Latest On Michael Fulmer, Nicholas Castellanos
With the Tigers (40-56) having dropped 19 of 23 to fall out of contention in the AL Central, they’re setting up as sellers as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaches. And right-hander Michael Fulmer and right fielder Nicholas Castellanos, two above-average players who are under affordable team control past this season, stand out among the Tigers’ potential trade chips.
The 26-year-old Fulmer is the more valuable of the two, considering he’s a proven, in-his-prime starter who’s making a near-minimum salary this season and isn’t scheduled to become a free agent until after the 2022 campaign. Fulmer, who’s due to make his first trip through arbitration over the winter, has drawn wide interest in recent weeks, as his MLBTR page shows. As you’d expect, then, he’s not someone whom the Tigers are going to give up for an insignificant return. The belief is Detroit would want “an impact bat” back in order to deal Fulmer, according to Katie Strang of The Athletic (subscription required). Unsurprisingly, Strang suggests that hitter would need to be young – “within a year or two of reaching the major leagues,” Strang writes.
With the Yankees among teams interested in Fulmer, one of their young outfielders, Clint Frazier, could perhaps be part of a trade between them and the Tigers. Frazier, 23, has the potential to serve as a quality major league hitter, though playing time has been hard to come by in New York because of a crowded outfield which features the established quartet of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and Brett Gardner. Thanks to their presences, Frazier has totaled just 40 MLB plate appearances this year after racking up 142 a year ago. Further, with the possible exception of Gardner – who has a team option for 2019 – all of those players figure to start again for the Yankees next season. As such, the Yankees could cash in Frazier for a much-needed rotation upgrade – perhaps in the form of Fulmer.
The Tigers, for their part, are interested in both Frazier and teammate Tyler Wade, George A. King III of the New York Post reports. The 23-year-old Wade is versatile enough to play several positions, having lined up in the middle infield, at third base and at all three outfield spots in the minors. However, as with Frazier, there’s no clear path to playing time in New York for Wade – who has collected 114 big league PAs since 2017. In addition to their slew of capable outfielders, the Yankees have a set middle infield (second baseman Gleyber Torres and shortstop Didi Gregorius) and a potential long-term third baseman in Miguel Andujar (though he could be a trade chip if the Yankees upgrade at the hot corner with Manny Machado). That wealth of talent may help influence the Yankees to trade Wade, who was their 15th-ranked farmhand at Baseball America after last season.
Even though Frazier and Wade have piqued the Tigers’ interest, there’s no indication trade talks between them and the Yankees have gotten serious. In fact, New York hasn’t gone past the point of inquiring about Fulmer, per Marc Carig of The Athletic, who echoes Strang in noting the Tigers have placed a “high” asking price on him.
Castellanos, meanwhile, is “available,” Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. An above-average hitter since 2016, the 26-year-old Castellanos is now enjoying a career season in which he has slashed an outstanding .306/.362/.523 with 15 home runs in 401 PAs. But despite that strong output – which, per FanGraphs’ wRC+ metric, has been 39 percent better than league average – there’s only “mild” interest in Castellanos, Strang writes. Teams are wary of Castellanos’ defensive shortcomings, Strang continues, after he struggled at third from 2014-17 and has been subpar across nearly 800 innings this year in right. In first extensive stint as an outfielder, Castellanos has posted a minus-5.2 Ultimate Zone Rating, minus-13 Defensive Runs Saved and a league-worst minus-16 Outs Above Average mark.
Despite his defensive questions, Castellanos could emerge as a major offensive piece for a contender if such a team acquires him in the next couple weeks. At $6.05MM, his 2018 salary doesn’t break the bank, and he still has another year of arbitration eligibility remaining. The Tigers reportedly had interest in handing him a contract extension after last season. No deal has come together, though, and thanks in part to that, Castellanos may be in the final weeks of his Detroit tenure.
MLB Daily Roster Roundup: Benintendi, Paxton, Pujols, Realmuto, Syndergaard
ROSTER MOVES BY TEAM
(July 12th-July 13th)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
- ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SP Shelby Miller (elbow inflammation), RP T.J. McFarland (strained neck)
- Promoted: RP Silvino Bracho, RP Matt Koch
- ATLANTA BRAVES | Depth Chart
- Promoted: OF Preston Tucker
- Optioned: RP Luiz Gohara
- Gohara is expected to return to the Majors as a starting pitcher in late July.
- CHICAGO CUBS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: RP Brian Duensing
- Optioned: RP Luke Farrell
- CINCINNATI REDS | Depth Chart
- Promoted: RP Austin Brice
- Optioned: RP Tanner Rainey
- COLORADO ROCKIES | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SP Antonio Senzatela (blister on finger)
- Promoted: SP Jeff Hoffman
- Hoffman started in Senzatela’s spot on Friday.
- LOS ANGELES DODGERS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: SP Walker Buehler
- Optioned: RP Pat Venditte
- MIAMI MARLINS | Depth Chart
- Reinstated from Paternity List: C J.T. Realmuto
- Realmuto was the catcher and batted 3rd on Friday.
- Optioned: C Chad Wallach
- Reinstated from Paternity List: C J.T. Realmuto
- MILWAUKEE BREWERS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 60-Day DL: SP Wade Miley
- Promoted: RP Alec Asher, RP Adrian Houser, RP Brandon Woodruff
- Optioned: INF/OF Nate Orf, SP Freddy Peralta, RP Adrian Houser, RP Jorge Lopez
- NEW YORK METS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: SP Noah Syndergaard
- Optioned: RP P.J. Conlon
- SAN DIEGO PADRES | Depth Chart
- Promoted: C Raffy Lopez
- Optioned: SP Joey Lucchesi
- ST. LOUIS CARDINALS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: RP Luke Gregerson, RP Tyler Lyons
- Optioned: SP Luke Weaver, RP John Brebbia
—
AMERICAN LEAGUE
- BOSTON RED SOX | Depth Chart
- Placed on Bereavement List: OF Andrew Benintendi
- Placed on 10-Day DL: 3B Rafael Devers (shoulder inflammation)
- Eduardo Nunez is shifting from 2B to 3B and Brock Holt will be the regular 2B while Devers is out.
- Promoted: 1B/OF Sam Travis, INF/OF Tzu-Wei Lin
- Travis was the DH and batted 7th on Friday.
- CLEVELAND INDIANS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 60-Day DL: P Ryan Merritt
- Merritt was designated for assignment.
- Activated from 60-Day DL: P Ryan Merritt
- DETROIT TIGERS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: RP Shane Greene
- Optioned: RP Victor Alcantara
- HOUSTON ASTROS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: SP Brady Rodgers
- Rodgers was optioned to Triple-A.
- Activated from 10-Day DL: SP Brady Rodgers
- KANSAS CITY ROYALS | Depth Chart
- Placed on Paternity List: OF Rosell Herrera
- Promoted: OF Paulo Orlando
- LOS ANGELES ANGELS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: SP Tyler Skaggs
- Placed on 10-Day DL: 1B Albert Pujols (knee inflammation)
- Promoted: INF Jose Miguel Fernandez, OF Jabari Blash
- Fernandez played 1B and batted 7th on Friday.
- Optioned: OF Michael Hermosillo, SP Jaime Barria
- MINNESOTA TWINS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: 1B Logan Morrison (hip impingement)
- Activated from 10-Day DL: INF Ehire Adrianza
- Adrianza played 3B and batted 8th on Thursday.
- OAKLAND ATHLETICS | Depth Chart
- Activated from 10-Day DL: SP Trevor Cahill
- Promoted: RP Jeremy Bleich (contract purchased)
- Optioned: SP Chris Bassitt, RP Josh Lucas
- Transferred to 60-Day DL: SP Andrew Triggs
- SEATTLE MARINERS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SP James Paxton (lower back inflammation)
- Promoted: SP Christian Bergman, RP Casey Lawrence, RP Mike Morin (contract purchased)
- Optioned: INF Gordon Beckham, RP Nick Rumbelow
- TAMPA BAY RAYS | Depth Chart
- Promoted: RP Chih-Wei Hu
- Optioned: INF Willy Adames
- TORONTO BLUE JAYS | Depth Chart
- Placed on 10-Day DL: SP Marco Estrada (strained glute)
- Promoted: OF Dwight Smith Jr.
- Smith played LF and batted 8th on Friday.
—
FUTURE EXPECTED MOVES
- BAL: SP Jimmy Yacabonis was slated to be recalled from Triple-A on Sunday July 15th, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun, though that has been jeopardized by illness, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes. If he’s able, Yacabonis would fill in for Andrew Cashner, who is on the DL with a strained neck.
- COL: SP Jon Gray will be recalled from the minors on Saturday July 14th, according to Nick Groke of the Athletic. Gray has made two starts in Triple-A since being demoted in late June.
- MIL: SP Brent Suter will be activated from the 10-Day DL on Saturday July 14th, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal. He’ll start on of the double-header games.
Billy Beane Says He Sees Athletics As Buyers
It sounds as if the Athletics won’t shy away from improving their roster despite facing a challenging path to the postseason. President of baseball operations Billy Beane indicated he’s “preparing” to act as a buyer this summer in an interesting chat with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic (subscription link).
Clearly, the A’s front office will be realistic both about the odds of the postseason and the need to keep an eye on the future. As Beane says, the club will “have to be calculating and not go scorched earth” at the deadline, particularly given that it is still facing a big gap in the Wild Card race and a very tall order to challenge in the division.
That said, Beane made clear that he sees a chance to make this a season to remember. “The idea that we can sort of push off an opportunity because we think we’ll be better next year is just a bad approach from our standpoint,” he said. “We’ve got to do everything we can.”
While there are no promises that any additions will be made, and there are still a few weeks until the deadline, it’s clear there’s a sense of optimism in Oakland. The A’s entered play today twelve games over .500, after all, even while cobbling together a rotation that is missing many of its most promising young arms due to injury.
Unsurprisingly, Beane suggested the starting staff is the primary area he’ll target at the deadline. That certainly seems to be the clearest area for improvement on the roster, though it’ll at least be interesting to see just how bold the organization ends up being — and whether moves in other areas are at least contemplated.
Angels To Sign Junichi Tazawa
The Angels have agreed to a minor-league deal with reliever Junichi Tazawa, according to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). He’s set to work out at extended spring camp rather than immediately joining an affiliate.
Perhaps the Halos have some ideas for getting Tazawa back on track. He was once quite a useful reliever, though it has been a while since that could be said.
The 32-year-old limped through a stint with the Marlins, compiling 75 1/3 innings of 6.57 ERA ball before he was cut loose earlier this year. He ended up joining the Tigers on a minors pact but only made seven appearances at Triple-A before he was again released.
Latest On Scooter Gennett
Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett made clear today that he does not anticipate being traded, as MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reports. Rather, the first-time All-Star says he has been given indication that the team would prefer to make him a part of the long-term picture.
Indeed, Gennett’s comments seemingly suggest that there’s even some contemplation of a long-term arrangement. Sheldon writes that “no serious talks” have taken place to this point, but that “a line of communication has been opened.” Perhaps it’s possible that mid-season talks will be pursued in some earnest, but that’s not particularly clear at this time.
What is apparent is that Gennett believes he won’t be putting on a new uniform in the next few weeks. As he puts it:
“Just from the talks that I’ve had with the guys in control of all those things, I feel like they want me here. I feel like, just from what I’ve been told, they want me here for the long term. What I’m getting is [CEO Bob Castellini] wants me here for a while.”
That dovetails with what Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports hears — namely, that some “sources familiar with Reds [sic] are dubious that the team has any intent of dealing him.” The note regarding Castellini is particularly interesting, as his preferences are of obviously critical importance and have evidently come to bear directly in the recent past. Though GM Nick Krall certainly did not give anything away in his comments to Sheldon, he did emphasize how much the team values Gennett.
Gennett, of course, has thrived since landing in Cincinnati via waiver claim before the 2017 season. There was cause to doubt the sustainability of his output last year, but he has only boosted it thus far. Through 374 plate appearances this year, Gennett carries an outstanding .326/.372/.518 batting line with 15 home runs.
That being said, there’s still reason to believe some regression could be in store, as his .371 batting average on balls in play doesn’t seem sustainable. In particular, it’s tough to imagine Gennett will keep up his current pace against left-handed pitching while carrying only a 3.7% walk rate to go with a healthy .389 BABIP.
No matter precisely how one views the 28-year-old, there’s no question that he’s a valuable asset. For the Reds, both evident possibilities — trade or hold and try to extend — are surely tantalizing. Despite an injury-riddled year, infield prospect Nick Senzel still seems to be a key long-term asset, providing added impetus to the idea of making a move. Cashing in Gennett might help other areas — notably, a pitching staff that’s still in need of long-term pieces despite some promising signs of late. At the same time, a long-term deal with the Cincinnati native would no doubt prove popular with fans. With the team expressing growing confidence in its core group of talent and preparing to increase its MLB spending, perhaps Gennett will be worth more to this organization than any other.
Angels Place Albert Pujols On 10-Day DL
The Angels announced today that first baseman/DH Albert Pujols will head to the 10-day disabled list with left knee inflammation. Outfielder Michael Hermosillo was sent out on optional assignment, with infielder Jose Fernandez and outfielder Jabari Blash coming up to the MLB roster.
Odds are that Pujols is just getting a little extra rest. Unless and until there’s any indication to the contrary, it seems fair to assume that the team is simply taking advantage of having an away series against a National League opponent followed by the All-Star break.
Certainly, there were no evident ill effects last night, when Pujols drove two balls out of the yard. He has been more useful with the bat this year than last, with a .251/.291/.432 slash line in 368 plate appearances, but the once-great hitter is still not showing signs of delivering anything approaching production commensurate with his massive contract.
Giants To Sign Peter Bourjos
The Giants have agreed to a minors deal with outfielder Peter Bourjos, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter). He’ll head to the team’s top affiliate.
Bourjos, 31, has been on and off the Braves’ MLB roster this year. He hasn’t hit much at all in limited opportunities. Neither has he done much more in recent campaigns. Since the start of 2014, Bourjos carries a .229/.286/.366 slash through 1,152 trips to the plate at the game’s highest level.
That said, the numbers have been much better this year at Triple-A, where Bourjos is a .277/.352/.511 hitter in 105 plate appearances. And the nine-year MLB veteran is much better known for his defense and baserunning. For the Giants, he’ll represent an insurance policy in center field.
Athletics Select Contract Of Jeremy Bleich
The Athletics have selected the contract of lefty Jeremy Bleich, per a club announcement. To open a 40-man spot, the club shifted Andrew Triggs to the 60-day DL.
This move is ten years in the making for Bleich, a 2008 sandwich round pick who has never yet seen the majors. Persistence paid off for the Stanford product, who was selected by the Yankees and has also spent time in the Pirates, Phillies, and Dodgers organizations.
Now 31 years of age, the southpaw has turned in a solid showing this year at Triple-A. Through 39 innings in 27 outings, he owns a 3.00 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9. While he has been tagged by right-handed hitters, Bleich has held opposing southpaws to a .200/.224/.291 slash.
Orioles Sign Sean Gilmartin
The Orioles have signed lefty Sean Gilmartin, David Hall of the Virginian-Pilot reports on Twitter. He is joining the club’s top affiliate tonight.
Gilmartin last saw the majors early last year with the Mets, struggling in two outings after a rough 2016 effort. Of course, Gilmartin had a strong rookie campaign in 2015, when he threw 57 1/3 innings of 2.67 ERA ball as a Rule 5 pick.
After landing with the Cardinals, Gilmartin lost his 40-man spot. He had spent the current season at Triple-A Memphis before recently being released. In 46 1/3 innings over 24 outings, including six starts, he worked to a 4.66 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.
Indians Designate Ryan Merritt
The Indians have designated lefty Ryan Merritt for assignment, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports on Twitter. He had been on the 60-day disabled list owing to knee and arm issues.
Cleveland manager Terry Francona explained that, while Merritt is back at full health, he’s showing diminished velocity. The club evidently decided against activating the out-of-options hurler.
Merritt, 26, has only allowed six earned runs in 31 2/3 career MLB innings and gave the Indians a sparkling ALCS outing in 2016. Despite exhibiting impeccable control, though, Merritt only has managed 3.7 K/9 in the majors.
On a rehab assignment this year, Merritt took the ball for 26 innings over six starts at Triple-A. While he recorded a 20:1 K/BB ratio, he also coughed up 42 hits and six long balls en route to a 5.88 ERA.