Royals Notes: Moore, Duffy, Merrifield, Barlow
The Royals parted ways with Danny Duffy yesterday, trading the veteran left-hander to the Dodgers for a player to be named later. Given Duffy’s long history with the Royals, it was a tough call for GM Dayton Moore, who told reporters (including Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star) that Duffy was “a family member” for the organization.
It remains to be seen if more difficult decisions are in store for Moore and company, as the Royals have a number of interesting trade chips. However, Moore indicated that the club would be more apt to move rental players, as opposed to players who are controlled beyond the 2022 season. By name, Moore said that the team didn’t want to move any of Whit Merrifield, Carlos Santana, or Mike Minor, though said the Royals would remain “open” to ideas.
The Royals signed both Santana and Minor as part of a rather busy offseason, indicating that the team felt it was to some extent on the other end of its semi-rebuild phase. After a hot start, Kansas City has since faded to a 45-56 record, though it makes sense that the Royals wouldn’t want to deal all their veterans and entirely start from scratch heading into 2022.
Merrifield’s name has been floated in trade rumors, as the Royals have reportedly been at least a little more willing than in the past to hearing what other clubs had to offer for the multi-position speedster. However, the Royals were known to be putting a hefty price tag on Merrifield, and MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports that Merrifield “is likely” to remain in K.C. beyond today’s deadline.
Given Moore’s hesitations about moving veterans controlled for just one more season, it seems even more far-fetched that Kansas City would trade a player like Scott Barlow, though The Athletic’s Jayson Stark hears that multiple clubs have some interest in the right-hander. Barlow has a 2.70 ERA/3.36 SIERA and a 31% strikeout rate over 50 innings out of the Royals’ bullpen this season, and has been generally solid since making his MLB debut in 2018. Barlow is controllable through the 2024 season, so the Royals could demand for quite a bit in a reliever-hungry trade market, assuming they’re inclined to deal Barlow at all.
Blue Jays Are Leading Suitor For Jose Berrios
With Max Scherzer now likely headed to the Dodgers, Twins right-hander Jose Berrios becomes the clear top starter left on the trade market. The 27-year-old righty is earning $6.1MM in 2021, is controlled through 2022 via arbitration, and is in the midst of arguably his best season yet. Through 121 2/3 innings, Berrios has pitched to a 3.48 ERA with a strong 25.7 percent strikeout rate and an excellent 6.5 percent walk rate. Berrios has been as durable as they come, and while he might not be the bona fide, Cy Young-caliber ace that Scherzer is, he’s a clear option to start in a playoff game for most contenders.
It originally looked as though Berrios was a long shot to move, but the interest in him has been intense. The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reported yesterday that market for Berrios had exceeded the Twins’ expectations, making a deal increasingly likely. Virtually every contender or fringe contender has inquired, as you’d expect. Not all of them will remain in the mix as talks continue into the eleventh hour of deadline season, so with that in mind, we’ll run down today’s latest Berrios rumblings in this post…
- The Blue Jays “appear” to be the leading suitor for Berrios at the moment, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets.
Earlier Updates
- Darren Wolfson of 1500 SKOR North in the Twin Cities tweets that the Twins have at least four offers in hand, coming from teams on both coasts. The Padres, Wolfson adds, “will be in it until the end.” That meshes with last night’s report from AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, wherein he indicated that Berrios is now the Padres’ “primary target.”
- The Padres, Rays and Mets are among the teams still talking to Berrios this morning, per The Athletic’s Jayson Stark (Twitter link). The Twins’ asking price has been too steep for the Mets for weeks, and that appeared to still be the case last night as well. The Rays haven’t been extensively tied to Berrios for long, but MLB Network’s Jon Heyman listed them as one of the most aggressive clubs on Berrios last night. It’s been a whirlwind deadline for the Rays, who’ve added Nelson Cruz but also subtracted some notable pieces in Diego Castillo and Rich Hill. Berrios would immediately become Tampa Bay’s top starter, at least as long as Tyler Glasnow is out. Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes that both the Rays and Blue Jays are still very much in the running.
- The Yankees and Mariners also remain in the mix for Berrios, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, who also notes that interest in Berrios has picked up even since last night (Twitter links). It’s been an active deadline in both the Bronx and Seattle, although the Yankees have yet to address their starting pitching. Seattle has added Tyler Anderson, but he’s a rental and more of a back-of-the-rotation arm. Beyond that, with myriad injuries throughout their expected starting staff, the Mariners could certainly use multiple starters.
Rockies Rumors: Cron, Givens, Marquez
Rockies first baseman C.J. Cron left last night’s game with a groin strain and will be further evaluated today. Manager Bud Black said after the game that the Rockies have their “fingers crossed” that Cron won’t require a trip to the 10-day injured list (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Nick Groke), though that very comment is seemingly an acknowledgement of such a possibility. If Cron does head to the injured list, that would likely dash any hopes of the Rockies trading him — or at least of receiving much at all in return. (Injured players can still be traded.)
Cron has had a solid bounceback from last year’s knee surgery. Signed over the winter to a minor league contract with just a $1MM base salary, he’s batted .245/.357/.460 with 14 home runs. Cron played in just 13 games with the Tigers last season before incurring his season-ending knee injury, but he showed a massive uptick in plate discipline during that time — one that he’s carried over into 2021. This year’s 12.1 percent walk rate is more than double the career mark that Cron carried into the year. As a pending free agent with defensive limitations, he wouldn’t have commanded a huge return, but a healthy Cron earning barely more than league minimum would be a player of interest to contending clubs, even if it’s only as a bench bat against lefties.
More out of Denver…
- Righty Mychal Givens is drawing plenty of interest on the market, tweets Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. That’s to be expected, as Givens is another impending free agent on a Rockies club that has zero postseason aspirations. He’s also a reasonably established late-inning reliever in the midst of a solid season, having pitched to a 2.73 ERA in 29 1/3 innings. Givens’ 27.4 percent strikeout rate is down about six percent from its 2019 peak, and his 11.3 percent walk rate is his highest since posting an 11.5 percent mark back in 2016. Both have been trending in the right direction over the past couple months, however. Givens would obviously help a contender’s bullpen, and with about $1.42MM of his $4.05MM salary owed beyond Friday’s deadline, he’s a pretty affordable option for other teams.
- The Rockies remain “dead set” on keeping right-hander German Marquez, writes Nick Groke of The Athletic in his latest mailbag. Manager Bud Black plainly said earlier this month that the Rockies wouldn’t trade Marquez, noting that ownership and the front office felt similarly. Black indicated that the Rockies had already informed Marquez and several other players that they wouldn’t be moved at this year’s deadline. It’s a puzzling stance to take for a club in Colorado’s position, particularly if, as Groke later writes in response to another question, owner Dick Monfort wants interim Bill Schmidt to become the full-time general manager in the offseason. It’d be one thing if a club didn’t want an interim GM to make what could be a franchise-altering trade, but if the Rockies’ eventual GM search leads them back to the same executive who’s already pulling the strings, then there’s little reason to not at least listen to offers on Marquez — even if the preference is to keep him.
NL East Notes: Rodriguez, Marchan, Phils, Braves, Kieboom
The Phillies are known to have interest in Pirates reliever Richard Rodriguez, and Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports (Twitter link) that catcher Rafael Marchan has been part of the trade talks between the two Pennsylvania clubs. Marchan is ranked fourth on MLB Pipeline’s list of Philadelphia’s top 30 prospects, though Marchan has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate ever since J.T. Realmuto re-signed with the club. Marchan has received a bit of big league playing time in each of the last two seasons but only made his Triple-A debut in 2021, hitting an underwhelming .200/.285/.215 over 151 plate appearances. The 22-year-old also missed a good chunk of Spring Training due to a hamstring injury.
The Phillies lead all of baseball with 23 blown saves, though Ranger Suarez has pitched well and more or less supplanted Hector Neris as the primary closer in recent weeks. Since Suarez’s four saves this season represent his entire career total, acquiring a more proven ninth-inning hurler (though Rodriguez himself only became a full-time closer this season) would go a long way towards solving one of the Phillies’ weaknesses.
More from the NL East…
- The Braves haven’t yet made any move towards being deadline sellers, as ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (via Twitter) reports that Atlanta is still looking to add players. After splitting a doubleheader with the Mets yesterday, the Braves are 49-51 and five games behind division-leading New York, with the Phillies now sitting between the two teams in second place. Atlanta has three games remaining in their series with the Mets, so it isn’t a stretch to say that this series could decide the Braves’ season.
- The Nationals could be open to trades for almost anyone on their roster, though Carter Kieboom may not be available, as FanSided’s Robert Murray reports that the Nats recently declined to discuss the infielder with an interested team. Specifically, the suitor was told that Washington wouldn’t discuss a Kieboom trade “right now,” so while this could technically mean that the Nationals might willing to talk now that they’re more directly looking to sell, Murray figures the Nats aren’t likely to move one of their younger and more promising players. While Kieboom has struggled over 173 PA in the majors, the 23-year-old isn’t far removed from being considered one of baseball’s top prospects.
Latest On Tyler Anderson
TODAY: The Mets are one of the teams interested in Anderson, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link). A trade might have to come together quickly, as Heyman writes that the Pirates would ideally like to move Anderson before his scheduled start tonight against the Brewers.
JULY 25: The Pirates are likely to trade starter Tyler Anderson before this week’s trade deadline passes, per the MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter). That’s hardly surprising, as it’s quite literally been the plan all season, notes Jason Mackey of PGSportsNow (via Twitter).
Morosi does note that Anderson is particularly appealing to the Dodgers and Phillies, who like his manageable salary as they try to minimize potential tax bills. Of course, if Anderson’s salary makes him an asset to high-payroll teams, it’s surely an asset for low-payroll teams as well. Anderson is playing on a one-year, $2.5MM contract and headed for free agency after the season. In theory, he won’t cost much to acquire, but there’s still the matter of finding the right piece that fits the Pirates’ vision.
The 31-year-old, after all, is valuable largely because he’s eminently available. He has, in 560 career innings, offered up mostly the dull consistency of a back-end starter. For some teams right now, the Phillies among them, that’s tremendously valuable.
With 103 1/3 innings, Anderson has crossed the century mark for just the third time in his career. His 4.35 ERA/4.26 FIP would be his best numbers since his rookie season, but they’re also right in line with what he’s shown since leaving Coors Field. In these past two seasons with the Giants and Pirates, Anderson has logged 163 innings in 31 appearances (29 starts) with a 4.36 ERA/4.30 FIP, 33.9 percent groundball rate, 18.4 percent strikeout rate, and 7.2 percent walk rate. That’s 2.1 fWAR over roughly a full season of work.
Rays Interested In Max Scherzer, Kris Bryant, Kyle Gibson
The Rays have already made one big pre-deadline splash in acquiring Nelson Cruz, and more major names seem to be on Tampa’s radar. According to ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan, the Rays “have had preliminary discussions about” Max Scherzer and Kris Bryant, while FanSided’s Robert Murray reports that the Rays are also one of the teams who have spoken to the Rangers about right-hander Kyle Gibson.
As always with Tampa Bay, payroll will be a critical factor in any acquisition, particularly since all of these players represent larger financial commitments than the Rays are usually willing to make. As Passan notes, however, the Rays’ deep farm system can act as a counterweight to those salaries — the Nationals, Cubs, or Rangers could possibly cover most or all of the remaining salaries for their trade chips if the Rays were willing to include some of their higher-tier minor leaguers. It can be reasonably assumed that Wander Franco is untouchable in trade talks, but beyond that, the Rays could be willing to budge on other noteworthy prospects if it meant landing a player that could help them win a World Series.
Scherzer presents a particularly interesting case, since the Nationals are solely responsible for the final $7.5MM installment of Scherzer’s original signing bonus, and the roughly $11.8MM remaining of his $35MM salary for 2021 is entirely deferred until 2028. Beyond just kicking the financial can down the road for much of the decade, the Rays might very well even be in a new city (and have new revenue streams) available by that point, since the Rays’ lease at Tropicana Field is up in 2027.
Scherzer would have to okay the move to Tampa by waiving his no-trade clause, and recent reports suggest that he would be more open to playing for a team on the west coast. This doesn’t necessarily mean Scherzer would veto a proposed move to Tampa Bay, but it is possible the Rays might not get the nod if Scherzer was presented with multiple trade options, such as a potential move to one of the NL West powers.
As one executive recently described matters to Murray, Gibson is maybe the “most unpredictable element” of deadline season. While someone like Scherzer obviously has a more proven track record, Gibson has been very good in 2021 but has been much more up-and-down over the course of his eight MLB seasons. Whereas Scherzer and Bryant are free agents after the season, Gibson is controlled through 2022, at the cost of a $7MM salary. The Rays could see acquiring Gibson as a way of checking off one box for their offseason shopping needs….or, given how Tampa operates, they could flip Gibson themselves this winter to save payroll space.
The Cubs have already moved Joc Pederson and Andrew Chafin in trades, and several other players figure to be departing Wrigleyville prior to Friday’s 3pm CT deadline. Bryant is widely expected to be dealt, though the shape of the Cubs’ other trades might contribute to what exactly Chicago does in moving the former NL MVP. Should the Cubs move a significant amount of money off their books in other deals, the team could be more open to absorbing more of Bryant’s salary (around $6.8MM remaining) in order to obtain better prospects from the Rays.
Adding both Cruz and Bryant would represent a major boost to an already-solid Tampa Bay lineup, and Bryant also brings the versatility that a DH-only player like Cruz lacks. The Rays’ penchant for defensive flexibility could see Bryant used at either corner infield position or anywhere in the outfield, depending on matchups and situations. Any potential positional logjam could be alleviated by the trade itself, if the Rays sent a position player off their Major League roster back to the Cubs.
Astros Notes: Diaz, James, Pressly
Aledmys Diaz will be activated from the 10-day injured list prior to Monday’s game against the Mariners. The utilityman has been out of action since his left hand was fractured by a Ross Stripling pitch on June 5, though Diaz will indeed return within the original rehab window of six to eight weeks. Diaz has been a very valuable part-time player over his three seasons with the Astros, hitting .269/.338/.460 in 432 plate appearances and playing multiple positions. Diaz is likely to slide right into third base duty while Alex Bregman is still on his own minor league rehab assignment.
More from Houston…
- Josh James restarted his Triple-A rehab assignment today, The Athletic’s Jake Kaplan tweets. The right-hander has yet to pitch this season after undergoing hip surgery last October, and then suffering a hamstring injury back in June. Just when it seemed James was working his way back from that hamstring issue, he re-aggravated the problem last week, which required a check-up from team doctors. It isn’t yet known when James might make his 2021 debut for the Astros, but he does seem to be once again making progress after this latest setback. James has recorded a lot of strikeouts (34.1 K%) but also too many walks (13.4 BB%) over his 101 2/3 career innings in the big leagues, posting a 4.60 ERA with the Astros since the start of the 2018 season.
- Ryan Pressly hit a notable benchmark with his appearance in Sunday’s 3-1 victory over the Rangers. It was Pressly’s 40th game of the season, and as Chandler Rome of The Houston Chronicle notes (Twitter link), Pressly’s 2022 club option has now hit its maximum value of $10MM, as reaching an increasing number of games pitched this season gradually raised the reliever’s option from its original $7MM figure. Should Pressly hit the 60-game threshold this season, that $10MM option will automatically become guaranteed. Given that the right-hander has excelled at Houston’s closer, it seems like a pretty good bet that Pressly’s option will vest, and the Astros won’t mind retaining an All-Star reliever for $10MM.
AL Central Notes: Duffy, Dodgers, Ramirez, Twins
The Dodgers have interest in injured Royals southpaw Danny Duffy, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports (via Twitter). This completes the trio of NL West contenders looking at Duffy, since the Padres and Giants have also been linked to the veteran left-hander. San Francisco is known to be interested despite Duffy’s injury, and it can be assumed that the Dodgers are in the same position, considering that Duffy has been on the 10-day injured list for five days now.
Duffy is out of action with his second left flexor strain of the season, so he might not be available until at least early September, based on the timeline of his last IL visit. Since the NL West teams currently have a big lead on the rest of the National League for the two wild card positions, the Dodgers can be reasonably comfortable of reaching the postseason in one form or another, so Duffy could be saved as a late-season reinforcement. While it can certainly be argued that Los Angeles should spend its prospect capital on a healthy pitcher, the Royals’ asking price for Duffy probably isn’t very high, considering his injured status. Duffy controls his trade destiny thanks to 10-and-5 rights, and the California native might be willing to waive those rights to join a team in his home state. (If this is the case, the Angels and Athletics would also seem like hypothetical fits for a Duffy trade.)
More from the AL Central…
- It remains to be seen if the Indians will be buyers, sellers, or a bit of both at the trade deadline, but there don’t appear to be any plans to move Jose Ramirez. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (Twitter link) reports that Cleveland isn’t having “active talks” about a Ramirez deal with any rival team, which perhaps isn’t surprising considering the big-picture ramifications of such a trade. Moving a star player with such an affordable contract would seemingly indicate a turn towards a rebuild for the Tribe, who haven’t given any indication they’re not planning to contend again in 2022. Unsurprisingly, “the asking price is extremely high” for Ramirez, Morosi writes.
- The Twins are considering all options as the trade deadline approaches, including the possibility of including two or more players together in a single trade. In an interview on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM earlier today, Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey told Jon Morosi and company that such a package deal is “something we have talked about.” Possibilities abound for such trades, though since the Twins are reportedly not keen to move players controlled beyond 2021, however, I would think a package deal might be more suited as a way of generating a greater return for rental players. Someone like Andrelton Simmons or Michael Pineda alone might not bring back much in the way of prospects, but putting the two veterans into one deal might get a team to budge on a slightly higher-tier minor leaguer. Conversely, the Twins could also look into packaging a rental player with someone with more control (i.e. Byron Buxton or Taylor Rogers).
NL East Notes: Carrasco, Watson, Smyly
Carlos Carrasco pitched a rehab outing for Triple-A Syracuse today, with Mets manager Luis Rojas telling reporters (including The New York Post’s Mike Puma) that the veteran righty’s “stuff was great.” It now seems like Carrasco is finally ready to make his Mets debut, as a source tells Puma that Carrasco is likely to be activated from the 60-day injured list for his next outing, which would seem to line up for next weekend’s series against the Reds.
Acquired along with Francisco Lindor in perhaps the biggest trade of the offseason, Carrasco suffered a torn right hamstring during Spring Training. Initially expected to miss roughly six to eight weeks, Carrasco has now missed the majority of the season after his recovery took longer than expected. Assuming Carrasco is healthy and able to return to his usual above-average form, he’ll be able to provide immediate help to a Mets rotation that has been shorthanded by injuries.
More from the NL East…
- The Marlins have offered first-round draft pick Kahlil Watson a $4.5MM bonus, The Miami Herald’s Craig Mish reports (via Twitter). This figure would put the Marlins in excess of their overall draft pool limit, but under the five percent penalty threshold with a bit of room to spare, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis (Twitter link). Any team that exceeds their draft spending pool by more than five percent would be penalized future picks, so in staying under the five percent line, the Marlins would only have to pay a 75 percent tax on the overage. Miami’s offer is well above the $3,745,500 assigned slot price for the 16th overall pick, but extra money was likely to be necessary considering that many pundits expected Watson to be selected near the top of the draft board, before he surprisingly fell to the Marlins’ pick.
- Drew Smyly left yesterday’s game after four innings due to soreness in his left knee, but testing today revealed no structural damage, The Athletic’s David O’Brien tweets. Assuming no setbacks, the Braves left-hander should be able to take the ball for his next start. Smyly didn’t pitch well over the season’s first two months but he has quietly regained his form, posting a 2.19 ERA over his last seven starts and 37 innings.
NL Injury Notes: Lamet, deGrom, McNeil, Sims, Bote
The Padres are planning for an early August return to the hill for Dinelson Lamet, though he’s likeliest to come back in the bullpen, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Said Lamet about a possible role change, “At the end of the day, the rotation is some place I want to get back to, but I’m here to help the team. I’m here to help the team win. So, if that’s what my role is right now and that’s what I need to do to help, of course I’m going to do it.” Lamet’s primary concern is being available for the playoffs, where he could prove a vital weapon as a multi-inning shutdown reliever.
- Jacob deGrom threw off a mound, and he’s feeling good, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (via Twitter). deGrom was placed on the injured list with forearm tightness, one of many seemingly minor maladies that have derailed his epic campaign at various points this season. There’s not yet an exact timetable for his return.
- In other Mets’ news, Jeff McNeil will miss his third consecutive game with left leg fatigue, though he will be available off the bench, which is better than the previous two days, per Tim Healey of Newsday (via Twitter). The Mets hope that McNeil will be back in the lineup tomorrow.
- Lucas Sims will head to Triple-A on Tuesday to begin a rehab assignment, per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). Sims has seven saves, but just a 5.02 ERA in 28 appearances.
- The Cubs have activated David Bote from the injured list and optioned Trevor Megill to Triple-A, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Bote started today’s game at third base, pushing Patrick Wisdom to left.