Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Blue Jays Reportedly Considering Trevor Williams, Chad Kuhl

By | at

The Blue Jays picked up another victory Monday, defeating the Rays by a 6-4 count to improve to 14-13 at almost the halfway point of the season. Few expected the Blue Jays to push for a playoff spot this season, but they’re a mere two games back of wild-card position in the American League. With the trade deadline just a week away, Toronto could wind up as a buyer. Indeed, general manager Ross Atkins said last week that the Jays are aiming to improve their rotation, and Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports that the team’s “considering” a pair of Pirates right-handers in Trevor Williams and Chad Kuhl.

Toronto’s rotation has taken multiple hits in recent days, as Nate Pearson, Matt Shoemaker and Trent Thornton have gone on the injured list. As a result, Hyun Jin Ryu, Tanner Roark and Chase Anderson are the only sure things in the club’s rotation, though Ryu’s the lone member of the trio who has offered a blend of strong bottom-line production and encouraging peripherals so far this season.

In Williams or Kuhl, the Blue Jays would land a hurler capable of contributing to their rotation beyond this season. Both are controllable for multiple years, but Williams is the more proven of the pair. The 28-year-old was a solid starter for the Pirates from 2017-18 before falling off last year, when he logged 145 2/3 innings of 5.38 ERA/5.12 FIP ball, but seems to be amid a rebound campaign. Williams has made five starts in 2020 and posted 24 1/3 innings of 3.70 ERA/4.21 FIP ball with 8.51 K/9 and 2.96 BB/9. He’s on a prorated $2.825MM salary this year and has another two arbitration-eligible seasons remaining.

Kuhl also has two arb years left after 2020, though he’s currently earning a less expensive salary than Williams (a prorated $840K). The 27-year-old is off to a decent start this season after missing all of 2019 as a result of Tommy John surgery. Kuhl has made five appearances (three starts) in the early going, averaged upward of 94 mph on his fastball and registered a 2.84 ERA/4.98 FIP with 9.0 K/9 and 3.32 BB/9 over 19 innings.

Neither Williams nor Kuhl would command a haul for the Pirates, who are well out of playoff contention. As Morosi notes, though, the Blue Jays could make for a logical trade partner because of the familiarity first-year Bucs general manager Ben Cherington has with Toronto’s farm system. Before taking over the Pirates, Cherington was a promiment part of the Jays’ front office.

Pitching Notes: D-backs, Cubs, Verlander

By | at

Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray is drawing interest from “a few teams” as a bullpen possibility, Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes. The 28-year-old left-hander has only made three relief appearances in his career (none since his first season in 2014); however, after several respectable seasons as a starter, the soon-to-be free agent has tanked in 2020. He owns an awful 8.33 ERA/7.77 FIP with 8.33 BB/9 across 27 innings this year, though some clubs may have hope that Ray’s high-strikeout ways will lead to success in the bullpen during the stretch run of the season. That said, there’s no guarantee the Diamondbacks will move Ray before the Aug. 31 deadline, as they entered Monday a manageable two games back of a wild-card spot.

  • More on the Diamondbacks, who made righty Merrill Kelly a late scratch before his start Monday. It was easy to speculate on a potential trade when that happened, but it turns out Kelly is dealing with a nerve impingement in his pitching shoulder, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets. The club has placed Kelly on the 10-day injured list as a result and recalled righty Riley Smith. Kelly has been quite effective this season, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams explained Monday, so losing him is a blow to the D-backs’ playoff hopes and perhaps a less-than-ideal development heading into the deadline.
  • Cubs southpaw Jose Quintana and righty Tyler Chatwood will come off the injured list Tuesday, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports. Quintana, who has been out all season after undergoing left thumb surgery, will work from the bullpen upon his return. That’s relatively new territory for Quintana, who has totaled just four relief appearances out of 250 in his career. As Wittenmyer notes, though, Quintana could find himself back in a starting role soon if Chatwood or Alec Mills falters (Mills didn’t in a win over Detroit on Monday). Chatwood, who will start Tuesday, turned in a pair of great outings to open the season, but he went on the IL with a back issue after the Royals shellacked him for eight earned runs on 11 hits in 2 1/3 innings on Aug. 6. He’s now set to rejoin Mills, Yu Darvish, Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester in the Cubs’ rotation.
  • It has been nearly a month since the Astros shut down ace Justin Verlander because of a right forearm strain, but the reigning AL Cy Young winner continues to make progress in his recovery. Manager Dusty Baker issued an update on Verlander on Monday, saying to Mark Berman of Fox 26 and other reporters: “I think he threw 20 pitches yesterday. He said he felt pretty good. That’s a positive sign.” It’s still unknown whether Verlander will make it back this year, especially with only about a month remaining in the regular season. Houston has started 15-13 despite only one appearance from Verlander (and several other notable injuries), putting the team two games back of a wild-card spot.

Arizona’s Under-The-Radar Trade Chip

By | at

Back in February, if you’d been told that the D-backs had dropped five straight games and were 8.5 games out of first place with a week until the trade deadline, the natural thought would be whether the team would trade left-hander Robbie Ray. The 28-year-old is a free agent at season’s end, and demand for starting pitching is always considerable during deadline season.

Jump ahead to August, however, and Ray has unexpectedly struggled through the worst showing of his career. He’s a contributing factor to the D-backs’ season-long struggles and their recent slide. And with nearly as many walks issued (25) as innings pitched (27), he’s not going to drum up much of a competitive market. Granted, his struggles make it extraordinarily difficult for the Diamondbacks to contemplate a qualifying offer this winter — a QO had previously looked likely — so perhaps they’ll still include some cash to help balance out his $9.43MM salary ($3.4MM prorated) and move him for what they can get.

But even without a productive Ray helping to anchor their pitching staff, the Diamondbacks find themselves in possession of one of the game’s more interesting trade assets in the rotation: right-hander Merrill Kelly.

Kelly is a relatively anonymous righty — one with whom many casual fans may not be familiar at all. The 31-year-old was an eighth-round pick of the Rays in 2010 but never earned a call to the big leagues in Tampa Bay. After several solid seasons in their system failed to earn him a promotion, Kelly jumped to the Korea Baseball Organization, where he starred for the SK Wyverns for four years. That showing prompted the D-backs to invest in a small two-year contract that included a pair of club options back in the 2018-19 offseason.

It was viewed as a fairly low-risk deal, but now, as all 30 owners bemoan revenue losses amid the Covid-19 pandemic and as virtually every psuedo-contender’s front office eyes pitching depth, Kelly should be on every team’s radar. Kelly has not only established himself as a solid big leaguer in 37 starts with the D-backs but has done so while playing on a deal that now looks well below-market.

Let’s first look to Kelly’s production. Since his Major League debut early last year, he’s taken the ball every fifth day and given the Diamondbacks 214 2/3 innings of 4.15 ERA ball. He’s been particularly sharp in five starts this year, working 31 1/3 frames with a 2.59 ERA, 8.3 K/9, 1.4 BB/9, 1.44 HR/9 and a 45.6 percent ground-ball rate. Considering his hitter-friendly home park and the league-wide home run surge, Kelly’s career ERA is about six to seven percent better than the league average per both ERA+ and ERA-.

Kelly isn’t an overpowering pitcher by any means, relying on a four-seamer and a sinker that both average about 92 mph. He’s not a huge ground-ball arm, nor does he generate whiffs at a rate that is indicative of the potential for more punchouts with his current arsenal. He’s improved his walk rate, first-pitch strike rate and overall strike percentage in 2020, though, and the improved location could lend some credence to this year’s uptick in production. He’s still unlikely to sustain a sub-3.00 ERA, but fielding-independent metrics generally agree that Kelly is at the very least a league-average starter.

“League-average” admittedly isn’t an especially sexy adjective to attach to a pitcher, but average innings are useful. And Kelly isn’t being paid like an average starter — he’s being paid like a reclamation project. His $3MM salary in 2020 matches that of righty Michael Wacha, who signed with the Mets after a season ruined by shoulder injuries. Most reclamation projects have substantial incentives packages built into their contracts, allowing them to earn more if they return to form. That’s not the case with Kelly.

Kelly is not only earning a $3MM salary in 2020, however; he’s controlled through 2022 via a pair of club options that would pay him a combined $9.5MM. His contract carries a $4.25MM option ($500K buyout) for the 2021 season that is a veritable lock to be exercised, as well as a $5.25MM option (no buyout) for the 2022 campaign. For comparison’s sake, that $9.5MM salary from 2021-22 is all of $500K more than the $9MM base salary the Giants paid to right-hander Kevin Gausman — another reclamation project who is among the likelier pitchers to change hands in the coming week.

None of this is to say that Kelly’s contract is some kind of colossal misstep on his behalf. The track record of starting pitchers with zero MLB experience coming back to North America and thriving after a strong KBO showing is virtually nonexistent. There was a chance that the signing simply wouldn’t work out for the D-backs, and they’d be out the $5.5MM they’d guaranteed to Kelly. Fortunately for them, that’s not how things have turned out. And now, at a time when most front offices know they won’t be provided the same resources they can typically expect from ownership, the affordable terms of that contract could create enough surplus value to make Kelly a sought-after trade piece.

Of course, that surplus value would benefit the D-backs, too. They’re hardly buried in the NL postseason race — a reality that’s true of virtually every team except the Pirates. Looking past the top two teams in each division, there are eight teams within a game and a half of each other for those final two playoff spots. Barring a continuation of their current losing streak, there’s minimal urgency to sell any pieces; GM Mike Hazen said as recently a last week that he plans to try to add pieces in the bullpen and possibly at designated hitter.

Even if the D-backs aren’t sold on their status as contenders in 2020, they surely plan to aim for competitiveness in 2021. The club signed Madison Bumgarner and Kole Calhoun to five- and three-year deals, respectively, this winter. They traded multiple prospects to acquire the final two years of control over Starling Marte. This isn’t a club that’s going to embark on a lengthy, arduous rebuild — even with recent trades of Paul Goldschmidt and Zack Greinke still fresh in everyone’s memory.

That said, those trades and signings also helped to build a deep reservoir of pitching within the organization. Bumgarner, Zac Gallen, Luke Weaver, Corbin Martin, Alex Young, J.B. Bukauskas, Jon Duplantier and others give the club quite a bit of depth even in the event that Kelly is subtracted from the equation. A trade involving him could return a young arm (or arms) with greater team control remaining. It could also return a big league ready bat who might help to address some of the team’s lackluster production at the dish in 2020.

There’s no guarantee that the D-backs will look to move Kelly. The D-backs will likely wait until the final days or even hours leading up to the deadline to make a major move, as the wide range of outcomes this week necessitates that they gather more information. But a rental-averse team with budgetary constraints — descriptions that apply to the majority of buyers — would have plenty of reasons to make a push for Kelly and the stability he provides.

White Sox Release Bryan Mitchell, Adalberto Mejia

By | at

The White Sox made a few moves Monday, James Fegan of The Athletic relays. The club released right-hander Bryan Mitchell and lefty Adalberto Mejia, and it added southpaw Kodi Medeiros and RHP Danny Dopico to its 60-man player pool. Medeiros and Dopico will report to Chicago’s alternate training site.

Mitchell and Mejia were fairly notable prospects in the past (the latter cracked top 100 lists), but neither has made much of a mark in the majors thus far. The 29-year-old Mitchell logged a 5.15 ERA/5.05 FIP with 5.36 K/9 and 4.57 BB/9 across 171 1/3 innings between the Yankees and Padres from 2014-18. After spending all of last season with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate, Mitchell joined the White Sox on a minor league contract in January.

Mejia, 27, was another January minor signing for Chicago. He combined for 154 innings among the Twins, Angels and Cardinals from 2016-19, during which he recorded an identical 4.62 ERA/FIP and notched 7.4 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9.

Medeiros, whom the Brewers took 12th overall in the 2014 draft, became a member of the White Sox when they acquired him for reliever Joakim Soria in 2018. The 24-year-old Medeiros struggled last season in Double-A, where he recorded a 5.10 ERA/5.45 FIP and walked 5.53 batters per nine in 83 frames.

Dopico was an 11th-rounder of the White Sox in 2015 who spent all of last season at Double-A and fared rather well. Despite an ugly walk rate (5.03 BB/9), he wound up tossing 62 2/3 innings with a 2.59 ERA/2.98 FIP, 10.48 K/9 and a 51.5 percent groundball rate.

Latest On Mike Clevinger

By | at

There’s been plenty of trade speculation since right-handers Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac were optioned in the wake of their health-and-safety protocol violations, and while it’s still doesn’t seem as though the club is motivated to trade either player, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes that Cleveland is “at least open to listening to offers” on Clevinger.

That’s a sentence that should be met with plenty of disclaimers, of course. Few players in MLB are ever truly “off limits” in today’s game. Front offices will typically listen to just about any offers. If anything, it’s more rare to hear that a player is completely untouchable than to hear that a team will listen. And ESPN’s Jeff Passan underscores that while it’s possible that a team will put together an offer too good for Cleveland to pass up, the team is also by no means shopping him. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal cites execs with other clubs in reporting that the team is “more open” to moving Clevinger than Plesac, which is no surprise given Plesac’s larger slate of club control (five years versus two) and Clevinger’s climbing arbitration salary.

The roadblocks to a Clevinger trade are plentiful. First and foremost is the simple fact that Cleveland is a better team with him in its rotation, and at 17-11, the Indians are a clear postseason favorite. Beyond that, Clevinger’s stock is at a low point. In addition to the recent demotion, the righty also walked 10 batters in 16 2/3 frames in his three starts this season. Most would bet on a pitcher with his track record righting the ship and bouncing back, but the most recent impression he’s made wasn’t necessarily a strong one.

The Indians likely wouldn’t weaken their current depth and sell low on a highly coveted asset simply to make a disciplinary statement; they’d need some big league help in return — perhaps in the outfield — and need to feel that they’re receiving long-term value as well … all without taking on too much salary. As a reminder, Cleveland spent much of the offseason working to curb its payroll, dropping from a $119MM Opening Day in 2019 to a $97MM mark in 2020 (prior to prorating for the shortened season). A club already working to trim its bottom line can’t be expected to add expensive pieces in the wake of substantial revenue loss.

All that said, it’s also not unthinkable that a deal might come together. The emergence of Plesac and Aaron Civale gives Cleveland what looks to be yet another pair of useful arms to add to a perennially deep supply. Triston McKenzie’s impressive debut over the weekend can only have made them more bullish on their depth. As we’ve noted here recently (and as highlighted by both Passan and Rosenthal), the Indians’ outfield has been a disaster. If they can line up on a deal that nets a big league outfielder with comparable (or greater) team control along with some legitimate prospect talent, that could at least speculatively be a framework.

There’s some uncertainty regarding Clevinger’s service time at he moment, as the Indians could technically push his path to free agency back a season should he spend 20 days or more at the alternate site on his current optional assignment. That scenario, though, would require keeping Clevinger on option beyond the Aug. 31 trade deadline — he was optioned on Aug. 14 — and his representatives could well take umbrage and explore a grievance. Clevinger’s track record is excellent, with a 2.97 ERA, 10.2 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 over 464 1/3 innings dating back to 2017. As it stands, he’s controllable through the 2022 season with a pair of arb raises still in the offing.

There’s no indication that Clevinger and/or Plesac are being dangled to other clubs, but given their recent demotions, it’s to be expected that other clubs will try to pry them away. Virtually every contender is in need of pitching help with injuries up throughout the league, and the idea of acquiring a player with multiple years of control remaining is far more appealing than giving up young talent simply to acquire a month’s worth of regular-season innings, which is all any club is guaranteed with a rental arm in 2020.

Reds Designate Cody Reed

By | at

The Reds have designated left-hander Cody Reed for assignment, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer was among those to report. The club reinstated righty Robert Stephenson in a corresponding move.

Reed, now 27, joined the Reds in the team’s 2015 trade with the Royals centering on righty Johnny Cueto. Reed debuted in the majors the next season, but he didn’t begin truly making his mark in the bigs until 2018. Between then and last season, Reed tossed 49 1/3 innings of 3.65 ERA/3.59 FIP ball with 8.94 K/9, 2.92 BB/9 and an exemplary 63.2 percent groundball rate. Reed wasn’t able to carry that success into this season, though, as he allowed six earned runs on 10 hits and eight walks (10 strikeouts) in 9 1/3 frames before the Reds jettisoned him. They’ll have a week to trade, release or send Reed through waivers, though he’s out of minor league options.

Stephenson, 27, made his sole appearance of the year July 25 before landing on the IL with a back injury. He was a key part of the Reds’ bullpen last year, when he amassed 64 2/3 frames of 3.76 ERA/3.63 FIP ball with 11.27 K/9 and 3.34 BB/9.

Rangers Designate Rob Refsnyder

By | at

The Rangers have designated utilityman Rob Refsnyder for assignment, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. In other moves, the Rangers recalled outfielder Leody Taveras and activated catcher Robinson Chirinos from the injured list.

The well-traveled Refsnyder, 29, joined the Rangers on a minor league contract last offseason. He has been on the Rangers’ roster throughout the season, but Refnsyder was unable to justify his spot on the team over 34 plate appearances, in which he slashed a subpar .200/.265/.233 with no home runs. It continued a run of below-average production in the majors for Refsnyder, owner of a .217/.305/.297 line in a career 457 trips to the plate.

Refsnyder has hit well in the minors, and he is a defensively versatile performer, so perhaps yet another club will take a chance on him. However, the fact that he’s out of minor league options won’t help his cause. In any event, the Rangers will have a week to trade, release or pass Refsnyder through waivers.

Marlins Designate Sterling Sharp For Assignment

By | at

The Marlins made a series of roster moves Monday, beginning with the announcement that right-hander Sterling Sharp has been designated for assignment. Miami also reinstated infielder Eddy Alvarez from the paternity list and optioned him to the alternate training site. Lefty Stephen Tarpley, meanwhile, has been placed on the 10-day IL due to an oblique strain, while fellow southpaw Brandon Leibrandt was optioned to the alternate site.

Up from the alternate site in place of Sharp, Tarpley and Leibrant are first baseman Lewin Diaz and right-handers Jorge Guzman and Jesus Tinoco.

Sharp, 25, joined the Marlins via the NL East-rival Nationals as a Rule 5 pick over the winter. He went on to throw 5 1/3 innings with the Marlins this year before they booted him from their roster, but Sharp struggled mightily along the way. The soft-tossing Sharp made four appearances out of Miami’s bullpen and yielded seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and five walks, striking out just three in the process. Sharp will now head to the waiver wire, and if nobody claims him there, the Marlins will have to offer him back to the Nats.

Pirates Claim Carson Fulmer, Designate Guillermo Heredia

By | at

The Pirates announced Monday that they’ve claimed right-hander Carson Fulmer off waivers from the Tigers and designated outfielder Guillermo Heredia for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster.

Pittsburgh will be the third team in 2020 to try its hand in helping Fulmer to right the ship. The 26-year-old was selected by the White Sox with the No. 8 overall pick back in 2015. At the time, the Vanderbilt star was viewed as a potential high-end starter or at the very least a high-probability late-inning reliever. But he’s struggled virtually every step of the way since Triple-A, pitching to an ugly 5.39 ERA in parts of four seasons there and a less-palatable 6.57 mark in 101 1/3 MLB frames. The Tigers claimed him last month after the White Sox designated him for assignment.

Fulmer’s average fastball in 2020 sat at 92.3 mph — a far cry from the righty’s college days, when scouting reports pegged him as touching 97 mph with regularity. He boasted elite spin rates on his four-seamer and curveball as recently as last season, though, and Fulmer did manage a career-best 12.8 percent swinging-strike rate in this year’s tiny sample of 6 2/3 innings with the Tigers. That’s about all that went right for Fulmer, but the pitching-hungry Pirates were quick to snap him up on waivers in hopes that their staff can coax something more out of him. Fulmer is out of minor league options, so he’ll need to stick on the Bucs’ big league roster or else be designated for assignment a third time.

As for Heredia, he signed a one-year, $1MM contract with the Pirates over the winter but hasn’t delivered for the club. The 29-year-old appeared in just eight games and tallied a mere 18 plate appearances earlier this year before being optioned to the club’s alternate training site. Clearly the team wasn’t happy with what it saw there.

Heredia has appeared in 390 Major League games, mostly with the Mariners, and posted a combined .239/.317/.339 batting line. As a solid outfield defender with a bit of speed and a career .275/.338/.400 batting line against lefties, he can be a useful bench piece when he’s at his best, but he won’t get that opportunity with the Pirates, it seems. Pittsburgh will have a week to trade Heredia, release him or attempt to run him through outright waivers. He’d have enough service time to reject the outright assignment, but doing so would mean forfeiting the remainder of his guaranteed salary.

Giants Request Release Waivers On Hunter Pence

By | at

The Giants have requested unconditional release waivers on veteran outfielder/designated hitter Hunter Pence, tweets Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. Pence was designated for assignment over the weekend.

The reunion between Pence and the Giants was a feel-good story for San Francisco fans over the winter. The team’s longtime right fielder, viewed as a key part of two World Series pushes, walked away with his head held high upon conclusion of his five-year, $90MM deal at the end of the 2018 season. There was some debate as to whether Pence had anything left in the tank at that point, given poor showings in 2017-18. He responded by heading retool his swing in the Dominican Winter League, landed a roster spot with his hometown Rangers and turned in a huge rebound effort last year in Arlington: .297/.358/.552 in 316 plate appearances.

Unfortunately for Pence, the Giants and their fans, that production didn’t carry over into 2020. Pence logged just 56 plate appearances and posted a .096/.161/.250 batting line. Despite his undeniable leadership and the positive influence he had on young Giants players, the club simply needed more production out of his roster spot.

Pence was gracious as ever, profoundly thanking the organization and its fans for all of the memories he’s piled up over the years. Pence chatted with Baggarly in a phone interview following the DFA, stating that he is “overwhelmed with appreciation” for everything that has transpired in his Giants tenure. He added that he plans to stay ready in case another opportunity presents itself in 2020, but he didn’t have any definitive comments on his plans beyond the current season.

Assuming he clears release waivers — it’s unlikely that another club would claim the $548K remaining on this year’s prorated $1.08MM salary — Pence will become a free agent who is eligible to sign with any team in 48 hours.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top