Royals Acquire Jason Frasor
The Royals have acquired right-hander Jason Frasor from the Rangers in exchange for right-hander Spencer Patton, the Rangers announced.
The 36-year-old Frasor is in the midst of a strong season with the Rangers, having pitched to a 3.34 ERA with 9.1 K/9, 4.3 BB/9 and a 47.6 percent ground-ball rate in 29 2/3 innings. That continues a trend of relatively strong performance for Frasor, who has notched an ERA of 3.68 or better in five of the past six seasons.
Frasor is an affordable add for GM Dayton Moore, from a financial standpoint, as he’s owed just $1.75MM in 2014, which translates to roughly $717K for the rest of the season. He will be a free agent at season’s end, so this acquisition is strictly a rental for the Royals.
Bullpen help may not seem to be the Royals’ largest needs — many would instead cite right field — but the team’s 3.62 ERA from its relievers ranks 16th in the Majors. Additionally, they’ve been a top-heavy unit as a group. While Greg Holland, Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera have been excellent, Kansas City has also relied heavily on the likes of Michael Mariot (6.48 ERA in 25 innings) and Louis Coleman (7.48 ERA in 21 2/3 innings). Additionally, there has to be some concern over Aaron Crow, who has seen his velocity dip nearly three miles per hour and his K/9 rate dip to 4.8.
Patton, 26, has a 4.08 ERA with a 60-to-22 K/BB ratio in 46 1/3 innings for the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate in 2014. The former 24th-round draft pick did not rank in among Kansas City’s Top 30 prospects, per Baseball America.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rusney Castillo To Hold Showcase Next Week
10:40am: Badler has a new piece on Castillo, who has put on about 20 pounds since leaving Cuba and beginning a training regimen in the Dominican Republic. Castillo is expected to sign shortly after his showcase and could even potentially help a big league club late in the season, Badler writes. His newest article provides a pair of Castillo videos — one of a batting practice session and the other a compilation of game footage.
9:54am: Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo will host a showcase for interested clubs next Saturday (July 26) in the Miami area, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN first reported (on Twitter) on Monday.
Castillo was declared a free agent by Major League Baseball last month and quickly latched on with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports. The 27-year-old Castillo has also been unblocked by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and is therefore eligible to sign with any club.
Ben Badler of Baseball America wrote last month that Castillo isn’t the same type of impact talent we’ve seen come out of Cuba recently, but scouts believe he has Major League ability. The center fielder/right fielder stands at 5’9″ and is listed at 185 pounds, and his best tool is plus-plus speed according to Badler. He’s a right-handed hitter with a line-drive stroke that will produce more doubles and triples than homers, Badler adds, though he notes that some evaluators think of him as a fourth outfielder rather than a starting-caliber player.
We first heard about Castillo back in January, prior to the processing of the paperwork that eventually made him a free agent. The Orioles and Dodgers have been linked as teams that will scout Castillo, while Wolfson reports that the Twins are not among the teams that have interest.
Reds To Sign Scott Diamond
The Reds have signed lefty Scott Diamond to a minor league deal, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter). Diamond, 27, was recently released by the Twins.
Diamond struggled through 80 innings at Triple-A this year for Minnesota, posting a 6.52 ERA. He had spent significant time in the Twins rotation over each of the last two seasons. After a 173-inning, 3.54 ERA run in 2012, in which he posted just 4.7 K/9 but a sparkling 1.6 BB/9, Diamond came back to earth last year. Through 131 big league innings in 2013, he allowed 5.43 runs per nine with 3.6 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9.
Latest On Astros, Brady Aiken
JULY 15, 6:35pm: The concern regarding Aiken involves his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), a source tells Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. “He may have some [of the ligament], but not much,” the source said, apparently referring to the natural size — rather than any tearing — of Aiken’s UCL. A hypothetical Tommy John procedure would not be a straightforward solution in Aiken’s case, the source adds.
While the issue may be “cut-and-dry,” per Drellich’s source, it appears that its interpretation is the crux of the ongoing debate. The young lefty has seen two team doctors and three independent specialists (including Dr. James Andrews) to assess the situation, according to Drellich. Close, Aiken’s agent, told Rosenthal that his client “has been seen by some of the most experienced and respected orthopedic arm specialists in the country, and all of those doctors have acknowledged that he’s not injured and that he’s ready to start his professional career.”
Drellich spoke with an expert orthopedist — Dr. Chris Geary of the Tufts Medical center, apparently not among those who have seen Aiken — who tells him that a congenitally small UCL would not necessarily indicate a greater risk of a UCL tear or lowered success rate if a TJ procedure became necessary. Geary indicated that further information would be necessary to assess Aiken’s overall susceptibility to elbow trouble, and said that other physical attributes could mean that he is perfectly capable of pitching without any particular concern.
9:54am: The Astros believe that Aiken’s MRI revealed a “significant abnormality,” Major League sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Aiken’s adviser, Casey Close of Excel Sports Management, tells Rosenthal that the team has made just one revised offer — a bonus of $3,168,840. That amount represents the minimum bonus Houston would need to offer in order to receive the second pick in next year’s draft as compensation.
Close, who insists that Aiken is asymptomatic and healthy, offered some harsh words for the Astros and the way they’ve handled negotiations:
“We are extremely disappointed that Major League Baseball is allowing the Astros to conduct business in this manner with a complete disregard for the rules governing the draft and the 29 other clubs who have followed those same rules.”
Meanwhile, GM Jeff Luhnow tells Rosenthal that he has been in contact with MLB throughout the entire process to ensure that their actions were within the rules. Pat Courtney, a spokesperson for MLB, said that “Major League Baseball is comfortable that the Houston Astros have acted in complete accord with Major League rules.”
Rosenthal reports that the team informed Nix’s family that the reported $1.5MM agreement between the two sides had to be rescinded because the team first needed to complete its deal with Aiken before finalizing that deal.
MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said the players’ association will weigh all options in support of the players. Specifically regarding Nix, he said: “We believe that it is a clear violation of the rules being attempted solely to avoid penalty. The Astros made a deal with Jacob Nix and should honor that agreement.”
This Friday is the deadline for teams to sign their draft picks.
JULY 7, 4:19pm: Drellich spoke with Aiken’s athletic trainer, Paul Flores, who says that to his knowledge, Aiken is “absolutely healthy.” Flores says that there is nothing Aiken is unable to do in their regular workouts, adding: “When it comes to throwing off a mound, that’s not my area of expertise. But I know he’s throwing, so. He’s not in pain. He comes to me after, and I always ask, … ‘How do you feel today?’ … He always tells me he feels great — and not good — great.”
1:25pm: The ominous delay between No. 1 overall pick Brady Aiken‘s arrival in Houston to sign his contract and the announcement of an official deal now has some clarity, as Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that Aiken has an issue with a ligament in his left elbow. The Astros are now seeking to reduce his signing bonus from the previously agreed upon $6.5MM to $5MM, according to Heyman’s sources.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports speculated recently that there might be an issue with Aiken’s ligament, noting that the curiously long delay between his arrival to sign his contract and an announcement from the Astros was similar to the delay when a free agent fails his physical.
As Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle explained in late June, Aiken would become a free agent if he failed his physical and the Astros did not make an offer of at least 40 percent of his slot value (roughly $3.17MM). Clearly, based on Heyman’s report, Houston is still comfortable enough with Aiken’s elbow that this scenario is unlikely.
However, the Astros would also lose the value of Aiken’s slot from their bonus pool should he elect not to sign, which would be problematic. The Astros were set to save about $1.4MM on Aiken’s original $6.5MM bonus, and a great deal of those savings were reserved for the $1.5MM bonus they’ve agreed to with fifth-rounder Jacob Nix — a bonus that is $1.13MM over slot. It is in Houston’s best interest to get some form of deal worked out, as losing Aiken’s slot would drop Houston’s overall pool to roughly $5.44MM, leaving them unable to officially sign Nix at that figure without incurring penalties in future drafts (the maximum penalty, which is enforced if a team exceeds its draft pool by more than 15 percent, is the forfeiture of a team’s next two first-round picks and a 100 percent luxury tax on the overage).
Obviously, the news is troubling for Astros fans, who had hoped Aiken would sign quickly and begin his progression from high school superstar to the mound Minute Maid Park. The Astros have until July 18 to finalize a deal with Aiken. The team would receive the No. 2 selection in next year’s draft, should it fail to come to terms with Aiken.
Trade Market For Center Fielders
Last summer’s trade market didn’t feature much in the way of center fielders on the move, though Justin Maxwell did head from Houston to Kansas City, and David DeJesus found himself traded twice. A year prior, names like Shane Victorino and Scott Podsednik had new jerseys as well.
With this summer’s trade deadline less than three weeks away, here’s a rundown of some center field options whose name could appear on the rumor circuit…
Starters
Dexter Fowler (Astros), Gerardo Parra (D’Backs), Denard Span (Nationals), Desmond Jennings (Rays), Drew Stubbs (Rockies), Cameron Maybin (Padres), Ben Revere (Phillies), Marcell Ozuna (Marlins), Peter Bourjos (Cardinals), Jon Jay (Cardinals), Andre Ethier (Dodgers), Matt Kemp (Dodgers)
- Fowler’s numbers are very similar to the ones he posted last season prior to being acquired by Houston, and while that might initially suggest consistency, in this case, it’s probably an improvement due to the change in home environment. Fowler’s .263/.369/.407 batting line translated to a 103 OPS+ and a 105 wRC+ — both of which are park-adjusted. His current .270/.377/.396 line translates to a 117 OPS+ and 122 wRC+, suggesting he’s been well above average at the plate. Earning $7.35MM, he’s arbitration eligible for the last time following the season.
- Parra has played more corner outfield than center in his career, but defensive metrics love him at every outfield position. He’s hitting just .253/.301/.353 this season, however, and his issues against left-handed pitching have long been a problem. Parra is controlled through 2015 and would be a good addition to a strong offensive club that needed a defensive boost.
- It seems counter-intuitive for a contending club to deal its starting center fielder, but Ryan Zimmerman‘s shoulder is a liability at third base now. They could go with an outfield alignment of Zimmerman, Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth in the event of a Span trade. Span is hitting a respectable .269/.319/.385 and has long been considered a strong defender. He’s earning $6.5MM in 2014 and has a $9MM option for 2015.
- Jennings is hitting .246/.337/.391 and well on his way to another three- or even four-WAR season. He’s controlled through 2017, but as a Scott Boras client, a long-term deal for Jennings isn’t likely, and Kevin Kiermaier has looked the part of a capable replacement thus far. There’s no rush for the Rays to move Jennings, however, so the acquisition price would be very steep.
- The move to Coors Field has been kind to Stubbs, but his production isn’t solely a product of his new home park. He still struggles against right-handed pitching (.284 OBP), but he’s playing his best baseball since 2011. Stubbs is earning $4.1MM in 2014 and is arbitration eligible for the final time this winter.
- Maybin is still owed $18MM through the 2016 season and has almost as much time on the DL as on the field since signing an extension with the Friars. He’s still a plus defender, and at age 27, a team could buy low with the hope that he’s young enough to rediscover the form he had in his excellent 2011 season with the Padres.
- Revere is starting for the Phillies, but with a .295/.316/.354 batting line, some clubs may prefer to use him in a reserve role. Despite his excellent speed and penchant for highlight-reel catches, defensive metrics don’t love his work in center and feel he’s better suited for the corners (even with his poor throwing arm). Revere is controlled through 2017 as a Super Two player.
- Ozuna would represent a long-term piece for any club that acquired him, as he’s controlled through 2019 and is not yet arb-eligible. That gives the Marlins the right to ask for a lot, but with Christian Yelich in left, Giancarlo Stanton in right and a capable replacement in the minors in Jake Marisnick, the team could conceivably afford to part with the 24-year-old Ozuna.
- Bourjos is one of baseball’s best defensive players, and he’s shown glimpses of offensive potential as well, but he hasn’t found sustained success in the Majors yet. Inconsistent playing time in both Anaheim and St. Louis probably hasn’t done him any favors. With such a logjam in the outfield for the Cardinals, Bourjos could be moved to a club with a long-term center field need. He’s controlled through 2016.
- Jay could find himself on the block for the same reasons as Bourjos; St. Louis is trying to find a way to get Bourjos, Jay, Oscar Taveras, Allen Craig and Matt Adams playing time between center, right field and first base, and there just aren’t enough at-bats to go around. He’s under control through 2016 as well and comes with a lesser defensive reputation but more offense than teammate Bourjos.
- There’s no way for the Dodgers to move Ethier without eating a significant chunk of the roughly $62.5MM that remains on his contract. He’s hitting a pedestrian .253/.315/.379 with four homers on the season and has long had platoon issues.
- Like Ethier, Kemp’s contract is a massive deterrent for any club with interest in acquiring the former MVP candidate. Kemp has spent a good deal of time in left field this year and his hitting .269/.330/.430. He’s owed about $116MM through the 2019 season, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported last month that any trade involving him was unlikely during the season.
Backups
Ryan Sweeney (Cubs), Justin Ruggiano (Cubs), Chris Young (Mets), Alex Presley (Astros), Sam Fuld (Twins), Brandon Barnes (Rockies), Jose Tabata (Pirates), Grady Sizemore (Phillies), Alejandro De Aza (White Sox)
Most of these players come with either defensive question marks, platoon issues, or both. Sizemore has already been released once this year and is probably better suited to play an outfield corner at this stage of his career. De Aza has seen his stock drop with a stark offensive decline in 2014, and he, too, is a better fit at a corner outfield spot.
The cost to acquire any of these players would figure to be relatively inexpensive, though Fuld and Barnes could be viewed as long-term reserves and therefore carry a bit more value to their current clubs. Others, such as Young (DFA candidate) and Tabata (already outrighted) could probably be had simply by taking on some of the remaining salary.
MLB-Ready Prospects
Joc Pederson (Dodgers), Randal Grichuk (Cardinals), Jake Marisnick (Marlins), Anthony Gose (Blue Jays)
With the exception of Pederson, each of these players has already reached the Majors at some point. Grichuk may be better suited to handle a corner spot in the long run (he has more minor league experience in right field), but he’s played a good deal of center field as well. Pederson could likely only be had in a blockbuster-style trade in a bold move for the Dodgers. Marisnick isn’t as well-regarded but comes with a sterling defensive reputation, and could be deemed expendable if the Marlins decide that Ozuna is their center fielder of the future. Gose has about a season’s worth of big league at-bats and is also an excellent defender, but he’s currently refining his swing in the minors.
In addition to all of the names mentioned in this post, several of the players highlighted by Charlie Wilmoth in MLBTR’s look at the trade market for corner outfielders could step into center in a pinch. Will Venable, Alex Rios and Marlon Byrd are just a few examples of such players.
Latest On Extension Talks Between Red Sox, Lester
Red Sox hurler Jon Lester said today that extension talks could open back up “tomorrow or four months from now,” but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that the former option seems highly unlikely. In fact, says Heyman, the likeliest outcome now is that no serious run at a new deal will take place until after the season.
Here’s more:
- Indeed, in other comments today, Lester sounded like he is fairly committed to waiting for further talks, as WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford reports. Lester says that his primary concern has been and remains the avoidance of distraction: “I’ve sat down and talked to Ben [Cherington] about that and they understand.” He continued: “Like I said before, I’ve expressed it to them, this is where I want to stay. Regardless of whether we do it tomorrow or we wait until the end of the season, this is where I want to be. Hopefully when we get to the end of the season we can figure something out and get it done.” Of course, as Lester noted, his desire may remain the same, but if he reaches free agency, the club will “just have more competition.”
- Lester tells Heyman that he was “thrown off” by the club’s recent efforts to re-open discussions during the year. “Since day one I was told [not negotiating in season] was the policy,” said Lester. “The way I think is pretty black and white. They tell me one thing, and we’re hell-bent on that [so to change gears] throws me off.”
- Though the lefty says that “the conversation had picked up” when the Red Sox reached out most recently, he noted that he “never received a [new] offer.” Boston was, however, at least willing to move its offer into the nine-figure range, Heyman reports. Now, team sources tell Heyman that the club understands and intends to honor Lester’s preference to table discussions for the time being.
- Regarding the initial reported four-year, $70MM offer made by the club, Lester expressed no hard feelings, as Bradford reports. “I don’t know if ‘exploited’ is the right word, but they’re business men,” he said. “They didn’t get to own the Boston Red Sox by being stupid with money. … I think they just took a shot and like you said, Larry and Ben and the collective group put that offer out there and that’s what they wanted to start at. We had plenty of talks after that as far as moving money and moving years, moving money, but never got to another offer … .”
- Lester also made clear that he understands his market position: “This is business and [they] have a business to run, and when you think about it, I have a business to run,” he said. “I have to run myself. I get it.” He emphasized that discussions have been “amicable,” saying that “I’ve had great, four or five, maybe six conversations with Ben over the last couple of months.”
Yankees Release Alfonso Soriano
JULY 14: The Yankees have released Soriano, per the MLB.com transactions page.
New York will owe Soriano the remainder of the $5MM portion of his salary for which the team is obligated. He will be free to sign with any club (likely at a league-minimum rate), though Soriano has indicated that he would give at least some consideration to retirement.
JULY 6: Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters, including Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (on Twitter), that Alfonso Soriano has been designated for assignment. Dropping Soriano from the roster will make room for the newly-acquired Brandon McCarthy.
Soriano has been struggling this season, batting just .221/.244/.367 with six homers in 238 plate appearances. Still, the news comes as a surprise given Soriano’s lifetime body of work. In fact, before this season, Soriano was in the midst of a career resurgence with a .258/.312/.494 slash line between 2012 and 2013 with the Cubs and Yankees.
The 38-year-old is in the final year of the eight-year, $136MM contract that he signed with the Cubs in November 2006. Soriano will earn $18MM on the year, but the Yankees are only on the hook for a portion of that with the Cubs paying the majority of the deal. The Cubs are paying out $13MM of Soriano’s 2014 salary while the Bombers are responsible for just $5MM.
Soriano is sure to find plenty of suitors looking for outfield help, but it remains to be seen how much longer he wants to keep playing. Soriano previously discussed retiring after the 2014 season but he also indicated that he might want to keep going through 2016. At the time, he said he’d like to finish his career with the Bombers, but that doesn’t appear to be in the cards now.
If Soriano packs it in at the end of the season, or in a couple of years from now, he won’t be hurting for cash. According to Baseball-Reference, Soriano has earned nearly $158MM over the course of his big league career. In 16 seasons for the Yankees, Rangers, Nationals, and Cubs, Soriano posted a lifetime .270/.319/.500 slash line and earned seven consecutive All-Star selections from 2002 through 2008.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Trade Market For Third Basemen
Multiple third base options were traded in the summer months of 2013, including veterans Michael Young, Alberto Callaspo, Juan Francisco and Jamey Carroll. This season’s crop of third base trade candidates includes some more impressive names, though it’s far from a certainty that they’ll all be moved. Here’s a look at some of the names that could be circulating on the rumor mill in the coming weeks…
Starters
Chase Headley (Padres), Martin Prado (D’Backs), Juan Uribe (Dodgers), Luis Valbuena (Cubs), Cody Asche (Phillies), Adrian Beltre (Rangers), Trevor Plouffe (Twins), Will Middlebrooks (Red Sox), Casey McGehee (Marlins), Matt Dominguez (Astros), Conor Gillaspie (White Sox)
- Headley’s name has been on the rumor circuit for years, and with three months to go before free agency, he could finally get dealt. Unfortunately for San Diego, he’s hitting a career-worst .226/.296/.350 and is dealing with back issues. He’s hit well since an epidural injection, however, and the Blue Jays are said to have interest.
- The 30-year-old Prado is owed about $27MM through the end of the 2016 season and isn’t hitting much in 2014, but he’s an excellent defender at third base and a Swiss army knife on the field, capable of playing third, short, second and left field.
- Uribe’s a bit of an out-of-the-box suggestion, admittedly, but the Dodgers could prefer to slide Hanley Ramirez over to third and go with a defensively superior option like Erisbel Arruebarrena at short. Uribe is hitting well but has missed time on the DL and is owed $6.5MM next year in his age-36 season.
- Valbuena is playing well, but he’s not a long-term piece for the Cubs which makes him plenty susceptible to a trade. The 28-year-old is controlled through 2016 and earning just $1.7MM this season after avoiding arbitration for the first time last winter. The Cubs’ wealth of infield prospects makes Valbuena expendable.
- Asche’s another unconventional trade candidate, as it stands to reason that the rebuilding Phillies would want to keep their young, controllable assets. However top prospect Maikel Franco is a better hitter and blocked at first base by Ryan Howard‘s immovable contract. The Phils could conceivably dangle Asche in an attempt to acquire a young outfield option, then go with Franco at third to make the team younger.
- Beltre is among the best all-around players in the game and would require a king’s ransom to pry away from the Rangers, who hope to contend in 2015 when the club is healthy. GM Jon Daniels has said he hasn’t considered trading the potential Hall of Famer, so a deal seems unlikely. Still, with Joey Gallo‘s 75- to 80-grade power looming in the minors, the Rangers do have a fallback option if they’re blown away by a Beltre offer.
- The 28-year-old Plouffe is providing league-average offense with improved defense. A former first-round pick, he’s under control through 2017 as a Super Two player. The Twins’ long-term solution at third is Miguel Sano, so it stands to reason that Plouffe could be had in the right deal now, with one of Eduardo Nunez or Eduardo Escobar playing stopgap while Sano mends from Tommy John surgery.
- Middlebrooks is currently on the shelf with a fractured finger, but he’s on a minor league rehab assignment and should be healthy by month’s end. He’s shown flashes of his high potential but has been inconsistent, and with Garin Cecchini nearly ready for the show as well, Boston could entertain offers on Middlebrooks, though the Sox would admittedly be selling very low.
- As of this writing, it’s not that likely that the highly affordable McGehee ($1.1MM salary) will be on the move. The Marlins are still within striking distance in the NL East, and as such aren’t motivated to deal McGehee. However, an extended skid for the Fish could make McGehee, who is under team control through 2015, an attractive commodity for contenders.
- The Astros have shown a willingness to deal virtually anyone in recent years (with a few notable exceptions), and while spring extension talks with Dominguez suggest they’d like to keep him long-term, the fact that a deal didn’t happen could make them more willing to trade him. They’d be selling low, as Dominguez isn’t hitting much this year. He did have a similarly poor first half in 2013 before finishing strong.
- Gillaspie has four more years of team control remaining and is hitting well in 2014, while offseason acquisition Matt Davidson is floundering in Triple-A. That may make it tough for GM Rick Hahn to deal him, but Gillaspie’s name hasn’t been included among Chicago’s four supposedly unavailable players. The Sox may look at Gillaspie and see unsustainable production (.370 BABIP) coupled with platoon issues and think this is a good time to sell high.
Backups
Sean Rodriguez (Rays), Logan Forsythe (Rays), Eduardo Nunez (Twins), Eduardo Escobar (Twins), Ryan Wheeler (Rockies), Alexi Amarista (Padres), Justin Turner (Dodgers), Chone Figgins (Dodgers)
The above players are all capable of playing multiple positions, though some would be tougher to acquire than others. Turner has been an excellent signing for the Dodgers, who are firmly in contention, but they have the infield depth to move him and/or Figgins if it improves another area of the team. Wheeler has plenty of team control remaining, but Nolan Arenado is clearly the long-term mainstay at the hot corner. Both of the Twins’ Eduardos are playing well this season, and I’d imagine Escobar would be the more difficult of the two to acquire, given his superior glove and extra team control.
Morales Interested In Long-Term Deal With Twins
Kendrys Morales‘ first venture into free agency lasted much longer than the switch-hitter would have liked, and after signing a one-year deal with the Twins in June, it sounds as if he’s very open to signing a contract that would prevent him from hitting the free agency again this winter. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN spoke with Morales’ agent, Scott Boras, who “gushed” about how much his client loves playing for the Twins (Twitter link). A long-term deal is “certainly in play,” Wolfson adds.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether the Twins themselves are open to such a proposition. Certainly the early returns on their investment in Morales haven’t been encouraging. The longtime AL West slugger started off hot with Minnesota, but he’s seen his batting line fall to .229/.254/.328. Given his lack of defensive value, both Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference peg him at -0.8 WAR.
Morales has begun to swing a bit better, as he is on a seven-game hitting streak during which he’s cracked five doubles, but he still isn’t showing any patience at the plate. His current 3.6 percent walk rate is the lowest of his career.
A few productive weeks could turn Morales into a nice trade chip at the deadline, and the Twins have to at least be considering the idea of selling off some veteran pieces, barring a sudden turnaround after the break. Currently, they’re 10.5 games out of the division lead and 6.5 games back of a Wild Card spot. Even if the Twins do move Morales, they could always look to re-sign him as a free agent this winter — a scenario on which the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo recently speculated.
Mets Make Bartolo Colon Available
The Mets have made Bartolo Colon available in trades, ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin reports. The team isn’t thought to be seriously negotiating a Colon trade at this time, though a Major League source thinks the Mets will start hearing more offers on the veteran right-hander over the next week.
It was reported last week that the Mets were listening to offers for the 41-year-old Colon, who fits as a trade chip given his contract ($3.75MM remaining this season and $11MM in 2015) and the fact that New York has the young pitching depth to take Colon’s spot in the rotation both this season and next. The Mets could wait until past the July 31st deadline to move Colon and “it is not a foregone conclusion that he will be dealt” at all, Rubin writes.
The Mets’ deadline needs include a power-hitting left fielder and a shortstop who can supplant Ruben Tejada, Rubin reports, though these pieces wouldn’t necessarily come from a Colon trade. (While Colon is still pitching effectively, his age will likely prevent the Mets from landing a true impact young player in return.) The Diamondbacks and Cubs stand out as teams with a possible surplus at shortstop, and the Mets have been connected to Didi Gregorius in the past, though Rubin hears that Tony La Russa is still evaluating Arizona’s roster and may wait until the offseason for major moves.
As for the Cubs, the addition of Addison Russell to an organization that already has Starlin Castro in the bigs and star prospect Javier Baez at Triple-A would seem to make them trade partners for the Mets as well. Rubin says that Baez “is believed to be a more realistic target” for the Mets, though it would take a major deal to get Chicago to part with a player who is a consensus top-10 prospect in baseball, despite Baez’s underwhelming Triple-A numbers this season.
To create room in the outfield, the Mets are trying to find trades for Chris Young and Eric Young Jr. Neither player is enjoying a particularly strong season, though Young Jr. will be more attractive to other teams due to his speed (25-for-28 in steals) and two remaining years of team control, whereas Chris Young is owed over $3MM for the rest of the year.