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Phillies Acquire Brandon Workman, Heath Hembree

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9:25pm: Philadelphia will also receive a player to be named later or more cash from Boston, Matt Gelb of The Athletic tweets.

8:14pm: The Phillies and Red Sox have announced a trade that will send two veteran relievers – Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree – as well as $815K to Philadelphia in exchange for right-handers Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold. That sum should enable the Phillies to stay under the luxury tax, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia observes.

This deal has seemed inevitable since reports emerged Friday afternoon that the Phillies and Red Sox were in serious discussions regarding Workman and Hembree, who should improve a bullpen that has been horrific in 2020. Phillies relievers entered Friday with easily the league’s worst ERA (8.07) and the game’s 27th-ranked FIP (5.61). Worsening matters, they placed their most effective reliever, Jose Alvarez, on the 10-day injured list Friday after he took a 105 mph line drive off his groin on Thursday.

In Workman, the Phillies are getting a 32-year-old who, since last season, has struggled mightily with his control (5.63 BB/9) but has still found a way to handle opposing offenses. Dating back to 2019, Workman has logged a stingy 2.07 ERA/2.47 FIP with 12.87 K/9 and a 50 percent groundball rate over 78 1/3 innings. However, as a soon-to-be free agent, Workman may only amount to a few-week rental for a Philadelphia club that’s just 9-12 but still hoping to contend.

Hembree, 31, is on a prorated $1.61MM salary this season and still has another year of arbitration eligibility remaining. At his best, Hembree combined for 113 innings of 3.19 ERA/3.68 FIP ball with 9.32 K/9 and 2.79 BB/9 from 2016-17. His numbers have dipped since then, though a four-run blowup in his final Boston appearance Tuesday against, of all teams, Philadelphia has played a big part in that. He was off to an effective start before then, but now owns a lackluster 5.59 ERA through 9 2/3 innings this year. Hembree has, however, notched 10 strikeouts against three walks.

With the Red Sox well out of contention this year, it made sense for the club to part with a pair of 30-something relievers for a couple pitchers who could have a greater long-term impact on their roster. For now, Pivetta and Seabold will report to their alternate training site.

The 27-year-old Pivetta was a swingman in Philadelphia from 2017-20, during which he stumbled to a 5.50 ERA across 396 1/3 frames. FIP (4.64), xFIP (4.03) and SIERA (4.10) suggest he has deserved better, but the Phillies clearly got tired of waiting on his run prevention to head in the right direction. And Pivetta sealed his fate with the club this year by opening with three relief appearances in which he yielded a whopping 10 earned runs on 10 hits (including three homers) in 5 2/3 innings. The good news for Boston is that Pivetta isn’t costly – he’s on a minimum salary this year and will go through the first of three potential arbitration trips during the offseason – so there’s not much risk on the club’s end in taking on Pivetta as a reclamation project.

Seabold, the lone player in this trade who hasn’t reached the majors, became a pro when the Phillies chose him in the third round of the 2017 draft. He reached Double-A for the first time in 2019, and though an oblique injury held him to 40 innings, Seabold turned in excellent numbers in that span. The 24-year-old posted a 2.25 ERA/2.77 FIP and recorded 8.1 K/9 and 2.25 BB/9 in his first try at the level. Before Philly shipped him out, Seabold ranked as the team’s 23rd-best prospect at MLB.com, which suggests he could turn into a back-end starter in the majors.

Alex Speier of the Boston Globe first reported the teams were finalizing the trade. Robert Murray reported the deal was done. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the cash sum Philly received. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Phillies, Red Sox Discussing Brandon Workman, Heath Hembree

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2:46pm: MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports that the two sides have also discussed right-hander Heath Hembree. Unlike Workman, the 31-year-old Hembree is controlled through 2021, so he’d give the Phils an option for this year and next. Hembree has yielded six runs through 9 2/3 innings in 2020, but he carries a solid 3.65 ERA with 10.1 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 through 222 innings dating back to 2016.

2:06pm: The Phillies and Red Sox are actively discussing a deal involving “multiple players,” including Workman, tweets Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

12:47pm: The Phillies have spoken to the Red Sox about right-hander Brandon Workman as they look to upgrade their bullpen, Ken Rosenthal and Matt Gelb of The Athletic report (via Twitter).

The Phils just picked up David Hale in a small deal with the Yankees, and it’d hardly be a surprise to see them aggressively target additional bullpen arms. Philadelphia’s offense, fueled by monster seasons from Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto, has been among the best in the game.

The rotation, led by huge efforts from Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler, has pitched to a combined 4.10 ERA, although the unit beyond that top duo has been rather shaky. Jake Arrieta’s past two starts were rough, and top prospect Spencer Howard has yet to complete five frames. Righty Zach Eflin has missed bats at a surprising rate but has also yielded eight earned runs in his 14 innings.

Phillies relievers, on the other hand, have been the worst collective unit in baseball. The Philadelphia bullpen has produced an astonishing 8.07 ERA — nearly two runs worse than the 29th-ranked Reds — and also ranks 27th in FIP and 20th in xFIP. No Phillies reliever has even thrown 10 innings, and the only sub-4.00 ERAs among pitchers with at least three appearances belong to veteran Blake Parker, who was only recently added to the big league roster, and lefty Jose Alvarez, who was carted off the field in yesterday’s game.

As an impending free agent on the 8-18 Red Sox, Workman is among the likeliest players in MLB to change hands before the Aug. 31 trade deadline. He’s pitched to a 4.05 ERA in his tiny sample of 6 2/3 frames this year, but the 32-year-old also logged a 1.88 ERA with 13.1 K/9 and 16 saves for the Red Sox in 2019. He averaged 5.7 walks per nine frames last year, which is obviously unpalatable, but his control prior to that season was generally sharp.

In all, since moving to the Red Sox’ bullpen on a full-time basis in 2017, Workman has compiled 159 1/3 frames with a 2.65 ERA, 10.5 K/9, 4.3 BB/9, 0.79 HR/9 and a 46.4 percent ground-ball rate.

If a deal involving Workman does ultimately come together, it’ll be telling to see what type of return the righty brings. Boston won’t be making a qualifying offer regardless, so the Sox are better off moving him than holding. But the Phillies (or any other team) would only be acquiring about a month of regular-season innings from Workman. The general expectation has been that rental players like Workman will yield relatively minimal returns due to that fact. To this point, however, we’ve not yet seen any such deals come together, so the first couple deals that come to fruition could conceivably serve as a barometer for other potential rental swaps.

Mets/Yankees Weekend Series Postponed

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

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

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

Marlins To Promote Sixto Sanchez, Jesus Sanchez

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1:18pm: Miami is also promoting top outfield prospect Jesus Sanchez, Heyman tweets.

1:02pm: The Marlins are calling up top pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). The flamethrowing righty will likely step into Miami’s rotation.

Sixto Sanchez was the centerpiece of the trade package the sent J.T. Realmuto from the Marlins to Philadelphia. He immediately became one of the Marlins’ top prospects and didn’t disappoint in 2019, his first full season with the team. Last year, as a 21-year-old, he pitched to a combined 2.76 ERA with 8.1 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9 in 114 frames between Class-A Advanced and Double-A. Sanchez can reach triple digits with his fastball and also garners praise for a wipeout changeup that is regarded as a plus offering. He’s considered to be among the best pitching prospects in all of baseball, ranking No. 18 at Baseball America, No. 24 at MLB.com and No. 48 at FanGraphs. Keith Law’s preseason rankings at The Athletic had him at 49, and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel listed him at No. 55.

Jesus Sanchez, who is about 300 days older than Sixto but still 22 himself, came to the Marlins alongside Ryne Stanek in the trade that sent Nick Anderson and Trevor Richards to the Rays last summer. He’s a top 100 prospect himself on most lists, garnering praise for exceptional bat speed, plus raw power and a feel for hitting. He’s played some center field but is more likely to end up in a corner. The hope for Sanchez is that he’ll eventually be a quality corner defender who hits for power and average, but he’s yet to see that raw power manifest in game settings. He split last year between Double-A and Triple-A, slashing .260/.325/.398 in 465 plate appearances. He’s not a big strikeout concern, but Sanchez also only walks in about six percent of his plate appearances.

Both players will be controlled through at least the 2026 season even if they’re in the Majors to stay, and they’ve been promoted late enough in the year that they should fall shy of Super Two status when arbitration rolls around for them in a few years’ time.

Giants Promote Joey Bart

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The Giants have promoted top catching prospect Joey Bart to the Majors, per a club announcement. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft, Bart will make his debut one day after 2018 No. 1 overall pick Casey Mize debuted with the Tigers.

Joey Bart | Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Bart, 23, spent most of the 2019 season in Class-A Advanced, hitting .265/.315/.479 (116 wRC+) before a 22-game stint in Double-A where he finished on a tear: .316/.368/.544 (163 wRC+). Bart went on to the Arizona Fall League and hit .333/.524/.767 with four homers in 42 plate appearances before a broken thumb cut his AFL stint short. His 6.2 percent walk rate doesn’t immediately jump out, but Bart’s 21 percent strikeout rate isn’t particularly alarming either.

Defensively, there’s little doubt about Bart’s abilities behind the dish. Scouting reports at MLB.com and FanGraphs place a 60 and potential 70 grade on his glovework, and Bart was voted ACC Defensive Player of the Year in his final season with Georgia Tech. Scouting reports laud his framing and pitch-blocking abilities, and Bart carried a career 31 percent caught-stealing rate in the minors before thwarting nine of the 13 stolen-base attempts against him in last year’s Arizona Fall League.

All in all, Bart is career .284/.343/.532 hitter in the minors, and he has the defensive tools to make him one of baseball’s premier all-around backstops. He’s yet to see a pitch in Triple-A and has only 87 Double-A plate appearances under his belt, so it’s far from a given that he’ll immediately thrive against big league pitching. However, with the Giants hitting just .250/.314/.415 as a team (17th in the Majors in wRC+) — with much of that coming from Mike Yastrzemski — Bart doesn’t need to be an offensive juggernaut to provide a boost.

San Francisco catchers, in particular, have floundered at the dish. The trio of Tyler Heineman, Chadwick Tromp and Rob Brantly (who saw only three plate appearances) have combined for a .180/.227/.270 slash in the absence of stalwart Buster Posey. The veteran Posey opted out of the 2020 season, citing health concerns, after he and his wife adopted twin daughters who were born prematurely.

Bart ranked as baseball’s No. 7 overall prospect heading into the 2020 season, per ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. He’s currently No. 8 on FanGraphs’ top 100, No. 15 at MLB.com and No. 33 at Baseball America. The Athletic’s Keith Law pegged him 44th prior to the season. Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman, the No. 1 overall pick in 2019, is the only catching prospect that is generally ranked on the same level as Bart, who is the heir-apparent to the aforementioned Posey and expected to be a fixture on the Giants’ roster for years to come.

By waiting until this point in the year to promote Bart, the Giants have ensured that he can’t become a free agent until after the 2026 season (at least), and they’ve likely avoided Super Two status as well. There are only 39 days remaining in the 2020 season, and each of those days counts for about 2.77 days of Major League service in this year’s prorated system. That leaves Bart with roughly 108 days of MLB service time to possibly accrue in 2020, which should comfortably leave him shy of Super Two designation when he approaches his arbitration years.

Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reported just before the Giants’ announcement that Bart was on his way to the big leagues.

Astros Place Alex Bregman On Injured List

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The Astros have placed third baseman Alex Bregman on the 10-day injured list due to a strained right hamstring, manager Dusty Baker announced to reporters Thursday (Twitter link via Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle). Bregman is traveling home to Houston to undergo an MRI and determine the severity of the injury. Left-hander Cionel Perez has been recalled from the Astros’ alternate training site to take Bregman’s spot on the roster.

Injuries continue to mount at an alarming rate for the Astros, who this week learned that Yordan Alvarez will require season-ending knee surgery. Houston has also received just one start from Justin Verlander in 2020, while closer Roberto Osuna is staring down a potential Tommy John surgery (though he’ll first attempt to rehab). Brad Peacock and Jose Urquidy, expected to be key members of the bullpen and rotation, respectively, have not thrown a pitch this year. Michael Brantley, meanwhile, has been on the IL for nearly a week and was sidelined prior to that due to a quadriceps strain. George Springer has missed time due to a wrist strain but is playing through it rather than going on the IL.

With Bregman out, the ’Stros will very likely turn third base over to young Abraham Toro. A well-regarded 23-year-old, Toro hasn’t hit much in limited Major League time yet, but he obliterated Double-A pitching (.306/.393/.513 in 435 PAs) and Triple-A pitching (.424/.506/.606 in 79 PAs) alike in 2019.

Houston’s DH situation is a bit more tenuous. Kyle Tucker is manning left field on a regular basis in the absence of Brantley. Alvarez is out for the season, and Toro could see regular reps at third for at least the immediate future. That’ll push one of Myles Straw, Jack Mayfield or rookie Taylor Jones into the lineup with regularity.

Mariners Designate Dan Vogelbach, Outright Bryan Shaw

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The Mariners have designated first baseman/designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach for assignment and outrighted reliever Bryan Shaw to their alternate training site, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. The club also recalled a pair of players – outfielder Braden Bishop and utilityman Sam Haggerty – and optioned reliever Art Warren to their alternate site.

This continues a rapid fall from grace for Vogelbach, who seemed to be amid a breakout season just over 12 months ago. He began the 2019 campaign as a .238/.375/.505 hitter with 21 home runs in the first half. That production earned Vogelbach an All-Star nod, but his numbers have fallen off a cliff since he earned that honor. Vogelbach only managed a .162/.286/.341 line with nine homers in the second half of the season, and and although he did end up with 30 HRs in 558 plate appearances, his .208/.341/.439 showing was a significant letdown considering how the first few months of his year went.

Vogelbach and the Mariners no doubt hoped he’d rebound from 2019’s disastrous finish, but he has instead gotten worse this season. The 27-year-old took 64 PA prior to his designation and batted a ghastly .094/.250/.226 (40 wRC+) with two long balls. His .132 isolated power number represents a .100-point drop-off from last season’s mark. As such, Vogelbach began losing DH time recently to Tim Lopes, who also hasn’t offered much production.

Seattle will now have a week to trade, release or outright Vogelbach, who is out of minor league options. However, he is on a minimum salary this season and comes with four years of arbitration eligibility. He’s slated to make his first trip through the arb process during the upcoming offseason.

Shaw, meanwhile, had the option of declining his outright, but he’ll remain with the M’s organization. He was blown up for 12 earned runs on 13 hits and six walks in six innings before Seattle designated him Aug. 15.

Yordan Alvarez To Undergo Surgery, Miss Rest Of Season

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4:38pm: Baker announced Alvarez will undergo surgery on a partial tear of his right patella tendon and miss the rest of the season, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com tweets.

1:12pm: The Astros welcomed reigning AL Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez back for one game before knee troubles forced him from the lineup and eventually landed him on the injured list. Now, manager Dusty Baker tells Ross Villarreal of Sports Talk 790 in Houston that the slugger’s season is in jeopardy (Twitter link). “Yordan Alvarez, it looks like he’s done, maybe for the year,” Baker said of his designated hitter.

Knee troubles are nothing new for Alvarez, as he dealt with discomfort throughout his excellent rookie season and was hobbled during the original iteration of Spring Training as well. Details on the status of his knees have always been somewhat muddled, though. And as Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle points out (via Twitter), the Jeff Luhnow/A.J. Hinch regime and the James Click/Dusty Baker-led Astros have both been similarly vague when it comes to discussing Alvarez’s knees.

It’s been an injury-decimated season for the Astros. Justin Verlander has made just one start, while closer Roberto Osuna has been diagnosed with UCL damage. Brad Peacock and Jose Urquidy have yet to pitch. Right-hander Chris Devenski, Austin Pruitt and Rogelio Armenteros are all out with elbow troubles. On the position-player side of things, George Springer has been slowed by wrist troubles, and Houston has both Michael Brantley (quadriceps strain) and Aledmys Diaz (groin strain) on the 10-day IL at the moment.

Houston has reeled off six straight wins, boosting its record to 13-10 and surging back into the AL West race. They still trail the division-leading Athletics by two and a half games, but as the current second-place team in the AL West, they’re squarely in postseason position. The ’Stros have received huge performances from rookies Brandon Bielak and Cristian Javier in the rotation, which has helped to keep them afloat amid that barrage of injuries. Their schedule between now and the Aug. 31 trade deadline includes two games in Colorado, three in San Diego, three at home against the Angels and another three at home against the A’s. Houston’s play over the next two weeks will likely determine the deadline strategy, and that final three-game set against Oakland could be particularly pivotal in that regard.

Braves To Promote Cristian Pache

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The Braves are set to promote top outfield prospect Cristian Pache, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN reports. Pache is already on the Braves’ 40-man roster, so they won’t need to make a corresponding move in that regard.

Still just 21 years old, the Dominican-born Pache has been hailed as an elite prospect for a large portion of his Braves tenure, which began in 2016. That hasn’t changed in 2020, as Keith Law of The Athletic (No. 5), Baseball America (13), MLB.com (14), McDaniel (17) and FanGraphs (20) are among those that regard Pache as a top 20 farmhand. McDaniel writes Pache “could be a perennial All-Star if he hits his above-average offensive ceiling,” owing to the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder’s Andruw Jones-esque defensive skills, speed and increased power.

Pache spent the majority of 2019 in Double-A, where he slashed .278/.340/.474 with 11 home runs and eight steals in 433 plate appearances. His numbers dipped in his first Triple-A action, as he hit .274/.337/.411 with one homer in 105 trips to the plate. However, Pache was extremely young for the level, and he did cut his strikeout rate by 7 percent after the Braves bumped him up.

Now that he’s moving up yet again, Pache will join an Atlanta team whose outfield has been missing its top player, Ronald Acuna Jr., who went on the IL last weekend with left wrist inflammation. Fortunately, the Braves have gotten very good to great production from outfielders Marcell Ozuna and Nick Markakis this year, while Adam Duvall has performed decently. On the other hand, Ender Inciarte has endured a miserable season. That and Acuna’s injury combined to open the door for Pache, at least for the time being.

At this stage of the season, the Braves don’t worry about having to burn a year of service time in calling up Pache. Depending on how long he stays up, though, it could have an effect on future Super Two status.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Kirby Yates Likely To Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery

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AUGUST 17: Yates went for a second opinion with elbow specialist Dr. Keith Meister on Monday, and now expectations are that he’ll undergo season-ending surgery, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Yates would need six-plus weeks to recover from the procedure.

AUGUST 16: Yates’ MRI revealed bone chips in the back of his elbow, manager Jayce Tingler told reporters (including Dennis Lin of the Athletic). He’ll head for a second opinion on Monday.

AUGUST 15: The Padres have placed reliever Kirby Yates on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, the team announced. His roster spot will be taken by right-handed pitcher David Bednar, who has been recalled.

Yates is set to undergo an MRI today to clarify the injury to Yates’s elbow, which forced the 33-year-old out of last night’s game against the D-Backs. It was initially described as discomfort in “the back of his elbow.”

It had been a slow start to the season for the defending NL saves leader, who has thus far posted an uncharacteristic 12.46 ERA in 4 1/3 innings. His usual strikeout production has been there, but that’s been offset by an equally high number of walks (8 K/4 BB).

While the injury to Yates is an unquestionable blow to the San Diego bullpen, manager Jayce Tingler will have several options at his disposal to close games, including Emilio Pagan, Craig Stammen, and Drew Pomeranz. The latter two combined for just 10 career saves prior to this season, but Pomeranz has amassed four saves this year and has been the Padres’ most reliable reliever thus far. Pagan, meanwhile, was an accomplished closer for the Rays last year.

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