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Braves Acquire Shane Greene

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The Braves have acquired right-handed closer Shane Greene from the Tigers for left-hander Joey Wentz and outfielder Travis Demeritte, per an announcement from Atlanta.

Greene has posted excellent results this year, but as a reliever with waning control on a rebuilding team, he has looked like an obvious trade candidate throughout the campaign. The 30-year-old’s on a $4MM salary this season and comes with arbitration eligibility for another winter.

Through 38 innings in 2019, Greene has pitched to a measly 1.18 ERA, but that surely won’t hold. His 3.70 FIP, 3.80 xFIP and 3.45 SIERA are all a good distance away, while there’s also a sizable gap between the weighted on-base average Greene has allowed (.221) and his xwOBA (.282). But that’s not to say Greene can’t be a significant asset going forward. He still owns an excellent 10.18 K/9 against 2.84 BB/9, an easily above-average 53.8 percent groundball rate and a solid 14.3 percent infield fly rate.

Greene, who has 22 saves on 25 attempts this season, may take over as the Braves’ closer immediately. Luke Jackson has been serving in the role, though he has blown seven saves on 24 tries. Plus, while Jackson has done good work for most of the year, he has endured an awful stretch in which he has yielded seven earned runs in six appearances dating back to July 12. With Jackson struggling and the NL East-leading Braves lacking an abundance of dependable relievers aside from him, they’ve now reeled in Greene, former Rangers righty Chris Martin and ex-Giants righty Mark Melancon since Tuesday evening.

Wentz, 21, joined the Braves as a sixth-round pick in 2016. He entered the season as the Braves’ 11th-ranked prospect, according to FanGraphs’ Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen, who noted at the time injuries and inconsistency have held Wentz back. He has gotten his first taste of Double-A action this season and put up a 4.72 ERA/4.36 FIP with 8.74 K/9 and 3.93 BB/9 over 103 innings.

The 24-year-old Demeritte did not rank among FanGraphs’ top Braves prospects entering the season, but they noted then he possesses “easy plus power and is passable at multiple positions defensively.” Demeritte has since slashed an outstanding .286/.357/.558 with 20 home runs in 399 plate appearances in his Triple-A debut. A first-round pick (No. 30) of the Rangers in 2013, Demeritte became a Brave via trade in 2016. He’s now on the move again.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported a trade was close. Buster Olney of ESPN reported the Braves had acquired Greene. Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweeted Wentz’s involvement. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Padres To Acquire Carl Edwards Jr.

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In yet another under-the-wire deadline deal, the Cubs traded right-handed reliever Carl Edwards Jr. to the Padres, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers tweets. The once-trusted setup man had clearly seen his standing with the organization slip, as evidenced by a recent demotion to Triple-A Iowa.

The Cubs are getting lefty Brad Wieck back from the Padres in return for Edwards, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Chicago will also send $500K in international bonus pool money to the Padres in the deal, per Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. All indications are that the San Diego organization will take over the remainder of Edwards’s $1.5MM salary.

Edwards Jr. will join a strong bullpen unit in San Diego, offering value as a buy-low candidate with a high ceiling if Padres management can resolve the issues that have driven his fall from grace this season. While the Pads find themselves outside the playoff picture in 2019, the addition of Edwards could pay dividends in years to come; the 27-year-old will remain under team control through the 2022 season, which would seem to jibe with the Padres’ desired timeline for contention. If Edwards can return to form in San Diego, the Padres will add yet another bullpen weapon to its already-deep arsenal.

Wieck, meanwhile, is slightly younger than Edwards and has two more years of team control, which makes him an attractive long-term relief option. However, he lacks the Major-League track record and electrifying potential that made Edwards a mainstay in recent Cubs bullpens. While Chicago still finds itself in position to contend, Jed Hoyer and company viewed Edwards as a change-of-scenery candidate and may not have seen an opportunity for him to contribute to this year’s team. Replacing him with Wieck, while likely not improving their chances in 2019, may provide insurance against possible departures of veteran cogs: Pedro Strop, Brandon Kintzler, and Steve Cishek will all be free agents at season’s end, and there are few internal options outside of that group.

Wieck’s 2019 numbers are not pretty—his 6.57 ERA, fueled by allowing 2.6 HR/9, won’t inspire any optimism in Cubs faithful—but there are signs of promise. Despite the struggles, he’s struck out 11.3 batters per nine innings, good for a 3.44 K:BB ratio. In 2018, between Double- and Triple-A, he struck out 70 batters in 46 1/3 innings while walking just 17. He’s certainly not a finished product, and it’s questionable whether he provides more value to a contender than a diminished version of Edwards; however, with the extra years of team control and good strikeout stuff, the Cubs believe Wieck will grow into a more valuable long-term asset than the Edwards, who may well be a lost cause.

Over a three-year stretch from 2016-2018, Edwards established himself as a key member of the Cubs’ bullpen. Tossing 154 1/3 innings of relief over that span, Edwards posted a 3.03 ERA while striking out 12.4 batters per nine innings. However, his fortunes took a turn for the worse this season, as his ERA has ballooned to an unsightly 5.87. His strikeout numbers, while still impressive, dipped slightly; while his command issues haven’t waned, his 5.51 FIP seems to have been inflated by an increased proneness to the long ball, as he’s already allowed 3 in just 15 1/3 innings of work.

Braves To Acquire Mark Melancon

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The Braves and Giants have struck an intriguing pact that’ll send veteran reliever Mark Melancon to Atlanta, according to Jeff Passan and Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Righties Tristan Beck and Dan Winkler are going to the Giants in the deal, Robert Murray of The Athletic tweets. Melancon has full no-trade rights, but consented to the swap.

Melancon is owed a hefty $14MM this year and next. Rather surprisingly, the Braves are taking on all the remaining salary owed Melancon, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link).

Melancon originally joined the San Francisco organization on a four-year, $62MM pact in advance of the 2017 campaign. That contract really hasn’t worked out for the Giants, as Melancon has dealt with injuries and hasn’t been nearly as effective as he was heading into free agency.

That said, he has been a solid pen piece over the past two years. Through 85 1/3 innings since the start of 2018, he carries a 3.38 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. Importantly, Melancon has held opposing hitters to just five home runs in that span; whether that suppression can be maintained will tell on his future. He owns a monster 61.4% groundball rate this year.

With Melancon and Shane Greene joining the Atlanta relief unit, the club is obviously betting on worm-burners over strikeouts. Both have ample experience closing out games, but neither really profiles as a high-end game finisher for a prime contender. Just how the late innings will be handled remains to be seen.

In Beck, the Giants get a young hurler who has shown a bit of swing-and-miss potential. It’s still early in the developmental process, but the 23-year-old has reached the High-A level already. In eight starts there this year, he carries a 5.65 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco club will see if it can help Winkler rediscovery the form he showed over the prior two seasons, when he emerged as a quality reliever after battling through a litany of injuries. The 29-year-old has stumbled to a 4.98 ERA and allowed five long balls in 21 2/3 frames this year, enduring drops in his strikeout and walk rates (9.1 and 4.6 per nine, respectively) but boosting his swinging-strike rate to 14.8%. Winkler struggled all the more at Triple-A, walking 18 to go with twenty punch-outs in 16 2/3 innings.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dodgers Acquire Jedd Gyorko

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3:33pm: Southpaw Tony Cingrani is heading to St. Louis, likely for salary relief (as he’s out for the year), along with righty Jeffry Abreu. The Dodgers also obtain international spending capacity and cash considerations in unannounced amounts.

2:15pm: The Dodgers have struck a deal to add infielder Jedd Gyorko from the Cardinals, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). The return isn’t yet known.

Gyorko, 30, is playing on a $13MM salary this year ($5MM of which is still property of the Padres) and comes with a $13MM option ($1MM buyout) for next season. It’s not clear whether the Dodgers will be stepping into the full obligation.

Though he’s currently on the injured list, Gyorko is expected back in relatively short order. He’s on the 60-day injured list at present, which means the Dodgers don’t have to open a 40-man roster spot for him.

The Dodgers certainly have a wide array of players that fit Gyorko’s general description as a multi-positional player with a nice track record at the plate. But several of those players are currently dealing with injury issues, so the L.A. brass obviously decided to snag another.

Gyorko will be looking for a bounce back when he arrives with his new team. He hasn’t seen much action this year but has struggled when he has been available. But he was a consistent hitter over the prior three seasons in St. Louis, carrying a cumulative .259/.331/.463 batting line with 61 total long balls.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Giants To Acquire Scooter Gennett

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The Giants have acquired second baseman Scooter Gennett from the Reds, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. The Reds will get cash considerations in return, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

It’s a win-now move by the Giants, who have charged back into NL wild-card contention over the past several weeks. The 29-year-old Gennett, who’s earning a $9.775MM salary, isn’t under control past this season. He has missed almost all of 2019 because of a groin injury, and in the 72 plate appearances Gennett has taken, the lefty has managed a meager .217/.236/.261 line without a home run.

While this season has been a nightmare for Gennett, he was unexpectedly one of the majors’ best second basemen over the previous two years. After the Reds acquired him from the Brewers via waivers entering 2017, he proceeded to slash .303/.351/.508 with 50 home runs and 6.7 fWAR in 1,135 plate appearances through last season. That type of production would be ideal for the Giants, who have seen No. 1 second baseman Joe Panik struggle to a .231/.305/.312 line with three homers in 375 trips to the plate this year.

Astros To Acquire Aaron Sanchez, Joe Biagini

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The Astros acquired right-handers Aaron Sanchez and Joe Biagini for outfielder Derek Fisher, according to reports from Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun, Joel Sherman of the New York Post, and Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca.  The deal was a precursor to a trade deadline buzzer beater, as the Astros picked up Zack Greinke from the Diamondbacks as well.

Sanchez, 27, was drafted 34th overall by the Blue Jays in 2010 and was ranked among the best 35 prospects in baseball prior to his 2014 debut.  The Jays had Sanchez work out of the bullpen as a rookie, and he joined the rotation the following season.  He suffered a lat strain that season and returned as a reliever.  Sanchez  was again moved back to the rotation for the 2016 season, and he authored his finest campaign: a 3.00 ERA in 30 starts, good for a seventh place Cy Young finish.  He would never reach those heights again, dealing with a blisters and finger injuries in the ensuing years. His ERA sits at 6.07 in 23 starts this year.

Biagini, 29, was Toronto’s Rule 5 Draft selection in 2015 and enjoyed a tremendous rookie campaign in 2016, pitching to a 3.06 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 0.40 HR/9 and a 52.2 percent ground-ball rate in 67 2/3 innings. However, the Blue Jays’ subsequent attempt to move Biagini into the rotation in 2017 proved an ill-fated mistake, and his 2018 season spent mostly back in the bullpen didn’t yield quality results, either (6.00 ERA in 72 innings).

The 2019 season has seen Biagini bounce back to the tune of a 3.75 ERA over the life of 48 innings. He’s been homer-prone — like most of the league — but is sporting a career-high 9.0 K/9 against an even 3.0 BB/9 with a 45.3 percent ground-ball rate. There’s reason to be optimistic about further improvement, too; Biagini’s 13.7 percent swinging-strike rate is easily a career-best, as is his 36.1 percent opponents’ chase rate on pitches outside the strike zone. The spin rate on his breaking ball is elite as well, ranking 21st of 399 big league pitchers to throw the pitch at least 100 times dating back to 2016. That type of profile has yielded substantial benefits for the Astros in the past, of course, and they’ll look to elevate his profile with their data-heavy approach moving forward.

Once a top 100 prospect, Fisher hasn’t established himself in the majors since debuting in 2017. He likely wouldn’t have gotten a chance to do so in Houston, either, with the team loaded in the outfield now and with high-end prospect Kyle Tucker ahead of him in the organizational pecking order. Fisher has hit just .201/.282/.367 with 10 home runs in 312 MLB plate appearances, but he has been quite productive in Triple-A ball. The 25-year-old has slashed .289/.379/.520 with 50 HRs in 1,053 PA at the minors’ highest level.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

D-Backs To Acquire Mike Leake

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The Diamondbacks have worked out a last-minute deal for Mariners righty Mike Leake, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). Infield prospect Jose Caballero is going to Seattle in return, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Arizona is taking on only $6MM of Leake’s remaining obligations, according to John Gambadoro of ArizonaSports.com.

It’s been a precipitous drop for the 31-year-old Leake, who’s now accrued nearly 1,800 big-league innings since debuting straight from Arizona State in 2010. Leake’s walk and strikeout rates have remained mostly intact, but he hasn’t been able to withstand the league-wide homer onslaught this season, having allowed an easily-career-high 1.71 per nine in 137 IP thus far. His average fastball velocity’s cratered to a career-worst 88.3 MPH, though the always-crafty mix-and-match artist has adjusted: his cutter and changeup, long his go-to out pitches, have each seen an uptick in usage, with the former being deployed nearly 27% of the time at current.

Leake’s park-adjusted peripherals still place firmly in the fourth/fifth starter range – thanks mostly to a string of sterling outings in the latter half of this month – and his presence should stabilize the back half of a Diamondbacks rotation that’s leaned heavily on the mostly ineffective arms of Taylor Clarke and Merrill Kelly of late. After the trade of Zack Greinke to the Astros, Leake will line up with the newly-acquired Zac Gallen, the still-here Robbie Ray, and some combination of Clarke, Kelly, and rookie Alex Young, whose peripherals lag far behind the 2.51 ERA he’s posted in his first six big-league outings.

It’s perhaps a bit chastening for the M’s, who acquired the righty from the Cardinals in a now-defunct August swap two seasons ago, to recoup only $6MM from the some $25MM remaining (through 2020) on the his deal. Caballero, 22, didn’t assert himself as a top organizational prospect for the Snakes, so the swap mostly seems centered around the marginal amount saved and opportunity for the club to insert a young hurler, perhaps lefty Justus Sheffield, into its rotation for the remainder of ’19. Righty Matt Wisler, acquired after being designated for assignment by San Diego, should also be afforded a look: the one-time top prospect has finally flashed the bat-missing stuff that was so often absent from his repertoire in seasons past.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rays Acquire Nick Anderson, Trevor Richards From Marlins

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The Rays have acquired right-handers Nick Anderson and Trevor Richards from the Marlins for righty Ryne Stanek and outfielder Jesus Sanchez, Craig Mish of FNTSY Sports Radio reports.

Tampa Bay’s landing a notable bullpen piece in Anderson, a 29-year-old rookie who has logged a 3.92 ERA/2.72 FIP with 14.22 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 43 2/3 innings this season. The hard-throwing Anderson’s on a minimal salary right now and won’t be eligible for arbitration until the conclusion of the 2021 campaign, which surely adds to his appeal from the low-budget Rays’ standpoint.

Likewise, Richards isn’t slated to reach arbitration until after 2021. The 26-year-old recently lost his place in the Marlins’ rotation, though he was a passable member of their starting group from 2018-19. He posted a 4.46 ERA/4.38 FIP with 8.8 K/9 and 3.97 BB/9 in 238 1/3 innings during that span. Richards could now factor into the Rays’ rotation, which lacks traditional starters after Charlie Morton and Yonny Chirinos, or their bullpen.

Stanek, 28, had been one of the faces of the Rays’ revolutionary “opener” idea prior to this trade. He “started” in 56 of 100 appearances for the club dating back to last season, though Stanek’s outings were fairly short. He was extremely effective in that role, though, having registered a 3.17 ERA/3.64 FIP with 10.48 K/9 and 3.47 BB/9 in 122 innings going back to last year. In Stanek, the Marlins are getting a hurler who’s not eligible for arbitration until after 2020.

Sanchez, 21, ranked as MLB.com’s fourth-best Rays prospect before the trade. The outlet regards him as “at least an above-average defender with a strong arm” and “a potential middle-of-the-order run producer.” However, Sanchez has fallen flat since earning a promotion to Triple-A Durham earlier this season. He carries a .206/.282/.317 line with one homer in 71 plate appearances at the minors’ top level.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

David Robertson To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

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Phillies reliever David Robertson has suffered a setback in his recovery from a flexor strain and will require season-ending right elbow surgery, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer was among those to report. A Tommy John procedure is a possibility for Robertson.

One of the Phillies’ key offseason acquisitions, Robertson’s balky elbow has kept him out of action since mid-April. The 34-year-old struggled before landing on the shelf, allowing four earned runs on eight hits and six walks (with six strikeouts) in 6 2/3 innings. Now, if Robertson needs TJ surgery, he could miss most or all of next season. That would render the two-year, $23MM he signed with the Phillies last offseason a wash for the club.

It’s surprising to see the normally durable Robertson unable to take the mound. He entered the season with nine straight seasons of at least 60-plus innings with the Yankees and White Sox, which is undoubtedly one of the reasons the Phillies committed a significant amount of money to him. The deal has been a disaster to this point, though, and the Phillies may end up getting no value from it.

Phillies Acquire Corey Dickerson

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2:43pm: The trade is now official.  The Phillies designated outfielder Dylan Cozens for assignment to make room for Dickerson.

2:14pm: MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki tweets that the Phillies will send international bonus allotments and a player to be named later to Pittsburgh.

2:08pm: The Pirates will not receive a player in return for Dickerson, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports (on Twitter). It’s possible that Pittsburgh is picking up some international funds, then, or that Pirates ownership was simply happy to shed the remainder of his salary.

1:51pm: The Phillies have acquired outfielder Corey Dickerson from the Pirates, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (via Twitter). He’ll add a quality bat to the Phillies’ outfield mix for the remainder of the season before becoming a free agent this winter.

Dickerson, 30, missed nearly two months with a shoulder strain earlier this season but has hit well since coming off the injured list. In 141 plate appearances, he’s posted a .317/.376/.556 batting line — capped by a two-homer, five-RBI performance last night in what proved to be his final start for the Pirates. A 2017 All-Star, Dickerson long carried the reputation as a defensive liability, but he surprised with 16 Defensive Runs Saved last season and took home a Gold Glove for his efforts. He’s earning $8.5MM this year and is still owed about $2.79MM of that sum over the final two months of the year.

The Phillies didn’t expect to need this level of outfield help in 2019 after signing both Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen in the offseason, but they’ve lost McCutchen to a torn ACL while center fielder Odubel Herrera has been suspended for the remainder of the season under the league’s domestic violence policy. Philadelphia tried to proactively address its needs with a June acquisition of Jay Bruce, but Bruce has been bitten by the injury bug as well and is currently out for weeks with an oblique injury.

Philadelphia is currently tied with the Cubs for the second NL Wild Card spot and is a somewhat distant but still-surmountable six games behind the Braves in the NL East. The Nationals sit just a half game in front of the Phillies in both those races, so Dickerson’s addition will prove impactful in what should be a tight race down the stretch.

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