Rays, Rangers, Diamondbacks Interested In Catchers
With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, there are still many moving pieces. Joel Sherman of The New York Post (Twitter links) reports that the Rays, Marlins, Rangers and Diamondbacks are in the catching market, with Austin Hedges of the Pirates a speculative fit. It was reported in June that the Marlins were keeping an eye on the catching market.
Hedges, 30, has never provided much offensively, with a career batting line of .189/.247/.323 dating back to 2015. This year’s line of .180/.237/.230 is even lower than his career output. But he’s always garnered attention as a glove-first backstop. He has career tallies of 83 Defensive Runs Saved and a grade of 77.3 from the FanGraphs framing metric. The former figure is tops in the majors for that stretch while the latter places him third.
Despite that strong defensive work, there would be logic in the Pirates moving on. They are currently nine games out of a playoff spot with a record of 47-58. Hedges is on a one-year, $5MM deal and is an impending free agent. They have already traded another impending free agent in Carlos Santana and reportedly have a deal in place to send Rich Hill and Ji Man Choi to the Padres as they approach the open market as well. With catching prospects Henry Davis and Endy Rodríguez already at the big league level, it makes sense to send Hedges elsewhere and let those two take the reins.
The listed suitors all make sense due to recent injuries. The Rays lost Francisco Mejía to a left knee MCL sprain about two weeks ago, leaving them with Christian Bethancourt and René Pinto as the only healthy backstops on their 40-man roster. The Diamondbacks are in a similar position after placing Gabriel Moreno on the IL about a week ago due to shoulder inflammation, leaving them with Carson Kelly and José Herrera. The Rangers recently lost Jonah Heim to the injured list due to a wrist issue and surgery is still possible, leaving them with Mitch Garver and Sam Huff as their health options on the roster.
Any of those clubs would be a sensible addition for extra catching help, as they are each currently in possession of a playoff spot. Apart from Hedges, some catchers that could be available include Yasmani Grandal, Elias Díaz, Joey Bart, Víctor Caratini, Iván Herrera, Tom Murphy and Omar Narváez.
Cubs Interested In Left-Handed Bullpen Arms
The Cubs, after surging back to .500 ahead of the trade deadline thanks to a recent eight-game win streak, have left their previously-expected role as sellers behind them and instead pivoted toward buying by landing third baseman Jeimer Candelario in a deal with the Nationals yesterday. With just a couple of hours left before the trade deadline, Chicago appears to have at least one more item on their shopping list: relief pitching, particularly from the left side.
Both Bruce Levine of WSCR-AM and Jesse Rogers of ESPN have linked the club to the lefty relief market in recent days, with Levine noting the club’s interest in Mets left-hander Brooks Raley while Rogers lists Rockies southpaw Brent Suter and Aaron Bummer of the White Sox as potential options for the Cubs. Jon Heyman of the New York Post, meanwhile, suggested a reunion with the Cubs as one possible destination for Diamondbacks lefty Andrew Chafin, who he suggests “could be dealt” before this evening’s deadline.
While the club appears to have a preference for a southpaw, they’ve also apparently explored adding right-handed relief options, as Levine reports the club has “kicked the tires” on Pirates closer David Bednar while Rogers suggests the club could have interest in Tigers right-handers Alex Lange and Jason Foley. While the club already added a right-handed relief option yesterday by acquiring Jose Cuas from the Royals, each of Bednar, Lange, and Foley would figure to be a more impactful option than Cuas, who sports a 4.54 ERA in 45 appearances this season.
That the bullpen would be a focus for Chicago is hardly a surprise, as the club’s 3.93 in the bullpen this season ranks middle-of-the-pack, with offseason acquisitions Brad Boxberger and Michael Fulmer having largely struggled in Chicago while expected late-inning options Keegan Thompson and Brandon Hughes have struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness.
Phillies To Acquire Michael Lorenzen
The Phillies are reportedly acquiring Michael Lorenzen from the Tigers. Infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee is headed back to Detroit.
Lorenzen has seemed a near-lock to be traded for a few months. The right-hander has found plenty of success in his second season since moving back to the rotation. After posting a 4.24 ERA through 18 appearances for the Angels last year, he’s allowing 3.58 earned runs per nine in as many outings this time around.
Signed to a one-year, $8.5MM free agent deal last winter, Lorenzen began his Detroit tenure on the injured list. A groin strain cost him the first two weeks of the season, but he was on the Comerica Park mound by mid-April. He was hit hard in two of his first three outings but settled in nicely thereafter.
Lorenzen has worked 105 2/3 innings, just under six frames per start. He’s not blowing hitters away; his 19.9% strikeout rate and 9.8% swinging strike percentage are each a little lower than the respective MLB averages. Lorenzen has shown much improved control, though, keeping his walk rate at a modest 6.5% clip after handing out free passes north of 10% of the time in each of the previous three seasons.
All told, Lorenzen has allowed two or fewer runs in 11 of his 18 outings. He secured his first All-Star nod as a result. He’s been effective against hitters of either handedness, holding lefties to a .201/.279/.355 line and right-handers to a .274/.293/.381 slash. He’s mixing four pitchers (four-seam, slider, changeup and sinker) with regularity.
The middling whiff rates lead ERA estimators to suggest that Lorenzen’s 3.58 ERA isn’t quite warranted. Opponents have a modest .264 average on balls in play against him, the 10th lowest mark among starters with 100+ innings. Yet even if a few more batted balls drop in and his ERA ticks up around 4.00 (where estimators generally peg him), he’d be a valuable pickup for a club seeking pitching depth.
Philadelphia has a starting five of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez. They’ll run with a six-man rotation over the next two weeks, tweets Jayson Stark of the Athletic. The club doesn’t have an off day until August 14, so they’ll take the opportunity to give the entire group some extra rest.
At that point, the Phils will likely decide whether to kick one of Lorenzen or Sánchez to relief. The latter has stepped up to solidify an uncertain fifth starter spot over the past month. He’s worked to a 2.66 ERA with average or better strikeout, walk and ground-ball marks over nine starts. The depth behind him wasn’t particularly strong, though. Bailey Falter struggled mightily early in the year. Andrew Painter underwent elbow surgery. The Phils have been reluctant to push minor league righties Mick Abel and Griff McGarry into a pennant race too quickly.
As a result, they’ll beat the market for one of the top rental starters still available. Lorenzen is due around $2.79MM in salary through season’s end. The Phils have already exceeded the second tier of luxury tax penalization. They’re going to surpass the CBT for the second straight season. As a result, they’re taxed at a 42% rate on additional spending up to the $273MM third threshold. Roster Resource calculates their current CBT number just above $262MM.
They’ll pay around $1.17MM in taxes to accommodate Lorenzen, bringing their expenditure to around $3.97MM. Lorenzen would also tack on $250K in performance bonus (also taxed at a 42% rate) for reaching 125, 150 and 175 innings (with further incentives available but likely unattainable). Lorenzen will head back to free agency at year’s end, when the Phils will hopefully feel more comfortable breaking Abel and McGarry into MLB action.
As for the Tigers, their signing of Lorenzen worked out as intended. Rebuilding teams take one-year fliers on veterans of this ilk every offseason with an eye towards a midseason trade. Rarely does it work out as effectively as it did for Detroit. Lorenzen was always an unlikely qualifying offer candidate, so they’ll indeed flip him for a prospect of interest.
Lee, 20, is a right-handed hitting second baseman from Taiwan. He has been at High-A Jersey Shore, hitting .283/.372/.401 through 285 plate appearances. Lee is walking at a quality 10.2% clip against a modest 18.6% strikeout rate. He’s only hit five home runs but has stolen 14 bases in 17 tries.
He recently ranked eighth on Baseball America’s ranking of the Phillies’ farm system. As his slash line suggests, BA’s report indicates he’s a hit-over-power player with a shot to stick in the middle infield. Below-average arm strength and range make him a best fit for second base. While the hit-focused second baseman is a tough profile to pull off, Lee’s minor league production is solid. He won’t be eligible for the Rule 5 draft until after the 2025 season.
Jon Morosi of MLB.com first reported the Tigers and Phillies were nearing a deal that’d send Lorenzen to Philadelphia while getting Lee back as part of the return. Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reported the deal was agreed upon and would be a one-for-one swap.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Mariners Acquire Eduard Bazardo
The Mariners have acquired right-hander Eduard Bazardo from the Orioles in exchange for minor league righty Logan Rinehart, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports (Twitter link). Baltimore designated Bazardo for assignment two days ago.
Bazardo has seen limited action in each of the last three Major League seasons, debuting with three innings for the Red Sox in 2021, 16 1/3 more frames (over 12 appearances) in 2022, and then 2 1/3 innings over three games with the Orioles this year. The Sox also DFA’ed Bazardo after last season and he opted for minor league free agency, landing with the O’s on a minors deal during the offseason. That minor league contract was selected in early July, with Bazardo only getting a few weeks of big league time before being designated once more.
Turning 27 next month, Bazardo has posted some solid numbers throughout his minor league career, including a 3.05 ERA, 27.2% strikeout rate, and 7% walk rate over 38 1/3 frames with the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate this season. He makes for some interesting bullpen depth for a Mariners team who just dealt Paul Sewald, and could potentially have more openings in the bullpen depending on how other moves may shake out on deadline day.
Rinehart was a 16th-round pick for the Mariners in the 2019 draft, though between the canceled 2020 minor league and a Tommy John surgery, he missed two full seasons of work. Returning to the mound in 2022, Rinehart has mostly pitched with Seattle’s high-A affiliate and looked good, particularly with a 2.84 ERA, 51.2% grounder rate, and 33.6% strikeout rate over 38 innings. This is Rinehart’s first season as a full-time reliever, so the 25-year-old’s ultimate future may be in the bullpen.
Nationals Claim Robert Garcia
The Nationals claimed left-hander Robert Garcia off waivers from the Marlins this afternoon, per a team announcement. There had been no previous public indication that Garcia, who the Marlins selected to the roster in early July, had been placed on waivers, but the move opens up a spot on the club’s 40-man roster. There’s no need for a corresponding move on the part of the Nationals, as a spot 0n their 40-man was opened by yesterday’s Jeimer Candelario trade.
Garcia, 27, made his major league debut with the Marlins earlier this year, though he recorded just one out in his only appearance while surrendering a hit and a walk. While Garcia has virtually no major league experience, he’s pitched well during his time in the minors with a 2.85 ERA in 41 1/3 innings of work with a 35.4% strikeout rate at the Triple-A level. That kind of strikeout ability could certainly prove valuable to a Nationals club that currently relies on Jose Ferrer and Joe La Sora, both of whom sport ERAs north of five, as their left-handed bullpen options.
As for the Marlins, the club will now have additional 40-man roster flexibility as they head into the final hours before the trade deadline. While Garcia certainly appears to be a useful, optionable relief arm, Miami has a well-stocked bullpen that has A.J. Puk, Tanner Scott, and Steven Okert as options from the left side and recently added late-inning arms in David Robertson and Jorge Lopez to the mix.
Latest On Yankees’ Deadline Approach
With the Yankees in last place in the AL East despite a decent 55-51 record, their path forward remains somewhat murky with less than four hours to go before the trade deadline. Joel Sherman of the New York Post indicates that the club could look to both buy and sell, searching for long-term controllable pieces in areas of need while fielding offers on the pending free agents on their roster.
Several of the club’s pending free agents, including Luis Severino and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, have had difficult seasons in 2023, but could nonetheless draw interest as low-cost, depth additions from other clubs. Lefty Wandy Peralta, who has a 2.29 ERA in 47 appearances out of New York’s bullpen this year, and center fielder Harrison Bader have both fared better in their walk years, with Bader in particular drawing interest per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. Sherman more specifically notes that the Yankees and Phillies have discussed Bader, though there is “limited traction” on a deal between the sides.
Sherman adds that the Yankees have discussed closer Clay Holmes in trade talks, despite Holmes being controllable through the 2024 campaign. That being said, Sherman noted that the asking price for Holmes is exorbitant, rendering a deal regarding the club’s closer unlikely. The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty adds to that doubt, noting that it’s “highly unlikely” the club parts with either Holmes or fellow leverage reliever Michael King.
As far as buying goes, the club has been frequently connected to Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson in the days and weeks leading up to the deadline, and those connections haven’t stopped today. Kuty, Sherman, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand have are among those who have linked the Yankees and Carlson recently. That being said, Heyman cautions that the Cardinals are unlikely to deal Carlson unless they get a young MLB starter in return. That’s a price the Yankees could pay if they so chose, with youngsters Clarke Schmidt and Jhony Brito currently occupying spots in the club’s starting rotation.
As Feinsand notes, that Carlson’s ability to play quality defense in center field could be of particular value given Bader’s status as a pending free agent. Carlson could take over for Bader in center immediately in the event of a trade before the deadline, or play left field for the remainder of the 2023 campaign and shift over to center in the event Bader departs via free agency this offseason.
Jared Walsh Clears Waivers, Accepts Outright Assignment With Angels
The Angels announced Tuesday that first baseman Jared Walsh went unclaimed on outright waivers and has accepted an assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake. He’ll remain in the organization but no longer occupy a spot on the 40-man roster.
Walsh broke out with a hefty .280/.331/.531 slash and 38 home runs in 176 games from 2020-21, cementing his place on the Angels’ roster in the process. However, the now-29-year-old late bloomer has seen his production plummet in the two seasons since, due largely to alarming health issues. Walsh underwent thoracic outlet surgery last summer, ending his season after 118 games of .215/.269/.374 output at the plate.
The 2023 season has been even more concerning. Walsh was placed on the injured list early in the season due to persistent headaches and insomnia. Walsh detailed his struggles in an interview with Blum earlier in the season: “It’s been hell. Not knowing what’s going on, not understanding what’s happening with my body….And not being able to get answers, not being able to figure out why I can’t do basic tasks. It’s been pretty concerning for me.”
Walsh was thankfully at least able to return to the field, but the results have been nowhere near his peak levels. In 78 big league plate appearances, he’s batted just .119/.244/.224 while striking out in a third of his plate appearances. He’s batted .231/.394/.410 in 99 plate appearances since being optioned to Triple-A, but he’s still fanned in 30.3% of those trips to the plate.
Between those struggles, the uncertainty surrounding his health, and the approximately $883K that’s still remaining on this year’s $2.65MM salary, Walsh didn’t drum up any interest from other clubs. He could’ve rejected this assignment in favor of free agency, but doing so would’ve required forfeiting that remaining $883K. As a player with more than three years of service time who’s been outrighted off the 40-man roster, he’ll be able to become a free agent at season’s end — unless the Halos add him back to the 40-man roster and keep him there into the offseason.
Royals Fielding Offers On Several Veterans
The Royals have been talking to other clubs about potential trades involving veteran pitchers Scott Barlow, Taylor Clarke and Ryan Yarbrough, tweets Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Outfielder Edward Olivares has also been discussed in potential deals.
Of the bunch, Barlow is the most obvious and straightforward trade candidate. The 30-year-old righty thrived as the primary closer in Kansas City from 2021-22, pitching 148 2/3 innings of 2.30 ERA ball with 40 saves, a hefty 28.2% strikeout rate and a solid 8.4% walk rate. The 2023 season has been far more troublesome. Barlow’s average fastball sat at 95.3 mph in ’21 but has dipped to 92.9 mph this season. His walk rate has also spiked, and the right-hander’s 5.35 ERA is a career-worst mark.
That said, Barlow still figures to hold appeal to other clubs. Dip in velocity notwithstanding, he still has well above-average strikeout (26.2%), swinging-strike (12.6%) and opponents chase (37.6%) rates. His $5.3MM salary is generally affordable, and Barlow is controllable through 2024 via arbitration. This year’s struggles are at least in part due to a .340 average on balls in play and 61.6% strand rate, both worse-than-average marks which should eventually trend toward his career marks of .306 and 76.1%. Barlow had a solid 3.97 ERA as recently as July 16, but he’s been tagged for eight runs through 4 2/3 innings over his past five outings.
Clarke, also 30, has a shorter track record and more pronounced struggles in 2023. The right-hander has been tagged for a 6.00 ERA in 45 innings this year, thanks to a particularly dreadful slump dating back to mid-June. Clarke had a 2.70 ERA through his first 30 innings but has been tattooed for 22 runs in his past 15 innings. A season-long .374 BABIP isn’t helping his cause, but that alone doesn’t explain the extent of the right-hander’s struggles. From 2020-22, he pitched to a respectable, if unspectacular 4.44 ERA with solid strikeout and walk rates.
The 31-year-old Yarbrough inked a one-year deal with Kansas City after spending his entire big league career with the Rays organization. He’s earning $3MM this season and, although he missed time after a frightening incident where he was struck by a comebacker, the lefty has been decent when on the field. In 51 innings — seven starts, seven relief outings — he’s posted a 4.24 ERA. Yarbrough has one of the lowest strikeout rates in MLB (13.7%) but also one of the lowest walk rates (4.2%) among pitchers with at least 50 innings.
While Yarbrough started the season in Kansas City’s bullpen, he moved into the rotation not long before his injury and has continued starting since returning in early July. He’s made four starts since coming off the IL, pitching to a 2.19 ERA with a 15-to-2 K/BB ratio in 24 2/3 innings. He’s a pure rental and could help round out the back of someone’s rotation in the season’s final two months.
Olivares, 27, came to the Royals from the Padres organization in the 2020 trade that sent Trevor Rosenthal to San Diego. He looked solid at the plate in 2022 when he hit .286/.333/.410 with four homers, eight doubles and a pair of steals in 174 trips to the plate. His 2023 output has taken a step back. He’s logged a career-high 274 plate appearances but turned in a tepid .246/.299/.409 batting line.
The right-handed-hitting Olivares has even platoon splits this year but has generally been better against righties than lefties, when looking at his career as a whole. He’s played all three outfield spots in his career but has primarily worked in the corners; he doesn’t have above-average grades at any of the three positions, though. Olivares would be controllable for three more years beyond the current season, but he hasn’t developed as the Royals had hoped and is more of a change-of-scenery candidate than someone who’d fetch them meaningful prospect depth.
Diamondbacks, Tigers Have Discussed Michael Lorenzen
The Diamondbacks are among the clubs that have contacted the Tigers regarding Michael Lorenzen, reports Jon Morosi of MLB.com (Twitter link). The Orioles, Astros, Marlins and Rays have all previously been linked to the Detroit righty — although Tampa Bay has since acquired Aaron Civale to fill their rotation.
Lorenzen is very likely to land somewhere else within the next four hours. He’s an impending free agent on a non-competitive Detroit team who wouldn’t likely receive a qualifying offer. Lorenzen carries a 3.58 ERA across 18 starts. His 19.9% strikeout rate is a touch below average but he’s working with the best control of his career. Lorenzen had been particularly good of late, rattling off three straight scoreless starts before allowing three runs over five innings in his most recent appearance.
Just as he’s a very likely trade candidate, the D-Backs are an obvious fit as a possible suitor. They’re openly pursuing rotation help behind Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. As an impending free agent, Lorenzen wouldn’t have a major acquisition cost. The Snakes have some talented controllable starters who’ve yet to put things together this season but could be options to take rotation spots next year if Lorenzen signs elsewhere in free agency.
The first-time All-Star is playing this season on an $8.5MM salary. He’s due around $2.79MM through year’s end. That’s a reasonable sum for a mid-rotation starter, particularly for an Arizona club that is tied for the last playoff spot in the National League.
A’s Designate Manny Pina For Assignment
The A’s announced they’ve designated catcher Manny Piña for assignment in lieu of reinstating him from the 10-day injured list. Oakland selected the contract of infielder Tyler Wade with the vacated 40-man roster spot, optioning Kirby Snead in a corresponding move.
Piña came over from the Braves as a salary offset in the offseason Sean Murphy deal. Oakland agreed to take on Piña’s $4.5MM salary while hopefully breaking him as a veteran backup to Shea Langeliers. Unfortunately, the left wrist issues that cost Piña all but five games last season resurfaced. He lost the first couple months of this year, returned to appear in four games, then went back on the shelf.
The 36-year-old is apparently again healthy. Oakland since promoted top catching prospect Tyler Soderstrom to split time with Langeliers. With the A’s fully turned towards a youth movement, they no longer have space on the active roster for Piña.
He’ll quite likely be released in the next couple days. He’ll go unclaimed, leaving the A’s on the hook for the roughly $1.5MM still to be paid out. At that point, he could look for other opportunities in free agency.
Wade has shuffled on and off the Oakland roster a few times this season. The left-handed hitter carries a .255/.309/.314 line in 55 big league plate appearances. He’s hitting .251/.356/.318 at Triple-A Las Vegas.