Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Red Sox Deadline Day Bullpen Rumors

By | at

Having added Nate Eovaldi and Ian Kinsler in the last week, the Red Sox could still acquire a reliever in advance of this afternoon’s trade deadline.  Expect an active day of reliever trades, even after a flurry yesterday that saw Keone Kela, Adam Warren, Zach Duke, and Roberto Osuna change teams.  The latest Red Sox bullpen rumors:

  • The Red Sox asked the Giants about lefties Tony Watson and Will Smith, tweets Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com, but San Francisco is unsure about selling off those controllable assets.  Though the Giants’ playoff chances appear remote, they are five games out in the Wild Card chase, close enough to stand pat.  Watson, 33, inked a two-year, $9MM free agent deal with the Giants in February, which also includes a player option for 2020.  He’s in the midst of his finest season in several years.  Smith, 29, has emerged as the Giants’ closer and has been dominant since returning from March 2017 Tommy John surgery.  He’ll be arbitration eligible one last time for the 2019 season before reaching free agency.
  • Boston has also been linked to Marlins sidearmer Brad Ziegler, most recently by Jon Heyman of Fancred this morning.  Ziegler seems likely to be dealt today; catch up on his rumor mill here.

Mike Rizzo Says Nationals Will Not Trade Bryce Harper

By | at

Nationals president of baseball operations and GM Mike Rizzo has issued a strong statement about his intentions amid speculation that the club has considered trading star Bryce Harper. As Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports on Twitter, Rizzo says: “Bryce is not going anywhere. I believe in this team.”

It’s hardly surprising to see the Nationals land on this stance. After all, for all its struggles this year, the club remains within reasonable striking distance in both the NL East and the Wild Card races. While the club has several high-end players, moreover, Harper remains the most visible member of the organization.

On the other hand, the 25-year-old Harper is heading to free agency at season’s end. If the Nats aren’t going anywhere, they’d surely love to recoup some value for Harper, who’s also still playing on a hefty $21,625,000 salary this year. A qualifying offer seems sure to bring back some draft compensation, unless Harper elects to return to D.C., but that surely won’t be as useful as the potential prospect return in a trade.

To be sure, though, Harper’s value as a rental asset isn’t as great as his name recognition. He has not looked himself for much of the season, with mortal (but still good) offensive numbers and putrid grades for his glovework in the outfield. His salary is a factor, too. Surely, the potential return for Harper weighed into the Nationals’ decisionmaking, though it’s unclear whether that was the major driving force.

While this news seems to take away any realistic possibility of a surprising deal coming together today on Harper, it doesn’t necessarily strip the Nationals of trade deadline intrigue. Notably, however, the Nationals organization is sending signals that it will not move its high-priced relief arms, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). But the organization employs several other expensive pending free agents as well, including one veteran starter who just popped up in a rumor.

Of course, there’s also still at least some potential for the club to consider repositioning or even buy-side moves, particularly if it would mean adding a controllable player who’d make an impact now and in the future. If the team ends up moving a starter, in fact it could conceivably do so in order to facilitate the addition of a different arm. As things stand, there still seem to be loads of possibilities.

Bryce Harper Trade Deadline Rumors

By | at

There was a rising sense yesterday evening that the Nationals may increasingly be willing to consider trade scenarios involving long-time franchise superstar Bryce Harper. The team is said to be weighing multiple paths even as the non-waiver trade deadline sits just hours away. We’ll track any developments on Harper’s situation in this post.

The latest:

  • As Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post notes on Twitter, the Nationals could conceivably move Harper (and other rental assets) while not fully giving up on the present season. That’d be particularly true, she notes, if a Harper swap not only cleared the way for top prospect Victor Robles but also helped the club line up with the Marlins on star catcher J.T. Realmuto. Perhaps there’s potential for the Nats to do something generally similar to what the Red Sox did in 2014, when they shipped core veteran Jon Lester to the A’s for Yoenis Cespedes.
  • The WaPo’s Jorge Castillo provides rather an interesting nugget of information, tweeting that a rival organization has been left with the impression that Nationals “ownership pulled the plug late last night” on potential trades — including one of Harper. While the phrasing suggests this ought to be taken with a grain of salt, it’s fascinating to contemplate. If true, it would indicate that the Nationals have moved rather far down the line on striking a swap. Of course, it also suggests that a deal may not come together — or, at least, that one potential avenue was shut down for the time being.

Pirates Acquire Keone Kela

By | at

The Pirates have officially landed righty Keone Kela from the Rangers, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Lefty Taylor Hearn is one of the players in the deal, the Rangers announced. The other remains a player to be named later.

Kela, 25, has turned in a solid season to this point while functioning as the closer in Texas. He’ll presumably slot into a setup role in Pittsburgh in front of Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez.

The move reflects the Bucs’ surprising surge in the standings of late. While the club is still seven back in a tough NL Central division, it’s only four out of the Wild Card race and certainly could end up in postseason position. Of course, this isn’t a purely win-now move by any stretch. Kela, who is earning just $1.2MM this year, will be controllable via arbitration through 2020.

All told, Kela will wrap up his time in Texas with 169 2/3 innings of 3.45 ERA pitching. That’s right where his ERA sits this year, too, though estimators are a bit more bullish on his efforts (2.97 FIP/3.57 xFIP/3.22 SIERA) than the results would indicate. Kela is averaging 10.8 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 while throwing his fastball at a career-high average velocity of 97.5 mph.

While he has been on an upswing of late, there have been some low points as well. On the heels of a rough 2016 season, Kela found himself in the Rangers’ doghouse after some Spring Training shenanigans. He has also dealt with some problems in his elbow and shoulder, though to this point no major problems have arisen.

The Rangers may have seen this as the right time to cash in Kela, though surely he’d have remained an asset at the back of their bullpen. Given the organization’s need to build a new core, and the abundance of talent elsewhere in the division, it certainly makes sense to move relievers — even established but still-controllable ones.

This swap will bring some real value. Hearn came to Pittsburgh along with Vazquez in the same deadline swap two years ago. He’s widely considered an intriguing hurler, albeit one who’ll have to make some strides to factor as a starter at the game’s highest level.

Whether or not Hearn can tap into his ceiling, he seems likely to be a big-league contributor and there’s good reason to think he’ll at least become a high-quality reliever. Soon to turn 24, Hearn has mowed through the Double-A competition since a slow start to the present campaign. Overall, he owns a 3.12 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 on the year. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com ranked him seventh among Pirates farmhands in their midseason re-ranking of the organization, lauding his 97-98 mph heater and above-average changeup while also noting the need to improve his slider and the control of his entire repertoire.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rays Ask For Final Offers On Chris Archer

By | at

12:15pm: The Dodgers are also still “in play,” Jim Bowden of The Athletic tweets.

6:09pm: Despite some prior indications to the contrary, the Yankees remain involved in Archer’s market, per Andy Martino of SNY.tv (via Twitter). There are five additional clubs still involved as well, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reports: the Padres, Braves, Brewers, and two unnamed organizations.

5:24pm: The Rays have asked interested teams to make their best and final offers for right-hander Chris Archer, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay has been in touch with roughly a dozen teams about Archer and could spend tonight and tomorrow morning reviewing those offers before ultimately making a call on whether to deal Archer.

It should be noted that it’s far from a certainty that Archer is dealt at all. There’s a mix in the tone of reports surrounding the possibility of an Archer trade that is likely reflective of the lack of an industry consensus on whether he’ll actually be traded. For instance, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that there’s a stronger sense than ever before that Archer will finally move, as the Rays are cognizant that he’s approaching his 30th birthday and this may be their final chance to get an enormous haul for him.

On the flipside, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale spoke to one executive familiar with the market who took an “I’ll believe it when I see it” approach (Twitter link). ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, meanwhile, spoke to an exec who said he still feels Tampa Bay will need to be “overwhelmed” and, despite years of rumors, still “[doesn’t] see it happening.”

The full slate of teams who have submitted (or plan on submitting) an offer for Archer isn’t yet known. Over the weekend, the Braves, Dodgers, Yankees and Cardinals were all connected rather prominently to Archer, though Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweeted today that the Yankees are viewed as an “unlikely” fit for Archer. Sherman added earlier today that the Pirates have jumped into the mix as well, while the Brewers and the Athletics have both at least touched base.

The Padres, meanwhile, have been rumored to be the most aggressive pursuing Archer, envisioning him as a rotation fixture in 2019 and beyond as San Diego emerges from its rebuild and aims to contend. Yahoo’s Jeff Passan wrote today that San Diego has been “especially engaged” in the Archer market, though he notes that the Friars have not yet been willing to meet Tampa Bay’s lofty asking price. Topkin wrote yesterday that a young catcher and controllable power-hitting outfielder would be “a good start” to a package from the Rays’ vantage point, though Tampa Bay will obviously be seeking numerous young pieces in return for three-plus years of the right-hander.

Archer, 29, obviously remains a popular trade target despite a month-long stint on the disabled list and some bottom-line results that haven’t lined up with his peripheral stats in recent seasons. That’s once again the case in 2018, as Archer is sitting on a 4.31 ERA despite possessing a 3.62 FIP and xFIP as well as a 3.75 SIERA. He’s averaged a strong 9.6 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 with Tampa Bay this season and has made moderate gains in terms of swinging-strike rate (13.6 percent) and chase rate (32.3 percent). Archer is allowing just one homer per nine innings after struggling with the long ball in recent seasons, and he’s also boosted his ground-ball rate nearly three percent, from 42.0 up to 44.7.

Of course, the big draw with Archer is the affordability of his contract. He’s owed $2.o8MM through the end of the current season and is guaranteed just $7.5MM in 2019 before the Rays (or an acquiring team) have club options valued at $9MM and $11MM for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. In all, Archer can be controlled through 2021 for as little as $29.58MM, and in the event of a significant injury, he can be cut loose after 2019 and owed only a total of $11.33MM through the end of 2019.

Red Sox Acquire Ian Kinsler

By | at

The Red Sox have struck a deal to bring in second baseman Ian Kinsler from the Angels, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). Minor-leaguers Williams Jerez and Ty Buttrey are going to the Halos in return, as Jon Heyman of Fancred was first to tweet.

Boston will also receive some money in the deal, per reports from Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter links) and Rosenthal (via Twitter). The Sox will receive $1.83MM, about half of the $3.6MM or so still owed to Kinsler, who is earning $11MM this year before reaching free agency at season’s end.

Kinsler, 36, remains a solid performer at his native second base. He has boosted his output at the plate with a recent tear, leaving him with a .239/.304/.406 slash for the season — good for a 97 wRC+. He still produces his share of home runs (13) and steals (9). And Kinsler remains a top-end defender.

All told, Kinsler seems to be quite a worthwhile addition for the Sox, who needed to account for ongoing uncertainty surrounding Dustin Pedroia. While the team has generally struck an optimistic tone on Pedroia, it’s anyone’s guess whether and when he’ll be back in action. At the very least, he’ll now face much less pressure to get on the field quickly, which may be best for both him and the team in the long run.

Certainly, the veteran second bagger is a known commodity to Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who previously brought Kinsler onto the Tigers. Dombrowski might have stayed his hand, or opted for a lesser addition. But third baseman Rafael Devers recently went down as well further increasing the need to boost the infield depth. And given Boston’s compelling start to the season, there’s every reason to push the pedal to the floor to maximize the team’s chances of taking the AL East and navigating what promises to be a powerhouse AL postseason field.

Meanwhile, this deal delivers a consolation prize to the Angels, whose season started with great promise but crumbled as injuries mounted. Both of the team’s new assets are reasonably interesting, advanced pitchers who ought to help pad the organization’s depth charts as it enters an interesting offseason.

The 25-year-old Buttrey ranked 19th on MLB.com’s mid-season ranking of the Red Sox’ top prospects. The scouting report isn’t particularly optimistic, noting that he lacks movement and command on his high-velo heater and still hasn’t fully developed a reliable secondary offering. Still, Buttrey has impressed this year at Triple-A, turning in 44 frames of 2.25 ERA pitching with 13.1 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.

Jerez, 26, was also listed among Boston’s top thirty farm assets. The southpaw is a converted outfielder who has been working things out in the upper minors for several seasons now. While Jerez is currently showing a nice boost in his strikeout rate, which is up to 11.8 per nine at Triple-A, he’s also issuing a few too many walks (4.2 per nine) and has continued to struggle against right-handed batters. As things stand, he seems to profile mostly as a lefty specialist.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Braves Acquire Adam Duvall From Reds For Lucas Sims, Matt Wisler, Preston Tucker

By | at

The Braves have acquired outfielder Adam Duvall from the Reds in exchange for a trio of players, all of whom have MLB experience. Cincinnati receives righties Lucas Sims and Matt Wisler along with outfielder Preston Tucker. At first glance, it’s something of a swap of unwanted assets, as both teams clearly had different plans with their roster spots.

For the Atlanta organization, this represents an easily justifiable roll of the dice on Duvall. As he closes in on his 30th birthday, Duvall is stuck in a rough campaign. But he has huge power — he topped thirty bombs in each of the past two seasons — and also grades out as a high-end defender in left field.

In the near-term, Duvall will bolster the current outfield mix. Even if he isn’t able to boost his productivity at the plate all that much, he has been much better against left-handed pitching this season and over his career. The opposite is true of struggling Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte, who could give way to phenom Ronald Acuna up the middle when the situation calls for it.

There’s also some future value here for the Braves to hope for. Duvall is heading into arbitration this fall for the first time. While he’ll likely be relatively expensive given his lofty home run rate and ample playing time in recent seasons, he could still be quite a valuable asset. With Nick Markakis headed to free agency, the organization does need corner outfield options.

First, though, Duvall will have to sort himself out. Through 370 plate appearances this season, he has an even 100 strikeouts. While his walk rate is up to a career-high 9.2%, Duvall is carrying a .286 OBP on the season and owns a piddling .294 lifetime mark. Believers in Statcast data will certainly note that the slugger has a promising .349 xwOBA to date on the year, far superior to the .295 wOBA he has actually produced.

Though this swap may not bring the promise of a massive near-term upgrade, it’s a clever means of improving the roster both now and in the future. It is somewhat more difficult to understand the move from the Reds’ perspective, unless one presumes that the club simply decided it wished to part ways with Duvall and that this was the time to do so.

Indeed, Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams says that one aspect of the deal was a desire to go in another direction in the corner outfield, as C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic tweets. Jesse Winker may be out for the rest of this season, but he’ll now presumptively line up across from Scott Schebler next year. That leaves unanswered what the team will do up the middle with Billy Hamilton, who continues to run and defend with aplomb while barely hitting at all.

It’s a bit of a curious return for Duvall — who, to be fair, likely wasn’t drawing many strong prospect offers — but one that probably appeals more to the Reds than it would to just about any other organization. All three players acquired will require 40-man spots, yet none has carved out a permanent MLB job to this point despite receiving some opportunities to do so.

Perhaps one’s view of the swap hinges upon how you view the arms that are going to Cincinnati. For the Braves, both were simply upper-level depth pieces who were likely to be squeezed out as rising talents reach the majors or require Rule 5 draft protection. For a Reds organization whose pitching rebuilding effort hasn’t been quite as promising, either or both could perhaps become sources of affordable, useful innings.

The 24-year-old Sims, a 2012 first-rounder, has struggled through twenty MLB outings (including ten starts) over the past two seasons. He has spent most of the present season at Triple-A, where carries a 2.84 ERA with 10.2 K9 and 4.2 BB/9 over 73 innings. As for Wisler, 25, he has limped to a 5.27 ERA in 324 2/3 lifetime MLB frames. The former top prospect has posted a nice combination of 8.4 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 at Triple-A this year, but owns only a 4.37 ERA in seventy innings there.

For the time being, Tucker will help fill the opening created by the trade itself. He could in theory be a future reserve piece for the Reds, but he hits from the left side of the plate — an attribute he shares with all of the above-cited Cincinnati outfielders. The 28-year-old hit well in his run in the majors this year, posting a slighly-above-average .256/.307/.444 slash in 127 plate appearances, but has struggled in limited action at Triple-A.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Brad Ziegler

By | at

11:54pm: Morosi has now reversed his report, tweeting that a deal is in fact “not close.” He does note on Twitter that the Chicago organization remains involved in talks for Ziegler.

11:48pm: The Cubs are close to reaching agreement on a deal to bring veteran Marlins reliever Brad Ziegler to Wrigley, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com (via Twitter). Details of the prospective arrangement remain unknown.

While the Chicago organization has already acted to bolster its relief unit, adding swingman Jesse Chavez, it obviously feels it could still stand to improve. The Cubs have been tied to a variety of names in recent weeks, including Ziegler.

Bryce Harper Rumors: 7/30/18

By | at

While the Nationals have done background work in anticipation of a potential pivot to a selling stance, all indications to this point have been that the club has little appetite for offers on superstar outfielder Bryce Harper. That does not mean, however, that there’s no room for trade talks to occur. And there’s increasing indication now that the Nats may be more open than ever to the once-unthinkable possibility of trading a franchise cornerstone in his prime.

Here’s the latest on Harper heading into tomorrow’s trade deadline …

  • The Nats are “making it known to other teams” that Harper “is indeed available,” per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). That’s assuredly notable news, though it remains unclear whether the D.C. organization is yet committed to moving Harper. There’s a big difference between being open to taking a big offer, on the one hand, and auctioning a player for the best return possible. It seems doubtful the Nats would do the latter. After all, while Harper is a pending free agent, the team is still in reasonable striking distance of the division and also may have designs on trying to re-sign the franchise’s marquee player this winter. Then again, surely there’s an argument to be made that the club should either hold or sell most of its rental assets rather than only moving a few of them.
  • Meanwhile, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post presents things in a somewhat less-committed manner. The Nats aren’t ruling out a move, she says, though the precise level of willingness to do a deal remains unclear. As she puts it: “The gap between picking up the phone and actively negotiating is wide, and no one with the team gave any indication of whether they had bridged it.”
  • Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, on Twitter, reconciles things to an extent. The Nats are putting out “feelers,” he says, seeing if some team will go overboard with an offer. It seems, then, that the organization is actively interested in seeing what it can get for Harper, but hardly committed to moving him.

Earlier Updates

  • The Indians have held discussions with the Nationals on Harper, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com, though there’s no indication that the sides have gained any traction. Earlier today, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports noted that Harper would make quite a lot of sense as a target for the Indians — presuming, of course, that the Nats would make him available.

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

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top