NL Notes: Miller, Cubs, Hellickson, Crawford, Ethier
Andrew Miller sits atop the Cubs‘ wish list this summer, according to Jon Heyman of todaysknuckleball.com. The Yankees southpaw is humming along with a 1.47 ERA and ridiculous 13.2 K/BB ratio, so the price won’t be low — if he can be had at all. While teammate Dellin Betances would also hold interest, Heyman says that Chicago doesn’t believe there’s any chance he’d be available. The Cubbies do not have interest in a reunion with Braves righty Arodys Vizcaino, who has already twice changed hands between the organizations.
- In terms of Cubs trade chips, there’s been plenty of speculation about Kyle Schwarber and Javier Baez. But Heyman says that neither is likely to go anywhere. Indeed, we heard recently that president of baseball operations Theo Epstein isn’t inclined at all to part with the injured Schwarber, and it’s tough to imagine the organization removing a useful Baez from its current mix. One interesting player who could be moved, per Heyman, is third base prospect Jeimer Candelario.
- Phillies righty Jeremy Hellickson looks like the club’s most obvious trade piece: he’ll be a free agent at year’s end and has been both solid and durable, which is why he sits among the top 20 trade candidates in baseball on MLBTR’s most recent list. But Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com wonders whether there’s a scenario where Philadelphia holds onto the veteran starter. A qualifying offer could make sense, he posits, since that could net the Phils a draft pick that could be more valuable (particularly given the likelihood of a big draft pool) than any prospect return. And if Hellickson were to take it, that wouldn’t be a terrible result for an organization that could use the stability in the rotation both now and in 2017. GM Matt Klentak hinted recently that his team may not “be super active” at the deadline.
- The Phillies could also push toward contention as soon as next year, though that still seems optimistic. A major factor in that timeline is young shortstop J.P. Crawford, who is currently playing at Triple-A. He was recently named the top prospect in all of baseball in a mid-season ranking update from Baseball Prospectus.
- The Dodgers are said to be looking at outfielders, but may have an internal option on hand before long. Manager Dave Roberts says that Andre Ethier could make his way back to the bigs by early August, as Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The veteran has missed the entire season with a broken leg, but had been a highly productive player in 2015.
AL Notes: Medlen, Desmond, Brantley, Shaw, Yankees, Jepsen, Rasmus
Royals right-hander Kris Medlen suffered a setback in his return from right shoulder inflammation in today’s rehab outing, reports MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. Medlen has been out since mid-May with the injury and suffered a strain of the same shoulder while throwing a breaking pitch on the 49th pitch of his outing, per Flanagan. He’s set to be re-evaluated later today but seemingly won’t be an option for the Royals at any point in the near future.
Here’s a look at some of the latest news out of the American League …
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels says that the club would have interest in working out a long-term deal with outfielder Ian Desmond, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Though he said that he wouldn’t discuss the matter beyond acknowledging that fact, Daniels heaped praise upon the deserving All-Star. Grant argues that the time is now for Texas to try to strike a deal. That certainly won’t be easy, but as Grant notes, Desmond may have some added motivation given that he previously turned down a chance at a major payday.
- Michael Brantley finally received some good news and is progressing toward a return to the Indians, per Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Brantley received a cortisone shot after a recent diagnosis of tendinitis in his biceps and will resume batting practice tomorrow before possibly progressing to simulated games and a rehab assignment. It’s not clear exactly when after the All-Star break Brantley will return, per Hoynes, but both Brantley and Indians manager Terry Francona implied that the DL stint may not last all that much longer.
- The Red Sox are holding their breath on third baseman Travis Shaw, who fouled a ball off of his foot tonight. As Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal tweets, initial testing was inconclusive and Shaw’s foot is showing lots of swelling. Whether or not there’s a serious injury remains to be seen, but a glance at Boston’s depth chart shows that the club could be pressed regardless if Shaw is out for more than a day or two. Brock Holt could be a replacement option, but he’s being utilized in left field at the moment. Marco Hernandez is the only other infielder on the active roster with Josh Rutledge on the DL, while the 40-man possibilities at Triple-A are Sean Coyle and Deven Marrero.
- While it remains unclear what path the Yankees will take at the trade deadline, the organization is already working to reshape its roster, Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees blog explains. Reducing the role of Alex Rodriguez, demoting Nathan Eovaldi to the bullpen, enhancing Aaron Hicks‘s playing time, and keeping Rob Refsnyder up are among the recent decisions that Jennings explores.
- Assuming he clears waivers, the Rays have interest in a reunion with reliever Kevin Jepsen, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Jepsen was designated recently by the Twins, who had picked him up from the Rays last summer. The 31-year-old righty has fallen off badly after a long track record of solid pen work; given his salary ($5.3MM and change), a claim seems unlikely, though perhaps a trade could materialize if Minnesota is willing to keep most of that obligation.
- Angels reliever Cory Rasmus needs core muscle surgery, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Rasmus, who already underwent such an operation last year, had been placed on the DL with what had been called a groin strain. The 28-year-old was carrying a 5.40 ERA through 21 2/3 innings and had taken a big step back in the K/BB department, having issued 14 free passes while K’ing just 13 batters.
AL Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Davis, Norris, Avila
Yankees GM Brian Cashman discussed his team’s oft-debated trade deadline stance in an appearance on the podcast of ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (audio link). He said that the club is “open to everything and anything” over the month to come, noting that he’d raise any interest in the organization’s major league assets with ownership. Cashman made clear that New York isn’t going into a selling stance, but also suggested that such a time may come and has been discussed internally. “The clock is ticking,” he said, “and the more that we stay in this mode that we’re currently in, I think it’s going to force us into some tough decisions that we didn’t want to be in. There’s some time on the clock, but it’s getting late, as people would say.”
Here’s more from the American League:
- Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski says that trade chatter is picking up around the game, Scott Lauber of ESPN Boston was among those to report (Twitter links). Boston had contact with ten rival organizations just yesterday, he added. Meanwhile, the club announced that director of pitching analysis and development Brian Bannister will don a uniform to aid pitching coach Carl Willis in working with the staff. Bannister will not be in the dugout during games, but will seemingly take more of a hands-on approach in trying to solve the organization’s pitching woes.
- It’s always concerning when a pitcher hits the DL with forearm issues, as was the case earlier today for Royals closer Wade Davis, but Kansas City doesn’t seem to be ringing any alarm bells. As Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star reports (links to Twitter), manager Ned Yost says that Davis’s ligament isn’t implicated. Yost added that Davis pitched through a similar problem last year, and Davis himself notes that he isn’t too concerned at this point.
- The Tigers have placed lefty Daniel Norris on the DL with an oblique strain. That’s not great news for a team that has had some rotation questions arise, as Norris had showed some interesting results in his four big league appearances this year. He has allowed seven earned runs and 17 hits in 13 innings, but his sparkling 16:3 K/BB ratio is certainly promising.
- White Sox backstop Alex Avila is headed to the DL after leaving tonight’s game with a hamstring strain, as Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago tweets. It’s too soon to know how long he’ll be out, but hamstring problems can linger. The 29-year-old has compiled a sturdy .231/.361/.347 batting line on the year while serving as part of a platoon with Dioner Navarro behind the dish. Brett Hayes could be an option behind the dish for the Sox, though he’d need to be added to the 40-man roster. The seven-year big league veteran has a .225/.354/.425 batting line through 13 games for Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate since being acquired in a minor trade earlier this summer.
Pitching Notes: Santana, Cobb, Felix, Cards, Red Sox, Eovaldi
The Rangers “took a hard look” at Twins righty Ervin Santana during his most recent outing, according to LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star-Tribune (via Twitter). Texas is in need of rotation depth, as its current depth chart shows, and that may well remain an area of interest even if the club is able to add a higher-end starter. While the veteran Santana doesn’t come with a ton of upside at 33 years of age, he has long been a solid pitcher and would deliver some much-needed dependability. He has averaged over 180 innings annually dating back to his rookie campaign in 2005, and is still working with the same velocity and generating about the same swinging strike rate that he has for much of his career. Santana is owed $13.5MM this year and the two to follow, though, so there’d be some financial negotiating to work through.
Here are some more notable developments as the pitching market continues to take shape:
- Rays righty Alex Cobb will make his first rehab start on Wednesday, per a club announcement (h/t to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, via Twitter). Cobb, who is working back from Tommy John surgery, can remain on assignment for 30 days. His timeline probably isn’t a determining factor, but so long as he remains on track it certainly would make it easier for Tampa Bay to move a starter.
- Mariners righty Felix Hernandez is set to throw three simulated innings on Wednesday, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune tweets. If all goes well, it seems that he could soon begin a rehab stint — which could help Seattle assess its rotation needs as the deadline draws into focus.
- Asked about the possible need for pen reinforcement, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said today that his club “can’t ignore anything,” Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets. St. Louis figures to be among many teams eyeing relievers over the next month. With Trevor Rosenthal losing his closing gig and Kevin Siegrist hitting the DL, an already somewhat-questionable unit has increasing concerns.
- The Red Sox are still angling to shift Joe Kelly into their big league bullpen, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports on Twitter. A final move won’t be made until after the All-Star break, once he’s completed his rehab stint. Clay Buchholz, too, could be moving back to the relief corps after failing to impress upon his return to the rotation, as Mastrodonato writes.
- The Yankees have temporarily bumped righty Nathan Eovaldi to the bullpen, Chad Jennings of the Lo Hud Yankees Blog reports. It appears that he’ll be replaced in the rotation by Chad Green for now, but expectations are that Eovaldi will be back among the starting five after the All-Star break. Skipper Joe Girardi explained that the move was motivated by the team’s need to have arms ready for relief work, though clearly Eovaldi’s distinct struggles of late play a major role in the decision.
Trade Rumors: Hill, A’s, Royals, BoSox, Yanks, Dodgers
In his first start since May 29, Athletics left-hander Rich Hill returned from a groin injury to throw six innings of two-run, four-hit ball and rack up six strikeouts against two walks Saturday. Several playoff contenders sent representatives to observe Hill’s outing against the Pirates, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Incidentally, the Bucs were among the teams scouting him. In addition, four of the 36-year-old journeyman’s previous employers – the Orioles, Red Sox, Cubs and Yankees – as well as the Dodgers and Royals were in attendance to watch Hill, who could be the best starter dealt before the Aug. 1 trade deadline. The free agent-to-be has been brilliant when healthy this year, recording a 2.31 ERA, 10.29 K/9, 49.7 percent ground-ball rate and 15.3 percent infield fly rate in 70 innings. Dating back to his four-start revival in Boston last September, the out-of-nowhere ace has put up a tremendous 2.09 ERA in 99 frames.
More of the latest pre-deadline rumors:
- Along with Hill, the Royals also have interest in Athletics right fielder Josh Reddick, according to Slusser. However, they do not wish to reunite with another A’s trade chip, third baseman Danny Valencia. Kansas City was a rumored landing spot as of last week for Valencia, who was with the Royals in 2014 and should draw plenty of attention from other teams as the deadline nears.
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported Sunday that the Blue Jays have been scouting the Astros’ system, though he didn’t specify which players interested Toronto. It turns out that one prospect who intrigues the Jays is Double-A right-hander Francis Martes, tweets Chris Cotillo of SB Nation. Martes would be difficult to acquire, however, given that he’s among baseball’s premier prospects. Entering the season, Baseball America placed Martes 20th overall in its rankings. In its updated list, MLB.com has the 20-year-old at No. 36. In 63 2/3 innings this season, the hard-throwing Martes has logged a 4.10 ERA, 8.48 K/9 and 4.52 BB/9.
- While Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com expects the Angels’ Matt Shoemaker to garner interest leading up to the deadline, he doesn’t envision the Halos trading controllable starting pitching depth (Twitter link). The desperate-for-starters Red Sox – who roughed up Shoemaker on Sunday – would make sense as a trade partner if the Angels do make the righty available, opines Tim Britton of the Providence Journal (via Twitter). After a terrible first month of the season and a demotion to the minors, Shoemaker rejoined the Angels in May and has performed like an elite-level ace of late – Sunday notwithstanding. During an eight-start span prior to the Angels’ trip to Fenway Park, the 29-year-old amassed 57 2/3 innings, allowed 12 earned runs and piled up 68 strikeouts against a paltry five walks. As Gonzalez alluded to when mentioning team control, Shoemaker will make his first trip through arbitration during the upcoming offseason.
Yankees Notes: Miller, Beltran, Bullpen
Here’s the latest on the Bronx Bombers…
- Andrew Miller has been the subject of many trade rumors already this summer, though, Miller tells Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com that some Yankee executives have told him he won’t be dealt. “I’ve had reassurances from them at the times I’ve talked to them that [a trade is] something that hasn’t been discussed or planned for or anything like that,” Miller said. “I think that’s kind of nice….There haven’t been reach-outs or anything like that. But you run into people and they tell you not to read into anything you’re hearing.” That said, Miller also acknowledges that “there are situations and there are offers that could be too good to refuse. That’s the reality of the business. I can’t worry about it. I have zero leverage in the situation, but I came here to play for the Yankees.” It isn’t yet clear if the Yankees will trade any of their high-priced veterans at the deadline, though even if they do, Miller could stay since New York reportedly has a very large asking price on his services.
- Carlos Beltran also wants to stay in New York, he tells MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, since the veteran outfielder believes the Yankees are still capable of getting back into contention. Beltran has some control over his future in the form of a partial no-trade clause that allows him to block deals to 15 teams, and he is a free agent at the end of the season.
- Scouts from the Rangers, Cubs and Nationals were watching the Yankees’ series in San Diego this weekend, George A. King III of the New York Post reports. The three teams have all been known to be interested in bullpen additions and have been linked to Miller, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman on the rumor mill.
- In other Bombers news from earlier today, the Yankees were one of many teams who scouted Rich Hill‘s start on Saturday, and they also have some interest in Rays left-hander Matt Moore.
Cafardo’s Latest: Yanks, Rays, BoSox, Dodgers
Surprisingly, Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia has revived his career to the point that he might actually have value in a trade, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The soon-to-be 36-year-old has bounced back from multiple underwhelming seasons in a row to post an excellent 3.17 ERA in 76 2/3 innings in 2016, through his strikeout and walk ratios per nine innings (7.16 and 3.52) are each below average and he’s on a $25MM salary through 2017. In addition to Sabathia, hot-hitting 39-year-old right fielder/designated hitter Carlos Beltran, left fielder Brett Gardner, catcher Brian McCann, third baseman Chase Headley, and starters Michael Pineda and Nathan Eovaldi are Yankees who could have value around the deadline (not to mention their much-ballyhooed relievers, of course). The only member of that group who’s set to become a free agent at season’s end is Beltran. As Cafardo points out, it’s currently up in the air whether the playoff hopeful Yankees would move any of these players, though he wonders if clinging to postseason dreams is the right course for the 39-41 club.
More inside stuff from Cafardo:
- Led by former Rays general manager and current president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers are in pursuit of Tampa Bay right-hander Chris Archer. The Rays aren’t planning on moving the 27-year-old as of now, though, which backs up FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal’s report from Saturday.
- The presence of senior vice president of baseball operations Frank Wren, formerly the Braves’ GM, could lead the Red Sox to go after Atlanta right-hander Julio Teheran. Wren – who’s high on Teheran – is Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski’s right-hand man, Cafardo notes, and could push him toward putting together a package for the 25-year-old.
- If they’re unable to swing a deal for Teheran, the Red Sox might turn their attention to Rays southpaw Matt Moore – in whom they’re interested. Moore, who has three more years of team control left via club options, also intrigues the Astros, Dodgers, Orioles, Royals, Yankees and previously reported Rangers.
- With the possible exception of right-handed reliever Zach McAllister, the Indians aren’t going to give up pitching to augment their offense. Further, the organization has a reputation for keeping its payroll low and avoiding big-money acquisitions, which could take it out of the running to pick up a well-compensated trade chip. Athletics third baseman Danny Valencia, who’s on an affordable $3.15MM salary this season and has another trip through arbitration scheduled, is a potential target for Cleveland.
- Hard-throwing Diamondbacks lefty Robbie Ray, who’s eighth in the majors in K/9 (10.42), is drawing interest from teams looking for starters. The 24-year-old has thrown 214 innings of 4.00 ERA ball dating to 2015 and won’t even become eligible for arbitration until after 2017, meaning he has four full seasons of club control remaining.
- The Marlins are aggressively pursuing pitching, as evidenced already by their acquisition of reliever Fernando Rodney and reported interest in starters Drew Pomeranz and Jake Odorizzi. However, the Fish might not have the prospects to land a significant arm for their rotation, writes Cafardo.
- Blue Jays scouts are keeping a close watch over the Astros’ system, so the two AL playoff contenders could have some kind of deal in the works.
Yankees Notes: Miller, Hicks, Eovaldi
The latest on the Yankees:
- With the Aug. 1 deadline closing in, the 39-40 Yanks have arguably the most valuable rumored trade chip in the majors in left-handed reliever Andrew Miller. Nevertheless, indications are that he won’t even hit the market, reports George A. King III of the New York Post. The Yankees, who are currently three games out of a Wild Card spot, aren’t planning on moving the 31-year-old, a source told King. “They are saying no on Miller. But there is a lot of time left,” said the source. Miller, who’s signed through 2018 at a reasonable $9MM per year, has torn through the opposition with a league-best 21.33 K/BB ratio and a 1.30 ERA in 34 2/3 innings this season.
- The Yankees will sit Aaron Hicks on Saturday against Padres left-hander Drew Pomeranz, leading Chad Jennings of LoHud.com to wonder if New York’s confidence in the right fielder is wavering. When the Yankees acquired Hicks from the Twins for reserve catcher John Ryan Murphy during the offseason, their expectation was that he’d serve as an offensive asset against southpaws. Hicks has instead posted a horrid .167/.233/.242 line, albeit over a minuscule 66 plate appearances. In 334 career trips to the plate versus lefties, the soon-to-be 27-year-old has hit a usable .248/.332/.401.
- Given right-hander Nathan Eovaldi‘s struggles since May ended, the Yankees will have to consider pulling him from their rotation if Triple-A call-up Chad Green fares well in his Sunday start, opines Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media. Eovaldi, who looked like a quality mid-rotation starter through May, has allowed 31 earned runs on 45 hits and 12 walks in 30 innings going back to June 3. He has also struck out just 19 hitters during that six-start span, which is a drastic decline from the 57 batters Eovaldi fanned in the 61 innings he amassed in his first 10 starts. The 26-year-old currently owns the majors’ fourth-worst ERA (5.58). Green, on the other hand, has put up a 1.54 ERA, 9.04 K/9 and 2.09 BB/9 across 81 2/3 Triple-A frames in 2016.
Nick Swisher To Sit Out Rest Of Season
Nick Swisher has announced via his Facebook page that he will sit out the rest of the 2016 season to be with his family following the birth of his second child. He emphasizes that he is not retiring — he will continue to train and will determine over the winter whether he will play next year.
This season must have been frustrating for Swisher. The Braves released him in late March, and he quickly signed a minor league deal with the Yankees, only to be passed over repeatedly as one Yankees first baseman after another went down with an injury. That said, it’s not hard to see why the Yankees apparently weren’t comfortable with Swisher as a big-league option — he batted just .196/.312/.320 with Cleveland and Atlanta last season, then hit a modest .255/.297/.377 in 236 plate appearances for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2016.
Swisher is making $15MM in the last season of a contract he initially signed with the Indians. (He has a vesting option for 2017 that obviously won’t be picked up.) The Braves are responsible for that total, although they were paid a significant sum by the Indians when they dealt for Swisher in an exchange of bad contracts last year. The 35-year-old Swisher is a career .249/.351/.447 over a dozen years in the big leagues.
Latest On Yulieski Gurriel
Yulieski Gurriel remains a fascinating piece of the transactional picture as the deadline approaches, and Jon Heyman of todaysknuckleball.com writes that his market is heating up. The Marlins held a workout with the Cuban star, per the report, with the Giants also showing “strong interest” — though they’ve yet to host him for an up-close look.
We’ve already heard of San Francisco’s possible involvement, which GM Bobby Evans downplayed in recent comments. Other reports have connected the infielder to the Dodgers, Astros, Mets and Yankees, all of whom have held workouts. Heyman notes also that the Red Sox have taken a look, though he adds that Boston isn’t seen as being a likely destination.
The 32-year-old Gurriel is a legend in his home nation, where he has been one of the best players since reaching Serie Nacional as a teenager. And he also showed well in a brief stint in Japan’s NPB two years back. With an advanced bat and polished glove that’s capable of slotting in at third, second, and perhaps the corner outfield, it’s not hard to imagine a fit with many organizations.
Gauging his value is another matter. While there’s some possibility that he’ll be viewed as a deadline addition of sorts, the expectation is that Gurriel will need a decent bit of time to get up to speed in the minors after a long layoff from competitive action. That uncertainty leaves some room for variability.
Rival executives tell Heyman that Gurriel is looking for a deal that would cover this season and four more thereafter. His camp seems to be seeking something in the range of $10MM to $12MM per year, with one source telling Heyman that it wouldn’t be surprising if the veteran could achieve between $40MM and $50MM in total guarantee over a three or four-year term.
MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk recently examined the possible market for Gurriel’s services, though that piece was written before the recent connections were reported. He and Steve Adams suggested that the contract given to Hector Olivera by the Dodgers (about $10MM annually) as a comparable. In this case, though, a shorter length (given his age) and perhaps a greater AAV (given his better pedigree and the market situation) are certainly possible.