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Latest On Athletics

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Plenty of eyes will be on left-hander Rich Hill on Sunday as he makes what could be his final start with the Athletics, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Scouts from a handful of playoff-contending clubs – the Red Sox, Rangers, Orioles, Marlins and Tigers – will be in attendance to observe Hill’s home outing against the Blue Jays.

Hill, 36, has unexpectedly established himself as a hot commodity leading up to the Aug. 1 trade deadline since his torrid stretch as a member of the aforementioned BoSox last September. Dating back to that four-start run, the journeyman has performed like an ace over a 105-inning sample, having recorded a 2.06 ERA, 10.8 K/9, 2.83 BB/9, 49.6 percent ground-ball percentage and 17.9 percent infield fly rate. As a result, the A’s are hoping to land a haul similar to the one they received from Houston for southpaw Scott Kazmir last year (two prospects, right-hander Daniel Mengden and catcher Jacob Nottingham), according to Slusser, who notes that a Hill trade isn’t necessarily a sure bet.

If the A’s can’t find a deal to their liking for Hill, they could retain him through the season and then tender the free agent-to-be a qualifying offer, which will be worth in the $17MM neighborhood. Should Hill accept, that would give him roughly $23MM over two years with the A’s (including $6MM this season), which, considering his performance, wouldn’t be an unreasonable cost for his services. However, the A’s are much less likely to keep Hill and qualify him than they are right fielder Josh Reddick, per Slusser. Reddick – another pending free agent – is drawing pre-deadline interest around the league, as Slusser reported last weekend, and he and the A’s are far apart on contract extension talks.

In the event Oakland does shop one or both of Hill or Reddick, it won’t try to attach designated hitter Billy Butler and his contract to either, adds Slusser. The A’s are more worried about maximizing the return for their best trade assets than taking less just to throw Butler’s $15MM overboard. Since signing a three-year, $30MM deal with the A’s in November 2014, the ex-Royal has become an afterthought. In 163 plate appearances this season, the 30-year-old Butler has hit .253/.307/.380 with two home runs. His poor output could lead Oakland to eventually designate him for assignment, Slusser writes.

Interestingly, third baseman Danny Valencia is another designation candidate, reports Slusser, even though he has batted a fantastic .295/.348/.507 with 30 home runs in 659 PAs going back to last year. Despite that production and his cheap team control through next season, Valencia is not garnering interest, relays Slusser. With the out-of-contention A’s looking to evaluate their younger talent, the 31-year-old Valencia could end up designated – as he was with the Royals last season – if Oakland can’t find a taker for him. Whether Valencia is open to positions other than third and how he handles a decrease in playing time might keep the A’s from giving him his walking papers, however, according to Slusser.

A's Asking Price Kept BoSox From Rich Hill Deal

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Given that they’re in the same division as the Red Sox, the Rays wanted no part of trading any of their controllable arms to Boston before the latter picked up Drew Pomeranz from San Diego earlier this week, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI. The Red Sox might have had interest in Tampa Bay’s young starters had it been open to a deal, Bradford writes. Meanwhile, both the Athletics’ asking price for 36-year-old southpaw Rich Hill and his status as a pending free agent prevented Boston from trying to reacquire him, according to Bradford.

Athletics To Reduce Danny Valencia's Role

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  • Just-promoted prospect Ryon Healy will serve as the Athletics’ primary third baseman, manager Bob Melvin told reporters including John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). That leaves hot-hitting Danny Valencia to pick up plate appearances at first base and the corner outfield. Oakland’s decision to modify and reduce Valencia’s role seems to suggest that he isn’t a major part of the club’s plans for 2017. That, in turn, would presumably increase the team’s inclination to deal him this summer.
  • Athletics reliever Fernando Rodriguez will miss four to six weeks after being diagnosed with a lat tear, Hickey tweets. Rodriguez expressed surprise and disappointment with the prognosis. The 32-year-old has been a steady, albeit not a dominant, member of the A’s pen for the last two years. Over 40 2/3 innings in 2015, he owns a 4.20 ERA with 8.2 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9.

Athletics Designate Nick Tepesch, Option Billy Burns, Promote Ryon Healy

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The Athletics have made a series of roster heading out of the break, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Young corner infielder Ryon Healy is coming up to take the place of struggling outfielder Billy Burns, who has been optioned. The club designated righty Nick Tepesch to clear 40-man space.

[Related: Updated Athletics Depth Chart]

Parting with Tepesch wasn’t too difficult for Oakland, given that he was only just claimed a few weeks ago. But the 27-year-old might have provided some useful rotation depth for the organization, which would come in handy in the event that one or more starters end up being traded in the coming weeks. He might yet, of course, as it’s possible that he’ll end up in the A’s system.

Burns had been expected to hold down semi-regular duties in center field, but the 26-year-old has failed to follow up on a quality 2015 campaign. Indeed, he has been about half as productive with the bat as he was last year, putting up a meager .234/.270/.303 slash. The speedy Burns does have 14 swipes and a useful glove, but that’s not enough to compensate for such a rough go at the dish.

As for Healy, 24, this represents his first crack at the majors. He earned an early-season promotion to Triple-A after destroying Double-A pitching, and is off to a .318/.362/.505 start over his first 210 plate appearances at the highest level of the minors. Healy doesn’t offer top-flight power — he’s at 14 on the year and has never finished a professional season with more than 16 — but is certainly trending up in that regard and seems to carry a well-rounded overall bat.

Mets Prioritizing Bullpen In Trade Talks

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The Mets have seen their vaunted young rotation display its mortality this season, particularly with the loss of Matt Harvey, and have also suffered a number of injuries throughout the starting lineup — most notably, David Wright and Lucas Duda. Nevertheless, the team feels that another relief arm is its top need at the moment, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post.

New  York’s National League entrant isn’t necessarily prioritizing a premium closer or setup man, per the report. Puma lists Ryan Buchter and Brad Hand of the Padres, Chris Withrow of the Braves and John Axford of the Athletics as plausible targets for the Mets. (For what it’s worth, the guess here is that Buchter would require quite a bit more than the other names, given his skyrocketing strikeout rate and lengthy, cheap control.)

The report also names Jeremy Jeffress as a possibility in the event that the Mets wish to pursue another club’s closer, although the asking price on Jeffress is said to be quite high. One name that GM Sandy Alderson and his staff did not pursue, according to Puma, was Fernando Rodney — who recently went from the Padres to the Marlins in an early July swap.

While some fans may prefer to see the Mets pursue some help for their ailing rotation, the club’s current plan is to use Logan Verrett in the rotation until Zack Wheeler is able to return to next month. Should Verrett falter, Puma lists Triple-A righty Gabriel Ynoa as an alternative option. Any further setbacks for Wheeler could also change the calculus.

Having already moved to shore things up in other areas, and having cashed in some notable trade chips during last season’s run, it’s not surprising to see attention move to the pen. The unit rates quite well by most measures, but that’s mostly driven by late-inning righties Jeurys Familia, Addison Reed and Hansel Robles, who are joined by southpaw Jerry Blevins to form  a solid core. Beyond that foursome, though, the results have been uneven. Alderson was quite successful in rescuing Reed a summer ago, and may be on the lookout for another chance to harness a talented arm at a reasonable price.

Latest On Marlins’ Rotation Search

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The Marlins have been linked to rotation upgrades for the majority of the summer, and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald adds Rich Hill’s name to the list of potential targets for the Fish. Additionally, Jackson notes that the Marlins continue to show interest in Tampa Bay right-hander Jake Odorizzi and San Diego lefty Drew Pomeranz.

Of course, as Jackson notes (and has pointed out in the past), the Marlins are thin on enticing trade chips due to a lack of impact prospects in the farm system. Miami’s prospect depth took a further hit a couple of weeks ago when the club picked up Fernando Rodney in a trade that sent promising Class-A right-hander Chris Paddack to the Padres.

While Hill certainly doesn’t have a lengthy track record of health or the type of dominance he’s displayed since last September, he’s arguably the top rental pitcher on this summer’s trade market and should command a rather strong return. He’s pitched to a 2.25 ERA with 10.7 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 50 percent ground-ball rate in 76 innings. He did miss the month of June with a strained groin, and he’s already pitched more Major League innings in 2016 than he did in 2013-15 combined. However, given his strong performance and modest $6MM salary — to say nothing of a report from FOX’s Ken Rosenthal that Hill could potentially be extended by a new club — Hill is a lock to draw widespread interest. That’s not great news for the Marlins, who would likely have a tough time topping the offers of rivals with considerably deeper farm systems.

Jackson writes that in the absence of a trade to acquire a starting pitcher, the club could turn to right-hander Jarred Cosart, who was formerly one of the top prospects in baseball and was hoped to become a key piece of the Miami rotation. Instead, Cosart has persistently struggled in the Major Leagues and was demoted to Triple-A earlier this season. He spent a month on the minor league DL with an oblique strain and has pitched to a combined 4.02 ERA with 5.7 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9 in 47 innings between Triple-A and a brief rehab stint in the organization’s lower levels this year.

If not Cosart, the Marlins have veteran righty Jeremy Guthrie pitching for their Triple-A affiliate, though he’s struggled with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate this season and has surrendered 15 runs in 15 innings with the Marlins’ Triple-A affiliate. Jose Urena and Justin Nicolino are other rotation options, as can be seen on their depth chart. For the time being, the Marlins have Jose Fernandez, Wei-Yin Chen, Adam Conley and Tom Koehler lined up to make their first four starts out of the break. Miami doesn’t have the luxury of an off-day next Monday, which would’ve allowed the team to skip the fifth spot in its rotation and extended the club’s window to pursue outside additions.

Manfred On Athletics, MLB Diversity, Minor League Wages, Schedule, Kang

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MLB commissioner Rob Manfred had a wide-ranging conversation with reporters today in San Diego. Here’s a little of what he had to say, via Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8), Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller (1 2 3), David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (1) and John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.

  • Manfred lists the number of African-American players (currently 8%, although he says 20% of recent first-round draft picks have been African-American) as a significant concern. “This is an economic imperative for us,” he says, noting that, as the US becomes increasingly diverse, MLB must strive for diversity as well. On a somewhat related note, Manfred also said that the lack of a Latino manager in the game right now was “glaring.”
  • MLB will not consider expanding until the Rays and Athletics get their stadium issues resolved, Manfred says. Manfred sounds determined to keep a team in Oakland, however. “I am committed to Oakland as a major league site,” he says. If the A’s were to depart, “we would be looking backwards and saying we made a mistake.” He adds that he thinks the Oakland market will be increasingly appealing going forward. “I think the growth in that area, the way the growth has moved up into San Francisco, I think Oakland is more likely than not to be a better market five years from now than it is today,” he says.
  • Perhaps unsurprisingly, Manfred said he was confident that labor talks this offseason would not result in a strike or lockout.
  • Of the current clamor to raise wages for minor league players (which has included a class-action lawsuit brought by former minor leaguers), Manfred says, “Excessive regulation could have a really dramatic impact on the size of minor league baseball,” seemingly suggesting that increased wages might result in the folding of some minor league teams.
  • It sounds like Manfred expects some form of draft pick compensation for free agents to continue into the next Collective Bargaining Agreement — he says owners would be making a “major concession” if draft-pick compensation were to be dropped.
  • It sounds like Manfred did not come out in support of an international draft today quite as strongly as he has in the past, but he did say MLB needs “a more transparent operating system in the international player acquisition process.”
  • Manfred admits that the current 162-game schedule is tough on players, and says players and owners are currently discussing ways to reduce the difficulty of the season by optimizing game times and improving teams’ travel schedules. Of the possibility of reducing the number of games, however, he says, “You want to work less, generally you get paid less.”
  • The league has not received enough information from law enforcement to decide whether Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang, who has been accused of sexual assault, should be placed on administrative leave.

The Pros Of Extending Josh Reddick

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  • If Josh Reddick was indeed willing to accept a four-year extension in the $50-$52MM range from the A’s, Nico of the Athletics Nation blog feels the club should absolutely make that deal.  Though there are some questions about Reddick’s long-term viability, the length and relative inexpensiveness of that proposed contract (not to mention Reddick’s role as a leader in the Oakland clubhouse) should ensure that Reddick still has value even if his skills do slightly diminish.

Ryan Madson Drawing Trade Interest

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With right-hander Ryan Dull in the midst of a breakout season, the 38-50 Athletics could be more inclined to listen to trade offers for other relievers prior to the Aug. 1 deadline, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Teams were already showing interest in southpaw Sean Doolittle as of two weeks ago, but that was before he hit the disabled list June 30 with a shoulder strain. Clubs are now looking at fellow late-game option Ryan Madson, reports Slusser, who lists the Blue Jays, Nationals and Cubs as teams on the hunt for relief help. There are no indications, however, that the A’s are looking to deal anyone from their bullpen, per Slusser.

Madson, 35, joined the A’s on a three-year, $22MM contract last December and has converted 17 of 22 save opportunities in his first 37 1/3 innings in Oakland. One of those five blown save chances occurred Sunday for the righty, who has recorded a 3.62 ERA, 7.47 K/9, 3.13 BB/9 and 39.1 percent ground-ball rate.

Madson’s 2016 output has been markedly worse than the production he compiled last year as a member of the World Series champion Royals, with whom he posted a 2.13 ERA, 8.24 K/9, 1.99 BB/9 and 55 percent ground-ball mark in 63 1/3 frames. That represented an improbable and tremendous rebound for Madson, who hadn’t pitched in the majors since 2011 because of elbow issues. Previous to that, he served as a relief weapon in Philadelphia for several years. Madson averaged in the 94 mph range with his fastball during his days as a Phillie, and he has continued to do that since returning to the league last season.

A's Rumors: Hill, Lowrie

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  • The Red Sox considered trading for Athletics infielder Jed Lowrie before acquiring Aaron Hill from the Brewers on Thursday. But Hill’s relationship with Red Sox infield coach Brian Butterfield helped tip the scales in his favor. Lowrie played in Boston from 2008-11 after the franchise drafted him 45th overall in 2005.

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