Giants Interested In Danny Duffy
Though Danny Duffy was placed on the Royals’ 10-day injured list on Tuesday, the Giants still have trade interest in the veteran southpaw, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. “Injuries don’t give San Francisco much pause in general,” Slusser notes, citing the team’s signing of John Brebbia in the offseason as Brebbia was recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Naturally, the Giants’ interest will hinge on just exactly how hurt Duffy is, considering that this is the second time he has visited the IL this season with a left flexor strain. That earlier IL stint sidelined Duffy for close to six weeks, so if a similar recovery period is required, he won’t be available for the Royals, Giants, or any other club until the first week of September. This still makes Duffy a potential difference-maker in a pennant race, though that assumes that he’ll still be effective after this latest layoff, and it also assumes that he won’t need a longer time to heal up considering that this is a recurring injury.
It adds yet another wrinkle to Duffy’s interesting case a trade candidate. While the Statcast metrics haven’t been great for the 32-year-old, Duffy has strong bottom-line numbers, with a 2.51 ERA and an above-average 25.8% strikeout rate over 61 innings. He is also a free agent after the season and thus a seemingly logical trade chip for the struggling Royals, though Duffy has full no-trade protection as a 10-and-5 player, and he has been public about his desire to remain with the Royals for the entirety of his career.
However, there has been some indication that Duffy (born in Goleta, California) might be willing to accept a trade to the West Coast. As such, teams like the Padres, Dodgers, and now the Giants have reportedly been linked to Duffy, though it remains to be seen if the other California teams also wouldn’t balk at acquiring an injured player. As Slusser notes, Duffy’s injury surely lowers the Royals’ asking price in a trade, so a team like San Francisco could potentially see him as something of a buy-low lottery ticket acquisition.
In other Giants trade rumblings, Slusser reports that the Cardinals and Rangers have had scouts recently watching the Giants, so some potential trade chips on those teams (if St. Louis indeed decides to sell at the deadline) could be on San Francisco’s radar. On the pitching end, Kyle Gibson, Kwang Hyun Kim, or even longtime Cardinal Adam Wainwright stand out. Slusser notes that the outfield is a target area for the Giants, so Rangers slugger Joey Gallo would be a major fit.
Latest On Trevor Story
TODAY: While there has been speculation that teams could be eyeing Story at other infield positions than shortstop, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports that “at least one team” interested in Story is considering him as a center fielder. Story has never played in any outfield position during his entire professional career, though that doesn’t necessarily mean he wouldn’t be able to manage a midseason switch.
JULY 21: The trade market has been slow to develop, even for some of the game’s more obvious trade candidates. That includes Rockies shortstop Trevor Story, who figures to draw plenty of interest over the next nine days as the trade deadline closes in. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports that as many as six to eight teams have reached out to gauge the asking price on Story.
Story’s value is tough to gauge at the moment for myriad reasons. He’s missed time this year due to elbow troubles, though no structural damage was found at the time of his IL placement and he’s been healthy since mid-June. Story is still owed about $6.97MM of his $17.5MM salary from tomorrow through season’s end, which is a weighty sum to add midseason — particularly with so many owners wary of upping payroll in the wake of last year’s revenue losses. Perhaps most notably, though, is that Story simply hasn’t performed up to his admittedly lofty standards. He’s hitting just .243/.316/.423 on the season with 11 home runs, 18 doubles, two triples and 17 stolen bases.
Rockies interim general manager Bill Schmidt has suggested in the past that he doesn’t feel he has to move Story at all costs prior to the deadline, and while such comments can be taken with a grain of salt, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that there is some growing skepticism among other clubs that Story will actually be moved. The Rockies would stand to receive a compensatory draft pick in the overwhelmingly likely event that Story rejected a qualifying offer and signed elsewhere in free agency. In the unlikely event that he accepted a QO and signed on for another year with the Rox, they’d be able to take a run at trading him again next July.
It’s already been reported that the A’s aren’t likely to pursue Story and that the White Sox are interested in the two-time All-Star. Oakland is apparently not keen on the remaining money he’s owed, and while the A’s could ask the Rockies to cover some or all of that remaining salary, doing so would only up the cost in terms of prospects. The Sox, meanwhile, are without Nick Madrigal for the remainder of the season and could pair Tim Anderson and Story to form a rather imposing middle-infield tandem.
The number of teams with serious interest in a Story acquisition isn’t known and may not be until the next week of make-or-break games plays out. The Nationals, for instance, could use another infielder but will use the next six games or so to determine their deadline approach. The surprising Mariners are reported to be seeking infield help, but their level of aggression could be largely tied to the next seven games, when they’ll host four against the Athletics and three against the Astros — the two teams they trail in the division. Infield help is reportedly a secondary focus for the Mets at the moment, but perhaps if they can get a deal for some rotation help done sooner than later, they’d more seriously look at other areas of upgrade.
Skepticism is understandable, but it still seems likely that for a player of Story’s caliber, a solid offer (or offers) should eventually materialize. Schmidt told Saunders last week that he’s under no obligation to move Story for financial reasons. Speculatively speaking, if finances aren’t a factor and the ultimate goal is to get the best return possible, the Rockies could increase interest by offering to eat the remainder of Story’s salary. The Rox paid a whopping $51MM as part of their trade of Nolan Arenado to St. Louis in the offseason; Story would only be owed $6.12MM from July 31 through season’s end.
Royals Reportedly “More Open” To Trading Whit Merrifield Than In Past
3:48PM: The Mets are one of the teams interested in Merrifield, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link). One source tells Heyman that it still seems “highly doubtful” that the Royals actually move Merrifield in any deal.
9:18AM: Teams have been trying to pry second baseman/outfielder Whit Merrifield away from the Royals for several years, and The Athletic’s Jayson Stark now reports that the Royals are “more open” to trading the two-time All-Star than they have been in the past.
“More open” is a relative term and doesn’t necessarily mean Merrifield is being outwardly shopped to other clubs. After all, Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore has all but labeled Merrifield as untouchable in the past, so being “more open” than that isn’t exactly a high bar to clear.
Back in 2018, for instance, Moore said that Merrifield “certainly won’t be traded at the deadline” and went on to add that the Royals “need him in our city and on our team.” Merrifield signed an extension that offseason, and the following summer Moore called him “one of the best players in all of baseball” and said that “the ask would be just crazy” if other clubs came calling on Merrifield.
Over the past year, Moore has publicly stated that his club is moving back into a win-now mindset, and the Royals’ offseason actions demonstrated that shift. Kansas City signed veterans Carlos Santana and Mike Minor to two-year contracts in free agency, dipped into its farm system to acquire two years of Andrew Benintendi and signed Salvador Perez to a four-year, $82MM extension. Those aren’t the types of moves rebuilding clubs make.
That said, it’s also natural that as the Royals’ control over Merrifield continues to wane, they’d at least allow themselves the opportunity to be overwhelmed by an offer. Merrifield is earning $7.25MM in 2021 but is owed just $3.75MM in 2022 as part of a front-loaded contract extension. The Royals hold a $6.5MM option on him for the 2023 season as well — though that option would increase by $4MM so long as he spends fewer than 109 days on the injured list by the time the team’s decision is due after the 2022 season.
Assuming Kansas City still aims to compete in the American League Central next season, the front office surely still views Merrifield as an important piece of that puzzle. He’s hitting .273/.322/.405 with eight home runs, 21 doubles, two triples and a league-leading 25 stolen bases at the moment. That offensive production is down from peak levels, but it’s also on the upswing since the calendar flipped to June (and since the league cracked down on Spider Tack and other foreign substances for pitchers). Merrifield is also still a strong defender at second base and versatile enough to rotate all over the outfield as needed.
One would imagine that were the Royals to actually entertain offers for Merrifield, the ask would be focused on controllable, near-MLB assets. Trading him for far-off prospects would only weaken the 2022 roster — and his frontloaded contract structure wouldn’t give the team any real cost savings that could be reallocated toward offsetting that loss.
All that said, it’s easy to envision a robust market for a player with Merrifield’s versatility and track record. The Mariners and White Sox could both pursue infield help. He’d give the Yankees a center field option with a contact-oriented approach the roster largely lacks. Merrifield could bounce between second base and the outfield for the Giants, Padres or Dodgers. His salary is affordable enough that even low-payroll contenders like the A’s and Rays could jump into the fray.
Because of that broad appeal, it’s only natural for Moore and his front office to at least listen to offers on Merrifield. Generally speaking, willing sellers have set very high asking prices on their most appealing trade candidates to date. Merrifield won’t be an exception.
Red Sox Sign First-Round Pick Marcelo Mayer
The Red Sox have reached an agreement with first-round draft pick Marcelo Mayer. The Athletic’s Chad Jennings (Twitter links) reports that the fourth overall pick will sign for a bonus of the assigned slot price of $6,664,000. While the team hasn’t yet officially announced the signing, Jennings and multiple other Boston reporters noted that Mayer and several team officials took part in what appears to be the official signing ceremony on the field at Fenway Park.
There was quite a bit of speculation prior to the draft that the Pirates would take Mayer with the first overall pick, though when Pittsburgh instead opted for Louisville catcher Henry Davis, it triggered something of a surprise drop for Mayer to Boston at the fourth pick. The Rangers drafted Vanderbilt righty Jack Leiter with the second selection, and the Tigers (rumored to be very high on Mayer) went with high school right-hander Jackson Jobe third overall.
Since Davis signed with the Pirates for a $6.5MM bonus that fell well below the $8.4153MM assigned slot price for the 1-1 pick, Mayer will end up actually making more money than Davis in his first pro contract. Since it’s fair to assume that Mayer might have insisted on full slot value wherever he was selected, that probably factored into the Pirates’ decision to take Davis and thus spread their bonus pool money around to multiple members of their draft class.
It could be that the Red Sox ended up with a steal, as Fangraphs’ scouting report on Mayer described him as nothing short of “the most well-rounded player in the draft, a teenage shortstop with a chance to hit for contact, power, and stay at a premium defensive position.” Fangraphs, MLB Pipeline, and The Athletic’s Keith Law all ranked Mayer as the best overall prospect of this year’s draft class, while Baseball America and ESPN.com’s Kiley McDaniel had Mayer second on their boards.
A product of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California, Mayer is a left-handed hitter who is already 6’3″ and 188 pounds at 18 years old — according to Pipeline’s scouting report, he might yet develop more raw power as he grows. Mayer is considered a plus hitter overall, and a moderate speed tool might be the only semi-flaw in his toolkit. There isn’t much doubt amongst observers that Mayer will be able to remain at shortstop, with BA describing Mayer as “arguably the top defensive shortstop in a class that is deep at the position.”
Yankees Designate Asher Wojciechowski For Assignment, Select Sal Romano
The Yankees announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contract of righty Sal Romano from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and cleared a spot on the active and 40-man rosters by designating right-hander Asher Wojciechowski for assignment.
Wojciechowski, 32, was selected to the roster just yesterday and started last night’s game for the Yanks, holding the Phillies to a pair of runs on three hits and three walks with four strikeouts in four innings. That’ll prove to be little more than a spot start for the well-traveled Wojciechowski, who must now be traded, released or placed on outright waivers within the next week.
The Yankees were Wojciechowski’s fourth big league club in seven years. He spent the 2019-20 campaigns with the Orioles and got out to a solid start in 2019 before struggling mightily during last year’s shortened schedule. Last night’s outing took Wojciechowski past the 200-inning mark in his MLB career, and he’s worked to a 5.93 ERA with a 21.5 percent strikeout rate and a 7.9 percent walk rate in that time. Home runs have been a problem for the former No. 41 overall pick, but he’s continued to find work as a depth option for situations much like this one. Wojciechowski owns a career 4.29 ERA in 647 1/3 innings of Triple-A ball.
In Romano, the Yankees are turning to another former Reds right-hander. The 27-year-old New York native was once considered one of the more promising arms in the Reds’ minor league ranks, but he’s struggled in several opportunities after a solid rookie showing back in 2017. Romano worked to a 4.45 ERA and 4.24 FIP in 87 innings as a rookie, but he’s been worked over for a 5.48 ERA/5.13 FIP in 184 innings since.
To his credit, Romano has consistently fared well in Triple-A — including in a relatively short look with the Yankees’ Scranton affiliate in 2021. He’s spent parts of three seasons at the Triple-A level and logged a combined 3.42 ERA in 142 frames. Romano’s 20.3 percent strikeout rate there is below average, but he’s also notched a solid 7.8 percent walk rate and a strong 49.8 percent ground-ball rate in that time.
Yermin Mercedes Returns To White Sox’ Triple-A Club
July 22: In a sudden turnabout, the White Sox announced to reporters that Mercedes is in uniform and on their Triple-A club’s active roster for tonight’s road game in Durham (Twitter link via Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times).
In a new Instagram post of a phoenix rising, Mercedes writes that his dream is to be an established Major Leaguer and that he owes it to his family, the White Sox organization and his fans to continue working toward that goal. “I love everybody, I’m back,” he wrote at the end of his post.
July 21, 11:05pm: White Sox manager Tony La Russa only learned of Mercedes’ post after tonight’s game against the Twins but tells reporters he plans to reach out to Mercedes (Twitter links via MLB.com’s Scott Merkin).
La Russa drew plenty of criticism earlier this year for not supporting Mercedes after he missed a take sign and hit a 3-0 home run in a blowout win over Minnesota. Many have immediately jumped to the conclusion that La Russa’s handling of the situation contributed to Mercedes’ decision today, although there’s nothing to support that line of speculation. La Russa suggested that he and Mercedes are still on good terms:
“As you probably know, if you are paying attention, several times he said how close we are. He knows I’m a supporter of his. So I’ll reach out to him and see what’s going on. It could be he’s just feeling frustrated. … I’ll try to explain to him he’s got a big league future.”
9:15pm: White Sox designated hitter/catcher Yermin Mercedes announced on Instagram tonight that he’s stepping away from baseball “indefinitely.” The 28-year-old thanked his family, agent Daniel Szew, and his former teammates before concluding his post with the words: “it’s over.”
It’s a stunning development for a player whose breakout performance was one of the biggest storylines of the early 2021 season. Mercedes started the season as the White Sox’ designated hitter and went 8-for-8 to begin the year. Mercedes batted .368/.417/.571 through the season’s first 38 games, but he followed that up with a .150/.220/.196 across his next 118 plate appearances.
The White Sox optioned Mercedes to Triple-A Charlotte back on July 2, and he’s been ripping through minor league pitching since that time. In 14 games and 61 plate appearances, he’s batting .309/.377/.655 with four home runs, five doubles and a triple.
Despite Mercedes’ post tonight, the White Sox say they have not received any formal indication from the player himself. The team released the following statement:
“The White Sox are aware of tonight’s Instagram post by Yermín Mercedes, who is currently on the active roster of our Class AAA team in Charlotte. At this point in time, the White Sox have not received any official notification from Yermín concerning his future plans.”
Multiple NL Clubs Have Considered Nelson Cruz
It wouldn’t be deadline season without teams getting creative. Both ESPN’s Jeff Passan and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand report that at least a pair of NL clubs has explored the possibility of acquiring Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz. Passan notes that Cruz “is game” to play the field in the event of a trade.
It’d be tough for a team to trust Cruz in the field much after he hasn’t suited up for an inning of defense since 2018. He’s only logged 54 innings with a glove since 2016. That said, Cruz is the best pure hitter on the market this summer, having slashed an excellent .294/.370/.537 with 19 home runs, 13 doubles and even a triple. He’d still be able to DH in any remaining interleague games at AL parks and could also do so during World Series play, should an acquiring team advance that far. Cruz is playing the season on a one-year, $13MM deal and would be owed about $4.54MM of that sum post-trade deadline.
Neither Passan nor Feinsand lists specific teams, but from a purely speculative standpoint, any of the Padres, Braves or Giants seem like long-shot possibilities to at least consider the idea. Darren Wolfson of 1500 SKOR North in Minneapolis tweets that both the Braves and Dodgers had some interest last offseason, though many NL clubs spent much of the winter expecting that a universal DH would eventually be implemented.
San Diego general manager A.J. Preller has held an affinity for former Rangers players since taking the reins with the Friars, and he’s spoken of improving his lineup’s consistency this summer. Putting Cruz in an outfield corner would achieve that, albeit at the cost of a quite a bit of defense. There’s been no hard connection between the two parties, but the idea of an outside-the-box Cruz/Padres matchup has made sense for awhile now.
The Braves, meanwhile, are without Ronald Acuna Jr. and Marcell Ozuna; Cruz wouldn’t break the bank in terms of prospects and would give Atlanta a much-needed middle of the order presence. Given their rangy options elsewhere in the outfield, perhaps the Braves feel they could cover some of Cruz’s lack of range.
Over in San Francisco, the Giants have gotten just a .217/.291/.396 batting line from their left fielders in 2021. They were recently reported to be a “key” team in the Starling Marte market, but Cruz would be another rental bat who’d give the lineup some extra thump. Cruz roaming the outfield at the cavernous Oracle Park seems particularly treacherous, but it’s hard to overstate just how big an improvement he’d be over their current left-field production.
There are other possible fits, of course. The Cardinals have been struggling to find outfield production for a few years now. The Nationals are currently without Kyle Schwarber and have been looking at Josh Bell as an option in left field recently. It feels like we can never rule out the Dodgers doing anything that’s unorthodox and/or unexpected.
Really, one could make the argument that any contender or fringe contender is improved enough by Cruz’s bat to offset the defensive hit. Teams could get creative by only playing Cruz on the grass when heavy ground-ball and/or strikeout pitchers are on the mound. He could be frequently lifted for mid- or late-inning defensive replacements, and teams could experiment with four-outfielder shifts in certain favorable matchups. Cruz also has more than 8000 career innings in the outfield; at least with regard to balls hit in his general vicinity, he could be expected to make routine plays.
At the end of the day, it still seems likelier that whenever Cruz is moved, it’s to an American League club. But the Cruz-to-the-NL rumblings serve as a reminder that there are very few possibilities we should rule out entirely over the next eight days. Today’s front offices will be looking at all kinds of off-the-wall scenarios — particularly with so many teams still unsure as to how they’ll approach the trade deadline.
Nick Castellanos Has Microfracture In Right Wrist
July 22: MLB.com’s Jon Morosi suggests Castellanos could be sidelined “for a couple weeks” due to the injury (Twitter link).
July 21: Reds right fielder Nick Castellanos revealed tonight in an Instagram Live appearance with Jomboy Media’s Chris Rose that a CT scan earlier today revealed a microfracture in his ailing right wrist (video link). Castellanos, who was hit by a pitch on the wrist last Friday, said he tried to play through the pain for a few games but will need to “take a couple days and see where I’m at.” He added that he’s unable to swing a bat at the moment.
It’s important to note that Castellanos didn’t provide any sort of outlook beyond taking a couple of days to rest and reevaluate. There’s no sense in speculating how much time he’ll miss beyond that initial down period, but even an absence of a few days is a tough blow for the Reds, given the current state of their roster and the context of the NL Central.
Cincinnati is already without slugger Mike Moustakas and is down three of its top relievers: Tejay Antone, Michael Lorenzen and Lucas Sims. The Reds have also dropped five of their first six games coming out of the All-Star break, including a three-game sweep at the hands of the division-leading Brewers.
The Reds are still very much alive in the postseason hunt, sitting six back of a Wild Card spot and six and a half games back of the Brewers in the division. But they’re also one of many teams whose deadline trajectory could be determined by their play over the next week, which magnifies the importance of even a brief absence from their best hitter.
Castellanos has been an absolute monster this season, batting .329/.383/.582 with 18 home runs, 29 doubles and a triple in 368 plate appearances. He’s vital to the team’s chances in the coming days, and if the club were to ultimately pivot and look to sell some veterans, he’d have been an in-demand player himself, given his ability to opt out of his contract at season’s end. Castellanos is in the second season of a four-year, $64MM contract with Cincinnati but can forgo the final two years and $34MM on that deal and return to the open market this winter.
However long Castellanos is down, the Reds can turn to Aristides Aquino and Shogo Akiyama to help cover in right field. They’re also sending the injured Nick Senzel out on a minor league rehab assignment this week, so he could be an option to help out before long. Manager David Bell told reporters today (Twitter link via Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer) that Senzel will see time both at center field and shortstop during his rehab stint.
Outrighted: Lucroy, Mathisen
A couple of recent outright assignments to note…
- Veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy was assigned outright to Triple-A Gwinnett after clearing waivers, the Braves announced. He has enough service time to reject the assignment in favor of free agency. Once one of the game’s premier catchers, the now-35-year-old Lucroy has slipped into journeyman status. He went 1-for-5 in a brief look with the Braves, who are his second big league team of the season and fifth in the past three years (not counting his Spring Training run with the White Sox). An All-Star in 2016, it’s been a swift decline for Lucroy, who has batted just .249/.317/.350 in 1286 plate appearances split among eight teams since the start of the 2017 season.
- Infielder Wyatt Mathisen went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Tacoma, the Mariners announced. He was designated for assignment earlier in the week. The 27-year-old Mathisen came over from the Rays in a deal that sent cash back to Tampa Bay late last month. He didn’t appear in a big league game and has struggled in 15 Triple-A contests with the Mariners, although his Triple-A track record prior to this stint has been excellent. Mathisen hit .288/.344/.525 with the Rays’ top affiliate in Durham earlier this year and posted a massive .283/.403/.601 slash through 87 games with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A club back in 2019 (albeit in the juiced ball season). He has experience at second base and all four corner positions.
Anthony Swarzak Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency
The Royals announced Wednesday that veteran right-handed reliever Anthony Swarzak opted for free agency over an assignment to Triple-A after going unclaimed on outright waivers. He’s now free to sign with any team.
Swarzak, 35, has pitched for both the D-backs and Royals this season but been clobbered for 13 runs on 20 hits, including four homers, in 12 1/3 innings of work. He yielded eight runs in 7 2/3 frames before being designated for assignment in Kansas City. Swarzak didn’t pitch in the Majors last year and worked to a combined 5.08 ERA in 79 2/3 innings from 2018-19 between the Mets, Mariners and Braves.
Swarzak’s best season came back in 2017, when he posted a 2.33 ERA and a career-best 30 percent strikeout rate in 77 1/3 innings between the White Sox and Brewers. He’s battled shoulder troubles and been inconsistent since that time, however. It’s been several years since Swarzak has looked like an effective big league reliever on a consistent basis, but he had a good showing in Triple-A earlier this year. Given the number of clubs around the league who are scrambling to find bullpen help, the 11-year big league veteran could well find interest from a new organization on a minor league arrangement.