1.1 WAR thus far. He’s controllable for another four seasons as well.
  • Matt Joyce, Pirates: Joyce’s 2015 season with the Angels was awful, but he’s more productive on a per-plate-appearance basis in 2016 than he ever has been before. He’s been heavily platooned, as usual, and has posted an excellent .295/.420/.558 batting line with eight homers in 157 plate appearances as the Pirates’ fourth outfielder. He, too, has drawn poor marks from UZR and DRS, but he’s been productive enough at the plate that he won’t be settling for a minor league contract again this winter.
  • Dae-ho Lee, Mariners: Lee didn’t generate as much interest as countryman Byung Ho Park, but he’s been the better player of the two thus far. Through 188 plate appearances, the former KBO and NPB star is hitting .288/.330/.514 with a dozen homers and four doubles. He’s been platooned quite a bit himself, but his numbers against righties are actually a bit better than his still-strong production against lefties.

Pitchers

  • Fernando Abad, Twins: Some of the shine has worn off from Abad’s early dominance, as he’s yielded seven runs in his past six outings. In spite of that slump, though, Abad boasts a 2.83 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 4.1 BB/9 and a 46.7 percent ground-ball rate. He’s pitched 28 2/3 innings for the Twins and could be a trade chip this summer. He’s controllable through the 2017 campaign, which adds to his appeal.
  • Matt Belisle, Nationals: A strained calf has limited Belisle to 19 innings with the Nats this season, but he’s been terrific when healthy. The veteran right-hander has a 2.37 ERA with 16 strikeouts against four walks (two intentional) with a 41.1 percent ground-ball rate in D.C. He’s helped to stabilize what has been a vastly improved Nationals bullpen in 2016.
  • Ryan Buchter, Padres: The 29-year-old has been brilliant for San Diego in 2016, logging 38 innings with a 2.61 ERA and averaging 13 strikeouts per nine innings. He has some control issues, averaging five walks per nine as well, but he’s missed so many bats that the free passes haven’t hurt him often. He’d only thrown one big league inning prior to this season, so San Diego can control him for six years if he can maintain this breakout. (Apologies for leaving Buchter off the initial list; he was added to the 40-man back in January, which caused me to incorrectly remember him as a Major League signee.)
  • Matt Bush, Rangers: That Bush even made it to a Major League mound after the trajectory his career took is astonishing on its own, but his performance thus far with the Rangers has been excellent as well. The 30-year-old has a 2.49 ERA with 8.9 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 37.1 percent ground-ball rate through 25 1/3 innings out of the Rangers’ bullpen. With Shawn Tolleson’s 2016 struggles and a three-month stay on the disabled list for Keone Kela, Bush’s emergence has been critical for Texas.
  • Dillon Gee, Royals: Gee’s 4.11 ERA isn’t exactly flashy, but he’s provided 57 serviceable innings in 13 relief appearances and five starts for the Royals. And, with Chris Young shifting to the bullpen, Gee could continue to get some starts for Kansas City following the All-Star break. The Royals can hang onto him for another season via the arbitration process, as well.
  • Brandon Kintzler, Twins: The former Brewers right-hander has found himself in the closer role for the Twins following an injury to Glen Perkins and a disastrous season for Kevin Jepsen. Kintlzer doesn’t miss bats (5.5 K/9), but he’s walked just two batters in 26 innings and has posted an exceptional 64.2 percent ground-ball rate en route to a 2.42 ERA. Like his bullpen-mate Abad, Kintzler is controllable through the 2017 season and could be appealing to clubs in need of relief help.
  • Chien-Ming Wang, Royals: Wang’s improved velocity was a big storyline in Spring Training, but he’s settled in at an average of 91.6 mph, which is right in line with his career mark in that regard. The 36-year-old’s sinker isn’t generating grounders like it used to, but he’s still managed a 3.68 ERA with 5.9 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 46.2 percent ground-ball rate in 36 2/3 innings with the reigning World Series champions this year.

AL East Notes: Kim, Bautista, A-Rod, Arcia

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Let’s check in with some news from around the AL East…

  • Hyun Soo Kim suffered a hamstring strain while running out a grounder and had to leave Sunday’s game after just an inning of play.  The Orioles outfielder will undergo some tests on Monday and manager Buck Showalter told reporters (including Dan Connolly of Baltimore Baseball) that he hopes Kim can heal during the All-Star break and not require any DL time.  Kim entered today with a very impressive .331/.413/.457 slash line over his first 172 plate appearances in the big leagues.
  • Jose Bautista has begun to hit off a tee and the Blue Jays are hopeful the slugger can return before the end of July, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith writes.  Bautista has been sidelined since mid-June due to turf toe, already missing a bit more time than expected with the injury.  The outfielder was hitting .230/.360/.455 with 12 homers in 286 PA — a down year by Bautista’s standards, though he’ll still have at least two months to position himself for a big contract in free agency this winter.
  • Alex Rodriguez will take grounders at first base over the All-Star break and continue to work at the position once the season resumes, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports.  Rodriguez made the first two appearances of his long career at first base last season, though those were two of just six total games A-Rod played in the field in 2015.  This season, Rodriguez has appeared only as a DH and pinch-hitter, and his playing time has been cut due to both his season-long slump and the Yankees’ desire to use Carlos Beltran as a DH (for both injury reasons and to improve their outfield defense).  With Mark Teixeira also a health question mark, A-Rod could get some limited action at first, particularly against left-handed pitching.
  • Oswaldo Arcia is happy to be with the Rays but is still disappointed the Twins traded him, the outfielder tells Fangraphs’ David Laurila.  “I don’t think I got the opportunity to show what I could really do,” Arcia said.  “I know the class of player that I am. I don’t know that I got the time to show that.  You’re going to struggle — there are ups and downs in this game — and you’re going to make adjustments. Everybody in this room is making adjustments every day.”  Arcia also said he pressed too hard after being demoted to Triple-A last season, which didn’t help his path back to the bigs: “If you try to do too much, you’ll end up doing less.”
  • In other AL East news from earlier today, we covered some Red Sox and Yankees items in the latest edition of AL Notes, and the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo shared several interesting trade buzz items from around the division (and all of baseball).

AL Notes: Red Sox, Yankees, Beltran, Twins

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On the heels of acquiring reliever Brad Ziegler from Arizona early Saturday, Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald that their bullpen is “pretty well set.” Dombrowski, who said the Red Sox had been working on landing Ziegler “for a while,” is optimistic about how the club’s relief corps will fare after Craig Kimbrel returns in a few weeks from knee surgery, stating, “Kimbrel’s coming back, and then you’ve got Kimbrel, you’ve got Koji (Uehara), you’ve got (Brad) Ziegler. I know Taz (Junichi Tazawa) is going through a little bit of tiredness in his arm and shoulder. They don’t think it’s anything major.” Drellich is less bullish about the unit than Dombrowski is, though, as he opines that the Sox shouldn’t bank on the health of Kimbrel or Tazawa down the stretch, nor should they assume effectiveness from 41-year-old Uehara and Heath Hembree.

More on Boston and a couple other AL clubs:

  • With the Aug. 1 trade deadline approaching, the middling Yankees can take disparate lessons from last year’s White Sox, Tigers and Rangers, all of whom the current Bombers compare to, writes Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. The White Sox – like the Tigers, Rangers and this year’s Yanks – went into the deadline with a below-.500 record and a negative run differential, but they elected to stand pat instead of selling. That meant keeping right-hander Jeff Samardzija, who walked in free agency after Chicago missed the playoffs. The White Sox did, however, receive a first-round pick as compensation for his departure. The Tigers, meanwhile, dealt Yoenis Cespedes, David Price and Joakim Soria instead of clinging to postseason dreams. As a result, they now have highly promising 23-year-old righty Michael Fulmer, whom they acquired from the Mets for Cespedes. After making a bold trade for southpaw Cole Hamels, Texas turned its season around en route to a playoff berth. The Yankees have plenty of movable assets and will have to decide in the coming weeks which of those three teams they’ll mimic.
  • If the Yankees sell, 39-year-old All-Star Carlos Beltran seems likely to end up in another uniform. The right fielder/designated hitter has already submitted his 15-team no-trade list to the Yankees, per Davidoff, with Beltran revealing it includes “a little bit of both” leagues. The potential future Hall of Famer would be open to another stint in the NL, which would mean playing the field every day. “DH is great, but I played all my life in the outfield, so there’s nothing wrong with it. I just want to play baseball, man,” he commented.
  • Injuries have beset the Red Sox this year in left field, where Chris Young, Blake Swihart and Brock Holt have each missed extended periods of time. However, Dombrowski is comfortable with his in-house options. Regarding the possibility of acquiring a left fielder, Dombrowski said (via Drellich), “I’m not really looking to do that. At some point, Blake Swihart is going to come back, too. … Chris Young is coming back. Brock Holt looks like, when I went in there earlier, it looks like he doesn’t have to be on the disabled list. Bryce Brentz has done a nice job for us.” Notably, Boston is in possession of an elite prospect, Double-A outfielder Andrew Benintendi, who could solve their issues in left if he receives a major league promotion.
  • While Padres managing partner Peter Seidler admitted Saturday that they probably won’t be ready to compete until at least 2019, the bottom-feeding Twins aren’t taking the same approach.“Everybody wants to win next year. We’re not looking at 2020,” general manager Terry Ryan said (Twitter link via Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press). After posting a solid 83-79 record last year, Ryan’s Twins have gone an AL-worst 31-56 this season. Needless to say, winning next year seems like a tall order.

Cafardo’s Latest: BoSox, Royals, O’s, Jays, Yanks, Rays, A’s, Phils, Twins, Angels

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Scouts from the Red Sox, Royals, Orioles and Blue Jays were on hand to watch Athletics left-hander Rich Hill’s Thursday start, according to the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo, who writes that the 36-year-old would likely prefer a return to Boston. With the help of ex-major league pitcher Brian Bannister at Triple-A Pawtucket, Hill began reviving his career as part of the Red Sox organization late last summer after a stint in the independent Atlantic League.“Brian pointed out that (Clayton) Kershaw threw his curveball 45 percent of the time,” said Hill. “He basically emphasized that, take what you think are your best pitches and use them correctly. So with me, it was not only throwing the curveball but throwing it at different speeds, changing the shape of it as well as manipulating the spin on the fastball.” Hill took Bannister’s advice and has relied almost exclusively on his curveball and fastball since the Red Sox called him up last September. The results? Ninety-nine innings of 2.06 ERA ball to accompany a 10.8 K/9, 2.83 BB/9, 49.6 percent ground-ball rate and 17.9 percent infield fly mark. Hill could soon end up as the premier starter dealt by the Aug. 1 deadline, and the pitching-challenged Red Sox – who added Bannister to their coaching staff earlier this week – seem like a logical fit. For now, Hill is scheduled to start again Friday for the A’s, who bought low on him in the offseason (one year, $6MM) and have reaped the rewards.

More from Cafardo:

  • In the event the Braves shop right-hander Julio Teheran, one major league source told Cafardo, “The Braves don’t want anyone’s B- list. It’s got to be at the top of anyone’s prospect list, and it just looks complicated.” As a strong, in-his-prime performer who’s controllable through 2020 on an extremely team-friendly contract, Teheran is one of rebuilding Atlanta’s best assets.
  • The Red Sox recently sent senior vice president of baseball operations Frank Wren – their top talent evaluator – to St. Petersburg, Fla., to observe division-rival Rays righty Jake Odorizzi. Last-place Tampa Bay is considering shopping Odorizzi, who should draw plenty of interest given his cheap salary ($520,700) and three years of arbitration eligibility remaining. The 26-year-old has compiled a 4.33 ERA, 8.49 K/9, 2.98 BB/9 in 99 2/3 frames this season. He previously combined for 337 1/3 innings of 3.74 ERA pitching and similar strikeout and walk rates from 2014-15.
  • The water-treading Yankees would want a far better return for dominant lefty closer Aroldis Chapman than the one they gave up for him during the winter. The Bombers sent prospects Eric Jagielo, Tony Renda, Rookie Davis and Caleb Cotham to Cincinnati for Chapman amid his domestic violence allegations last December. Chapman ended up sitting out the first month-plus of the season because of a suspension related to that incident, but the soon-to-be free agent has continued his reign as one of baseball’s premier relievers since.
  • As of earlier this week, the Red Sox were scouting Phillies 29-year-old right-hander Jeremy Hellickson, a pending free agent who has posted a 3.92 ERA, 7.92 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 105 2/3 innings this season. Preparing for a possible trade, the Phillies have reciprocated by scouting Boston’s farm system.
  • Various major league executives think highly of Twins righty and potential trade piece Ervin Santana as a mid-rotation option. While Santana has a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs in his past, the 33-year-old has long served as a respectable starter. That includes this year, in which has logged a 4.06 ERA, 6.58 K/9 and 2.52 BB/9 over 93 innings. Santana is signed through 2018 at $13.5MM per annum, so he wouldn’t be a rental.
  • The Red Sox considered trading for Athletics infielder Jed Lowrie before acquiring Aaron Hill from the Brewers on Thursday. But Hill’s relationship with Red Sox infield coach Brian Butterfield helped tip the scales in his favor. Lowrie played in Boston from 2008-11 after the franchise drafted him 45th overall in 2005.
  • The Angels are likely to deal right-handed setup man Joe Smith, whom many teams are eyeing. The 32-year-old has pitched poorly this season, though, with a 4.80 ERA, 6.6 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 across 30 innings. Smith, who’s on a $5.25MM salary, entered the year off five straight strong campaigns and is set to become a free agent at season’s end.

AL Trade Notes: Twins, ERod, Red Sox Pitching, Hill

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Twins GM Terry Ryan says that his organization had “better be open for business, which we are,” as MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger reports. Minnesota seems ready to market its trade chips, though it’s still unclear how the club will approach the deadline. Its best pieces, as we just covered in MLBTR’s top trade candidate series, include righty Ervin Santana, utilityman Eduardo Nunez, and relievers Fernando Abad and Brandon Kintzler. Ryan says he’s willing to consider any type of prospect in its trade discussions, and noted that the organization “wouldn’t be opposed” to paying down some contractual obligations “if you’re getting a good player back and it takes some money to do it.” He did note, however, that the Twins typically don’t hang onto cash when dealing a player.

Here’s more from the American League:

  • Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski says that he still has hope that Eduardo Rodriguez can contribute to the team this year, as Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports. That assessment could well have an impact on the team’s approach to the trade deadline. “If people would be looking to say we’re going to be getting someone more talented than Eduardo Rodriguez, it’s not going to happen,” said Dombrowski. “They’re just not out there. They’re not out there and available. Sometimes you’ve got to fix some things internally. We’ll see what happens.”
  • Regardless of the Red Sox’ views on Rodriguez, the team figures to be in the hunt for at least one rotation arm. As Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reports, Boston has been in touch with the Padres, who could market Drew Pomeranz and/or Andrew Cashner (though the latter had a really rough outing tonight). Also, senior VP of baseball ops Frank Wren is said to have watched both Rich Hill of the Athletics and Julio Teheran of the Braves recently.
  • Hill has returned from the DL to rave reviews for the Athletics, and both Drellich and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle suggest that widespread interest is building in the southpaw. The former cites the Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs, and Tigers as organizations that are taking a look at Hill. And Slusser adds yet more teams to the possible mix, listing the Blue Jays, Royals, and Orioles as possible suitors that have been watching him pitch of late. While Hill’s frequent injuries limit his appeal somewhat, there’s an argument to be made that he’s the best pure rental piece available this summer.

Injury Notes: Buxton, Holt, Kimbrel, Tazawa, Phillips, Davis, Cameron

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Young Twins center fielder Byron Buxton was diagnosed with a contusion to his right knee after a scary collision with the wall. That could just be a preliminary diagnosis, though, and MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger noted on Twitter that Buxton required a cart and appeared to have difficulty putting pressure on the leg.

We’ll wait to learn more about Buxton’s situation, along with a host of others that arose on an ugly night for injuries around the game:

  • Red Sox infielder/outfielder Brock Holt has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 ankle sprain after an awkward slide, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports on Twitter. Holt will require a walking boot, but that is the least concerning grade of the injury. While the prognosis doesn’t sound too serious, and the All-Star break will allow some added rest, it’s another tough blow to a team that just went out to plug some leaks by adding Aaron Hill and Michael Martinez via trade. Holt had been expected to hold down left field, so Boston will need to fill another gap for at least the near-term.
  • Additionally, Red Sox relievers Craig Kimbrel and Junichi Tazawa were deemed unavailable for tonight’s action due to varying maladies, as Jason Mastrodonato and Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald were among those to report (Twitter links). Kimbrel came down with a sore knee before the game and has had an MRI, with results expected tomorrow, per Speier (via Twitter). Tazawa, meanwhile, is experiencing shoulder soreness of unknown seriousness. An MRI has not yet been ordered in his case. Any absence from either pitcher would certainly increase Boston’s desire to add to its pen, though it’s not yet known whether either situation is cause for much concern.
  • Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips is playing through a hairline fracture in his hand, Zack Buchanan of Cincinnati Enquirer reports on Twitter. For now, at least, it’s just a question whether he can deal with the pain, though even a low-lying issue could throw a wrench into any trade possibilities. (Phillips’ no-trade clause still appears to be the biggest barrier to a deal.)
  • Though the alarm bells went off when Royals closer Wade Davis hit the DL with a forearm strain, he tells Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com (Twitter link) that he’s progressing well. Davis says he was able to throw without experiencing pain, and that the inflammation has already dissipated. That’s all very promising news for Kansas City, needless to say.
  • Intriguing young Astros prospect Daz Cameron will miss the rest of the season after breaking a finger in his left hand, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports on Twitter. It’s been a bit of a trying year for the touted 19-year-old, who wasn’t performing at Class A Quad Cities and ended up suffering the injury in extended spring training action. He’ll miss some development time, but the injury shouldn’t pose any significant long-term issues.
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