Latest On Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler
10:35pm: It isn’t definite the Mets will trade Syndergaard, per reports from Anthony DiComo of MLB.com and Anthony Rieber of Newsday, though Rieber adds the club’s “working hard” to move him. The Astros are “pessimistic” about their chances of acquiring Syndergaard, DiComo writes. Meanwhile, it “doesn’t sound like” the Mets and Twins have made headway toward a deal, Martino tweets.
3:58pm: Mets righty Noah Syndergaard has emerged as the perhaps the most talked-about name on the trade market, and his name once again figures to dominate headlines — much as it did in the offseason. Meanwhile, scouts will be watching closely as fellow starter Zack Wheeler takes the hill tonight for his lone pre-deadline showcase start. Here’s the latest on both hurlers …
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Mets are seeking an MLB-ready starter who can step right into the rotation in place of Syndergaard, then some additional high-end prospects after that. The pitcher in question needn’t technically be the headliner in the deal, but presumably the Mets are eyeing a controllable (pre-arbitration) starter as well as premier minor leaguers beyond that point.
That aligns with recent reports from SNY’s Andy Martino (Twitter links), who suggests that the Mets view the Padres, Braves, Dodgers, Rays and Yankees as the best on-paper fits in a deal. The Padres and Braves, in particular, are rich with MLB-ready pitchers in the upper minors, and Sherman lists that pair of organizations as the two that the Mets feel are best-positioned to work out a deal.
Notably, Sherman calls the Astros the “most aggressive” pursuer of Syndergaard, but Houston has seen its top pitching prospects take a step back in 2019. Forrest Whitley (shoulder fatigue) has barely pitched in 2019. Corbin Martin underwent Tommy John surgery. Martino suggests that neither the Astros nor Twins are viewed as prime trade partners — likely because other interested parties have better MLB-ready arms to offer. It was reported this morning that the Twins and Mets have discussed Syndergaard, with the Mets showing particular interest in shortstop Royce Lewis and outfielder Alex Kirilloff.
Looking at the teams the Mets apparently believe to be fits, it’s a bit of an eyebrow-raiser to see the Yankees and Braves listed. The Yankees and Mets haven’t lined up on a trade in more than a decade, and the frequent reports out of New York portraying the contempt that Mets owner Fred Wilpon has toward the Yankees make a deal of this nature seem decidedly unlikely. Meanwhile, trading Syndergaard to a division rival would be difficult for Mets fans to stomach, particularly given that he’s controlled through the 2021 season.
Whether the Houston organization can put together a compelling package for Syndergaard, they’ll have other things to talk about with the Mets front office. The ‘Stros are “one of many” teams that have interest in Wheeler, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). Martino tweets that the Yankees also remain interested in Wheeler and will be watching intently this evening.
Latest On Marcus Stroman
Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman has looked like a surefire trade candidate for a while. Even he expects to move before the July 31 trade deadline, having said after his Wednesday start – possibly his last with the Blue Jays – “There’s been no willingness from the front office to sign me, so I’ve just kind of come to terms with it and I’m ready to dominate, wherever that may be, absolutely dominate.”
Now, though, there are conflicting reports on whether Toronto is gearing up to part with Stroman, who’s earning $7.4MM this season and still has another year of arbitration control left. While Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that Stroman is “generally viewed within the industry as the most likely top starter to be traded,” Andy Martino of SNY.tv tweets that the Blue Jays have informed teams they may extend the 28-year-old instead of moving him. As Martino notes, though, it may be a negotiating ploy on the part of Toronto, which – as Stroman said – hasn’t shown any real desire to commit to him for the long haul. It’s hard to believe the team will drastically change course on the cusp of the deadline.
The division-rival Yankees are among an array of contenders who have been connected to Stroman of late, but despite the problems in their rotation, a deal doesn’t look particularly likely to come together. New York hasn’t pursued Stroman as ardently as it went after one of his former teammates – fellow starter J.A. Happ – last year, according to Sherman, who reports the Yankees aren’t the perceived front-runners for Stroman right now. The club did land Happ, whom it then wound up re-signing to a two-year, $34MM contract in free agency, but the left-hander has fallen way short of expectations this season. Happ’s struggles are a key reason the league-leading Yankees are in the market for a high-end starter this summer.
Yankees Place Brett Gardner On 10-Day Injured List
The Yankees have placed outfielder Brett Gardner on the 10-day IL due to left knee inflammation, as per a team press release. Gardner’s placement is retroactive to July 22. Left-hander Stephen Tarpley will take Gardner’s spot on New York’s 25-man roster.
One of the only Yankees who hadn’t yet missed time due to injury this season, today’s placement marks the durable Gardner’s first trip to the injured list since 2012. The longtime pinstripes fixture has bounced back from a down year in 2018 to become one of New York’s more underrated performers, hitting .243/.325/.460 over 354 plate appearances. That slugging percentage represents by far a new personal best for Gardner over his 12 MLB seasons, and with 15 homers already, he seems like a safe bet to eclipse his career high of 21 home runs in a season.
Mike Tauchman looks to get the bulk of left field duty while Gardner is out, and Cameron Maybin is also nearing his own activation from the injured list. Prospect Clint Frazier also looms at Triple-A, though Frazier has also often been mentioned in trade rumors and could be on the move prior to the deadline.
Troy Tulowitzki Announces Retirement
Veteran shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has announced his retirement after 13 Major League seasons. His full statement, as per a Yankees media release:
“I wanted to take this opportunity to announce my retirement as a Major League Baseball player.
For as long as I can remember, my dream was to compete at the highest level as a Major League Baseball Player … to wear a big league uniform and play hard for my teammates and the fans. I will forever be grateful for every day that I’ve had to live out my dream. It has been an absolute honor.
I will always look back with tremendous gratitude for having the privilege of playing as long as I did. There is no way to truly express my gratitude to the fans of Colorado, Toronto and New York. They always made my family and I feel so welcome.
I want to thank the Yankees organization and Brian Cashman for giving me the opportunity to wear the Yankees uniform and live out another childhood dream. I wish that my health had allowed for a different ending to that chapter.
To the coaches, training staff and baseball executives who helped me in my career … I am incredibly grateful to all of you. To my teammates throughout the years, thank you for grinding with me. I truly value all the relationships that were built through this game.
None of this would have been possible without the love and support of my family and friends. To my wife, my son and my parents … you helped make my dreams come true. To my agent Paul Cohen and TWC Sports Management … thank you for taking care of everything. You all allowed me to play the game I love without distractions.
While this chapter is now over, I look forward to continuing my involvement in the game that I love … instructing and helping young players to achieve their goals and dreams.
I’m saying goodbye to Major League Baseball, but I will never say goodbye 2 the game I love. Thanks again 2 all of you!“
Tulowitzki’s final season consisted of only five games, as he was sidelined by a calf strain early in his tenure with the Yankees. It seems like his latest injury might have well been the last straw after a long series of ailments that have limited Tulowitzki for more or less his entire career, but particularly over the last few years. Tulowitzki missed all of 2018 after undergoing surgery to remove bone spurs from his heels, and after the Blue Jays released him in Spring Training, he caught on with the Yankees on a minor league deal in the hopes of following in the footsteps of his childhood hero Derek Jeter as New York’s shortstop.
One can’t discuss Tulowitzki’s career without mentioning his injury history, as he played more than 130 games just three times over his 13 seasons. It’s quite possible that a healthy Tulowitzki could have potentially garnered himself some consideration as a Hall-of-Famer. On the other hand, a more optimistic view is that given all of his health issues, the fact that Tulowitzki was still able to perform as well as he did is extraordinary.
Selected by the Rockies seventh overall in the 2005 draft, Tulowitzki will long be remembered for his glory days in Colorado. “Tulo” racked up five All-Star appearances, two Silver Slugger Awards, two Gold Gloves and a pair of fifth-place NL MVP finishes over his 10 seasons and 1048 games in Rockies purple. He was also a second-place finisher in NL Rookie Of The Year voting in 2007, as Tulowitzki’s emergence was a major factor in the vaunted “Rocktober” team that virtually ran the table down the stretch and through the postseason en route to a surprise NL pennant and the only World Series appearance in Colorado’s franchise history.
After signing a pair of long-term contract extensions with the Rockies, Tulowitzki seemed like a Rox lifer before a blockbuster trade deadline deal that sent him to the Blue Jays in July 2015. Though Tulowitzki was openly surprised and even dismayed to be leaving his longtime team, Tulowitzki nevertheless helped stabilize Toronto’s shortstop situation as the Jays reached the ALCS in both 2015 and 2016.
Over his entire career, Tulowitzki will finish with a .290/.361/.495 slash line and 225 career home runs. Like most hitters, Tulowitzki enjoyed a boost from playing the bulk of his home games at Coors Field, though his career 118 OPS+ and 119 wRC+ indicate that he was certainly an above-average offensive player full stop.
Tulowitzki earned slightly less than $164MM over the course of his career, as per Baseball Reference. This includes the remainder of his current contract, which runs through the end of the 2020 season and the bulk of which is being covered by the Blue Jays after their release of the shortstop.
We at MLB Trade Rumors wish Tulowitzki our congratulations on an outstanding playing career, and we wish him the best in his future role teaching the next generations of players.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Yankees Acquire Brian Navarreto From Twins
The Yankees have acquired minor league catcher Brian Navarreto from the Twins in exchange for cash considerations, as first reported by Mariana Guzman (Twitter links). He’ll give the club some depth with Gary Sanchez on the injured list.
Obviously, this minor swap isn’t of the magnitude that most fans would hope with Major League Baseball’s trade deadline just around the corner, but adding some low-cost depth to help cover current injury troubles is a logical course of action for the Yankees. For the Twins, they have multiple minor league catchers ahead of Navarreto on the organizational depth chart.
Navarreto, 24, was Minnesota’s sixth-round pick back in 2012. He’s a quintessential glove-first backstop, as evidenced by a whopping 47 percent caught-stealing rate and consistently strong framing marks in his minor league career. He’s enjoyed a modest bump in power this season but has been a poor hitter overall — both in 2019 and throughout his minor league tenure. Navarreto is a lifetime .215/.265/.308 hitter in the minor leagues, including a lackluster .177/.229/.331 slash (five home runs, five doubles) in 140 plate appearances at the Double-A level this season.
Yankees Rumors: Bauer, Bumgarner, Syndergaard, Wheeler
The Yankees and Twins, two American League powers, staged a memorable three-game battle in Minnesota this week. This round went to the Yankees, who took two of three in an offense-driven set that saw the Bombers live up to their name in outscoring the Twins 30-27.
While the Yankees are now a major league-best 66-35, they’re surely not thrilled with the way their somewhat maligned pitching staff performed against the high-powered Twins. Starters C.C. Sabathia, Domingo German and J.A. Happ were among Yankees hurlers who took beatings, which could intensify the club’s efforts to improve its rotation before the July 31 trade deadline. That remains general manager Brian Cashman’s primary focus, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
Over the past several weeks, the Yankees have been connected to just about every top starter potentially available – including the Indians’ Trevor Bauer, the Giants’ Madison Bumgarner, and the Mets’ Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler.
Bauer is near the top of the Yankees’ wish list, per Hoch, who reports they “would love” to see Cleveland make him available. Indians general manager Mike Chernoff seemingly hasn’t closed the door on a Bauer trade, but parting with him would be an unexpected move from a Tribe team that has overcome a difficult start to climb into playoff position. The Indians are 59-42, two games up on the AL’s No. 1 wild-card spot and just two back of the Twins, thanks in part to Bauer. The 28-year-old has racked up a major league-high 152 1/3 innings of 3.49 ERA/4.19 FIP pitching with 10.58 K/9 against 3.49 BB/9.
Like Bauer, Bumgarner’s perhaps an indispensable piece to a team that has emerged as a playoff hopeful. Bumgarner looked like a surefire trade candidate all season until the red-hot Giants won 17 of 21 in recent weeks. They’re currently 52-51 and three back of a wild card. The future of Bumgarner, a Giants icon, looks much more up in the air as a result. Regardless, it doesn’t seem as if Bumgarner – who has the Yankees on his limited no-trade list – is New York’s preferred choice. “Yankees people are said to be less enthused with” Bumgarner than Bauer, Hoch writes.
Meanwhile, Hoch relays that the belief is the Mets are uninterested in dealing with the crosstown rival Yankees at all, no matter what they might offer for Syndergaard or Wheeler. That would be unfortunate for the Yankees, who may be the team with the most interest in Syndergaard and would reportedly be willing to trade their premier prospect, Deivi Garcia, for him. As a soon-to-be free agent who’s about to return from a multi-week absence stemming from a shoulder injury, Wheeler has far less trade value than Syndergaard. Andy Martino of SNY reported three weeks ago that the Mets were open to sending Wheeler – then healthy – to the Bronx, but that might not be the case after all.
Even if the Yankees don’t end up with Bauer, Bumgarner, Syndergaard or Wheeler, they do seem likely to strengthen their rotation this month. After Minnesota shredded its staff this week, New York’s starters rank a middling to worse 15th in ERA, 16th in fWAR and 21st in FIP. Nobody from the group has produced truly great numbers, either. Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and German have posted low-four ERAs with aligning peripherals, while Sabathia and Happ have performed like back-end options at best.
One would be remiss to ignore that the Yankees have gone without their ace – Luis Severino – all season because of shoulder and lat injuries. While the Yankees are hopeful the star righty will return in mid to late August, which could provide an enormous boost, it’s unknown whether Severino will be able to go full bore at any point this year. Cashman suggested two weeks ago that Severino could max out at 75 pitches or even work as a reliever. Severino’s ongoing absence has thrown a massive wrench in the Yankees’ plans this year, and it could have a big hand in the club landing an outside starter.
Quick Hits: Dodgers, Giants, Cubs, Sogard, Yanks, White Sox
As was the case a couple weeks ago, the Dodgers are “quite interested” in multiple Giants relievers, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported July 10 that Will Smith, Sam Dyson, Tony Watson and Reyes Moronta were on the Dodgers’ radar. At that point, San Francisco owned a 41-48 record and looked as if it was sure to sell prior to the trade deadline. However, the Giants were in the early stages of an out-of-nowhere tear that has continued, putting them at 52-51 and calling into question whether they’ll trade any of their top chips in the next week. Even if they do, there’s no guarantee the Giants will deal with the archrival Dodgers, despite the connection between SF president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and LA president Andrew Friedman. Zaidi was Friedman’s top lieutenant with the Dodgers from 2014-18.
More from around the game…
- The Blue Jays’ Eric Sogard is on the Cubs’ radar with the deadline approaching, but it’s not the first time Chicago has eyed the infielder. The Cubs’ interest in Sogard dates back to the offseason, Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com reports. Back then, the 33-year-old Sogard had to settle for a minor league contract with Toronto after a rough season in Milwaukee. It’ll go down as an excellent low-risk pickup by the Blue Jays, who will almost surely flip Sogard for some kind of return by July 31. With a .299/.363/.480 line and 10 home runs in 317 plate appearances, Sogard’s enjoying a career year. His production’s probably not sustainable, but that won’t stop the Jays from finding a trade partner.
- Injured Yankees outfielder Cameron Maybin began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, per George A. King III of the New York Post. Barring setbacks, Maybin could return from his month-plus absence next week. The 32-year-old journeyman had been amid a dream season before suffering a left calf strain June 21. His .314/.391/.500 slash with five homers in 133 PA helped make up for injuries to big-hitting Yankees outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Judge returned just as Maybin went down, while Stanton headed back to the shelf after briefly gracing the Yankees’ lineup last month. Assuming Maybin does come off the IL soon, the optionable Mike Tauchman seems likely to go back to the minors. That would be a tough break for Tauchman, who has joined Maybin in posting surprisingly impressive numbers this year.
- The White Sox have shifted Nick Hostetler from amateur scouting director to special assistant to GM Rick Hahn, the team announced (via Lamond Pope of the Chicago Tribune). Hostetler will focus on pro scouting in his new role. He had been in his prior job since August 2015, meaning he was influential in the drafting of recent first-round picks and current top 100 prospects Nick Madrigal and Andrew Vaughn. As Pope points out, 12 of the White Sox’s preseason top 20 prospects at MLB.com entered the organization during Hostetler’s amateur scouting reign. They’re now looking for someone to fill his former position.
Yankees Have Interest In Mike Minor
WEDNESDAY: New York’s “not very involved” in the Minor derby, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.
MONDAY: As they continue to weigh a variety of possible pitching additions, the Yankees are taking a look at Rangers lefty Mike Minor, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription link). But that interest comes with a few complications.
The Yanks are one of ten teams to which Minor can block a swap pursuant to his contract, per Rosenthal. Minor’s willingness to waive his rights isn’t known, but he certainly doesn’t sound particularly anxious to leave town.
Minor’s continued strong work makes his contract rights quite appealing. He’s earning just $9.5MM this year and next, making the 31-year-old a cost-efficient target. Pinching pennies isn’t strictly necessary for the Yankees, but the organization is as aware of value concepts as any and has an obvious desire to avoid unnecessary luxury tax complications (now and in the future).
It’s not surprising, then, that the Bronx Bombers have sent notable front-office member Tim Naehring out to see Minor’s past two outings. That could be interpreted as a tell, though Rosenthal rightly points out that Naehring and the team’s other trusted evaluators have also put in plenty of time watching other arms as well.
It is still tough to guess just what direction the Yankees will take. If Luis Severino is able to make it back, even if not in a full-blown starter’s capacity, the club will have enviable depth with James Paxton and Domingo German featuring as capable postseason starters and a variety of other multi-inning hurlers on hand. It could certainly stand to add a marquee arm to front the staff, but it’s fair to wonder if that’s really what Minor is. There’s unquestionably a rotation need in 2020 as well, but perhaps that shouldn’t be the priority right now. The price for Minor will be steep — in addition to other demand, the Rangers will value his rights for next season — and there is an argument to be made that the Yanks ought instead to utilize their resources on other targets, either posting less in prospect value for a rental hurler or somehow concocting a bigger move for a truly top-shelf starter.
Latest On Interest In Mets’ Pitchers
Most reports out of New York over the past few weeks have echoed a familiar trio of names when assessing their trade chips: Zack Wheeler, Todd Frazier and Jason Vargas. The three are free agents at season’s end — Vargas does have an $8MM club option ($2MM buyout) that looks increasingly intriguing — making them natural candidates to be shipped out by a 46-54 Mets team that is closer to the NL’s worst record than to the division lead.
The larger source of intrigue surrounds whether the Mets would move assets controlled beyond the current season. To that end, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports within his latest column that the Mets “have been open to dealing” embattled closer Edwin Diaz. General manager Brodie Van Wagenen isn’t in any type of rush to move his offseason headliner, however. Rather, he’s endeavored to receive a comparable package to the one he surrendered in order to get Diaz in the first place. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets a similar sentiment, noting that the ask on Diaz is “so sky-high that it’s basically a non-starter.” Though ESPN.com’s Buster Olney suggests on Twitter that the Dodgers are a nice match on paper, he doesn’t indicate whether the sides have had actual discussions — let alone whether the Los Angeles organization would meet the Mets’ asking price.
Finding a deal that compares to the one that brought Diaz to New York seems an impossible order. In addition to taking on a hefty chunk of the Robinson Cano contract, the Mets parted with a pair of young players — Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn — who are soaring through the Mariners’ system and up top prospect rankings. Diaz’s strikeout, walk, ground-ball and swinging-strike rates have all gone in the wrong direction. And while he’s tossed six shutout innings since his most recent meltdown — a four-run collapse against the Phillies — he’s still lugging a 4.81 ERA with as many blown saves (four) as he had all of last season.
Even teams that feel they have an answer for Diaz’s struggles wouldn’t be willing to pay a metaphorical dollar-for-dollar rate in negotiations with the Mets. As for taking a lesser deal, the optics of trading him for cents on the dollar while retaining Cano and the sizable portion of his salary they absorbed in that deal would be poor, to say the least. Diaz is controlled through 2022, so a strong finish and/or a 2020 rebound would do wonders for his value.
It seems more plausible that if the Mets were to receive a sizable offer on a controllable arm, it’d be Noah Syndergaard. Olney tweets that the Mets are “seriously listening” to rival clubs that have interest. While Syndergaard hasn’t really thrown in a way that buttresses his own trade value, he’s throwing hard and seems to be in good health. His 4.36 ERA, 8.9 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 would all be career-worsts if the season ended today, but his track record and upside are so impressive that there’ll be loads of interest.
Whether that listening stance has a real chance of turning into meaningful trade talks remains to be seen. Both Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (Twitter links) and Andy Martino of SNY cite the Yankees as the club with perhaps the keenest level of interest in Syndergaard. Both reports suggest that top pitching prospect Deivi Garcia could be a headliner in such a deal, and while GM Brian Cashman plainly stated a couple weeks back that he wouldn’t move Garcia for a rental, Heyman suggests that the Yankees would “surely” put Garcia in play if meant obtaining Syndergaard, who is controlled through 2021.
Of course, the Yankees and Mets simply haven’t dealt with one another on the trade market at any point in recent history, which makes negotiations all the more complicated. And Olney tweets that he doesn’t think the New York rivals will be able to make a deal on such a significant player. Martino writes that the two teams have nevertheless talked Syndergaard “many times” this month, swapping proposals and counterproposals with no real progress being made. A deal is characterized as unlikely, although he also lists the Astros, Padres, Brewers and, to a lesser extent, the Twins as teams trying to pry Syndergaard loose.
That high asking price may not be the case with regard to Wheeler, whose value partially hinges on how well he performs in Friday’s expected return from the injured list. The Mets’ hope seems to be that a strong outing will quiet some concerns about Wheeler’s recent shoulder flareup, but the injury undoubtedly quelled some interest in him. Despite the concerns, Yahoo’s Mike Mazzeo cites a Mets official as calling the chances of a Wheeler trade “pretty high.”
If the Mets don’t find any offers on Wheeler to be viable or, even worse, he experiences renewed shoulder discomfort and is forced back to the IL, the club could retain him and issue a qualifying offer at season’s end. Barring a worrying showing, though, it may be that the Mets will end up simply taking the best offer on a player whose tenure in New York has seen its share of peaks and valleys.
Yankees Place Gary Sanchez On Injured List
5:48pm: Sanchez was diagnosed with a grade 1 strain, Boone tells reporters including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (Twitter link). The skipper wasn’t able to give much of an estimate of the duration of the absence, saying only that “it’ll be some time” before Sanchez is back.
10:43am: The Yankees announced Wednesday that they’ve placed catcher Gary Sanchez on the 10-day injured list due to a strained left groin. Catcher Kyle Higashioka is up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in his place. New York also optioned Jonathan Holder to Scranton and recalled lefty Nestor Cortes Jr. in his place.
The team didn’t provide any sort of timeline on Sanchez within the announcement, though presumably manager Aaron Boone will address the injury prior to tonight’s game against the Twins. It’s the second IL placement of the season for Sanchez, who previously missed about two weeks due to a calf strain back in April. In 238 plate appearances this season, Sanchez is hitting .229/.299/.508 with 24 home runs.
Higashioka, 29, won’t match Sanchez’s production at the plate, although it should be noted that he’s enjoying a career-best .268/.343/.581 showing in 201 Triple-A plate appearances. He’s appeared in 42 Major League games but has compiled a woeful .143/.209/.267 batting line in that time.
Swapping out Holder for Cortes is a natural move on the heels of a video-game-esque slugfest that saw the Twins and Yankees combine for 26 runs in 10 innings last night. That game featured five lead changes, 35 total hits and an incredible 12 runs scored in the eighth inning or later. As one might expect, both teams depleted their bullpen, cycling through six relievers apiece. Cortes gives the Yankees a fresh arm that can handle multiple innings, and the Twins will surely have some roster machination of their own in the next few hours.