Mariners Claim Travis Jankowski, Designate Danny Young
The Mariners have claimed outfielder Travis Jankowski off waivers from the Mets, per a team announcement. Left-hander Danny Young was designated for assignment to open a spot on the roster. Seattle also announced that outfielder Marcus Wilson, who was designated for assignment Friday, cleared waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Tacoma. Jankowski was designated for assignment after the Mets acquired Tyler Naquin from the Reds.
Jankowski, 31, will give the Mariners some speed and defense in the outfield while they wait on Julio Rodriguez and Mitch Haniger to mend. He hit just .167/.286/.167 in 63 plate appearances with the Mets earlier this season but is a lifetime .236/.320/.311 hitter in 1214 plate appearances at the MLB level. He’s out of minor league options, so it could be a reasonably short stay for Jankowski in Seattle if Haniger and Rodriguez are able to return in relatively short order.
Young, 28, made his big league debut this season when he allowed three runs in 3 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. He’s had a solid season in Tacoma, tossing 28 innings of 3.86 ERA ball while punching out 40 of the 118 opponents he’s faced (33.8%) against just nine walks (7.6%). Young doesn’t throw hard, averaging just 89.2 mph on his sinker, but he has a huge 55.7% grounder rate in Triple-A and all three minor league options remaining, so its feasible another club could take a look at him as a depth option. The Mariners will have until tomorrow’s deadline to trade him and can otherwise place him on outright waivers at any point in the next five days.
Latest On Juan Soto’s Trade Market
Juan Soto‘s presence on the trade market has, in many ways, held up activity in other areas. Teams like the Cardinals and Padres, generally viewed as two of Soto’s top suitors, are also involved in the market for starting pitching. But, both are surely wary of dealing prospects to acquire a starter (e.g. Oakland’s Frankie Montas) if those same players might eventually be used to pry Soto loose from Washington.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan takes a lengthy look at the logjam Soto has created, writing within that the Yankees are a “long shot at best” to make a play for Soto before the deadline and suggesting that the Rangers, for now, are not a prominent bidder. That meshes with recent reporting from the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, who wrote last night that there was “no traction” between the Yankees and Nationals regarding Soto, even though the Yankees reached out as recently as yesterday evening. Heyman adds that the Nationals aren’t as high on top prospect Anthony Volpe as the Yankees and many other clubs are, which is a complicating factor in talks.
The Padres and Cardinals are the most oft-suggested fits for Soto, and with good reason, as both are win-now clubs with deep farm systems who could offer the blend of top prospects and controllable big leaguers the Nationals seek. Passan suggests that the Dodgers are “lurking,” however, and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic similarly wrote this morning that the Dodgers have maintained talks with the Nats and should not be ruled out as a potential landing spot. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale takes things a step further, tweeting that it’s actually the Dodgers — not the Cardinals or Padres — who have been making the most aggressive offers for Soto recently.
The Mariners, another regularly speculated fit for Soto, don’t appear likely to land him at this point. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto tells The Athletic’s Jim Bowden that while he checked in on Soto, he came away with the impression that there was not a realistic path to acquiring him (Twitter link). Presumably, that came prior to Seattle’s Friday acquisition of Luis Castillo — which cost the Mariners their top two prospects.
The Mets, too, have been speculatively listed as trade partners for the Nats. That’s due largely to the team’s huge payroll and aggressive past year under new owner Steve Cohen. However, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the Mets believed “relatively quickly in the process” that there’d be such a large market for Soto that Washington wouldn’t have to consider trading him to a division rival. That certainly looks to be the case, although if the Nats do covet the Mets’ best prospects, there’s at least a slim chance of something coming together; both Sherman and SNY’s Andy Martino report that the Mets would only move their very best prospects if it were to acquire Soto or (an even longer shot) Shohei Ohtani. Both reports suggest catcher Francisco Alvarez is off limits unless it’s for one of Soto or Ohtani. Sherman adds third baseman Brett Baty to that list, and Martino suggests third baseman Mark Vientos is viewed similarly.
Regardless of whether Soto specifically changes hands, the market will erupt sometime between now and tomorrow’s 6pm ET deadline. The ticking clock is going to eventually drive teams into activity, and given the lack of movement thus far, we could be in for one of the most active and chaotic 24- to 30-hour spans of deadline dealing we’ve ever seen.
Red Sox Notes: Eovaldi, Vazquez, Martinez, Mets, Vientos
As the Red Sox continue to struggle, it seems increasingly likely that the team will be selling in some capacity at the trade deadline, even if the likes of Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers aren’t going anywhere. Reports from earlier this week suggested that the Sox were already open to offers for J.D. Martinez, and The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier (Twitter links) hears from a National League evaluator that catcher Christian Vazquez could also be available. The Sox seem to be “listening on veterans” in general, The New York Post’s Jon Heyman tweets.
Both Martinez and Vazquez are free agents after the year, so it would seem natural that the Red Sox would first look to move these shorter-term players with the deadline looming. Other pending free agents include Jackie Bradley Jr. (whose mutual option for 2023 is likely to be declined), several injured players like Rich Hill, Michael Wacha, Enrique Hernandez, and Matt Strahm, plus the potential biggest trade chip of starter Nathan Eovaldi.
However, Speier writes that Boston “doesn’t seem motivated to deal Eovaldi, seeing him as part of any push to contend” into August, if the Red Sox can shake out of their slump. That said, if the Luis Castillo trade now becomes “an accelerant to the rest of the pitching market,” it is worth wondering if the Sox might see an opportunity to move Eovaldi for a big return.
Of note, the Mets had a scout at last night’s Red Sox game, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports. The Mets are known to be looking at catching and lineup upgrades, so Vazquez and Martinez would each make sense — Martinez in particular could help the Mets solve their season-long lack of production at the DH spot. As to what New York could offer in return, Rosenthal notes that the Sox had a past interest in Dominic Smith, who would fit the team’s desire to land big leaguers back in trades (adding to the idea that Boston is still hoping to make a late playoff run).
A player on the cusp of the majors could also fit Boston’s model, with SNY’s Andy Martino suggesting that Mets infield prospect Mark Vientos could be of interest in trade talks. In fact, Martino reports that the Mets and Red Sox once “seriously discussed” a deal that would’ve sent Vazquez to Queens in exchange for a prospect package that included Vientos. The exact timing of these specific talks involving Vientos isn’t known, but the Mets reportedly looked into Vazquez prior to the 2020 trade deadline.
Vientos was a second-round pick for the Mets in the 2017 draft, and the 22-year-old has an impressive 21 home runs and a .263/.351/.516 slash line over 348 plate appearances at Triple-A Syracuse. Baseball America ranks Vientos as the fourth-best prospect in New York’s farm system, praising his 60-grade power and throwing arm and noting that he has a chance to stick at third base, even if some evaluators think a move to first base will eventually be necessary.
For all of Vientos’ potential, he is generally seen as a step below the true upper tier of Mets prospects, so New York could perhaps be more apt to move him for immediate help (even for a rental like Martinez or Vazquez) given how aggressively the Mets are chasing a World Series title this year. It can’t be ruled out that some kind of multi-player agreement could be struck, with both Martinez and Vazquez heading to Queens in exchange for a better prospect return.
Mets Agree To Sign First-Rounder Kevin Parada
The Mets have reached a deal with 11th overall pick Kevin Parada, MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis reports (Twitter link). Parada will receive $5,019,735, an overslot bonus that exceeds the recommended $4,780,700 price for the 11th selection.
It was perhaps a slight surprise that Parada was still available when the Mets were on the board, as pundits had the catcher solidly within the top 10 on pre-draft rankings. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel had the catcher as the fourth-best prospect in the entire draft class, while Fangraphs, Baseball America, and Pipeline all rated Parada sixth, and The Athletic’s Keith Law was right behind in slotting Parada seventh.
Defense could be the reason for Parada’s drop, as there is some question whether or not he’ll be able to stick behind the plate, or if he could become a first baseman or even DH-only player. The onus would then be on Parada to hit well enough for such a role, though there is broad consensus that Parada is one of the best hitters of the 2022 class, with Pipeline and BA each going into the 60-grades on his power and hit tools. Parada is an all-fields hitter who consistently makes hard contact and also developed more power over his time at Georgia Tech, all while using a unique batting stance.
When the Mets and tenth overall pick Kumar Rocker didn’t reach an agreement last year, New York earned the 11th pick in this year’s draft as compensation. As a result, the Mets had both the 11th and 14th overall selections on this year’s board, and both players have already been signed. Since 14th overall pick Jett Williams signed a below-slot deal, the Mets ended up signing Parada and Williams for a total of $8,919,735 — less than the $9,024,500 combined slot prices for the two picks.
Nationals, Daniel Johnson Agree To Minor League Deal
The Nationals have agreed to a minor league contract with Daniel Johnson, reports Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post (Twitter link). Johnson, who had recently been released from a minors deal with the Mets, will presumably head to Triple-A Rochester.
The 5’10” outfielder is a familiar face for the organization. He began his professional career as a fifth-round pick of the Nats back in 2016, spending two years in the system. Johnson reached Double-A before being dealt to Cleveland in the Yan Gomes trade over the 2018-19 offseason. After some strong performances in the upper levels of the system, Johnson reached the big leagues with Cleveland in 2020. He never got an extended MLB look and struggled in his brief action, compiling just a .202/.245/.337 showing in 35 games between 2020-21.
Johnson cleared outright waivers last offseason. After a rough 17-game stretch with Triple-A Columbus to open this year, the Guardians flipped him to the Mets for cash in late May. The left-hander missed around a month to injury and didn’t hit at all during a 14-game stint with their top affiliate in Syracuse before being let go. He’ll try to get things back on track with his original club.
Even including his rough 2022 numbers, Johnson has a decent .255/.324/.449 line in parts of three seasons at Triple-A. The 27-year-old also had some prospect pedigree, generally placing among the middle tier of the Washington and Cleveland farm systems between 2018-20. He has an elite arm and an intriguing combination of power and athleticism, but he’s mostly limited to the corner outfield and has run lofty strikeout totals against upper level pitching.
Mets Plan To Activate Jacob deGrom On Tuesday
The Mets are planning to reinstate Jacob deGrom from the 60-day injured list next Tuesday, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The two-time Cy Young winner will make his season debut against the Nationals.
deGrom hasn’t pitched in a major league game in just shy of 13 months. He was on his way to one of the most dominant pitching seasons in history last year, working to an absurd 1.08 ERA with a 45.1% strikeout rate through 15 starts. deGrom had a few injury concerns along the way, however, and he landed on the IL coming out of the All-Star Break due to a forearm/ebow issue. That eventually proved to be season-ending, with the righty’s final outing of the year coming on July 7.
New York anticipated reinstalling deGrom atop the rotation alongside offseason free agent pickup Max Scherzer to form the game’s scariest 1-2 punch. Just before Opening Day, deGrom experienced some shoulder soreness during a between-starts throwing session. He was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his scapula, an issue that cost him almost the first four months of the 2022 campaign.
deGrom has been building back to game action for a while, and he began a minor league rehab assignment at the start of July. He’s made four starts, topping out at four innings and 67 pitches. deGrom’s most recent appearance at Triple-A Syracuse came on Wednesday, so he’ll get a six-day rest before joining the big league club. DiComo writes that he’ll unsurprisingly be on a strict pitch limit for his first appearance, but the Mets anticipate he’ll gradually build towards a traditional starter’s workload throughout the second half.
The Mets rotation will be more or less at full strength for the first time all year. deGrom will step into an excellent starting five alongside Scherzer, Chris Bassitt, Taijuan Walker and Carlos Carrasco. Scherzer has been his typically dominant self, while Walker has somewhat quietly posted a 2.67 ERA across 17 starts. Bassitt had a rough stretch between May and June, though the typically reliable righty has bounced back with a 3.20 mark this month. Carrasco is a more than qualified fifth option, posting a 4.07 ERA with better than average strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates. David Peterson is a solid sixth starter. The Mets do remain without righty Tylor Megill due to a shoulder injury. Manager Buck Showalter told reporters yesterday the club was viewing Megill as a bullpen option for the rest of this season once he makes his return, which won’t be until at least late August (via Tim Britton of the Athletic).
The Mets are a virtual lock to make the postseason in some capacity, and the organization is surely anticipating running out three or four members of that group in a playoff rotation. The more immediate concern is holding onto a three-game lead over the defending champion Braves in the NL East, with the new postseason format’s first-round bye making it particularly advantageous to finish as a top-two seed in each league. It appears the National League’s byes will wind up going to the Dodgers and the East winner.
As for deGrom, he’ll have two months (plus any postseason action) to reestablish himself as the sport’s best pitcher now that he’s healthy. In spite of his absence, the 34-year-old has maintained he plans to opt out of the final guaranteed season of his deal at the end of this year. That’d be a no-brainer decision if he demonstrates he remains at peak form for the final couple months, particularly with one of the top impending free agent starters (Joe Musgrove) now unlikely to hit the market.
Minor MLB Transactions: Fraley, Blankenhorn
Catching up on some minor moves around the game:
- The Reds reinstated outfielder Jake Fraley from the 60-day injured list before tonight’s contest against the Orioles. He assumed the roster spot vacated last night when Cincinnati traded Tyler Naquin to the Mets. Fraley, picked up from the Mariners as part of the Spring Training deal that sent Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suárez to Seattle, has been limited to just 15 games in Cincinnati thus far. The 27-year-old has lost much of the season battling knee and toe injuries. Fraley hit .210/.352/.369 in 265 plate appearances with Seattle last season, and the likelihood of an upcoming Tommy Pham trade should clear playing time in the corner outfield down the stretch.
- Mets infielder Travis Blankenhorn cleared outright waivers, according to his transactions log at MLB.com. New York had designated the left-handed hitter for assignment earlier this week, after he’d made just one appearances. Blankenhorn has now reached the big leagues in each of the last three years, but he has only 31 plate appearances to his name. Having been outrighted before in his career, he had the right to refuse an assignment in favor of free agency. He played with Triple-A Syracuse last night, however, indicating he’s accepted the assignment and will try to play his way back to the majors in Queens.
Mets Designate Travis Jankowski For Assignment
The Mets have designated outfielder Travis Jankowski for assignment, tweets Tim Britton of the Athletic. The move clears an active roster spot for the recently-acquired Tyler Naquin. New York also recalled Sam Clay and Stephen Nogosek, optioned David Peterson to Triple-A Syracuse and confirmed the previously-reported placement of Drew Smith on the 15-day injured list.
Adding Naquin supplanted Jankowski as the left-handed hitting fourth outfielder. New York’s starting outfield of Mark Canha, Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte will continue to assume the bulk of the playing time, but Naquin adds more power to the bench. Jankowski is a lighter-hitting speed and defense specialist, but each of Naquin and Marte is capable of handling center field at times when Nimmo needs a rest.
The Mets signed Jankowski to a minor league contract in Spring Training, and he cracked the Opening Day roster. He lost a good chunk of the year after fracturing a metacarpal in his left hand, and he’s not seen a whole lot of action in Queens. While Jankowski has made his way into 43 games, he’s tallied only 63 plate appearances as a primary pinch-runner or defensive replacement. He’s drawn eight walks against only nine strikeouts, but he’s collected just nine hits (all singles).
Jankowski has never been a power threat, tallying nine homers in a little more than 1200 career plate appearances. His combination of plate discipline, baserunning and ability to cover all three outfield positions has allowed him to spend parts of eight years in the big leagues — primarily in a fourth/fifth outfield capacity. He owns a .236/.320/.311 line as a big leaguer.
New York already created a 40-man roster spot for Naquin last night, but designating Jankowski for assignment was the only way to take him off the active roster. He has more than five years of major league service, giving him the right to refuse an option to the minor leagues. He’ll be traded or waived in the coming days, and he’d be able to elect free agency if he passes through waivers unclaimed.
Mets Acquire Tyler Naquin, Phillip Diehl From Reds
The Reds and Mets have lined up on a trade sending outfielder Tyler Naquin and minor league reliever Phillip Diehl from Cincinnati to New York. In exchange, the Reds are acquiring a pair of low minors prospects, right-hander Jose Acuña and second baseman Hector Rodríguez. Both clubs have announced the agreement.
Naquin had been one of the more obvious trade candidates around the league. The 31-year-old is set to reach free agency at the end of the season, so there was little reason for the last-place Reds not to look to move him for future value. He’ll head to Queens as the second left-handed bat the Mets have added in as many weeks. New York picked up first baseman/designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach in a deal with the Pirates last Friday.
A former first-round pick of Cleveland, Naquin had an excellent rookie season back in 2016. His offensive productivity was up-and-down for the rest of his time there, but he’s settled in as a solid platoon bat over the past two years. Naquin signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati over the 2020-21 offseason, and he cracked the Opening Day roster last year. That paved for the way for a season and a half as a Red, in which he posted a .262/.324/.462 line through 655 plate appearances.
That overall offensive productivity is a hair above average, and Naquin has been quite good when holding the platoon advantage. He’s popped 23 homers in 542 plate appearances against right-handed pitching over the past couple seasons, compiling a .278/.338/.503 mark against righties. That power has translated outside of the Reds hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park, and the Mets figure to leverage him as a platoon player down the stretch.
The Mets have one of the game’s best outfields, with a trio of Mark Canha, Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte manning the grass. Canha and Marte will continue to pick up the lion’s share of playing time in the corners, but Naquin complements those veteran right-handed bats. He’ll also supplement a DH group that includes Vogelbach and Dominic Smith from the left side, as well as the righty-swinging J.D. Davis.
Naquin’s acquisition seemingly increases the likelihood that at least one of Smith or Davis gets dealt before next Tuesday’s deadline. The Mets have been on the hunt for offensive help for weeks, largely due to dissatisfaction with Smith’s and Davis’ performance. Adding a pair of DH/bench bats to an already full outfield and with superstar Pete Alonso at first base further clutters that group. Each of Smith and Davis has minor league options remaining, and the Mets have already optioned Smith this year. That’s a possibility if the club simply wants to stockpile as much depth as possible, but it also stands to reason they’d be open to trade opportunities.
The Mets will seemingly add a bit of money to the payroll, as there’s no indication cash considerations are changing hands. Naquin is playing this season on a $4.025MM salary, around $1.525MM of which is still to be paid. The Mets luxury tax figure is narrowly above the $290MM threshold, in the estimation of Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, a team that exceeds $290MM (the fourth and highest tier of CBT penalization) is taxed at an 80% rate for every dollar thereafter.
In addition to Naquin, the Mets add some non-roster bullpen depth. Diehl, who was outrighted off the Reds 40-man roster in May, won’t immediately occupy a spot on New York’s 40-man. He’s spent the bulk of the season with the Reds top affiliate in Louisville, working to a 4.24 ERA through 23 1/3 innings. The 27-year-old has an excellent 30.6% strikeout rate against a decent 8.2% walk percentage, although his fly-ball oriented approach has made him fairly home run prone.
New York’s left-handed relief depth is thin, with Joely Rodríguez and recent waiver claim Sam Clay the only two bullpen southpaws on the 40-man roster. Clay has been hit hard in four appearances with Triple-A Syracuse and has yet to appear in an MLB game as a Met. Rodríguez, acquired from the Yankees shortly before the season, owns a 5.93 ERA across 27 1/3 innings on the year. He’s striking out batters and inducing grounders at a decent clip, but he’s also walked a massive 16.3% of batters faced. Left-handed relief help figures to continue to be a target over the next few days even with Diehl bolstering the organizational depth.
To create space for Naquin on the 40-man roster, the Mets announced they’ve designated reliever R.J. Alvarez for assignment. The righty was selected onto the roster earlier this month but didn’t wind up making an MLB appearance. He’s had a nice season in Syracuse, working to a 3.16 ERA through 31 1/3 frames. The Mets will presumably place the 31-year-old on waivers in the coming days.
The Reds, meanwhile, add some talent to the lower levels. Rodríguez, an 18-year-old infielder, was recently ranked by Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs as the #30 prospect in the Mets organization. Longenhagen writes that the left-handed hitter has excellent bat control, but he has limited power upside in a 5’8″ frame. He was recently signed out of the Dominican Republic. Acuña, 19, was recently promoted to Low-A. He has never appeared on an organizational prospect list at FanGraphs or Baseball America.
It’s the first move of what’s likely to be a busy few days for Cincinnati general manager Nick Krall and his staff. Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle are the club’s top trade candidates, but they also have a host of rental bats who should generate interest. Beyond Naquin, Cincinnati could market impending free agent hitters Brandon Drury, Donovan Solano and Tommy Pham to contenders.
Robert Murray of FanSided first reported the Mets were acquiring Diehl. Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported the Mets were acquiring Naquin. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com was first to report the prospect return.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Mets To Place Drew Smith On 15-Day Injured List
3:24PM: Smith has a strained lat muscle, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports (Twitter link).
2:31PM: Mets right-hander Drew Smith is heading to the 15-day injured list due to “an unspecified arm issue,” according to The Athletic’s Tim Britton and Ken Rosenthal. The move is expected to be announced prior to Friday’s game, and will likely be retroactive to July 25 (Smith last pitched on the 24th).
Since making his MLB debut in 2018, Smith has been a generally solid reliever out of New York’s bullpen, and this season the righty has a 3.51 ERA and a strong 28.1% strikeout rate over 41 innings. Smith has been allowing a lot of hard contact, however, and his numbers have taken a downturn over the last month. Smith has a tiny 1.99 ERA through his first 29 games and 31 2/3 appearances, but he has allowed at least one run in six of his last eight appearances, resulting in an 8.68 ERA in that stretch. Home runs have continued to be a problem for Smith, as he has allowed eight long balls over his 41 IP.
It isn’t yet known if this is a relatively minor injury, or something that could threaten the remainder of Smith’s 2022 season. But even if Smith were to just miss the 15-day minimum, that won’t stop the Mets from aggressively seeking bullpen help, as Britton and Rosenthal write that “the Mets are trying to add multiple relievers.”
Bolstered by Edwin Diaz‘s spectacular year, New York’s bullpen has good overall numbers, with Smith, Adam Ottavino, and Seth Lugo all covering high-leverage innings to get to Diaz in the ninth. The Mets are short on left-handed relievers in particular, so southpaws (or at least a righty who is effective against left-handed batters, a la trade target David Robertson) would seem to be at the top of the Amazins’ wish list. Some help could also come from within, as Trevor May is expected back from the IL next week.