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Newsstand

Reds Trade Tyler Mahle To Twins

By Steve Adams | August 2, 2022 at 3:10pm CDT

The Twins have nabbed their second notable arm of the day, acquiring right-hander Tyler Mahle in a trade with the Reds, the teams announced. Cincinnati is receiving infield prospects Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand as well as left-handed pitching prospect Steven Hajjar in the deal. Minnesota has had interest in Mahle dating back to the offseason, when they also picked up another Reds starter, Sonny Gray, in a swap that sent 2021 first-rounder Chase Petty to the Reds.

Tyler Mahle

Minnesota has been focused on upgrading its pitching staff, both in the rotation and in the bullpen. Having already landed Orioles closer Jorge Lopez in a trade with Baltimore earlier this morning, it seems their focus has shifted to Mahle, who’d reunite with Gray and give the Twins a starter they can control for the remainder of the current season and for the 2023 campaign.

Mahle, 28 next month, has shaken off a terrible start to the 2022 season and pitched quite well over the past two months. He had a brief stint on the injured list due to a shoulder strain in mid-July, but Mahle only missed minimal time and has made a pair of effective starts since returning. Dating back to May 29, he’s pitched to a 2.83 ERA with a 27.9% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate in 57 1/3 innings.

Since a breakout during the 2020 season, Mahle has pitched to a 3.93 ERA with a 27.4% strikeout rate and 8.9% walk rate in 332 big league innings. He’s averaged 94 mph with his heater along the way and leaned heavily on a splitter and slider that have both graded out as above-average pitches at times — more recently favoring the splitter (particularly as a means of neutralizing lefties).

Beyond Mahle’s solid ERA, it’s easy to be intrigued by how he might fare when finally escaping the homer-happy confines of Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park. He’s worked to an ugly 4.83 ERA and yielded an average of 1.69 home runs per nine innings over the past three seasons while pitching at home but boasts an outstanding 2.93 ERA and just a 0.52 HR/9 mark on the road. He also has above-average spin on his heater and rates in the 76th percentile or better, per Statcast, in each of the following metrics: expected ERA, expected batting average, expected slugging percentage and expected wOBA.

Mahle will give the Twins some desperately needed help in the rotation, which started the season on a surprisingly strong note but has floundered of late. Opening Day rotation members Bailey Ober and Chris Paddack are both on the injured list — Paddack lost for the season due to Tommy John surgery — and 2020 Cy Young runner-up Kenta Maeda is recovering from his own TJ procedure, performed late last season.

The Twins have leaned heavily on Mahle’s former Reds rotationmate Gray, rookie Joe Ryan and veterans Chris Archer and Dylan Bundy so far in 2022. Gray and Ryan have both been strong — a disastrous five-homer start for Ryan in his last appearance notwithstanding — and Bundy has been serviceable, if unspectacular, outside a pair of catastrophic starts of his own at the end of April and in early May. Archer has been limited to four or five outings per start throughout the season and begun to wilt in recent weeks, however, and the Twins’ overall rotation mix simply underwhelmed in July. Twins starters yielded an awful 6.49 ERA in July — third-worst among all big league teams.

Mahle is earning $5.2MM this season, making him plenty affordable even when factoring in his final arbitration raise for next season (or, as Dan Hayes of The Athletic suggests, in a potential long-term extension). Even absent an extension, he can be penciled into the 2023 staff alongside Gray, Ryan and (health-permitting) Maeda. That’s a much more solid foundation than the team carried into the current season.

Unlike this morning’s acquisition of Lopez, the Twins paid fairly extensively from the top end of their system to get this deal done. Steer, the Twins’ third-round pick in 2019, recently moved into the back end of Baseball America’s midseason top-100 rankings on the heels of a big first half.

Splitting his time between Double-A and Triple-A, Steer has turned in a combined .269/.361/.528 batting line with 20 home runs, 23 doubles, three triples, a 17% strikeout rate and a strong 10.8% walk rate. He’s split his time between second base, third base and shortstop this season, spending the bulk of his time at the hot corner (although Baseball America cites second as his best position). Given his breakout showing this year, it’s not unreasonable to think Steer could be an option for the Reds within the next year.

The 22-year-old Encarnacion-Strand, meanwhile was Minnesota’s fourth-round selection just last year. As with Steer, he’d having a huge season in the minors, logging a combined .302/.374/.612 batting line with 25 home runs, 25 doubles and four triples between Class-A Advanced and Double-A. Strikeouts have been more of an issue for Encarnacion-Strand than for Steer, as he’s fanned in about a quarter of his place appearances this season against a solid 8.7% walk rate. BA ranked him 14th in the Twins’ system, touting his plus-plus raw power but noting that he’s at best a fringey defender at third base and may need to move across the diamond.

Hajjar, 21, was the Twins’ second-round pick in last year’s draft and has had an impressive first full pro season this year. Minnesota has been limiting his workload, evidenced by 45 1/3 innings across a combined 13 starts, but the results have been strong. The former Michigan standout has logged a 3.18 ERA with a gaudy 39.2% strikeout rate so far, although his 14% walk rate is something he’ll obviously need to hone is he’s to ever realize his ceiling as a mid-rotation starter.

Hajjar can reach the mid-to-upper 90s with his heater, which he complements with a slider and changeup. Notably, Hajjar did spend more than a month on the shelf due to a shoulder strain, and his results since returning have been diminished. Still, he’s a clearly talented arm whom the Reds can add to the middle tier of a farm system they’re rapidly restocking.

With this trade, the Twins have now moved on from four of their top five picks in the 2021 draft since trading for Gray just prior to the season. That’ll take a toll on the system, which has also been harmed by a series of injuries to last year’s wave of top prospects (e.g. Josh Winder, Jordan Balazovic). That said, it’s also a testament to the strength of last year’s class. And, with the Twins receiving strong production from some recent graduates of the farm — including the aforementioned Ryan leverage reliever Jhoan Duran and slugging corner infielder Jose Miranda, among others — there’ll be a bit less pressure to tap into the upper levels of their system in the immediate future.

Time will tell whether the Twins have another move up their sleeve. They could certainly use another reliever and/or another starter, to say nothing of a backup catcher or an outfielder — all rumored to be on Minnesota’s wishlist. There’s about two hours left for them to find a way to pull together another deal (or deals). The Reds, meanwhile, will surely have other players on the move as general manager Nick Krall and his staff continue to restock the farm and simultaneously slash payroll.

C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic first reported (via Twitter) that the Twins and Reds were in “serious” talks regarding Mahle. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman tweeted that a deal was in place. Ted Schwerzler of TwinsDaily was first with the return (Twitter link).

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Cincinnati Reds Minnesota Twins Newsstand Transactions Christian Encarnacion-Strand Spencer Steer Steven Hajjar Tyler Mahle

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Dodgers Acquire Joey Gallo

By Anthony Franco | August 2, 2022 at 3:00pm CDT

3:00PM: The trade has been officially announced.

1:22PM: The Dodgers are taking a shot on Joey Gallo for the season’s final few months. They’ve reportedly agreed to acquire him from the Yankees in exchange for pitching prospect Clayton Beeter.

Gallo has spent the past year in the Bronx, coming over from the Rangers in a massive deadline deal last summer. At the time, the power-hitting outfielder was fresh off a second career All-Star nod and carried a .223/.379/.490 line with 25 home runs in 95 games. The Yankees no doubt envisioned his left-handed pop playing perfectly in the short right field porch at their home ballpark, but Gallo’s tenure in New York proved a major disappointment.

The 28-year-old stumbled to a .160/.303/.404 line through 58 games after the trade last year. While he’s always been a high-strikeout player, his saw his rate of punchouts spike from 32.2% to 38.6%. He still connected on 13 homers with the Yankees, but the 70 point dip in both his batting average and on-base marks surely wasn’t what general manager Brian Cashman and his staff had had in mind.

The Yankees retained Gallo via arbitration in hopes his production would bounce back towards his career norms. The opposite transpired, as his struggled became even more pronounced in 2022. Gallo’s strikeout rate held near its late-2021 level (38.8%), and his power has taken a step back. He’s hit 12 homers in 82 contests, watching his average exit velocity fall from a strong 91.3 MPH to a near-average 88.4 MPH. Gallo’s still drawing plenty of walks, but merely average batted ball metrics aren’t sufficient for a player who whiffs as often as he does.

New York’s frustrations with Gallo’s continued struggles mounted (as did his own, as he candidly addressed with Lindsey Adler of the Athletic recently). The Yankees began to curtail his playing time in favor of the hot-hitting Matt Carpenter. They then acquired Andrew Benintendi from the Royals for a trio of pitching prospects last week, all but officially ending Gallo’s time in the organization.

It’s an inopportune time to market Gallo, but the Dodgers certainly aren’t anticipating they’re getting a player who’ll hit .159/.291/.368 — as Gallo did in over 500 plate appearances with New York. They’re betting on his pre-Yankees track record, hopeful that a change of scenery and perhaps some desired mechanical tweaks can get him back on track. Gallo is capable of carrying a lineup at his best, as he did during last year’s first half in Texas and during a half-season in 2019 when he hit .253/.389/.598 with 22 homers. He’s also an excellent defensive corner outfielder and baserunner, and he addresses a corner outfield mix that is currently without Chris Taylor due to a foot fracture (although Taylor is expected to return wells in advance of the start of the postseason).

Once Taylor returns, Gallo figures to work off the bench behind Taylor, Cody Bellinger and Mookie Betts. He’ll add some left-handed power to a group that also includes Jake Lamb, while he adds a plus defensive outfielder for late-game situations. It’s a short-term pickup for a club that’s certainly headed to the playoffs (and very likely to win the NL West). Gallo is slated to reach free agency at the end of the season. He’s playing this year on a $10.275MM salary, around $3.7MM of which is yet to be paid. The Dodgers will assume the reminder of that money, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post (Twitter link).

In exchange for the final couple months of Gallo’s services, the Yankees pick up a recent supplemental second-round pick. Beeter, a righty from Texas Tech, checked in as the #15 prospect in the L.A. system on Baseball America’s most recent rankings. He generates plus life on his mid-upper 90s fastball and has a good downhill curveball, but his lack of control seems likely to eventually push him to the bullpen. The 23-year-old has spent the season in Double-A, pitching to a 5.75 ERA with a huge 36.1% strikeout rate but an untenable 14.3% walk percentage across 18 appearances (16 starts).

Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated first reported the deal.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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Los Angeles Dodgers New York Yankees Newsstand Transactions Clayton Beeter Joey Gallo

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Phillies To Acquire David Robertson From Cubs

By Anthony Franco | August 2, 2022 at 2:50pm CDT

The Phillies have made a notable addition to their bullpen, reportedly acquiring David Robertson from the Cubs. Pitching prospect Ben Brown is going back to Chicago in return.

Robertson was arguably the top bullpen arm available this summer. The veteran righty signed a one-year, $3.5MM deal with Chicago during Spring Training. He quickly emerged as the club’s primary closer, saving 14 games during his 36 appearances. Robertson tossed 40 1/3 innings of 2.23 ERA ball, striking out over 30% of opposing hitters while inducing ground-balls at an above-average 48.3% clip. The 37-year-old has issued a few more walks than one would like (11.5%), but Robertson’s cutter-curveball combination is easily handling opposing hitters. He’s generating swinging strikes on a strong 13.7% of his offerings that’s not too far off the rates of his best days with the Yankees and White Sox.

A former All-Star, Robertson was a durable and atypically consistent reliever for the bulk of his time in New York and on the South Side of Chicago. That led to a two-year contract with the Phils over the 2019-20 offseason, but Robertson’s first stint in Philadelphia didn’t go as hoped, though not through any fault of his own. Robertson blew out his elbow just seven games into that deal. He missed the rest of 2019 and ’20 recovering, then returned midway through the 2021 campaign with the Rays. Since getting back to health, Robertson has a 2.75 ERA through 52 1/3 frames. The Phils will take another shot on him to bolster the mid-late innings mix.

Robertson will be a free agent at the end of the year. In addition to his base salary, he’s on pace to reach all of his incentives (including a $100K trade bonus), which would bring his total salary up to $5.1MM. Still, for a pitcher with his track record, that’s a reasonable price to pay. The Phils bullpen has been solid of late, but the club has had longstanding issues finding consistent results in the back end.

In exchange for their low-cost dice roll on Robertson, the Cubs recouped a half-season of excellent work and eventually turned him into a longer-term addition to the organization. Brown, 22, was a 33rd-round pick back in 2017. The 6’6″ hurler has had a breakout 2022 season, pitching to a 3.08 ERA through 73 innings at High-A. He’s fanned 35.4% of opponents against a 7.7% walk rate. Baseball America recently ranked him the #7 prospect in the Philadelphia system, praising his plus fastball-slider combination but suggesting sporadic control could eventually push him to a bullpen role. Brown will have to be added to the Cubs 40-man roster this winter to avoid being selected in the Rule 5 draft.

Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the Phillies were acquiring Robertson. Robert Murray of FanSided reported Brown’s inclusion in the deal.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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Chicago Cubs Newsstand Philadelphia Phillies Transactions Ben Brown David Robertson

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Mets, Giants Swap J.D. Davis For Darin Ruf

By Tim Dierkes | August 2, 2022 at 2:41pm CDT

The Mets have acquired first baseman/left fielder Darin Ruf from the Giants for third baseman J.D. Davis according to SNY’s Andy Martino.  According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Giants also picked up southpaw Thomas Szapucki and A-ball pitchers Nick Zwack and Carson Seymour in the trade.

At the risk of stating the obvious, the trade suggests the Mets think Ruf can help them more this year than Davis, as both are bat-first right-handed hitters.  Ruf, who recently turned 36, continues to serve as a lefty-masher this year.  He’s got a 155 wRC+ in 337 plate appearances against southpaws since returning from KBO in 2020, which ranks fourth in all of MLB.  Ruf actually succeeded against righties as well in 2020-21, but has struggled against them this year.  He’s earning $3MM on the season, of which about $1MM remains.  He also has a $3.5MM club option for 2022 with a $250K buyout.  Ruf and fellow new acquisition Daniel Vogelbach make for an excellent platoon at designated hitter for the Mets.

Davis, 29, is under team control as an arbitration eligible player for both the 2023 and ’24 seasons.  Though not known for his glove, unlike Ruf, Davis is capable of playing third base.  Since coming over from the Astros in a January 2019 trade, Davis has posted a 125 wRC+ for the Mets in 1,100 plate appearances.  He hasn’t shown a significant platoon split in that period, and has flashed eye-popping Statcast metrics at times.  This year, however, Davis has posted just a 102 wRC+ for the Mets in 207 plate appearances and hasn’t been drawing many starts of late.  Davis became particularly expendable with the Mets’ signing of Eduardo Escobar back in November plus the acquisition of Vogelbach.  Davis played in 140 games for the Mets in 2019, but has played in only 195 games since 2020 due to injuries.

In Szapucki, the Giants get a lefty with a pair of big league appearances to his name.  Szapucki has mostly operated as a starter in the minors, posting a strong 21.6 K-BB% in 64 Triple-A innings this year.  Prior to last season, Baseball America rated him as a 45-grade prospect, saying he can “land three pitches for strikes,” and needed to recover his velocity after spending 2020 at the Mets’ alternate site.  Szapucki has indeed done so, working at 90.9 miles per hour in his lone 2021 MLB appearance but pitching at 95.1 in a brutal May 25th outing at San Francisco in which he surrendered nine earned runs while recording only four outs.  Apparently Giants brass liked what they saw in that outing, despite their hitters beating up on Szapucki with four home runs.

Zwack, a 24-year-old southpaw, moved to High-A in May and has excelled with a 22.8 K-BB%.  A 17th round pick in 2021 out of Xavier University, it remains to be seen if Zwack can sustain his success when facing opponents closer to his own age.  Seymour, a 23-year-old righty, moved into the Brooklyn Cyclones’ rotation around the same time as Zwack.  With a 25.0 K-BB% rate, he’s been successful as well aside from the longball.  Seymour was drafted by the Mets in the sixth round in 2021 out of Kansas State.

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New York Mets Newsstand San Francisco Giants Transactions Darin Ruf J.D. Davis

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Blue Jays Acquire Zach Pop And Anthony Bass From Marlins

By Darragh McDonald | August 2, 2022 at 12:37pm CDT

The Blue Jays have announced that they have acquired relievers Zach Pop, Anthony Bass and a player to be named later from the Marlins, who will receive prospect Jordan Groshans in return.

This will be the second stint with the Blue Jays for Bass, 34, who was with them in the shortened 2020 season. That year, Bass threw 25 2/3 innings out of the Toronto bullpen, putting up an ERA of 3.51 along with a 62.3% ground ball rate, 21% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate.

He reached free agency at the end of that campaign and signed with the Marlins on a two-year deal with a club option for 2023. In the first year of that deal, he put up fairly similar numbers to 2020, but he’s found another gear this year. As noted by MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently, Bass has started throwing his slider more this season and found excellent results. In 44 2/3 frames this year, he has a miniscule 1.41 ERA with a 26% strikeout rate that’s a career high. He’s also only walking 5.8% of batters faced, which is well below league average. He’s making a $3MM salary this year, with around $1MM left to be paid out, and has a $3MM club option for next year. By picking him up, the Blue Jays are adding a veteran that they know, having a career year on an affordable contract.

Pop, on the other hand, is just 25 years old, turning 26 next month. He was originally drafted by the Dodgers but went to the Orioles in the Manny Machado trade. In the 2020 Rule 5 draft, he was selected by the Diamondbacks, who flipped him to the Marlins. A ground ball specialist, Pop stuck with the Marlins for the entire 2021 season, throwing 54 2/3 innings out of their bullpen with a 4.12 ERA, 57.6% ground ball rate, 20.7% strikeout rate and 9.8% walk rate.

Here in 2022, he’s been bounced between Triple-A and the big leagues throughout the year, having been optioned and recalled three times. In his 20 MLB innings, he has a 3.60 ERA, 63.1% ground ball rate, 16.9% strikeout rate and 2.4% walk rate. In 24 1/3 innings at Triple-A, he’s posted fairly similar results, albeit with a few more walks. He logged a full year of service time last year but will fall short of the two-year mark this season because of that time spent in the minors. That means the Jays will be able to keep him around for five more seasons beyond this one, with Pop also capable of being optioned between the majors and the minors in the future. He comes with less of a track record than Bass but is cheap and controllable.

For the Marlins, they floated around the playoff race but have fallen off in recent weeks, currently 47-56 and 8 1/2 games out of a postseason spot. They are using some of their bullpen pieces to acquire Groshans, a prospect with strong pedigree but disappointing results this year. Selected by the Jays with the 12th overall pick in the 2018 draft, he was considered one of the top 100 prospects in the sport by Baseball America from 2019 to 2021. He was limited by injuries to just 23 games in 2019 and then saw the minor league wiped out in 2020.

He got back into a groove with a fine season in 2021, hitting seven home runs and slashing .291/.367/.450 in 75 Double-A games. However, this year has been a downturn, with Groshans struggling at Triple-A. He’s always had a good approach at the plate, walking almost as much as he strikes out, and that’s still true this year. His 12.5% walk rate and 16.5% strikeout rate are both much better than average, but he’s shown absolutely no power production on the season. He has one home run in 279 plate appearances on the season, leading to a tepid slash line of .250/.348/.296, wRC+ of 82.

For Miami, they are surely hoping that Groshans’ will eventually tap into more power to combine with his keen eye and bat-to-ball skills. He’s only 22 years old and could certainly still find another gear in that department. Groshans had played mostly shortstop thus far in his career but has gradually spent more time at third, with many prospect evaluators expecting him to eventually settle in at the hot corner. If that is indeed the case, he will certainly need to tap into more power in order to be a viable big league third baseman.

For the Blue Jays, they’ve added a couple of interesting pieces to a middling bullpen as they gear up for a stretch run. For the struggling Marlins, they’ve bought low on a prospect that was once considered one of the best in the game, hoping to find some value for the future.

Shi Davidi of Sportsnet was the first to report a deal involving Pop and Groshans. Craig Mish of Sportsgrid was the first to report that Anthony Bass was also heading to the Jays. Jon Heyman of the New York Post relayed that the Jays would also get a smaller piece, which Davidi relayed as a player to be named later.

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Miami Marlins Newsstand Toronto Blue Jays Transactions Anthony Bass Jordan Groshans Zach Pop

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Orioles Trade Jorge Lopez To Twins

By Steve Adams | August 2, 2022 at 10:11am CDT

10:11am: The Twins and Orioles have announced the trade.

9:36am: The Twins and Orioles are in agreement on a trade sending All-Star closer Jorge Lopez from Baltimore to Minnesota, as first reported Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Sun. The Twins are sending left-handed pitching prospect Cade Povich, right-hander Yennier Cano and a pair of pitching prospects to Baltimore in return, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. Right-hander Juan Nunez and lefty Juan Rojas are the other two names in the deal, tweets ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Jorge Lopez | D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

Lopez, 29, has enjoyed one of the most remarkable turnarounds in Major League Baseball this season, going from a waiver claim at risk of losing his roster spot in Baltimore for much of last season to a first-time All-Star who’s pitched his way into the ranks of the game’s elite relievers. The former second-round pick and top prospect never took off as a starting pitcher but has been outstanding since moving to the bullpen on a full-time basis late last season. Thus far in 2022, Lopez has tossed 48 innings with a 1.68 ERA, a 27.6% strikeout rate, an 8.7% walk rate and an enormous 60% ground-ball rate that ranks fifth in baseball among MLB relievers.

It’s a short sample, to be sure, but Lopez’s move to the ’pen last August served as a portent for the breakout to come. He began heavily favoring his sinker over his four-seamer, watched both his ground-ball rate and velocity make substantial jumps, and tossed 8 1/3 innings with just two runs, a 10-to-2 K/BB ratio and a 66.7% grounder rate. Dating back to last year’s shift to to the bullpen, Lopez has a 1.75 ERA, 27.9% strikeout rate, 8.3% walk rate, 61% grounder rate and a 98 mph average velocity on his sinker.

The Twins are clearly confident in his ability to sustain this newfound production, and adding to his appeal is the fact that Lopez is controlled all the way through the 2024 season. He’s also earning an eminently affordable $1.5MM this year, so he’ll barely impact the 2022 payroll and won’t break the bank in either 2023 or 2024.

Lopez gives the Twins a power-armed closer to pair with flamethrowing rookie Jhoan Duran and breakout righty Griffin Jax at the back of what has been an otherwise awful bullpen. Much like Duran and Jax, Lopez gives manager Rocco Baldelli the flexibility of knowing he can cover more than one inning, if needed. Eleven of Lopez’s 44 appearances this season have seen him record at least four outs.

Headlining the Orioles’ return for Lopez is the 22-year-old Povich, whom Minnesota selected out of the University of Nebraska in the 2021 draft. A relatively soft-tossing lefty with good command in college, Povich’s velocity jumped into the 94-96 mph range upon his shift to pro ball. He’s made 16 starts with the Twins’ Class-A Advanced affiliate this season, pitching to a 4.46 ERA but a far more impressive 31.8% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate and 44.3% ground-ball rate. He ranked 22nd in the Twins’ farm system at both FanGraphs and MLB.com, and 21st at Baseball America. Each of those scouting reports peg Povich as at least a back-of-the-rotation arm with the potential to add more ceiling due to his projectable frame and the potential for even further velocity gains.

Cano, 28, received a $750K signing bonus as an international free agent upon leaving Cuba back in 2019. He made his big league debut this season and has surrendered 14 runs in 13 2/3 innings, flashing an average heater of 95.8 mph along the way. The 6’4″ righty has had a far more impressive showing in Triple-A St. Paul, working to a 1.90 ERA, 28.1% strikeout rate and 6.7% walk rate in 23 2/3 innings with the Saints.

That’s the first time in Cano’s career that he’s managed to string together a run of solid command, however. He’s walked 11 of the 70 big league hitters he’s faced (15.7%) and, when looking at his career as a whole, has issued a free pass to 12.2% of his opponents since signing in Minnesota. FanGraphs tabbed him 38th among Twins prospects earlier this year, labeling him as a potential single-inning reliever with command issues but an effective splitter.

Nunez is a 21-year-old righty who’s spent the year thus far with Minnesota’s affiliate in the Florida Complex League. He’s pitched to a 4.85 ERA with an enormous 36.2% strikeout rate and a solid 7.7% walk rate. He’s not particularly young for the level, but it’s an impressive K-BB profile even if the bottom-line ERA has been inflated by a .362 average on balls in play and a 55.2% left-on base rate.

Rojas, meanwhile, is pitching with the same FCL affiliate despite being three years younger than both Nunez and the average age of  players in the league as a whole. He’s turned in a 3.60 ERA in 30 innings while showing outstanding rate stats: 32.4% strikeout, 3.4% walk, 48.6% ground-ball. Obviously, both he and Nunez are extremely long-term plays, as neither figures to sniff the Major Leagues for several seasons. Still, adding a pair of live-armed prospects to the lower levels of the system right now will ideally give the O’s some minor league depth and upside once the upper-level group of current top prospects has begun to solidify itself in the Majors.

Baltimore won’t acquire anyone immediately ranked among the sport’s very best prospects — or even presently among the Twins’ very best farmhands — but Povich is the type of projectable college arm with some recent helium who could soon find himself ranked among the Orioles’ top arms. Still, it’s hard not to like the deal from the Twins’ vantage point, as they managed to address a dire need in the bullpen for both the current and two subsequent seasons without pillaging the top levels of their farm system. That should prove pivotal when looking to bolster the rotation and perhaps further deepen the bullpen and the bench in the final hours leading up to the deadline.

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Baltimore Orioles Minnesota Twins Newsstand Transactions Cade Povich Jorge Lopez Yennier Cano

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Braves, Astros Swap Will Smith For Jake Odorizzi

By Anthony Franco and Tim Dierkes | August 2, 2022 at 9:01am CDT

Aug. 2: The teams have formally announced the trade.

Aug. 1: The Astros are acquiring reliever Will Smith from the Braves for starter Jake Odorizzi, reports Mark Berman of Fox 26 (Twitter link).

Odorizzi has been seen as an expendable piece for the Astros, perhaps at least since he was left off the club’s ALDS roster last October.  He’s worked as part of a six-man rotation this year in Houston, but Lance McCullers Jr. is close to making his season debut as he recovers from a forearm strain.  The 32-year-old Odorizzi has pitched to a solid 3.75 ERA in a dozen starts for the Astros this year, averaging exactly five innings per outing.  He’s a flyball pitcher who has never been particularly adept at missing bats, but he’s been able to avoid hard hits this year to generate good results.

It would appear that Atlanta’s motivation here is to add veteran depth at the back of their rotation, which has consisted almost entirely of Max Fried, Kyle Wright, Charlie Morton, Ian Anderson, and rookie sensation Spencer Strider.  Anderson has struggled to the tune of a 4.99 ERA, while Strider has reached 80 1/3 innings on the season after pitching a career-high 94 last year.  Odorizzi’s last outing served as an excellent trade showcase for Houston – seven scoreless innings against the Mariners.  Odorizzi had injured his leg in May, knocking him out for seven weeks, and dealt with a blister before the start against Seattle.

Odorizzi’s contract is a factor here.  He’s earning $5MM this year (about $1.79MM remains) but would gain $500K upon reaching 100 innings plus $1MM each at 110, 120, 130, 140, and 150 innings.  Odorizzi currently sits at 60 innings, so 120 would seem to be the likely ceiling.  Odorizzi also has a player option worth $6.5MM with a $3.25MM buyout, but as Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle explains, “Odorizzi’s player option can max out at a $12.5 million base salary and a $6.25 million buyout — but only if he pitches in 30 games in which he records 12 or more outs in 2021-22.  After Sunday, Odorizzi has 29 such games across 2021-22.”  Given that the pitcher appears to have at least $3MM at stake in making one more four-inning start, it was mutually beneficial for the Astros to find a team that was more comfortable letting him reach that threshold and achieving a few performance bonuses.

Smith, 33, was the top reliever in the 2019-20 free agent class.  The Braves signed him to a hefty three-year, $40MM contract, also surrendering their second-round draft pick and $500K in international bonus pool money.  Smith’s effectiveness waned in Atlanta, as he was often done in by the longball and increasingly worse control.  He served as the Braves’ closer in the 2021 regular season to acceptable results, but then became a major factor in their postseason run with 11 scoreless innings and six saves.  Smith will forever be immortalized as the pitcher on the mound when the Braves won it all last year.

In March, the Braves signed Kenley Jansen, pushing Smith into a setup role.  Smith was at times the Braves’ third-highest leverage reliever this season, but in July he ranked seventh in that regard and was used in more of a mop-up role.  According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, Smith would have likely been the odd man out for Atlanta once veteran reliever Kirby Yates is activated.  Smith is earning $13MM this year (about $4.6MM remains), plus he’ll be owed a $1MM buyout for 2023.

Smith joins a Houston bullpen led by Ryan Pressly, Rafael Montero, Hector Neris, Ryne Stanek, and Phil Maton.  None of those pitchers throw left-handed, and southpaw Blake Taylor hit the IL in June with elbow inflammation.  Smith has never been reliant on velocity, so it’s possible a fresh set of eyes on his mechanics and pitch mix, especially given the Astros’ strong reputation in that department, can right the ship.

If Odorizzi winds up with 110-119 innings, the Braves will end up paying him around $3.3MM in total.  In trading Smith, Atlanta shed a financial commitment of about $5.6MM, so they’d “gain” $2.3MM in the swap assuming they’re not including cash in the deal.  It’s possible, too, that Odorizzi falls short of 110 innings.  Money aside, this trade represents each team dealing from a surplus to better fill its needs.

It’s been a busy evening for Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos, who also traded for Tigers outfielder Robbie Grossman.  Similarly, Astros GM James Click has been active today on the eve of the trade deadline, also adding catcher Christian Vazquez from Boston and first baseman Trey Mancini from the Orioles.

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Atlanta Braves Houston Astros Newsstand Jake Odorizzi Will Smith

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Braves Acquire Robbie Grossman From Tigers

By Anthony Franco | August 1, 2022 at 10:52pm CDT

The Braves are adding to their outfield, announcing agreement with the Tigers on a deal that brings in Robbie Grossman. Minor league pitcher Kris Anglin is headed back to Detroit.

It’s a familiar situation for Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos and his staff. Atlanta famously picked up a handful of lower-cost outfielders at last season’s deadline, then reaped the rewards with excellent second halves from players like Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler. They’d of course love if Grossman could offer anything resembling that kind of production, but the veteran outfielder is amidst a rough 2022 campaign.

Through 320 plate appearances, Grossman has a .205/.313/.282 line with just two home runs. He’s still drawing walks at a strong 11.9% clip, but that’s down from last year’s elite 14.6% mark. More concerning has been the lack of power coupled with an uptick in strikeouts to a worrisome 28.1% rate. Nevertheless, the Braves are betting on his more solid track record.

Grossman was one of Detroit’s more productive hitters last season, tallying 671 plate appearances across 156 contests. He hit .239/.357/.415 with a career-best 23 longballs. That came on the heels of an excellent showing in a limited sample with the A’s during the shortened 2020 campaign. Grossman’s batted ball quality plummeted this season, but he’s continued to demonstrate a patient approach and showcase solid bat-to-ball skills.

Atlanta recently lost Adam Duvall to a season-ending injury, leaving them on the hunt for corner outfield assistance. Grossman adds a depth bat to a left field/designated hitter mix that also includes Rosario and Marcell Ozuna. Both players have below-average offensive numbers this season themselves, leading the Braves to look for additional options for manager Brian Snitker. Grossman’s a short-term pickup, as he’s set to hit free agency at the end of the season. He’s playing this season on a $5MM salary, around $1.75MM of which is yet to be paid.

In return, the Tigers pick up a young hurler whom the Braves selected in the 16th round last season. A product of Howard College, the 21-year-old Anglin has spent most of the season in Low-A. Through 12 appearances (seven starts), he’s worked 30 1/3 innings of 5.93 ERA ball. Anglin has punched out a solid 25.2% of opposing hitters, but he’s walking batters at an elevated 13.3% clip.

Chris McCosky of the Detroit News was first to report the Tigers were trading Grossman. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported the Braves were the acquiring club. Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic reported Anglin’s inclusion.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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Cardinals Acquire Jose Quintana, Chris Stratton From Pirates

By Anthony Franco and Steve Adams | August 1, 2022 at 10:11pm CDT

The Cardinals added a needed arm to the rotation and picked up a veteran reliever Monday evening, announcing an intra-division trade that will net them lefty Jose Quintana and righty Chris Stratton from the Pirates. In return, the Pirates are receiving righty Johan Oviedo and minor league third baseman Malcolm Nunez.

Jose Quintana | Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Quintana was an obvious trade candidate, as he’s an impending free agent on a Pittsburgh club with no chance of reaching the postseason in 2022. The Bucs were certain to move him for some players who could help beyond this season, and as a rental player, there’s no reason for Pittsburgh to be concerned about moving him to a division rival.

The Cards have kicked around the market for higher-impact arms, with former Oakland ace Frankie Montas reportedly a primary target. Once the A’s dealt Montas to the Yankees, it seems the Cards pivoted to a lower-cost veteran stabilizer for the back of the starting staff. Quintana is no longer the mid-rotation arm he was at his peak, the kind of pitcher a club would target to start a playoff game. Yet he’s had a decent bounceback season in Pittsburgh after struggling in 2021.

Quintana has made 20 starts for the Pirates, working to a 3.50 ERA. He’s only averaged a hair above five innings per outing, tallying 103 frames on the season. The sheltered role — in which Pittsburgh has limited his exposure to opposing lineups for a third time in a start — has aided the veteran southpaw, but his production has been good on a rate basis. Quintana’s 20.6% strikeout rate is a bit below average, but he’s induced swinging strikes on a solid 11.2% of his offerings. He’s also generated grounders on a slightly above-average 45% of batted balls — a trait that has been of appeal of the Cards front office in light of the team’s strong infield defense — and he’s only walked 7.2% of opponents.

Adding Quintana addresses a rotation that has been hit with a couple notable injuries in recent weeks. Jack Flaherty is shelved once again after battling renewed shoulder concerns, though the Cards hope he can return late this month. Offseason signee Steven Matz, meanwhile, tore the MCL in his left knee and could miss the remainder of the season. While he’s not officially been ruled out for the year, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak recently told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that it’d be “very, very difficult” to get him back onto a mound in 2022.

The Cardinals add Quintana to a rotation that also includes Adam Wainwright, Dakota Hudson, Miles Mikolas and rookie Andre Pallante. The Cards have top prospect Matthew Liberatore as a depth option, but he’s bounced on and off the active roster throughout the year. Pallante, meanwhile, has spent a good chunk of the season in the bullpen and could be on an innings limit. Even with a hopeful late-season return from Flaherty, the Cardinals could still look into another rotation pickup in addition to Quintana.

Chris Stratton | Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Stratton, meanwhile, gives the Cards a veteran reliever who’s worked in a leverage role with the Pirates for the past few seasons. He’s sitting on an ugly 5.09 ERA in 2022 but was a rock-solid member of the bullpen in 2020-21.

This year’s struggles have come in large part due to a bloated .365 average on balls in play against Stratton, who’s actually sporting a career-low 7.2% walk rate so far. The former first-round pick has seen his strikeout rate dip from last season’s 25.5% to 20.4% in 2022, but his 12.2% swinging-strike rate is right in line with last year’s mark and his 37.3% opponents’ chase rate on pitches off the plate is a career-best (and well north of the league average). He’s also a perennial spin-rate darling, and 2022 is no exception. Stratton leads all of Major League Baseball in fastball spin rate this season, and the spin rate on his curveball clocks into the 99th percentile.

All in all, Stratton looks like a nice rebound candidate, particularly once he moves from a Pirates club that ranks 24th in the Majors with -12 Outs Above Average (per Statcast) to a Cardinals club that ranks third with a collective +19 mark in that same category. As a bonus, Stratton will remain under team control into the 2023 season via arbitration.

It’s an affordable gambit for the Cardinals, as the 33-year-old Quintana is guaranteed just $2MM this season and Stratton is earning a similar $2.7MM salary. The final few months of those salaries won’t make much of an impact on St. Louis’ payroll outlook for the remainder of the year.

Turning to the Pirates’ end of the swap, they’ll add an immediate big league option for their staff in the 24-year-old Oviedo, who has logged MLB time with the Cardinals in each of the past three seasons. The 2022 campaign is the first that he’s enjoyed above-average results, but he’s been quite impressive in a bullpen role this season after struggling as a starter in 2020-21. Through 25 1/3 innings, Oviedo owns a 3.20 ERA with a 24.1% strikeout rate, a very strong 6.5% walk rate and a 43.2% ground-ball rate.

Oviedo is averaging a career-best 95.6 mph on his heater this season after moving into a multi-inning relief role, and he’s sporting career-best swinging-strike and opponents’ chase rates (13.3% and 33.9%, respectively). The Pirates could entertain the idea of moving him back into a starting role, but Oviedo has been hit hard as a starter both in Triple-A and in the Majors to this point in his career. The move to the bullpen may well be the best role for him going forward, and if that’s the case he can be a member of the Pittsburgh bullpen for years to come. Oviedo will finish the season with under two years of MLB service, meaning he can be controlled five years beyond the current season.

Nunez, 21, was the Cardinals’ No. 13 prospect on Baseball America’s midseason update of their prospect rankings. He’s in his second stint at the Double-A level and enjoying a much more productive go of it this time around, hitting .255/.360/.463 with 17 big flies in that pitcher-friendly setting. Nunez has walked at a hearty 13.7% clip and is striking out at a manageable 20.3% rate.

Scouting reports on Nunez give him little chance of sticking at third base, but the Cardinals have emphasized improving his defense in recent years and continue to play him at the hot corner. Nunez draws praise for above-average to plus power and a potentially above-average hit tool. A move to first base or even designated hitter might be in his future, but he adds an intriguing bat to the Pirates’ system — one who could soon be ready for the Triple-A level.

Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported that the Cardinals were finalizing a Quintana deal (Twitter link). Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch broke the news that Stratton was also headed to St. Louis (on Twitter). Francys Romero reported the Pirates’ return (Twitter link).

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Brewers Acquire Matt Bush From Rangers For Mark Mathias, Antoine Kelly

By Anthony Franco | August 1, 2022 at 10:08pm CDT

The Brewers added to their bullpen late Monday night, announcing a deal with the Rangers to bring in Matt Bush. Texas receives infielder Mark Mathias and minor league pitcher Antoine Kelly in the deal.

Bush has had a strong season out of the Texas bullpen. The 36-year-old hurler made the Opening Day roster and has tossed 36 2/3 innings through 40 outings, posting a 2.95 ERA. He’s fanned nearly 30% of batters faced on an above-average 12.4% swinging strike rate while averaging north of 97 MPH on his heater. Bush generates top-of-the-scale spin on his four-seam fastball and has drawn strong results on his breaking ball.

When healthy, Bush is a plenty appealing bullpen piece. He’s pitched in parts of five seasons for Texas, posting a cumulative 3.34 ERA across 177 2/3 frames with above-average strikeout and walk numbers. The issue for the righty has been staying healthy. He pitched just four innings at the big league level between 2019-21, losing the majority of that stretch to elbow issues — including a July 2019 Tommy John surgery.

Bush missed a couple weeks earlier in the year with forearm soreness, but he’s been healthy for the past few weeks. He’ll add an affordable and generally effective power arm to the middle innings mix for manager Craig Counsell, and he’s more than a short-term pickup. While Bush is already into his mid-30s, he’s arbitration-eligible for two seasons beyond this year. Building off a modest $825K platform salary, he’d be a low-cost bullpen option in Milwaukee through 2024 if he holds his spot on the 40-man roster.

In exchange, Milwaukee sends a utility option and a pitching prospect to Texas. Mathias, 28, has only appeared in 22 major league games — six this season. He’s had a stellar season with the Brew Crew’s top affiliate in Nashville, though, hitting .318/.421/.518 with eight home runs and a massive 13.4% walk rate in 202 trips to the plate. He’s split his time between second and third base this year, and he also has some prior corner outfield experience.

Kelly, 22, was recently named the #7 prospect in the Milwaukee system by Baseball America. That’s partially a reflection of a generally thin minor league system, but the southpaw was a second-round draftee in 2019. Evaluators have long raved about his fastball-slider combination while questioning his control, and that’s borne out in his numbers at High-A this season. Kelly has a 3.86 ERA through 19 starts, punching out over 30% of batters faced but walking 13.4% of opponents. The Rangers will have to add the Illinois native to the 40-man roster at the end of the season or leave him available in the Rule 5 draft.

MLB Nerds was first to report the Brewers were acquiring Bush. Robert Murray of FanSided first reported the Brewers were trading Mathias to the Rangers, while Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic was first with Kelly’s inclusion.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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