Latest On Yankees’ Pursuit Of Starting Pitching
Here’s the latest on the Yankees’ search for starting pitchers, via CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. Heyman covers a long list of potential options, so be sure to click over to his article.
- John Danks of the White Sox appears to be among the Yankees’ top possibilities, Heyman writes. Heyman reported last week that the Yankees and White Sox were discussing a possible Danks deal. Danks, 29, has a 4.40 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 131 innings for Chicago this season. His contract, which will pay him $14.25MM in both 2015 and 2016, shouldn’t be a huge obstacle, although Heyman notes that Danks’ declining velocity (with a drop in his average fastball from 91.6 MPH in 2011 to 88.2 MPH this season) might be a concern.
- The Yankees do not seem to be discussing an Ian Kennedy deal with the Padres.
- New York isn’t currently thinking hard about acquiring Cliff Lee from the Phillies, since he’s currently working his way back from injury and should be able to clear waivers in August. The Yankees may not have the prospects necessary to acquire Cole Hamels, and he’s “barely available” anyway. The Yankees are not believed to want A.J. Burnett to return.
- The Yankees are more likely to consider signing Jon Lester in the offseason than to trade for him.
Latest On Jon Lester
Here’s the latest on Jon Lester and the Red Sox:
- Lester says he would not be inclined to consider a contract extension if a team traded for him, WEEI.com’s Alex Speier writes. “[M]y ultimate goal would be to come back here. That would be, like I said the other day, I know that’s hard to do,” Lester says. “Money doesn’t buy you happiness.” Speier notes that if Lester would be willing to agree to a deal with his new team as a condition of a trade, that might be a way for the Red Sox to get additional value from the deal.
- Speier also writes that there has been “no meaningful dialogue” on a possible trade of Lester to the Dodgers.
- The Red Sox want a “huge” return if they’re going to trade Lester, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets.
- The Dodgers have a good group of outfielders with which to do a Lester trade, including Joc Pederson and Matt Kemp, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports writes. (A recent report from Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston indicated the Dodgers and Red Sox were considering a Lester/Kemp deal.)
- Any Lester/Kemp trade would need to include other pieces and/or money, Rosenthal tweets. He quotes another team’s GM who says, “He doesn’t add much value to any deal for us even at half his salary.” Kemp is owed $107MM from 2015 through 2019. Rosenthal also adds that trading Pederson for Lester would not make sense for the Dodgers unless they received other young talent in return.
Alex Rios Drawing Interest From At Least Four Teams
At least four teams have asked about Rangers outfielder Alex Rios, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi of FOX Sports report (all Twitter links). Those teams include the Mariners, Giants, Reds and Yankees. Rosenthal also notes the Blue Jays’ interest was only temporary, and that the Yankees might not be the best match as a trade partner for Rios, since they are one of six teams on his no-trade list.
It is not surprising that the Mariners or Giants would have interest in Rios. The Mariners have been seeking right-handed power and might want more even after their trade for Kendrys Morales. They’ve recently been connected to outfielders like Matt Kemp and Drew Stubbs. The Giants have been connected to a variety of players at different positions, including righty corner outfielder Dayan Viciedo. (They have, however, gotten good work out of regular corner outfielders Michael Morse and Hunter Pence.) The Reds, meanwhile, reportedly want a hitter they can control beyond 2014, and could be buyers even though they’ve fallen to six games back in the NL Central. Rios has a reasonable club option for 2015.
Red Sox Shopping Andrew Miller; Pirates, Braves Interested
The Red Sox are willing to move southpaw reliever Andrew Miller in a trade, according to multiple reports. Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter) says that Boston is shopping the lefty, adding that the Pirates have been scouting the club for weeks and have interest in Miller. Likewise, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears (Twitter link) that Miller is available and reiterates that the Braves are still on him, with Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reporting that Miller is Atlanta’s “prime bullpen target.”
Miller, 29, could well be the most impactful late-inning lefty available, as I noted yesterday in a breakdown of the left-handed relief market. He owns stellar peripherals (14.5 K/9 vs. 2.8 BB/9, 51.9% groundball rate) to go along with excellent results (2.31 ERA). Unsurprisingly, ERA estimators are also a fan: Miller sports a 1.77 FIP, 1.82 xFIP, and 1.47 SIERA.
This is undoubtedly Miller’s finest season, as he has only once sported an ERA of below three earned per nine (last year) and struggled earlier in his career, when he was use a starter. But his results have steadily improved since he shifted to the pen, and Miller has plenty of value to a contending team that does not want to take on long-term commitments. He is earning just $1.9MM this year and will hit the open market following the end of the season.
Rusney Castillo Impresses In Showcase
Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo put on a showcase yesterday that was ultimately said to be watched by scouts from 28 of the league’s 30 clubs, according to Walter Villa of Baseball America, who provides a robust account of the day.
While scouts offered slightly differing takes, as might be expected, the workout did little to dampen the growing hype surrounding Castillo. At the dish, Castillo showed surprising power and swung well against live pitching from Nate Carter (a D-II closer). His speed rated as anywhere from very good to outstanding and he showed an average big league arm from the outfield (“his weakest tool,” according to one scout). Though Castillo looked promising enough at short, Villa says that his future still seems to lie in the outfield, where he may be capable of manning center.
All in all, Castillo seems to have left the impression that he is a major league talent. It remains to be seen how his market will develop, but Ken Davidoff of the New York Post notes that the Yankees had four sets of eyes in the stands, with the Red Sox sending five. Agent Brodie Van Wagenen said that he believes “a lot of teams may view [Castillo] as a trade-deadline-type acquisition, and that he could be playing in a pennant race in September.”
Given the 27-year-old’s wide potential market, and the fact that he might be a contributor for a contender, the bidding will be fascinating to watch. One scout tells Davidoff that he thinks Castillo will land between $25MM and $35MM, while another said that he could reach Yasiel Puig territory ($42MM), even if he is not viewed as that level of talent.
Yankees Looking At Josh Willingham, Other Bats
The Yankees are “looking at” Twins outfielder Josh Willingham, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The club is also eyeing several other possible additions that would bolster the lineup.
GM Brian Cashman said recently that the team sees adding offense as the first priority. Heyman explains that, while the rotation is an obvious need, the club never intended for Ichiro Suzuki to play everyday and may be looking for depth given Carlos Beltran‘s struggles with injury.
Willingham may hold more appeal to New York than other corner outfield bats like Marlon Byrd of the Phillies and Alex Rios of the Rangers, says Heyman, because he is cheaper now and does not come with future commitments. The latter two players, however, have not been ruled out by New York as targets.
Of course, the 35-year-old Twin also figures to be available for a lesser prospect return. Coming off a tough 2013, he was out early with a fractured wrist. He has, however, been productive upon his return. While is batting average is just .215, he has slugged .420 (with ten home runs) and reached base at a .357 clip through 227 plate appearances.
Blue Jays Designate Esmil Rogers For Assignment
The Blue Jays have designated reliever Esmil Rogers for assignment, reports John Lott of the National Post (via Twitter). In a corresponding move, the team has activated Nolan Reimold from the DL.
This is now the second time this year that Rogers has found himself in DFA limbo; the last time he was outrighted to Triple-A. Since being added back to the roster on Tuesday, Rogers did not make an appearance, leaving his major league ERA at its previous 6.97 mark. He had been more successful in the upper minors, throwing to a 3.14 ERA in 48 2/3 Triple-A innings (including seven starts).
Mike Carp Requests Trade
1B/OF Mike Carp has requested to the Red Sox that they trade him, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe tweets. Abraham notes that Carp spoke to the Red Sox soon after the All-Star break, but the news of that discussion arrives just after the last-place Sox began trading veterans by sending Jake Peavy to the Giants.
Carp has hit poorly in limited opportunities this season, batting .215/.337/.304 in 95 plate appearances. Mike Napoli has hit well for the Sox at first base, but no one in the outfield has hit much, and the Red Sox still haven’t found much playing time for Carp. A contender could see Carp as an interesting buy-low bench candidate, but his trade value surely is limited at this point. He had a breakout season in 2013, hitting .296/.362/.523 in a part-time role.
Rays Designate Juan Carlos Oviedo For Assignment
The Rays have designated reliever Juan Carlos Oviedo for assignment, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The move clears space on the Rays’ active roster for Jeremy Hellickson, who has been recalled from the minors.
Oviedo finally made it back to the big leagues after spending 2012 and 2013 dealing with injury issues and posted a 3.69 ERA in 31 2/3 innings for the Rays in 2014, albeit with underwhelming underlying numbers (7.4 K/9, 4.5 BB/9, 33% ground ball rate). The 32-year-old (who formerly played as Leo Nunez) has 92 career saves, all but one of them coming in 2009 through 2011 with the Marlins.
Trade Market For Left-Handed Relievers
Last year’s left-handed relief market was fairly active. Among the players to change hands were Joe Thatcher, Marc Rzepczynski, Scott Downs, Matt Thornton, and Wesley Wright.
Thus far, we’ve already seen one prime target move, as Thatcher once again drew summer trade interest. There have also been several more minor deals involving lefties, including Chris Capuano, Jeff Francis, Nick Maronde, and Rich Hill.
Here’s who else could be available for pen work (and, in some cases, rotation depth) in the week to come:
Long-Term Control
Felix Doubront (Red Sox), Jake McGee (Rays), Mike Dunn (Marlins), Marc Rzepczynski (Indians), Darin Downs (Astros)
- Doubront is an interesting player to watch given his long-term control and ability to throw in the pen or rotation. Of course, he has been unhappy with being moved out of a starting role in Boston, but clubs might like to slot him in the pen while also supplementing their starting depth (and possibly shifting him back to the rotation next year). He is just 26 and will be arb-eligible for the first time next year; that, combined with his buy-low status in a down year, could create a fairly diverse market (if Boston wants to move him).
- Unlike the Sox, the Rays now seem like they could be leaning against selling, and that would seem to remove McGee from consideration. If things change, though, McGee would be quite a desirable piece, as he is coming off a Super Two season in which he earned just $1.45MM and has dominated with a 1.40 ERA, 1.30 FIP, and 11.6 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9. Having slotted into the closer’s role of late, his counting stats will begin to drive up his arb price, but he’ll still be well underpaid compared to his abilities. That, of course, could leave Tampa uninterested in moving him.
- Dunn, likewise, will be building off of a $1.4MM salary in his first year of arbitration (though he was not a Super Two). He only sports a 4.10 ERA, but his 10.4 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 seems attractive. Of course, the Marlins have indicated in the past that they value him rather highly, and it is far from clear that a contender would be willing to make a strong enough offer to obtain him.
- Rzepczynski, 28, has been solid, if unspectacular, and is earning a mangeable $1.38MM in his first season of arbitration. His inclusion on this list, though, is somewhat speculative, as Cleveland may hope to keep him for the stretch as well as next season.
- Downs has struggled with Houston this season (5.04 ERA), but he’s held left-handed hitters to an impressive .213/.280/.313 batting line in his career and is controlled through 2018. That control might be appealing to the Astros, but GM Jeff Luhnow has shown a willingness to listen on the majority of his players in recent years.
Short-Term Control
Andrew Miller and Craig Breslow (Red Sox), Brian Duensing (Twins), Tony Sipp (Astros), Neal Cotts (Rangers), Dana Eveland (Mets), Antonio Bastardo (Phillies), James Russell and Wesley Wright (Cubs), Oliver Perez (D’backs)
This group includes some fairly high-quality rental options, but Miller appears to be the prize of the class at this point. He has been dominant (2.31 ERA, 1.73 FIP, 14.5 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9), and his pure rental status makes him seem fairly likely to be dealt. Boston looks likely to sell after a recent slide, and Miller should draw enough suitors to drive up a decent return.
Bastardo and Russell have been among the more consistent lefties in the game in recent years, and both come with one more year of team control through arbitration. Duensing, Cotts, Eveland, Sipp, Wright, and Perez have all had solid seasons and should be available for relatively little in return. Breslow has struggled, but has a fairly strong track record and could be a cheap add for a team that believes in him. (He also comes with a $4MM option for next year, though it is somewhat difficult to see a scenario where that gets picked up.)