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Trade Notes: Mets, Twins, Pirates, Red Sox

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Typically one for bold and confident statements, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen offered a more measured approach when asked about the trade deadline this week, per Newsday’s Tim Healey. While the Mets will be open to making improvements, Van Wagenen spoke of exercising caution and being “responsible for the future of the organization.” The agent-turned-GM added that he expects other clubs to take a similarly conservative approach due to the short nature of the 2020 season — particularly the post-deadline period. None of this rules out a move of note for the Mets, and Van Wagenen went to the oft-used “opportunistic” as an adjective to describe his mentality as Monday’s deadline loom.

The Mets dropped both games of yesterday’s doubleheader against the Marlins, falling to 12-16 in the process. However, they’re part of a tightly bunched group of NL clubs with mediocre records. The Pirates are currently the only team in the NL more than 2.5 games back from a potential playoff spot.

Some more trade chatter from around the game…

  • The Twins are tied with the Rays for the second-best record in the American League, but a major move to further separate them from the pack may not be in the offing. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey instead emphasized to Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune the importance of getting some key internal reinforcements in the near future. Righty Michael Pineda will be eligible to return from a reduced PED suspension Sunday, adding a big arm to the club’s rotation mix. Likewise, third baseman Josh Donaldson, out for much of this month with a calf issue, is nearing a return. Falvey acknowledged taking an overly “conservative” approach to Donaldson’s rehab, given his history of calf troubles and the desire to have him at 100 percent for the playoff push. The Twins are open to trade opportunities, of course, but don’t seem as pressed to make a move thanks to their strong start and existing depth.
  • On the opposite side of the coin, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington is “trying to sell everything,” one rival executive tells Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. That’s hardly a surprise given the Pirates’ miserable start to the 2020 season and the recent regime change that installed Cherington atop the baseball ops hierarchy. Cherington will have a difficult line to walk as his best chips (Keone Kela and Joe Musgrove) have injury concern while others who should be appealing (e.g. Gregory Polanco, Josh Bell, Adam Frazier) have gotten out to disastrous starts that will likely weaken the offers submitted by other clubs (or eliminate interest entirely).
  • Christian Vazquez knows that the Red Sox will be fielding offers for him over the next five days, writes Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, but he hopes to remain in Boston and says he’d prefer to spend his whole career with the Sox. That’s obviously out of his control at the moment, with the Sox likely willing to move just about anyone outside of Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers. As Speier examines, the history of starting catchers changing hands and making a sizable impact during deadline season is more limited than some might think. Vazquez himself weighed in on the challenges that would exist in jumping to a new club and trying to educate himself on a new pitching staff and build a rapport with so many new arms, likening it to being a “rookie” all over again. Vazquez is guaranteed $6.25MM in 2021 and has a $7MM option for the 2022 season, though, which does make him a rather appealing trade target for clubs with catching needs that span beyond 2020.

Mets Place Nido, Gimenez On Injured List; Juan Lagares/Patrick Mazeika Selected

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The Mets have placed infielder Andres Gimenez and catcher Tomas Nido on the injured list, the club announced.  Outfielder Juan Lagares and catcher Patrick Mazeika will be replacing them on the active roster, as the Mets selected their contracts from the team’s alternate training site.  Catcher Ali Sanchez has also been added to the roster as the 29th player for today’s doubleheader with the Marlins.

No specific reason was given for Gimenez and Nido’s placement, though the lack of information would seem to imply COVID-19 concerns.  The Mets are returning to the field today after having four games postponed due to positive coronavirus tests from an unnamed player and coach.  Also of note, bench coach Hensley Meulens and third base coach Gary DiSarcina are not at Citi Field today, according to multiple reporters.

Gimenez, one of the Mets’ top prospects and a top-100 prospect in the sport, was something of a surprise addition to New York’s roster at the beginning of the season since he hadn’t played beyond the Double-A level (and hadn’t hit particularly well at that level.  Indeed, Gimenez looked a little overmatched in his first 62 big league plate appearances, hitting .254/.290/.339.  On the plus side, Gimenez did go a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen base chances and displayed some solid glovework at shortstop, second base, and third base.

Since Sanchez will seemingly just be up for today’s two games, it looks like the Mets will give Mazeika a look as Wilson Ramos’ backup while Nido is out.  Mazeika was an eighth-round pick for the Mets in the 2015 draft, and he is poised to make his MLB debut after hitting .278/.371/.424 over 1801 career minor league plate appearances.  Like Gimenez, Mazeika hasn’t played any Triple-A ball.

Lagares will return to the Mets after signing a minor league contract back in July.  A staple of the New York outfield from 2013-19, Lagares displayed excellent glovework in his prime but injuries and a lack of consistent hitting turned the team’s four-year, $23.5MM extension into something of a misfire.  After the Mets declined their club option on Lagares for the 2020 season, he inked a minor league deal with the Padres in the offseason but elected free agency in July.

Mets To Resume Play On Tuesday

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10:47am: Major League Baseball announced, via press release, that the Mets will host the Marlins for a doubleheader tomorrow, which will make up for last Thursday’s postponement. The upcoming weekend Subway Series against the Yankees will indeed include doubleheaders on Friday and Sunday, as Sherman previously reported.

8:10am: The Mets have not had any further positive Covid-19 tests since a player and coach tested positive last Thursday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (via Twitter). The team is expected to resume play Tuesday with a three-game series against the visiting Marlins.

Last week’s series finale against the same Marlins club was postponed due to the initial tests, so it’s possible there will now be a doubleheader baked into this upcoming three-game set in order to make up for that lost contest.

This past weekend’s scheduled Subway Series against the Yankees was also wiped out, although the two sides should be able to make up those three games, assuming continued negative tests. The Mets are slated to play a three-game series in the Bronx beginning Friday. Sherman further tweets that the current plan is for the Yankees and Mets to play doubleheaders both Friday and Sunday this coming weekend, with an additional makeup game set to fall on Sept. 3, when both clubs had an off-day scheduled.

 

Mets Release Brian Dozier

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The Mets have released second baseman Brian Dozier, tweets MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. He’d been designated for assignment prior to last Sunday’s game, when New York called up right-hander Franklyn Kilome.

The 33-year-old Dozier will return to the open market and be eligible to sign with any club as a free agent. He inked a minor league deal with the Padres over the winter but took his release from that organization and had a less-than-favorable review of his time there upon signing with the Mets late last month. Dozier’s time in Queens proved brief, though, as Robinson Cano’s scorching return from the injured list left him without much of a path to playing time. In 16 plate appearances as a Met, Dozier went 2-for-15 with a walk and five strikeouts.

It’s been a swift decline for Dozier, who from 2014-17 starred for the Twins as one of the game’s best second basemen. In that time, he batted .254/.338/.476 with 127 home runs — including a 42-homer campaign in 2016 and a 34-homer effort in 2017. His 2018 season was wrecked by a knee injury which he attempted to play through, and while he had a solid bounceback effort with the Nats in 2019 (.238/.340/.430), Dozier also ceded playing time to Asdrubal Cabrera late in 2019.

Dozier could still hold appeal to clubs seeking some infield depth. A team in need of help against left-handed pitching would stand out as a particularly solid fit for the former All-Star, given that the right-handed-hitting Dozier carries a stout .268/.352/.496 batting line against southpaws.

Latest On Mets’ COVID-19 Testing

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TODAY: According to a press release from the team, all Mets players and personnel who returned to New York from Miami have registered negatives on tests taken both Thursday and Friday.  “Test results of close contacts for those that remained in Miami also came back negative,” the statement said.

AUGUST 20, 6:52pm: A Mets position player and a coach tested positive, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post.

5:08pm: Most Mets will fly out of Miami tonight, Andy Martino of SNY first reported. Only the two members of the organization who tested positive and those who aren’t delayed by contact tracing will stay behind. The belief is that the Mets did not violate protocols on the road, per Martino.

4:07pm: A Mets player and a staff member have tested positive for the coronavirus, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network and Tim Healey of Newsday. As a result, their road game against the Marlins tonight has been postponed, as has their matchup against the Yankees on Friday.

This is the latest COVID-related setback in a season chock-full of them for Major League Baseball, which has seen numerous games postponed as a result of the illness. The Marlins and Cardinals have been hit especially hard so far, and the league has tightened up its protocols of late in an effort to prevent outbreaks and make sure each team completes its 60-game regular-season schedule.

For now, it’s unknown how Thursday’s development will affect these three teams’ schedules. Thursday was supposed to be the last Mets-Marlins game in Miami this year, but they’ll have to make it up at a later date. The Mets are slated to host the Yankees on Saturday and Sunday, so there could be a doubleheader on one of those days. However, the Mets will have to receive clearance to return to the field first.

Mets/Yankees Weekend Series Postponed

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This weekend’s series between the Yankees and Mets has been postponed due to the recent positive Covid-19 tests within the Mets organization, Major League Baseball announced in a press release. Newsday’s Tim Healey reported minutes beforehand that the league would be taking this step (Twitter link). Last night’s game between the Mets and Marlins was also postponed.

There have been some degree of cancellations stemming from positive Covid-19 tests each weekend in MLB since the Marlins played in the wake of a few positive tests on opening weekend. That led to a team outbreak which ultimately resulted in a reported 18 cases for the Marlins, and the league has since been more diligent and proactive in postponing games in an effort to avoid similarly widespread instances of the virus. While the Cardinals had an outbreak of their own, the Reds and Mets are the only other clubs to have had positive tests during the season. The Reds only saw three games postponed, and the hope here is obviously that the Mets will see a similarly brief stoppage of play.

When the game against the Marlins and the series against the Yankees will be made up isn’t yet determined, although the East-centric nature of this year’s schedule gives ample opportunity for doubleheaders and other makeup games. The Mets are scheduled to play at Yankee Stadium from Aug. 28-30, and they’re slated to host the Marlins at Citi Field from Aug. 25-27. The Athletic’s Tim Britton points out that Aug. 24, Sept. 3 and Sept. 14 are all mutual off-days for both the Mets and Yankees.

Mets Move Steven Matz To Bullpen; Seth Lugo Joining Rotation

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The Mets have moved left-hander Steven Matz to the bullpen and will shift setup man Seth Lugo back into a starting role, manager Luis Rojas revealed after last night’s game (Twitter link via Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News). Lugo will take the ball to start tonight’s game.

The 29-year-old Matz was excellent in his first start of 2020 but has since been clobbered for 22 runs on 28 hits (eight homers) and five walks in just 17 innings. He hasn’t gotten out of the fifth in any of his past three starts and is toting a 9.00 ERA in 23 frames overall. Lugo, meanwhile, has once again been sharp out of the ’pen, with a 2.61 ERA and an 11-to-2 K/BB ratio in 10 1/3 frames. By subtracting him from the late-inning mix, the Mets are betting that others like Justin Wilson, Jeurys Familia, Brad Brach, Dellin Betances and most importantly Edwin Diaz will be able to find consistent success as games draw to a close. Lugo has a career 2.53 ERA and 2.88 FIP in 188 2/3 relief innings, compared to a 4.06 ERA and 4.16 FIP in 168 1/3 innings as a starter.

It’s the latest shakeup in a Mets season that has been punctuated by rotation troubles. The Mets believed they’d stockpiled a strong group of starters, one through six, but only Jacob deGrom has performed as hoped. Noah Syndergaard didn’t pitch after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May, and Marcus Stroman opted out of the 2020 season entirely. Matz has stumbled through one of the bleakest stretches of his career, while reclamation projects Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha haven’t paid dividends. Porcello, to his credit, has had some rough luck on balls in play and pitched much better since a disastrous Mets debut. Wacha is on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation.

The Mets’ options beyond that sextet have long appeared to be lacking, although 2017 first-rounder David Peterson proved to be a bright spot … until he landed on the injured list due to shoulder troubles of his own. It’s notable that a recent MRI confirmed that there’s no structural damage in Peterson’s shoulder (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand), but he still won’t be an option until next week.

Aside from Peterson, fallback options like Corey Oswalt and Walker Lockett haven’t impressed. The club has instead shifted Robert Gsellman and now Lugo back into the starting mix. It wasn’t long ago that there was some spirited debate over whether that pair would be starters or relievers for the long haul. Both settled in as bullpen pieces, with Lugo in particular emerging as a high-end option. But the inadequacies among current Mets starters have now forced both right-handers back into the rotation picture.

Lugo will join deGrom, Porcello, Gsellman and (once healthy) Peterson in a rotation that can’t resemble anything the Mets’ front office might have anticipated heading into the season. But for all their pitching woes, the Mets remain in the playoff hunt thanks to a strong offense that ranks second in MLB with a 122 wRC+. They’ve rattled off three straight wins, and while they’re sitting at a pedestrian 12-14 on the year, the good news for them is that the rest of the NL East looks similarly underwhelming. The Braves lead the way at 14-11, but their own rotation has been decimated by injury, leaving ample space for the Mets to close the mere two-and-a-half game gap that separates them.

Given that the Wilpon family is reportedly deep in the process of fielding offers to sell the club, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Mets approach the looming Aug. 31 trade deadline with a clear buyer’s mentality. This could be the last opportunity for current ownership to secure the World Series title that alluded them when they fell to the Royals in 2015, and it only stands to reason that they’d take one final shot while they have the chance.

As for Matz himself, his future is decidedly murky. He could be a potential change-of-scenery candidate with the deadline looming, and even if he sticks with the Mets, he’ll have limited opportunities to turn things around as a low-leverage bullpen option. He’s on a $5MM salary for the 2020 season and will be arbitration-eligible for a third and final time this winter. It’s hardly a given that the Mets will want to allocate the necessary resources to retain him through the arbitration process.

Mets Place David Peterson On Injured List

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The Mets have placed left-hander David Peterson on the 10-day injured list with shoulder fatigue, Tim Healey of Newsday tweets. In other moves, they recalled righties Drew Smith and Corey Oswalt and optioned RHP Franklyn Kilome.

Peterson exited his most recent start last Thursday with shoulder discomfort, though he was supposed to take the ball tonight before this news came down. The Mets will presumably start Oswalt instead, and if their career numbers to this point are any indication, the drop-off will be significant.

While Peterson is only in first season, he has been one of the few bright spots out of the Mets’ rotation in 2020. Peterson has been one of the game’s best rookies so far, in fact, having logged a 2.91 ERA/4.00 FIP with 7.06 K/9 and 3.32 BB/9 in 21 2/3 innings. Meanwhile, over 75 1/3 lifetime frames, Oswalt has limped to a 6.69 ERA/6.75 FIP.

The hope is that Peterson will return in short order, but shoulder injuries are ominous and time’s already running out on this season. Furthermore, the Mets have gotten out to a weak 10-14 start thanks in no small part to what has become a questionable rotation behind Jacob deGrom and Peterson. It looked promising a few months back, but Noah Syndergaard has since undergone Tommy John surgery and Marcus Stroman decided to opt out. Meanwhile, offseason signings Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha haven’t prevented runs at acceptable clips, nor has holdover Steven Matz. The Mets did just add reliever Robert Gsellman to their starting staff, but he only threw 1 2/3 innings in a start against the Marlins on Monday.

NL Health Notes: Braves, Mets, Cards, Giants, Padres, Dodgers

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The Braves placed outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. on the injured list Saturday (retroactive to Aug. 12) because of left wrist inflammation, and the team’s hope then was that Acuna would be back by the upcoming weekend. However, there’s still no timetable for the superstar’s return, per The Athletic’s David O’Brien, who reports he’s continuing to battle soreness in his wrist. Meanwhile, second baseman Ozzie Albies – whom the Braves put on the IL on Aug. 5 with a bone contusion in his right wrist – is progressing but still has a ways to go, according to O’Brien.

  • Mets starters David Peterson and Jacob deGrom will take the ball as scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, Tim Healey of Newsday relays. Peterson had to leave his previous start last Thursday against the Nationals with left shoulder fatigue, while the club scratched deGrom on Friday because of a stiff neck. They’ve been the two best members of the rotation this year for the struggling Mets, as Peterson has performed like one of the game’s top rookies and the back-to-back Cy Young winner deGrom has continued to shine.
  • Cardinals righty Carlos Martinez and infielder Edmundo Sosa have been cleared to resume baseball activities, manager Mike Shildt announced to Mark Saxon of The Athletic and other reporters. They’re two of the many Cardinals who recently tested positive for the coronavirus. It’s not clear when either could return, as Shildt noted they’ll need time to build themselves back up. Martinez, long a key part of the Cardinals’ pitching staff, made one very rocky appearance earlier this season. Sosa hasn’t played in the majors this year.
  • Giants righty Jeff Samardzija will begin a throwing program Wednesday, according to the club (via Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle). Samardzija went on the injured list Aug. 8 with a shoulder impingement, which came after he opened the season with three rough performances. The pending free agent, 35, owns a ghastly 9.88 ERA across 13 2/3 innings, has already given up 18 hits and six home runs, and has only struck out five hitters.
  • The Padres placed catcher Francisco Mejia on the IL on Monday with a thumb bruise, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. With him and outfielder Tommy Pham (previously reported) headed to the shelf, the Padres recalled backstop Luis Torrens and utility player Ty France. Prior to going on the IL, Mejia got off to a woeful start this year with an .079/.146/.184 line in 41 plate appearances. He and fellow Padres catcher Austin Hedges have combined for a disastrous minus-1 wRC+ over 79 trips to the plate thus far.
  • The Dodgers announced that they’ve placed infielder Edwin Rios on the IL with a left hamstring strain and recalled lefty Adam Kolarek. The Rios injury is a blow to the Dodgers’ offense, as even though he’s just a part-time player, the 26-year-old has done nothing but hit since debuting last season. So far in 2020, Rios has slashed .276/.323/.690 with three home runs in 31 plate appearances.

Mets Add Ronny Mauricio To 60-Player Pool

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The Mets have added infield prospect Ronny Mauricio to their 60-man player pool and placed catcher Rene Rivera on the 45-day injured list, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. Rivera’s dealing with a hyperextended left elbow.

Mauricio is still just 19 years old and hasn’t played above the Single-A level, so he remains a ways off from the majors. Regardless, not only does he rate as one the Mets’ top farmhands, but one of the game’s best prospects in general. For example, Baseball America places Mauricio at No. 70 overall and writes he has the ceiling of a “classic power-hitting corner infielder.”

Mauricio is now the third Mets prospect to join their player pool since Saturday, following catcher Francisco Alvarez and right-hander Matthew Allan. As MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk noted then, only players in teams’ pools are eligible to be traded prior to the Aug. 31 deadline. That obviously doesn’t mean the Mets are going to move any of these players (Mauricio would be especially tough to pry away), but the option is there if an enticing enough offer comes along. In all likelihood, though, the Mets added the three for developmental purposes.

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