Phillies Acquire Brandon Workman, Heath Hembree
9:25pm: Philadelphia will also receive a player to be named later or more cash from Boston, Matt Gelb of The Athletic tweets.
8:14pm: The Phillies and Red Sox have announced a trade that will send two veteran relievers – Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree – as well as $815K to Philadelphia in exchange for right-handers Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold. That sum should enable the Phillies to stay under the luxury tax, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia observes.
This deal has seemed inevitable since reports emerged Friday afternoon that the Phillies and Red Sox were in serious discussions regarding Workman and Hembree, who should improve a bullpen that has been horrific in 2020. Phillies relievers entered Friday with easily the league’s worst ERA (8.07) and the game’s 27th-ranked FIP (5.61). Worsening matters, they placed their most effective reliever, Jose Alvarez, on the 10-day injured list Friday after he took a 105 mph line drive off his groin on Thursday.
In Workman, the Phillies are getting a 32-year-old who, since last season, has struggled mightily with his control (5.63 BB/9) but has still found a way to handle opposing offenses. Dating back to 2019, Workman has logged a stingy 2.07 ERA/2.47 FIP with 12.87 K/9 and a 50 percent groundball rate over 78 1/3 innings. However, as a soon-to-be free agent, Workman may only amount to a few-week rental for a Philadelphia club that’s just 9-12 but still hoping to contend.
Hembree, 31, is on a prorated $1.61MM salary this season and still has another year of arbitration eligibility remaining. At his best, Hembree combined for 113 innings of 3.19 ERA/3.68 FIP ball with 9.32 K/9 and 2.79 BB/9 from 2016-17. His numbers have dipped since then, though a four-run blowup in his final Boston appearance Tuesday against, of all teams, Philadelphia has played a big part in that. He was off to an effective start before then, but now owns a lackluster 5.59 ERA through 9 2/3 innings this year. Hembree has, however, notched 10 strikeouts against three walks.
With the Red Sox well out of contention this year, it made sense for the club to part with a pair of 30-something relievers for a couple pitchers who could have a greater long-term impact on their roster. For now, Pivetta and Seabold will report to their alternate training site.
The 27-year-old Pivetta was a swingman in Philadelphia from 2017-20, during which he stumbled to a 5.50 ERA across 396 1/3 frames. FIP (4.64), xFIP (4.03) and SIERA (4.10) suggest he has deserved better, but the Phillies clearly got tired of waiting on his run prevention to head in the right direction. And Pivetta sealed his fate with the club this year by opening with three relief appearances in which he yielded a whopping 10 earned runs on 10 hits (including three homers) in 5 2/3 innings. The good news for Boston is that Pivetta isn’t costly – he’s on a minimum salary this year and will go through the first of three potential arbitration trips during the offseason – so there’s not much risk on the club’s end in taking on Pivetta as a reclamation project.
Seabold, the lone player in this trade who hasn’t reached the majors, became a pro when the Phillies chose him in the third round of the 2017 draft. He reached Double-A for the first time in 2019, and though an oblique injury held him to 40 innings, Seabold turned in excellent numbers in that span. The 24-year-old posted a 2.25 ERA/2.77 FIP and recorded 8.1 K/9 and 2.25 BB/9 in his first try at the level. Before Philly shipped him out, Seabold ranked as the team’s 23rd-best prospect at MLB.com, which suggests he could turn into a back-end starter in the majors.
Alex Speier of the Boston Globe first reported the teams were finalizing the trade. Robert Murray reported the deal was done. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the cash sum Philly received. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Padres Place Drew Pomeranz On Injured List
The Padres announced that they have placed left-hander Drew Pomeranz on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Aug. 19, with a shoulder strain. The team recalled righty Luis Perdomo to take Pomeranz’s place on its roster.
This is an awful blow to a Padres bullpen that has gotten marvelous production from Pomeranz in the first season of a four-year, $34MM contract. The 31-year-old has yet to allow a run through his first nine innings this season, and opposing offenses have managed a meager one hit off him. Pomeranz has also logged 12 strikeouts against three walks, converted all four of his save chances and added five holds. All things considered, he has been one of the elite relievers in baseball in 2020.
Pomeranz aside, San Diego’s relief corps has been anything but elite thus far. Despite Pomeranz’s near-flawless output, the unit currently ranks 27th in ERA (6.08), 26th in FIP (5.46) and 22nd in K/BB ratio (2.17). Cal Quantrill and Matt Strahm are the only other relievers on the team with sub-5.00 ERAs, but their success has come in spite of far less encouraging peripherals.
It’s unclear how much time Pomeranz will miss, but the fact that he’s dealing with a shoulder issue is a troubling development. Even if San Diego believes he’ll be back in short order, the 15-12 club – which has its sights set on its first playoff berth since 2006 – figures to seek bullpen help prior to the Aug. 31 trade deadline. That likely would have been true even with a healthy Pomeranz.
AL Injury Notes: Simmons, Yankees, S. Perez, Astros
The Angels reinstated Andrelton Simmons from the 10-day injured list and placed catcher Max Stassi (right quad strain, knee bruise) on the IL, the team announced. Simmons is back after a three-plus-week absence because of a sprained left ankle. It could be an interesting upcoming 10 days for Simmons, a soon-to-be free agent whom the non-contending Angels may choose to move before the Aug. 31 trade deadline. Regardless, the 30-year-old Simmons will spend the next month-plus trying to boost his stock before he reaches the open market for the first time in his career. He dealt with injury issues (including to his ankle) during a down season in 2019, and he has hit a mere .188/.188/.250 in 16 plate appearances this year.
- Yankees manager Aaron Boone issued updates Friday on a few of their key players who are on the IL, telling WFAN (via Marly Rivera of ESPN.com) that right fielder Aaron Judge is “likely” to be in the Yankees’ lineup for their next game (that won’t be this weekend, as their series with the Mets was postponed). Judge has been down for a week with a mild calf strain. Meanwhile, second baseman DJ LeMahieu is doing “significantly better” as he recovers from the left thumb sprain that sent him to the IL last weekend. And reliever Zack Britton, whom the Yankees shelved Thursday with a strained left hamstring, should recover “on the shorter side.”
- The Royals announced that they’ve placed catcher Salvador Perez on the IL, retroactive to Aug. 18, with left eye central serous chorioretinopathy and recalled left-hander Randy Rosario. Perez’s issue has bothered him since last weekend and hampered his vision, though it’s not believed to be a long-term problem. After missing all of last year because of Tommy John surgery, Perez was enjoying a strong return season with a .307/.326/.511 line, four home runs and a 25 percent caught-stealing percentage prior to going to the IL.
- Astros outfielder Michael Brantley is eligible for activation Saturday, but manager Dusty Baker told Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle and other reporters he’s “not real optimistic” that will happen. It seems Brantley will need a bit more time to recover from a right quad injury that has kept him out since Aug. 11. Baker also suggested (via Rome) that yet another Astro – right-hander Josh James – will probably go on the IL. James suffered a hip injury and had to be helped off the field in Colorado on Thursday. That continued a nightmare of a season for James, who has surrendered 13 earned runs on 12 hits and 14 walks (with 13 strikeouts) in 10 2/3 innings.
Giants Release Yolmer Sanchez
The Giants have released infielder Yolmer Sanchez from their alternate training site, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. Sanchez requested the move to pursue other opportunities, per Pavlovic.
The 28-year-old Sanchez spent the first six seasons of his career as a member of the White Sox, with whom he provided subpar offense and strong glovework from 2014-19. The switch-hitter ended his White Sox tenure with a line of .244/.299/.357 (78 wRC+), 31 home runs and 30 steals across 2,436 plate appearances. Defensively, Sanchez logged a combined 5,000-plus innings between second and third in Chicago, where he accounted for 19 DRS and a 22.5 Ultimate Zone Rating between the two positions. Sanchez even took home an American League Gold Glove at the keystone last year.
Despite his defensive prowess, the White Sox decided to non-tender Sanchez in the offseason in lieu of paying a projected $6.2MM in arbitration. After clearing waivers, Sanchez elected free agency and signed a minor league pact with the Giants in late January. He’s now back on the open market for the first time since then.
Mariners Select Aaron Fletcher, Activate Yoshihisa Hirano
The Mariners on Friday announced a trio of moves involving pitchers. The club selected southpaw Aaron Fletcher from its alternate training site, reinstated right-hander Yoshihisa Hirano from the injured list and placed lefty Taylor Guilbeau on the 10-day IL with a shoulder strain.
The Mariners will get their first look at Fletcher, a 14th-round pick of the Nationals in 2018. Along with Guilbeau and Elvis Alvarado, Fletcher joined Seattle last summer in a trade that delivered relievers Roenis Elias and Hunter Strickland to Washington. The 24-year-old Fletcher combined for a 3.72 ERA with 11.2 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 over 19 1/3 innings during his Double-A debut last year, and now ranks as the Mariners’ No. 21 prospect at MLB.com.
Like Fletcher, Hirano’s now in line to make his first appearance as a Mariner. The former Diamondback, 36, signed with the M’s for $1.6MM during the winter, but he hasn’t pitched this season as a result of a positive coronavirus test. He’ll bring a 119 1/3 innings of MLB experience with a 3.47 ERA/3.85 FIP, 9.05 K/9 against 3.39 BB/9, and a 47.7 percent groundball rate to the Mariners’ bullpen.
In terms of run prevention, Guilbeau has been excellent this year, as he has yielded only one ER and eight hits in 7 2/3 innings. However, he has managed just three strikeouts against six walks.
Latest On Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies
The Braves have gone without their top outfielder, Ronald Acuna Jr., since he suffered a left wrist injury Aug. 11. Ten days later, it doesn’t appear a return is imminent, David O’Brien of The Athletic relays. While Acuna has progressed, manager Brian Snitker said he still hasn’t swung a bat yet (via O’Brien). The hope is that Acuna will resume that activity Saturday, but the Braves won’t know how much more time he’ll miss until he begins doing so.
Atlanta has been able to tread water since Acuna last played, having gone 3-3 without him. At 14-11 overall, the Braves lead the National League East by 1 1/2 games over the Marlins, but even the division’s last-place clubs (Philadelphia and Washington) are a manageable three back. That makes it all the more important for Acuna to heal quickly.
As the owner of a .258/.372/.515 line with four home runs in 78 plate appearances, the 22-year-old Acuna was amid yet another high-end season before he hit the shelf. And the Braves have seen a couple more notable changes to their outfield since then, as Nick Markakis went on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday and the team promoted star prospect Cristian Pache. However, Pache hasn’t gotten a chance to debut yet because of a rainout Wednesday and an off day Thursday. He’ll make his first appearance as the Braves’ starting left fielder Friday.
Elsewhere in its lineup, Atlanta has had to make do without another of its exciting young talents, second baseman Ozzie Albies, who went to the IL on Aug. 5 with a bone contusion in his right wrist. Albies is closer to a comeback than Acuna, per O’Brien, though he’s also without a clear timetable at the moment.
Albies got off to an uncharacteristically poor start (.159/.196/.273 with one homer in 46 PA), but the 23-year-old was among the game’s best second basemen from 2017-19. Atlanta has deployed Johan Camargo and Adeiny Hechavarria at the keystone over the past couple weeks, but neither has performed well. Thanks to the struggles of Albies, Camargo and Hechavarria, Braves second basemen rank 29th in the majors in wRC+ (42) and are tied for last in fWAR (minus-0.6).
Yankees Place James Paxton On Injured List
Aug. 21, 3:43pm:: The Yankees have placed Paxton on the IL with a Grade 1 flexor strain.
12:53pm: Paxton’s official diagnosis is a flexor strain, Heyman tweets. He’s likely to be placed on the injured list.
12:08pm: MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets that Paxton received relatively good news on the MRI. His injury is believed to be muscular in nature, as opposed to a structural issue with a ligament.
Aug. 20: Yankees left-hander James Paxton is dealing with forearm discomfort and will undergo an MRI, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
Paxton started the Yankees’ loss to the Rays on Thursday and performed decently, throwing five innings of one-hit, three-run ball with eight strikeouts against four walks. In all, though, it certainly hasn’t been a great platform season for the oft-injured 31-year-old, who entered Thursday with a 7.04 ERA and a below-average 4.97 FIP in 15 1/3 innings. And though Paxton did begin his latest start with excellent strikeout and walk numbers (10.57 K/9, 1.76 BB/9), his average fastball has clocked in just under 93 mph – well below the 95-96 area he sat in from 2016-19.
While Paxton clearly hasn’t had a banner season, a long-term absence – which forearm troubles often lead to – would be more unwelcome news for an injury-plagued, starter-needy New York club. Even after a sweep at the hands of the Rays, Yankees are still 16-9 and in wild-card position. However, their only reliable starter to date has been Gerrit Cole, while Masahiro Tanaka and Jordan Montgomery have joined Paxton in failing to provide a front-end complement to Cole. As such, whether or not Paxton’s injury proves to be serious, the Yankees could be in the market for rotation help as the Aug. 31 trade deadline approaches.
Phillies, Red Sox Discussing Brandon Workman, Heath Hembree
2:46pm: MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports that the two sides have also discussed right-hander Heath Hembree. Unlike Workman, the 31-year-old Hembree is controlled through 2021, so he’d give the Phils an option for this year and next. Hembree has yielded six runs through 9 2/3 innings in 2020, but he carries a solid 3.65 ERA with 10.1 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 through 222 innings dating back to 2016.
2:06pm: The Phillies and Red Sox are actively discussing a deal involving “multiple players,” including Workman, tweets Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
12:47pm: The Phillies have spoken to the Red Sox about right-hander Brandon Workman as they look to upgrade their bullpen, Ken Rosenthal and Matt Gelb of The Athletic report (via Twitter).
The Phils just picked up David Hale in a small deal with the Yankees, and it’d hardly be a surprise to see them aggressively target additional bullpen arms. Philadelphia’s offense, fueled by monster seasons from Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto, has been among the best in the game.
The rotation, led by huge efforts from Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler, has pitched to a combined 4.10 ERA, although the unit beyond that top duo has been rather shaky. Jake Arrieta‘s past two starts were rough, and top prospect Spencer Howard has yet to complete five frames. Righty Zach Eflin has missed bats at a surprising rate but has also yielded eight earned runs in his 14 innings.
Phillies relievers, on the other hand, have been the worst collective unit in baseball. The Philadelphia bullpen has produced an astonishing 8.07 ERA — nearly two runs worse than the 29th-ranked Reds — and also ranks 27th in FIP and 20th in xFIP. No Phillies reliever has even thrown 10 innings, and the only sub-4.00 ERAs among pitchers with at least three appearances belong to veteran Blake Parker, who was only recently added to the big league roster, and lefty Jose Alvarez, who was carted off the field in yesterday’s game.
As an impending free agent on the 8-18 Red Sox, Workman is among the likeliest players in MLB to change hands before the Aug. 31 trade deadline. He’s pitched to a 4.05 ERA in his tiny sample of 6 2/3 frames this year, but the 32-year-old also logged a 1.88 ERA with 13.1 K/9 and 16 saves for the Red Sox in 2019. He averaged 5.7 walks per nine frames last year, which is obviously unpalatable, but his control prior to that season was generally sharp.
In all, since moving to the Red Sox’ bullpen on a full-time basis in 2017, Workman has compiled 159 1/3 frames with a 2.65 ERA, 10.5 K/9, 4.3 BB/9, 0.79 HR/9 and a 46.4 percent ground-ball rate.
If a deal involving Workman does ultimately come together, it’ll be telling to see what type of return the righty brings. Boston won’t be making a qualifying offer regardless, so the Sox are better off moving him than holding. But the Phillies (or any other team) would only be acquiring about a month of regular-season innings from Workman. The general expectation has been that rental players like Workman will yield relatively minimal returns due to that fact. To this point, however, we’ve not yet seen any such deals come together, so the first couple deals that come to fruition could conceivably serve as a barometer for other potential rental swaps.
Phillies Designate Austin Davis For Assignment
The Phillies announced that they’ve designated left-hander Austin Davis for assignment. The move opens a spot on the 40-man roster for righty David Hale, whom the Phillies acquired in exchange for pitching prospect Addison Russ (as reported earlier today).
Davis, 27, has spent parts of the past three seasons in the Majors with the Phillies but has yet to establish himself as a consistent option. He’s allowed seven runs in three innings this season and pitched to an overall 5.86 ERA in 58 1/3 MLB frames. Davis has punched out 64 hitters in that time, but control has also been an issue, as evidenced by the 27 walks he’s allowed and the five batters he’s hit.
A 12th-round pick back in 2014, Davis has a sharp Triple-A track record, having compiled a 2.69 ERA with 11.2 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 in 83 2/3 innings of relief at that level. Throughout the upper minors, he’s generally posted above-average strikeout numbers with solid control. He’s also averaged 93.5 mph on his heater in the Majors and has a minor league option remaining beyond the current season, so it’s possible another club will have interest in hopes that a change of scenery can help get him on track.
Yankees, Phillies Swap David Hale For Addison Russ
2:03pm: The Phillies have formally announced the trade.
12:30pm: The Yankees are sending right-hander David Hale to the Phillies, per Ken Rosenthal and Matt Gelb of The Athletic (Twitter link). Hale was designated for assignment earlier this week but has consistently posted solid numbers in the bullpen for the Yanks.
In 54 1/3 frames wearing Yankee pinstripes, Hale owns a 2.98 ERA and 3.54 FIP with averages of 6.0 strikeouts, 1.8 walks and 0.7 home runs allowed per nine innings pitched. The righty generates grounders at an above-average rate and has proven plenty capable of pitching multi-inning stints, so he should provide a boost to a Phillies bullpen that has far and away been the worst in baseball this season.
12:26pm: The Phillies have traded minor league right-hander Addison Russ to the Yankees, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (via Twitter). The 25-year-old will head to the Yankees’ alternate training site for now. The Phillies’ return isn’t yet clear.
A 19th-round pick of the Phillies back in 2017, Russ spent the 2019 season in Double-A, where he pitched to a 2.54 ERA with 12.9 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 0.79 HR/9 and a 44.9 percent ground-ball rate in 56 2/3 innings of work. He wasn’t considered to be among the Phillies’ top tier of prospects despite those solid numbers, however. Baseball America ranked him 24th in the system, while MLB.com omitted him from its top 30 and FanGraphs had him outside the top 40.
Russ was in the Phillies’ 60-man player pool, so the trade to New York opens a spot for them, unless of course they receive a 60-man player in return. For the Yankees, they’ll add a bullpen prospect with decent minor league success, providing a bit of depth in the wake of injuries to Tommy Kahnle and, more recently Zack Britton.