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Marlins Notes: Bour, Dietrich, Realmuto

By Jeff Todd | July 31, 2018 at 1:07pm CDT

The Marlins have struck a deal (still unofficial) to ship out one reliever, and could still have more bullpen moves left to make. But the organization is also engaged on some position players. Here’s the latest …

  • While they haven’t seen loads of chatter in recent weeks, left-handed hitters Justin Bour and Derek Dietrich are both the subject of negotiations today, per Jon Heyman of Fancred (via Twitter). MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro has also cited (on Twitter) those two names, along with Starlin Castro and Cameron Maybin, as still-possible trade candidates as the deadline draws nigh. It’s worth noting that the latter two players (especially Castro) could perhaps still be moved in August if they aren’t dealt today.
  • The Athletics could be a team to watch on Dietrich, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro notes on Twitter. The Oakland organization has scouted Dietrich, per the report, and learned recently that Matt Joyce is going to be out a while longer with back issues, perhaps boosting the need for a lefty corner outfield bat. Dietrich, of course, can be controlled for two more seasons beyond the present.
  • There doesn’t appear to be any momentum toward a deal involving the Marlins’ most interesting potential trade candidate. In fact, there has been no chatter at all today on backstop J.T. Realmuto, Heyman tweets. Of course, we’ve heard plenty of indication in recent months that several clubs have engaged with the Fish on the star catcher, who can be offered arbitration through 2020. Perhaps, then, it’s still possible something could come together — if a contender decides at the last minute to meet Miami’s understandably lofty asking price.
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Athletics Miami Marlins Trade Candidate Cameron Maybin Derek Dietrich J.T. Realmuto Justin Bour Starlin Castro

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Tigers Hold Mike Fiers At Deadline

By Jeff Todd | July 31, 2018 at 1:00pm CDT

3:05pm:tweets Fiers won’t be going anywhere today, Fenech now .

2:39pm: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle has a pair of sources who do not think the A’s are close to a deal for Fiers, according to this tweet.

2:20pm: The Athletics are closing in on a deal that would deliver Tigers righty Mike Fiers to Oakland, according to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter).

Fiers, 33, has a 3.54 ERA, 6.6 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 1.54 HR/9, and 38% groundball rate in 20 starts across 117 innings for the Tigers this season.  He adds veteran depth to an Oakland rotation that currently includes Sean Manaea, Brett Anderson, Edwin Jackson, and Trevor Cahill.  Fiers inked a $6MM free agent deal with Detroit in December, and can be controlled for 2019 as an arbitration eligible player.  Fiers was a 22nd round draft pick of the Brewers back in 2009.  The soft-tosser has carved out a solid career, making 123 starts for the Brewers and Astros prior to this year.

The Athletics are currently just two games back from the Mariners for the second Wild Card spot, with FanGraphs giving them a 35% shot at the playoffs.  Ten days ago, they bolstered their bullpen with the addition of Jeurys Familia.

 

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Athletics Detroit Tigers Mike Fiers

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Rays Ask For Final Offers On Chris Archer

By Steve Adams | July 31, 2018 at 12:15am CDT

12:15pm: The Dodgers are also still “in play,” Jim Bowden of The Athletic tweets.

6:09pm: Despite some prior indications to the contrary, the Yankees remain involved in Archer’s market, per Andy Martino of SNY.tv (via Twitter). There are five additional clubs still involved as well, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reports: the Padres, Braves, Brewers, and two unnamed organizations.

5:24pm: The Rays have asked interested teams to make their best and final offers for right-hander Chris Archer, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay has been in touch with roughly a dozen teams about Archer and could spend tonight and tomorrow morning reviewing those offers before ultimately making a call on whether to deal Archer.

It should be noted that it’s far from a certainty that Archer is dealt at all. There’s a mix in the tone of reports surrounding the possibility of an Archer trade that is likely reflective of the lack of an industry consensus on whether he’ll actually be traded. For instance, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that there’s a stronger sense than ever before that Archer will finally move, as the Rays are cognizant that he’s approaching his 30th birthday and this may be their final chance to get an enormous haul for him.

On the flipside, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale spoke to one executive familiar with the market who took an “I’ll believe it when I see it” approach (Twitter link). ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, meanwhile, spoke to an exec who said he still feels Tampa Bay will need to be “overwhelmed” and, despite years of rumors, still “[doesn’t] see it happening.”

The full slate of teams who have submitted (or plan on submitting) an offer for Archer isn’t yet known. Over the weekend, the Braves, Dodgers, Yankees and Cardinals were all connected rather prominently to Archer, though Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweeted today that the Yankees are viewed as an “unlikely” fit for Archer. Sherman added earlier today that the Pirates have jumped into the mix as well, while the Brewers and the Athletics have both at least touched base.

The Padres, meanwhile, have been rumored to be the most aggressive pursuing Archer, envisioning him as a rotation fixture in 2019 and beyond as San Diego emerges from its rebuild and aims to contend. Yahoo’s Jeff Passan wrote today that San Diego has been “especially engaged” in the Archer market, though he notes that the Friars have not yet been willing to meet Tampa Bay’s lofty asking price. Topkin wrote yesterday that a young catcher and controllable power-hitting outfielder would be “a good start” to a package from the Rays’ vantage point, though Tampa Bay will obviously be seeking numerous young pieces in return for three-plus years of the right-hander.

Archer, 29, obviously remains a popular trade target despite a month-long stint on the disabled list and some bottom-line results that haven’t lined up with his peripheral stats in recent seasons. That’s once again the case in 2018, as Archer is sitting on a 4.31 ERA despite possessing a 3.62 FIP and xFIP as well as a 3.75 SIERA. He’s averaged a strong 9.6 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 with Tampa Bay this season and has made moderate gains in terms of swinging-strike rate (13.6 percent) and chase rate (32.3 percent). Archer is allowing just one homer per nine innings after struggling with the long ball in recent seasons, and he’s also boosted his ground-ball rate nearly three percent, from 42.0 up to 44.7.

Of course, the big draw with Archer is the affordability of his contract. He’s owed $2.o8MM through the end of the current season and is guaranteed just $7.5MM in 2019 before the Rays (or an acquiring team) have club options valued at $9MM and $11MM for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. In all, Archer can be controlled through 2021 for as little as $29.58MM, and in the event of a significant injury, he can be cut loose after 2019 and owed only a total of $11.33MM through the end of 2019.

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Athletics Atlanta Braves Los Angeles Dodgers Milwaukee Brewers New York Yankees Newsstand Pittsburgh Pirates San Diego Padres St. Louis Cardinals Tampa Bay Rays Chris Archer

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Athletics Place Chad Pinder On DL

By Connor Byrne | July 29, 2018 at 12:03pm CDT

12:03pm: Pinder suffered the injury in a car crash on Saturday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. It seems Pinder’s in for a lengthy absence, as Slusser writes that “he won’t be allowed to swing for awhile” after receiving stitches on his elbow and arm.

10:47am: The Athletics announced that they’ve placed infielder/outfielder Chad Pinder on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to Saturday, with a left elbow laceration. His roster spot will go to young infielder Franklin Barreto, whom the A’s recalled from Triple-A Nashville.

At 61-45 and one game out of a wild-card spot, the A’s have been among the game’s biggest surprises this season. Pinder has been a key part of their success, as the 26-year-old has enjoyed a career-best season to this point. The right-handed hitter has slashed .259/.332/.453 (116 wRC+) with 10 home runs and 1.4 fWAR across 236 plate appearances. Pinder has also seen action at several different positions, primarily left field, where he has posted six Defensive Runs Saved and a 4.1 Ultimate Zone Rating in 277 innings.

This is the second DL stint of the season for Pinder, who previously missed the minimum 10 days in April on account of a hyperextended left knee. It’s unclear how much time Pinder will sit out thanks to this injury, but regardless, his loss is an unwelcome development for Oakland. The good news is that the team will get another look at Barreto, whom Baseball America (subscription required) ranks as the majors’ 61st-best prospect.

A 22-year-old middle infielder, Barreto has totaled 134 major league PAs (including 58 this season) since 2017, though he has struggled to a .205/.246/.386 line with 57 strikeouts against six walks. Barreto also hasn’t produced inspiring results this year with Nashville, where he has put up a lofty 32.2 percent strikeout rate, but he has still hit a respectable .233/.347/.460 and shown off good power (11 home runs, .228 ISO) in 242 trips to the plate.

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Athletics Chad Pinder

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Frisaro’s Latest: Straily, Ziegler, Barraclough, Realmuto

By Kyle Downing | July 28, 2018 at 10:44am CDT

Following this past offseason’s fire sale of MLB assets, the Marlins are likely to ship out a few more players in the coming days prior to the non-waiver trade deadline. MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro has some updates on the market for a wide number of Miami assets as we approach July 31st.

  • An Athletics scout paid a visit to Marlins Park this past Thursday, and Frisaro reports that he was there to watch right-hander Dan Straily pitch. Straily fell just short of a quality start in that outing, allowing three runs in 5 2/3 innings with six strikeouts against three walks. Astonishingly, Straily’s been able to hold together a 4.07 ERA this season despite a cataclysmic 5.41 FIP. After flashing improved control across the past two seasons, Straily has relapsed back to a 4.29 BB/9 and dealt with right forearm inflammation at the outset of the season, so it remains to be seen whether he’d be an attractive trade target to the A’s organization that drafted and developed him.
  • After a rough start to the season that saw him lose his job as the team’s closer, sidewinder Brad Ziegler has rebounded nicely to post a 3.08 ERA in 39 appearances since the start of May (though peripherals paint a worse picture). The Marlins have plenty of potential suitors for the right-hander, Frisaro says, and lists the Cubs, Indians, Red Sox and A’s as potential fits. It’s worth noting that the latter two clubs are already familiar with Ziegler, as he’s spent time pitching for both organizations. The 38-year-old has already been traded twice in his lengthy career, and is playing out the final months of a two-year, $16MM deal.
  • Ziegler’s not the only reliever fielding interest, Frisaro notes, as nearly a dozen scouts have been in Miami recently to watch Kyle Barraclough, Drew Steckenrider and Adam Conley pitch. Last we heard, the Marlins had placed a high price on each of the three, but it’s still certainly plausible that many teams would be willing to pay that price for relievers that come with such controllable relief arms; each of the aforementioned three is under team control through at least 2021.
  • The Nationals still aren’t having any luck trying to pry catcher J.T. Realmuto from the hands of the Marlins. Frisaro reports that Miami’s NL East rival once again checked in on the club’s best trade asset, but were told that any package for Realmuto would require Washington to fork over both outfield prospect Victor Robles and shortstop prospect Carter Kieboom, both of whom are generally seen as top 100 prospects. Unsurpringly, conversations didn’t go far.
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Athletics Boston Red Sox Chicago Cubs Cleveland Guardians Miami Marlins Washington Nationals Adam Conley Brad Ziegler Carter Kieboom Cleveland Indians Dan Straily Drew Steckenrider J.T. Realmuto Kyle Barraclough Victor Robles

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Trade Chatter: Jones, Kela, Beltre, A’s, Gibson, Phillies

By Steve Adams | July 27, 2018 at 10:31am CDT

The Orioles haven’t yet approached Adam Jones about the possibility of waiving his no-trade clause, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. That doesn’t mean that the Orioles won’t be moving him, however, and Crasnick echoes previous reports in writing that both the Phillies and Indians have some degree of interest in Jones, who’d likely play right field for either club. Per Crasnick, there are some in the industry who feel Jones would want an extension in order to waive his full no-trade protection — Jones has 10-and-5 rights — though there’s been no firm indication of that from Jones’ camp, it seems.

Meanwhile, Jones himself chatted with MASNsports.com’s Steve Melewski about the possibility of being moved, calling reported interest from other teams “humbling” and “flattering.” The longtime Baltimore center fielder, though, says he has not yet discussed the possibility of approving a trade away from the Orioles with his family. “If the scenario is right, I want to win, I want play ball,” says Jones. “You look at these kind of scenarios and what is the best fit for you. When all the information comes and we get more information, I’ll be able to make a better decision based on the information.”

More trade chatter from around the league…

  • With Cole Hamels on his way to the Cubs, pending medical reviews, the next player the Rangers move could be closer Keone Kela, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Per Passan, clubs that have spoken to Texas about Kela “get a sense they’re getting close to something.” The Pirates have been the team most prominently linked to Kela in recent days, though a hard-throwing, 25-year-old reliever who can be controlled affordably through the 2021 season clearly won’t have any shortage of interested parties. Kela might be the Rangers’ best trade chip, given that remaining club control, although that control also lessens the Rangers’ sense of urgency in finding a trade partner.
  • Sticking with the Rangers, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reports that the Braves have emerged as somewhat of a longshot suitor for third baseman Adrian Beltre. Atlanta wouldn’t be looking to supplant Johan Camargo at third base, but Beltre would share some time at the hot corner with the much younger Camargo while deepening the Atlanta bench and providing some leadership on a youthful club. Beltre has the ability to veto any trade, of course, and reports have painted the possibility of a trade surrounding him to be remote. Sullivan also notes that, with regard to the Pirates and their interest in Kela, the Rangers could have some interest in starting pitching prospects Clay Holmes and Taylor Hearn.
  • The Athletics remain on the hunt for a rotation upgrade, but Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that the A’s “haven’t sounded particularly enthusiastic” about that market. If the A’s can’t find a starter at a price point they deem acceptable, they could instead look to add to their bullpen as a means of shortening games and taking some pressure off the current members of their rotation.
  • The Twins “have fielded inquiries” on right-hander Kyle Gibson, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, but they’re more interested in dealing their impending free agents than Gibson, who is controlled through 2019 and is in the midst of a breakout season. The former first-round pick was brilliant against the Red Sox last night, allowing one run over eight innings and lowering his ERA to 3.42 in the process. Through 129 innings, Gibson has averaged 8.8 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 and 0.91 HR/9. His fastball is up nearly a mile per hour over its 2017 average, and his 12.2 percent swinging-strike rate is easily a career-high. The Twins are currently seven games back of the division lead in the AL Central, but they’ve won four in a row. With three games in Boston and another hosting Cleveland before Tuesday’s non-waiver deadline, Minnesota faces a tough road to closing that gap.
  • Sherman also reports that the Phillies, after missing out on Manny Machado, would at the very least like to add a defensive upgrade at shortstop. Interestingly, he notes that the Phils have at least had internal discussions about reacquiring Freddy Galvis from the Padres. He also lists the Rays’ Adeiny Hechavarria and the Tigers’ Jose Iglesias as players that the Phillies’ front office has considered. The Phils have also been tied to Eduardo Escobar since Machado went to L.A.
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Athletics Atlanta Braves Baltimore Orioles Cleveland Guardians Detroit Tigers Minnesota Twins Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates San Diego Padres Tampa Bay Rays Texas Rangers Adam Jones Adeiny Hechavarria Adrian Beltre Clay Holmes Freddy Galvis Jose Iglesias Keone Kela Kyle Gibson Taylor Hearn

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Kendall Graveman To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

By Steve Adams | July 24, 2018 at 5:21pm CDT

Athletics right-hander Kendall Graveman will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair ligament damage in his right elbow, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Graveman tells Slusser that he’s been rehabbing in the minors for six weeks after an MRI revealed some damage, but he hasn’t healed sufficiently enough to avoid surgical repair. He’ll be out for the remainder of the 2018 season and will likely miss the majority of (or possibly all of) the 2019 campaign as well.

Graveman, 27, emerged as a solid mid-rotation option for the A’s from 2015-17 after coming over as part of the widely panned Josh Donaldson blockbuster with the Blue Jays. While he was hardly a household name outside of Oakland, Graveman worked to a 4.11 ERA with 5.6 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 1.1 HR/9 and well above-average ground-ball tendencies through 407 innings across that three-year span. That proved enough to land him an Opening Day start in 2018, but the season wound up being a forgettable one for the righty.

Graveman was tagged for five runs in five innings to kick off the Athletics’ season, and he ultimately made only six starts in the Majors (allowing three or more runs in each) before being surprisingly optioned to Triple-A Nashville. He’d return for one start in mid-May before being sent back to Nashville, and he’s been on the minor league disabled list since early June.

Because Graveman’s injury appears to have occurred in the minors, he’ll spend the remainder of the season on the minor league disabled list (barring an additional move to the MLB 60-day DL). As such, he’s not likely to accrue the Major League service time needed to reach four full years of service. Put another way, the circumstances of his season-ending injury seem likely to delay his path to free agency by a year. Graveman will finish out the season with between three and four years of service, meaning he’ll arbitration-eligible this offseason and once again in each of the two subsequent offseasons. While he’d previously been on track to hit the open market after the 2020 season, it now seems he’s lined up to reach free agency after the 2021 season.

Of course, that assumes that the A’s retain Graveman. He’s earning $2.375MM this season after avoiding arbitration for the first time last winter, and he’d likely be in line for the same salary — or at best, a very minimal raise — in 2019. There’s certainly reason to think the A’s would keep him around anyhow, as they’d effectively be paying him in 2019 for the right to control him cheaply in 2020-21, but the injury at the very least creates some uncertainty surrounding his future with the organization.

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Athletics Kendall Graveman

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Trade Rumblings & Reactions: Twins, O’s, Fulmer, Mets, Familia, Machado

By Mark Polishuk | July 22, 2018 at 10:41pm CDT

Among the many trade proposals being tossed around behind the scenes, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (Twitter links) hears that the Twins have been approached about dealing Brian Dozier and Eduardo Escobar in the same trade, while teams interested in Zach Britton have also asked the Orioles about a larger deal involving Dylan Bundy or Kevin Gausman.  Rosenthal is doubtful either scenario takes place, as Baltimore may not be looking to deal from its rotation and, more generally, teams usually prefer to deal players individually rather than package together several trade chips in a single blockbuster move.  In regards to the Twins, Rosenthal speculates that the Brewers could have been the team who asked about the multi-player deal — Milwaukee has the most glaring need of any contender for middle infield help, and the Brew Crew has been connected to both Dozier and Escobar in reports.

Here’s more on some completed, and perhaps potential, trades as we approach the deadline…

  • Though an oblique strain sent Michael Fulmer to the DL on Friday, at least one team still has some trade interest in the Tigers right-hander, a rival scout for the mystery team told The Athletic’s Emily Waldon (Twitter link).  Much depends, obviously, on how quickly Fulmer is able to return from the injury, as he wouldn’t be able to pitch in the postseason for any club that acquired him after August 31.  I’d think that unless Fulmer makes an unusually speedy recovery, the Tigers would prefer to wait until the offseason so they could gain full value for what might be their best trade asset.  The Athletics can probably be ruled out as the team still in on Fulmer, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link) notes that the A’s had “some interest,” though that was prior to the injury news.
  • Mets assistant GM John Ricco discussed his team’s trade of closer Jeurys Familia to the A’s while speaking with reporters (including the New York Post’s Zach Braziller) today, saying that the Mets felt they would’ve received a worse return for a rental player like Familia had they waited longer for a deal.  The fact that Oakland was willing to take on the remainder of Familia’s contract wasn’t a major factor, as Ricco said the Mets are willing and able to take on salary in other trades.  “We made the judgment the talent level for eating money wasn’t going to be there, so we decided to do the [Familia] deal where we moved the money,” Ricco said.
  • Ricco’s explanation notwithstanding, the Familia trade has drawn criticism for the relatively small return (two minor prospects and $1MM in international bonus money) the Mets received, particularly with so many teams looking for bullpen help.  Sources from rival teams interested in Familia told The Athletic’s Jim Bowden (subscription required) that they didn’t know why the Mets didn’t approach them one final time to give them a chance to top Oakland’s offer.
  • More favorable reviews were given to the Manny Machado deal between the Orioles and Dodgers, from front office executives and scouts surveyed by Baseball America.  Speaking anonymously, the evaluators spoke positively about the five-prospect package Baltimore received for Machado, particularly since [which could also go to the Mets’ logic on dealing Familia when they did] rental players have become harder to move in the modern trading climate.  “For a rental these days, getting [Yusniel] Diaz and [Dean] Kremer was good in my opinion. In general I don’t see teams sacrificing top talent for two-plus months (of a big league player),” one American League front office official said.
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Athletics Baltimore Orioles Detroit Tigers Los Angeles Dodgers Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins New York Mets Brian Dozier Dylan Bundy Eduardo Escobar Jeurys Familia Kevin Gausman Manny Machado Michael Fulmer Zach Britton

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Red Sox, A’s, Others “Evaluating” Mike Fiers

By Connor Byrne | July 22, 2018 at 6:56pm CDT

TODAY: The Athletics are also interested in Fiers, according to reports from the Detroit News’ Chris McCosky and MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi, though there haven’t yet been any serious talks between Oakland and Detroit.

SATURDAY: Tigers right-hander Mike Fiers started against the Red Sox on Saturday, but he may find himself on Boston’s roster soon. With the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline nearing, the Red Sox are one of several clubs “evaluating” Fiers, Buster Olney of ESPN tweets.

Although Boston possesses the majors’ best record (69-30) and a five-game lead in the AL East, injuries have recently taken a bite out of its rotation. Mid-rotation arm Eduardo Rodriguez incurred “serious damage” to his right ankle last week, forcing him to the disabled list, and both Drew Pomeranz and Steven Wright are currently on the DL with him. Pomeranz will return Tuesday, but he has been woeful in eight starts this year (6.81 ERA/5.37 FIP across 37 innings). Wright, meanwhile, has been battling left knee problems that have shelved him for the past month and will keep him out for the foreseeable future.

In the absence of Rodriguez, Pomeranz will join either Brian Johnson or Hector Velazquez and the high-end trio of Chris Sale, Rick Porcello and David Price to comprise Boston’s rotation. At best, the 33-year-old Fiers would be Boston’s fourth starter in Rodriguez’s absence, but he’d nonetheless provide the team a proven back-end option. A former Brewer and Astro, Fiers has generally been respectable since debuting in 2011, evidenced by a 4.10 ERA/4.31 FIP with 8.28 K/9 and 2.72 BB/9 over 141 starts (830 2/3 innings).

Fiers endured a difficult 2017 with the title-winning Astros, but he has rebounded this season with the Tigers after signing a one-year, $6MM deal in free agency. Through 111 innings, including 6 1/3 scoreless frames versus the Red Sox on Saturday, Fiers has worked to a 3.49 ERA with 6.65 K/9, 1.95 BB/9 and the game’s 17th-best infield fly percentage among qualified starters (12.7). On the other hand, some of Fiers’ other numbers aren’t so encouraging (39.4 percent groundball rate, 4.57 FIP/4.76 xFIP/4.49 SIERA), which is something the Red Sox and other teams will have to weigh when considering swinging a trade for him. In the event the Tigers do find a taker for Fiers, he could also be on the acquiring team’s roster in 2019 – his final year of arbitration eligibility.

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Athletics Boston Red Sox Detroit Tigers Mike Fiers

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Trade Rumors: Abreu, Brewers, BoSox, Twins, Royals, Dodgers, Brach, Treinen

By Connor Byrne | July 22, 2018 at 10:15am CDT

As an established veteran on a cellar-dwelling team, White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu has come up often as a speculative trade candidate, but the club’s “strongly inclined” to retain him, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. The 31-year-old hasn’t exactly boosted his trade value this season, having hit a career-worst .250/.312/.435 (101 wRC+, compared to 139 from 2014-17) and accounted for a replacement-level WAR across 407 plate appearances. Regardless of whether the White Sox keep Abreu, he’s slated to go through arbitration once more over the winter. In the meantime, he’s on a $13MM salary this season.

More trade-related items as the countdown to the July 31 deadline continues…

  • The Brewers’ interest in Royals second baseman/outfielder Whit Merrifield has been known for a while, and Robert Murray of The Athletic (subscription required) explores the possibility of Milwaukee acquiring him. The Brewers haven’t pursued Merrifield as aggressively as they did during the winter, according to Murray, who hears he’d be rather expensive to pry out of Kansas City. Landing Merrifield would require “three higher-end prospects, at least,” an executive told Murray. Milwaukee happens to have a quality farm system, though it’s unlikely to trade its best prospect – second baseman Keston Hiura – suggests Murray, who goes on to run down farmhands the team could deal for Merrifield. The 29-year-old Merrifield has upped his stock during a terrific season in which he has hit .305/.375/.429 with five home runs and 17 steals through 412 PAs. Adding to his appeal, Merrifield’s on a near-minimum salary this season and won’t even be eligible for arbitration until after the 2019 campaign.
  • The Red Sox sent a high-level executive, senior vice president of baseball operations Frank Wren, to scout the Royals–Twins game on Friday, per Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press. It’s unclear which players Wren focused on, though it’s worth pointing out that Boston has shown reported interest in both Merrifield and Royals teammate Mike Moustakas. And with the Twins likely to sell at the deadline, Buster Olney of ESPN doesn’t rule out the Red Sox pursuing second baseman Brian Dozier.
  • Along with Baltimore’s closer, Zach Britton, the reliever-needy Dodgers are interested in Orioles setup man Brad Brach, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. The Dodgers have also scouted the Marlins and Rays and “monitored” Athletics closer Blake Treinen, Shaikin adds, though it seems improbable he’ll go anywhere with the A’s making a major push for a playoff spot. Conversely, as a pending free agent on a rebuilding team, the 32-year-old Brach is a good bet to end up in another uniform in the coming weeks. The problem for Baltimore is that Brach is in the midst of his least effective season in a while, with a 4.34 ERA/3.61 FIP and a 4.34 BB/9 in 37 1/3 innings. On the positive side, Brach has struck out upward of nine hitters per nine and generated swinging strikes at a solid clip (13.2 percent).
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Athletics Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Chicago White Sox Kansas City Royals Los Angeles Dodgers Miami Marlins Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins Tampa Bay Rays Blake Treinen Brad Brach Brian Dozier Jose Abreu Keston Hiura Whit Merrifield

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