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Neil Ramirez Elects Free Agency

By Steve Adams | July 23, 2017 at 10:52pm CDT

TODAY: Ramirez cleared waivers and elected to become a free agent, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets.

THURSDAY: The Mets announced that they’ve activated left-hander Josh Smoker from the disabled list and designated right-hander Neil Ramirez for assignment in order to clear a spot on the roster.

The 28-year-old Ramirez has bounced between the Giants, Blue Jays and Mets organizations this year, though the majority of his season has been spent in Queens. In 21 innings with the Mets, he’s struggled to a 6.43 ERA with an impressive 26 strikeouts but also a troubling 17 walks. Overall, Ramirez has a 7.18 ERA with 12.6 K/9 against 6.0 BB/9 in 31 1/3 innings between the Giants and Mets this year.

Fun fact: Neil was drafted by the Rangers in 2007 four picks before the Cubs took Josh Donaldson.

Dodgers Place Brandon McCarthy On 10-Day DL; Activate Hyun-Jin Ryu

By Mark Polishuk | July 23, 2017 at 9:54pm CDT

The Dodgers have placed right-hander Brandon McCarthy on the 10-day disabled list due to a blister problem, the team announced. In a corresponding move, Hyun-Jin Ryu will be activated from the DL in time to start Monday night’s game. Kenta Maeda will take McCarthy’s place in the rotation on Tuesday night against the Twins.

McCarthy has long battled injury problems throughout his career and this season has been on different. This is the right-hander’s third DL stint this season, all with different issues — McCarthy’s previous DL placements were due to shoulder soreness and right knee tendonitis. This finger blister took McCarthy out of a start last month and has apparently been bothering him since Spring Training, the righty told MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick and other media, though he threw a 40-pitch bullpen session today and wanted to pitch on Tuesday.

When McCarthy has been able to pitch this season, the 34-year-old has posted some strong results, notching a 3.84 ERA and 2.64 K/9 rate over 86 2/3 innings. While McCarthy’s 6.9 K/9 indicates that he isn’t missing many bats, he also isn’t allowing batters to do much damage when they do put wood on the ball, with just a 28% hard-hit ball rate and a 5.7% home run rate.

The Dodgers rotation has been a revolving door of injury situations this season, with Ryu, Maeda, Rich Hill, Alex Wood and (as of today) ace Clayton Kershaw all missing time to the disabled list. Ryu, for instance, is returning from a left foot contusion and also had a DL stint earlier this year due to left hip contusion. (Not to mention the fact that Ryu missed almost all of 2015-16 recovering from shoulder injuries.) Despite all the health problems, however, Los Angeles leads all of baseball in starting pitcher ERA (3.33) and fWAR (12.1) thanks to superlative work from Kershaw and Wood, plus good-to-solid contributions from everyone else. Given all of the injuries and with Kershaw now possibly out of action, however, the Dodgers have been looking at adding starting pitching at the trade deadline.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/23/17

By Mark Polishuk | July 23, 2017 at 9:10pm CDT

Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…

Rangers infielder Pete Kozma cleared waivers and has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A, Rangers executive VP of communications John Blake tweets. Kozma was designated for assignment on Thursday. The veteran has appeared in 39 games with the Rangers and Yankees this season, filling in at all four infield positions and hitting .111/.200/.178 in 51 plate appearances.
The Nationals announced some roster moves prior to today’s game, including selecting the contract of outfielder Andrew Stevenson and calling up catcher Pedro Severino. In corresponding moves, Jayson Werth was shifted to the 60-day DL, Ryan Raburn went on the bereavement list and Chris Heisey was placed on the 10-day DL with a left groin strain. Stevenson, a second-round pick out of LSU in the 2015 draft, is getting his first taste of big league action after hitting .280/.335/.366 over 1216 career PA in the minors. Most of that success, however, came at the lower rungs of Washington’s farm system; Stevenson has posted only a .612 OPS over 306 PA at the Triple-A level. Stevenson will serve as a backup in left, center and right field, and he should get a decent amount of playing time with the Nats short-handed in the outfield.
The Yankees outrighted first baseman Ji-Man Choi to Triple-A, the team announced prior to today’s game. Choi signed a minor league deal with New York last winter and collected on that contract’s $700K guaranteed salary when he was promoted to the Yankees’ roster earlier this month. He made a strong impression during his short time in the Bronx, posting a 1.067 OPS over 18 plate appearances. Choi will continue to provide the Yankees with first base depth in the minors.

NL East Notes: Strasburg, Rizzo, Hill, Marlins, Neshek

By Mark Polishuk | July 23, 2017 at 8:16pm CDT

Stephen Strasburg left today’s game between the Nationals and Diamondbacks after just two innings. Manager Dusty Baker told MLB.com’s Jamal Collier (Twitter links) and other reporters that the star right-hander was removed as a precautionary measure after Strasburg couldn’t get loose. No tests are scheduled for Strasburg when the team returns to Washington, though he will be examined by team doctors. “An achy forearm [and] general tightness” is how Strasburg described his injury to the media (including Collier), and the righty said that he preferred to leave the game when he did before the problem turned into something serious.

Here’s more from around the division…

Nationals GM Mike Rizzo isn’t planning to look for outfield help before the trade deadline, Rizzo told media (including MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman). Jayson Werth, Michael Taylor and Chris Heisey are all on the DL, and Ryan Raburn is on bereavement leave, putting the Nats in a tight spot for outfield depth. Still, Rizzo believes the club has enough depth to hold up without any external additions. “I think we have confidence in the guys we have, and as long as the core of our lineup is healthy and hitting on all cylinders, I think we can make it through until Jayson and Michael get better. I don’t see that being too far of a distance,” Rizzo said.
Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill stated two weeks ago that his team wasn’t looking to move any core names like Giancarlo Stanton, J.T. Realmuto, Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich, Justin Bour and Dan Straily at the deadline, and Hill reiterated that stance today. “It’s not stopping calls from coming in,” Hill tells Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. “It’s been fairly consistent, with people checking in to see where we’re at to see if we may be open to expanding the players we’re talking about. But we haven’t put any of those guys in play.” Hill did note that the team is open to discussing its relievers in trade talks, as evidenced by their trade of David Phelps to the Mariners earlier this week and the significant buzz around closer A.J. Ramos.
In an open letter to Jeffrey Loria, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (via his Facebook page) asks the Marlins owner to “free Giancarlo Stanton” by trading him before the team is sold. Such a trade, Rosenthal reasons, would help all parties involved — the Marlins would get some quality prospects, the new owners would get Stanton’s enormous contract off the books, Stanton himself would get to join a contender, and baseball itself would see one of its biggest young stars in a most positive environment.
The Cubs and Dodgers recently had scouts watching the Phillies’ Pat Neshek in action, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports (Twitter link). Both teams have been known to be looking at other relievers, so it isn’t any surprise that Neshek is on their radar. Neshek, widely expected to be moved before the deadline, has been linked to several teams — Chicago and L.A. are the newest names on a long list that includes the Nationals, Royals, Red Sox, Yankees, Brewers and Rays.

Mariners To Sign Danny Espinosa

By Mark Polishuk | July 23, 2017 at 5:04pm CDT

The Mariners have agreed to a Major League deal with infielder Danny Espinosa, Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown reports (Twitter links).

[Updated Mariners depth chart at Roster Resource]

Espinosa was released earlier this week by the Angels, ending a brief and very disappointing stint for the 30-year-old in Los Angeles. Espinosa hit just .162/.237/.276 over 254 plate appearances for the Halos, posting the lowest wRC+ (40) of any hitter in baseball with at least 250 PA.

Espinosa also posted below-average hitting numbers last season, albeit with some pop, hitting 24 homers for the Nationals. If he can regain even his modest from last year, he can help a Mariners team that was known to in the market for infield depth, including some recent interest in the Mets’ Asdrubal Cabrera. Espinosa has flashed some good glovework at both second base and shortstop over his career and he has some brief (109 1/3 innings) experience at third base as well, so he could supplant struggling rookie Taylor Motter as Seattle’s chief utility infielder.

Blue Jays Acquire Nick Tepesch

By Connor Byrne | July 23, 2017 at 4:55pm CDT

The Blue Jays have acquired right-hander Nick Tepesch from the Twins for cash considerations, reports Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press (Twitter link).

This is the second trade of the day for the Blue Jays, who picked up utilityman Rob Refsnyder from the Yankees earlier this afternoon. Like Refsnyder, Tepesch should only be a minor contributor for the Blue Jays – if he contributes anything, that is. Tepesch made one start this season in Minnesota, on May 6, and yielded seven runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks over 1 2/3 innings. The Twins released the 28-year-old a month later, but he quickly re-upped on a minor league contract. Tepesch logged 29 innings with the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate this year and recorded a 5.59 ERA, 8.38 K/9 and 2.79 BB/9.

At one point in his career, Tepesch was a passable back-end starter in Texas, where he posted a 4.56 ERA, 5.42 K/9, 2.92 BB/9 and a 43.9 percent ground-ball rate across 219 frames (39 starts, 42 appearances) from 2013-14. Tepesch hasn’t been nearly that effective since, though, so it’s doubtful he’ll do much at the major league level with his new organization.

Trade Market For Outfielders

By Connor Byrne | July 23, 2017 at 4:41pm CDT

As evidenced by the light return the Tigers received from the Diamondbacks this week for J.D. Martinez, one of the majors’ premier hitters, this is not an ideal time to sell outfielders. It might not be the best time to buy, either, with Andrew McCutchen having played so well that he’s no longer available and Marlins president Michael Hill announcing Sunday (via Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald) that he won’t give up Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna or Giancarlo Stanton this season. Also, the Orioles’ disinclination toward trading veterans could remove Seth Smith and Hyun Soo Kim from consideration (though neither would make for a particularly appealing trade chip anyway). Nevertheless, with the July 31 trade deadline looming, some outfielders will certainly switch uniforms in the coming days. Candidates include…

Rentals

Jay Bruce, Mets | Salary: $13MM

Bruce is having a nice year offensively (.263/.327/.528, 25 home runs in 391 plate appearances) and leaving his past woes in the field behind (four defensive runs saved, 1.0 Ultimate Zone Rating). However, despite his quality all-around production, the Martinez trade indicates the Mets won’t get a lot back for Bruce if they do sell him.

Curtis Granderson, Mets | Salary: $15MM

Most of the Bruce assessment applies to Granderson, who’s even less valuable because he’s more expensive, six years older (36 to 30) and not making the same type of impact this season. Granderson’s certainly not useless, though, as he’s in the midst of an OK year at the plate (.223/.323/.453 with 13 HRs in 319 PAs) and in the grass (minus-one DRS, 0.4 UZR). He’s also a highly regarded clubhouse presence, if that matters.

Howie Kendrick, Phillies | Salary: $10MM

Barring a third trip to the disabled list before the deadline, the versatile Kendrick looks like a lock to join a new team by month’s end, whether it’s to play the outfield, second base or third base. The 34-year-old’s unsustainable .431 batting average on balls in play suggests he won’t continue his torrid pace past the deadline (.346/.397/.466 in 146 PAs), but Kendrick has a history of providing respectable offense and figures to help some contender over the season’s final couple months.

Melky Cabrera, White Sox | Salary: $15MM

Cabrera, 31, doesn’t want to leave the White Sox (per Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune), but they’re not shy about trading veterans these days. The question is: Will anyone want Cabrera? He’s not valuable as either a defender or baserunner, nor has he set the world on fire offensively this year with his .296/.340/.446 line in 400 PAs. All that considered, Chicago would have to eat most or all of Cabrera’s salary to get anything of worth back in a deal.

Jose Bautista, Blue Jays | Salary: $18.5MM

The 36-year-old Bautista offers a similar game to the one Cabrera brings at this stage, but the former is even pricier. That doesn’t bode well for the Blue Jays’ chances of moving the franchise icon. Once among the majors’ foremost players, Bautista’s descent began in earnest last season, and his decline has been even sharper this year. With his once-pristine strikeout and walk numbers trending in the wrong direction, not to mention notable steps backward in the power department, Bautista has logged a meager .224/.335/.398 line in 424 PAs.

Carlos Gomez, Rangers | Salary: $11.5MM

The Rangers aren’t sure whether they’ll sell, and Gomez’s name hasn’t even come up in trade rumors this summer. Including Gomez here is merely speculative in nature, then, though parting with the 31-year-old might make sense if the Rangers don’t expect to re-sign him. Gomez has seemingly found a home with the Rangers, however, after a brutal stretch with the state rival Astros from late 2015 until last August. The former star hasn’t been as good as he was down the stretch with the Rangers in 2016, but he has turned in quality offensive production (.248/.330/.459 with 12 homers in 281 trips to the plate) and done decent work in center field (two DRS, neutral UZR).

Cameron Maybin, Angels | Salary: $9MM

As someone who’s capable of lining up at all three outfield spots and pitching in offensively (.238/.342/.368 with 25 stolen bases in 322 PAs), Maybin carries some appeal. However, it’s up in the air whether the Angels plan to sell – they’re three games below .500, but they stayed afloat during a lengthy Mike Trout absence and are a manageable 3.5 games out of a wild-card spot. Even if the Halos were to wave the white flag on this season in the next eight days, Maybin’s probably not going to be healthy enough to end up on the move, having suffered an MCL sprain this week that should keep him out until August. If Maybin returns sometime next month, perhaps the Angels will attempt to deal the 30-year-old after they send him through trade waivers.

Ben Revere, Angels | Salary: $4MM

The once-solid Revere is amid a disastrous two-year stretch in which he has hit .223/.259/.302 in 562 PAs and, per FanGraphs, been the majors’ least valuable outfielder (minus-2.2 fWAR). Revere’s performance indicates he’s more of a release candidate than a trade possibility.

Rajai Davis, Athletics | Salary: $6MM

Davis is an incredible baserunner who’s only a year removed from a fine season in Cleveland, where he hit this playoff home run, but an offensive decline has torpedoed his age-36 campaign. Through 265 trips to the plate, Davis has slashed a meager .231/.292/.339. He hasn’t been particularly valuable in the field, either, having drawn a neutral DRS mark and posted a minus-4.1 UZR in 548 innings. Maybe a contender would want Davis for his brilliance on the base paths, but the A’s would surely have to eat a large portion of his remaining money.

John Jaso, Pirates | Salary: $4MM

Despite their recent charge up the standings, the Pirates plan to listen to potential offers for Jaso. Unfortunately for the Bucs, though, Jaso has seen his numbers (and likely his trade value) dip thanks to a dreadful July in which he has hit .086/.214/.171 in 42 tries. Overall, Jaso’s at .222/.309/.407 in 220 PAs, making him a pretty unappealing offensive option at his normal positions – the corner outfield and first base.

Daniel Nava, Phillies | Salary: $1.35MM

The 34-year-old Nava has bounced back from a rough couple seasons and returned to the useful form he showed in Boston from 2011-14. Between the switch-hitter’s .303/.400/.408 line in 180 PAs and his minuscule salary, the Phillies should be able to send him elsewhere.

Controlled Through 2018

Hunter Pence, Giants | Salary: $18.5MM this year and next

In the aggregate, Pence has been a terrific Giant since he joined them in 2012, the first of two World Series-winning seasons with him on the roster. He and the Giants are floundering now, though, so the club would surely jump at the chance to get Pence’s money off the books. That’s not going to happen, however, with the 34-year-old having hit a career-worst .251/.298/.351 in 315 PAs this season.

Denard Span, Giants | Salary: $9MM this year and next ($4MM buyout for 2019)

Span is another Giant whose best days are a distant memory, but unlike Pence, he hasn’t been terrible this year. After taking a step backward offensively in 2016, the normally solid hitter has come back to life this season with a .285/.332/.451 line through 316 trips to the plate. The plus defense Span displayed earlier in his career is a thing of the past, though, and he’s no longer much of a threat on the bases. Those factors, not to mention his age (33) and fairly expensive price tag, don’t do his trade value any favors.

Steve Pearce, Blue Jays | Salary: $6.25MM this year and next

Pearce has done nothing but hit since his unexpected breakout in 2013, having posted a line that’s 26 percent better than league average over the past four-plus seasons, according to FanGraphs’ wRC+ metric. While his .276/.332/.453 line in 187 PAs this year is an unspectacular 8 percent above the league mean, an awful season-opening month is to blame for that. Since then, Pearce has held his own at the plate. It has been a different story in left field, where Pearce has logged woeful numbers (minus-four DRS, minus-25.8 UZR/150). The infield-capable Pearce is likely better suited at first base, then. Regardless, the 34-year-old provides enough offensive punch that he looks like a plausible trade candidate. Pearce’s salary isn’t peanuts, but it shouldn’t necessarily be prohibitive.

Matt Joyce, Athletics | Salary: $5MM in 2017; $6MM in 2018

The A’s are embarking on a full rebuild, so it stands to reason they’d move Joyce if they were to receive a satisfactory offer. It would’ve been easier to net one when Joyce was with the Piartes a year ago, when he racked up nearly as many unintentional walks (59) as strikeouts (67) en route to a .403 on-base percentage. The 2017 version of Joyce is merely a passable offensive player (.225/.328/.418 in 335 PAs), which isn’t the greatest complement to his underwhelming defensive game. Still, Joyce is affordable enough through next year that he doesn’t have to do much more than he has this season to live up to his contract, so maybe a team in need of an established, inexpensive bat will have interest.

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Longer-Term Assets

Justin Upton, Tigers | Salary: $22.125MM through 2021 (can opt out after this season)

Both the exorbitant amount of money remaining on Upton’s deal and his opt-out clause could scuttle the possibility of a trade, yet the 29-year-old has boosted his stock on the field by putting an unremarkable 2016 in the rearview. In fact, if Upton doesn’t fade down the stretch, this will rank as one of the best seasons of his career. He’s up to .278/.367/.508 in 373 PAs, which goes nicely with his 11 DRS and 6.3 UZR. Upton’s presence would benefit a contender, clearly, but the contract really complicates matters.

Jacoby Ellsbury, Yankees | Salary: $21.2MM through 2020 ($5MM buyout for 2021)

Ellsbury is no longer needed in New York’s outfield, where the team has superstar Aaron Judge, 2017 breakout player Aaron Hicks, steady veteran Brett Gardner and big-time prospect Clint Frazier on hand. Unfortunately for the Yankees, though, Ellsbury’s contract is prohibitive for a player who’s certainly not going to revisit the MVP-contending days he enjoyed in Boston. The 33-year-old Ellsbury is still capable of contributing, but if it’s going to happen in another uniform, the Yankees would have to either have to swallow a huge amount of his contract in a salary dump or trade him for another team’s onerous deal.

Khris Davis, Athletics | Salary: $5MM in 2017; arbitration eligible through 2019

The A’s approached Davis about an extension over the winter, but they now seem ready to tear things down. While the change in mindset certainly doesn’t mean Davis will move this season, it could be something to watch out for over the winter. The powerful 30-year-old’s age doesn’t seem to mesh with Oakland’s timeline, and his salary will continue to increase in arbitration – perhaps adding incentive for the low-payroll club to deal him in the near future. The arbitration process is kind to hitters who rack up home runs, RBI and PAs, which Davis has done in his nearly two-year tenure with the A’s. He’s at .244/.333/.526 with 28 homers and 68 RBI through 405 PAs this season.

Avisail Garcia, White Sox | Salary: $3MM in 2017; arbitration eligible through 2019

Once a hyped prospect, Garcia didn’t do much at the big league level with either the Tigers or White Sox from 2012-16. But that hasn’t been the case this year, as Garcia has registered a .311/.356/.498 line across 350 PAs. It’s smoke and mirrors to some extent – the 26-year-old’s 4.5 percent walk rate is unpalatable, especially considering it goes with a 21.5 percent strikeout mark, and his .374 BABIP won’t sustain itself. Nevertheless, Garcia’s .353 xwOBA (down from a .372 wOBA, per Baseball Savant) suggests the 2017 version has been a legitimate offensive contributor despite the luck. His somewhat believable breakout at the plate, surprisingly solid defensive numbers since last season (four DRS, 7.7 UZR) and affordable control should appeal to some clubs, though it’s unclear if the 26-year-old is someone GM Rick Hahn would trade at this juncture.

Jurickson Profar, Rangers | Salary: $1MM in 2017; arbitration eligible through 2019

Profar was a star prospect a few years back, but he has done little to match the hype in the majors. On the plus side, the current minor leaguer’s young enough (24) and cheap enough for some team to dream on him. Indeed, the versatile Profar has piqued at least one club’s interest.

Keon Broxton, Brewers | Salary: $541K in 2017; not eligible for arbitration until after the 2019 season

Having recently demoted Broxton to Triple-A, the Brewers would perhaps be selling low on the 27-year-old if they were to part with him. At the same time, it’s not hard to imagine the cheap and controllable Broxton serving as a key piece of a package that brings the Brewers a much-needed rotation upgrade. The strikeout-prone Broxton is only a year removed from a very good half-season debut with the Brewers, and he did exhibit power and speed before his demotion this year (14 homers, .212 ISO, 17 steals in 326 PAs). That came with a subpar .218/.294/.430 line, granted, but there’s clearly promise here.

Randal Grichuk, Cardinals | Salary: $557K in 2017; arbitration eligible through 2020

As is the case with Broxton, strikeouts have been a problem for Grichuk, who has also spent time in the minors this season. Grichuk’s overall offensive production this year hasn’t been up to snuff (.222/.277/.435 in 249 PAs), but he was a better-than-average hitter in each of the three prior seasons. He’s also fairly powerful, having tallied 55 homers and recorded a .235 ISO in 1,193 career attempts. Power is Grichuk’s best offensive trait, as he hasn’t hit for average (.247) or gotten on base much in the majors (.297 OBP), but he’s probably young enough (25) and affordable enough to serve as a notable part of a trade. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggested Sunday that the Redbirds could entertain offers for Grichuk.

Dodgers Have “Strong Interest” In Yu Darvish

By Connor Byrne | July 23, 2017 at 2:57pm CDT

The Dodgers were among those who scouted Rangers ace Yu Darvish’s latest start, an eight-frame, 12-strikeout showing against the Rays on Friday. It turns out the Dodgers are one of multiple teams with “strong interest” in Darvish, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Talks between Los Angeles and Texas are in their preliminary stages, adds Morosi.

With a major league-best 67-31 record, the Dodgers are already something of a dream team, and adding Darvish to the fold would further increase their relatively high odds of being the last club standing at season’s end. The 30-year-old Darvish would give the Dodgers at least two bona fide aces, joining the peerless Clayton Kershaw, and there’s a legitimate case they also have another No. 1 in the lights-out Alex Wood. Los Angeles has also gotten quality pitching this year from starters Rich Hill and Brandon McCarthy, though both come with durability concerns. The depth-laden team has a couple more respectable starters in Kenta Maeda and Hyun-Jin Ryu, but they’ve been the weakest links in a rotation that tops the majors in ERA (3.33) and fWAR (12.1).

As an impending free agent, Darvish wouldn’t necessarily stick with the Dodgers past this season, yet this year could represent the franchise’s best chance at a championship in a while. So, between that and their top-notch farm system, the Dodgers could elect to make a bold strike and pay what will be a high price to acquire Darvish. Even though the Rangers are struggling, there’s no guarantee they’ll move Darvish, a franchise icon whom they’d like to re-sign. However, just in case, the Rangers have been scouting the Dodgers’ minor leaguers. The Rangers watched highly touted Triple-A outfielder Alex Verdugo on Friday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News notes (on Twitter). Verdugo is the 35th-best prospect in the game, per Baseball America, and the Dodgers aren’t eager to part with him or other acclaimed youngsters such as righties Walker Buehler and Yadier Alvarez.

Blue Jays Acquire Rob Refsnyder

By Connor Byrne | July 23, 2017 at 1:47pm CDT

The Blue Jays have acquired infielder/outfielder Rob Refsnyder from the AL East rival Yankees for first baseman Ryan McBroom, according to an announcement from New York.

The 26-year-old Refsnyder had been in limbo since the Yankees designated him for assignment on Wednesday, which came after a disappointing tenure in pinstripes. Refsnyder, whom New York chose in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, collected 262 major league plate appearances with the franchise and batted just .241/.312/.332. On the plus side, Refsnyder garnered big league experience at first, second and in the corner outfield with the Yankees, and he slashed a solid .292/.372/.424 in 1,244 PAs as a member of their Triple-A affiliate. Refsnyder also comes with a minor league option, so the Blue Jays could use him as depth in Toronto or stash him in Triple-A.

McBroom, meanwhile, won’t help solve the Yankees’ issues at first base this year. The 25-year-old hasn’t ascended past Double-A since the Jays took him in the 15th round of the 2014 draft, and his numbers at that level this season aren’t exactly eye-popping. Across 392 PAs, McBroom has batted a less-than-stellar .243/.321/.402. If McBroom carves out a major league future, it’ll likely be as a platoon player, according to MLB.com, which ranked him as the 30th-best prospect in Toronto’s system.

Latest On Yankees’ Search For Starting Pitching

By Connor Byrne | July 23, 2017 at 12:58pm CDT

The Yankees had a scout on hand to watch Rangers ace Yu Darvish’s eight-inning, 12-strikeout performance in Tampa Bay on Friday, leading to speculation that the Bombers have interest in the right-hander. That is indeed the case, per FanRag’s Jon Heyman, who reports that the Yankees have reached out to the Rangers about Darvish. They’ve also been in contact with the Athletics regarding righty Sonny Gray and the Braves concerning southpaw Jaime Garcia.

The connection to Gray isn’t anything new, as Heyman reported earlier this week that the Athletics have “named their price” for the 27-year-old in discussions with New York. The A’s want “top guys” in exchange for Gray, while the same applies to the Rangers if they’re going to trade Darvish, writes Heyman. Darvish is only a rental, whereas Gray’s controllable through 2019, but the former’s track record suggests he’d make the greater impact down the stretch. His presence would obviously benefit the Yankees, who hold a wild-card spot in the American League, but they’re not eager to part with the best prospects in their well-regarded system, relays Heyman, who suggests that outfielder Clint Frazier, infielder Gleyber Torres and lefty Justus Sheffield aren’t going anywhere. The Yankees “probably” won’t move righty James Kaprielian, either, tweets Heyman. It’s an open question, then, whether they’d be able to put together an appealing enough offer for the coveted Darvish.

While Garcia would undoubtedly bring back the worst return among this trio, he’s nonetheless garnering plenty of interest. The 31-year-old impending free agent wouldn’t provide the Yankees with another front-of-the-rotation presence to complement No. 1 starter Luis Severino. However, Garcia would help make up for the loss of Michael Pineda, who underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery earlier this month, and give the team a credible back-end option to slot in behind Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and Jordan Montgomery.

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