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NL Trade Notes: Dodgers, Darvish, Cardinals, Kendrick

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The Dodgers (and the Cubs, whose interest we’ve already noted) were among the teams scouting Rangers star Yu Darvish last night, the MLB Network’s Jon Morosi tweets. Darvish struck out 12 Rays batters over eight innings. The Dodgers already have good starting pitching, with Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood, Rich Hill, Brandon McCarthy and Kenta Maeda all healthy, but Darvish would of course improve any team’s rotation. The righty currently has a 3.45 ERA, 9.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 over 125 1/3 innings. He’s eligible for free agency after the season. Here’s more from the NL.

  • Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak is frustrated with his team’s “attitude and culture” and might look to make changes to improve those things, MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch writes. The Cardinals are now 47-49, and their exact plans for the deadline aren’t quite clear. They were linked, and then un-linked, to J.D. Martinez before he the Diamondbacks acquired him, and they recently dealt Marco Gonzales to Seattle. “I feel like I don’t have that silver bullet to say, ’Hey if we go do this, we will be greatly improved,'” says Mozeliak, who also bluntly expressed frustration with the way the Cardinals’ players have performed. “I feel like I’m not going to make excuses for people or players. Everybody points the finger upstairs to try and find the solution or the move. Well, maybe 25 [players] need to look in the mirror.”
  • The Phillies could still trade 2B/OF Howie Kendrick if they keep him through the non-waiver trade deadline, writes Ryan Lawrence of PhillyVoice, who argues that Pat Neshek is the Phillie most likely to be traded by the end of the month. Kendrick only recently returned from a hamstring injury, giving the Phillies a limited amount of time to showcase him before July 31. Lawrence argues Kendrick’s injury troubles and his approximately $3.3MM in 2017 salary he’ll have left beginning on August 1 make Kendrick a candidate to clear waivers and leave Philadelphia in August, just as Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz did in years past. I’d argue that Kendrick’s .349/.403/.476 line this year could make that scenario somewhat unlikely, but there’s little doubt that the timing of his return could make dealing him a bit tricky for the Phils.

Trade Market For Shortstops

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Frankly, there’s not much to see here. Most contenders are set at shortstop. Even those that have immediate needs — the Astros, Nationals, and Diamondbacks all have regulars on the DL — aren’t really expected to go shopping for replacements.

We’ve already seen one shortstop on the move, though, with Adeiny Hechavarria going to the Rays. Here are some others that could be available:

Rentals

Zack Cozart, Reds | $5.325MM in 2017

Cozart is an elite defender and has posted an outstanding .321/.400/.566 batting line on the year. Were there a single contender with an opening at short, he’d be the obvious solution. As it stands, Cozart may end up being viewed more as a heavily-used utility piece — unless a team decides it would be best-served adding him and pushing a regular shortstop to another position instead.

Eduardo Nunez, Giants | $4.2MM in 2017

He’s more likely an option at other spots in the infield, but Nunez has logged more games at short than any other position in his eight seasons of MLB action. Nunez is a roughly league-average hitter who can swipe a bag, and would deepen a lot of rosters.

Ruben Tejada, Orioles | Unknown Salary

The 27-year-old is back in the majors as a fill-in option for the O’s. He’s hitting better than he did last year, but the .272/.322/.333 output isn’t going to hold much appeal.

Erick Aybar, Padres | $1.75MM in 2017

As with Tejada, the veteran Aybar isn’t impressing at the plate (.231/.298/.353) and won’t be in much demand.

Controlled Through 2018

Freddy Galvis, Phillies | $4.35MM in 2017; arb-eligible in 2018

The sudden slugger is on pace to approach twenty long balls yet again. And his on-base percentage has crept over .300. Galvis has rated as a top-end defender, but it still seems he makes the most sense in Philadelphia.

Jose Iglesias, Tigers |$4.1MM in 2017; arb-eligible in 2018

At his best, Iglesias is something of a poor man’s Andrelton Simmons. But while his magical glovework continues, the work with the bat has worsened over the past two years. It’s hard to imagine an offer coming in that would really motivate Detroit.

Asdrubal Cabrera, Mets | $8.25MM in 2017; $8.5MM club option ($2MM buyout) in 2018

It’s arguable whether Cabrera ought to be considered here at all, as the Mets clearly determined that he’s no longer really capable of playing a palatable shortstop. On the other hand, he has manned that position almost exclusively over the past three years and can hit near the league average (though his baserunning has been stunningly bad thus far in 2017).

J.J. Hardy, Orioles | $14MM in 2017; $14MM club option ($2MM buyout) in 2018

The veteran isn’t a deadline option, as he’s currently on the DL. And odds are he won’t be one in August, either, though he’ll easily clear waivers after opening the year with a .211/.248/.308 batting line.

Longer-Term Assets

Jurickson Profar, Rangers | $1.05MM in 2017; arb-eligible through 2019

Still just 24 years of age, Profar has been awful this year in the majors. But he is hitting 297/.386/.423 at Triple-A. And with no clear path to a significant role in Texas, perhaps it’s finally time he’s dealt.

Aledmys Diaz, Cardinals | First-time arb-eligible in 2021

It’s hard to see the Cards giving up on Diaz after he showed a lofty ceiling last year. But he was demoted and has struggled all the more at Triple-A ever since, so perhaps a deal can’t be ruled out if there’s a chance to achieve some value.

Andrelton Simmons, Angels | $8MM in 2017; $39MM from 2018 through 2020

In the midst of a career year, Simmons almost certainly isn’t going anywhere, even if the Halos do sell.

Brandon Crawford, Giants | $8MM in 2017; $60MM from 2018 through 2021

The Giants have made clear they aren’t interested in dealing Crawford, even as he struggles after consecutive two top-level seasons.

Troy Tulowitzki, Blue Jays | $20MM in 2017; $58MM from 2018 through 2020 (including $4MM buyout of 2021 club option)

Tulo has declined in the field and at the plate this year. While the Jays may at some point see if they can’t unload some of the contract, there’s no indication that’ll happen this summer.

Ryan Goins, Blue Jays | First-time arb-eligible in 2018

Goins just doesn’t hit, and has drawn poor grades this year at short, though he could in theory be a utility option elsewhere.

Dixon Machado, Tigers | First-time arb-eligible in 2020

At times, Machado has been seen as an interesting prospect, and he does own a .316/.338/.395 batting line in just 81 plate appearances on the year. He’s out of options and it’s hard to imagine the Tigers again carrying him in 2018 without clearing the way for some more playing time.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/21/17

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Let’s catch up on some of the recent minor moves from around the game:

  • Righty Jumbo Diaz is a free agent after rejecting an outright assignment from the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports on Twitter. The bulky 33-year-old had a solid 2016 campaign but scuffled upon arriving in Tampa Bay. In his thirty innings, he was touched for a 5.70 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9.
  • The Blue Jays have outrighted righty Lucas Harrell to Triple-A, per a club announcement. He’ll have the option of rejecting that assignment. Harrell, 32, turned in six solid starts at Triple-A before earning a call-up, but was knocked around in his four appearances with the Jays.
  • Right-hander Tyrell Jenkins has been released by the Padres, according to the MLB.com transactions page. Jenkins, who just turned 25, had a 14-appearance taste of the majors last year with the Braves, but struggled badly. He had generally performed quite well in the upper minors previously, but coughed up 71 earned runs on 111 hits in his 82 1/3 Triple-A frames in the Padres organization this season.
  • The Diamondbacks have inked righty David Carpenter to a minors deal, per a club announcement from the indy ball Bridgeport Bluefish. Once a quality MLB reliever, Carpenter washed out of the majors with arm issues. He posted a 1.91 ERA and racked up 45 strikeouts in his 37 2/3 innings on the year.
  • Catcher Steve Clevenger has signed with the Atlantic League’s Lancaster Barnstormers, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (Twitter link). Clevenger lost his job with the Mariners last year after a Twitter controversy. The 31-year-old will be looking to earn his way back into the affiliated ranks.
  • The Twins have added righty Michael Kohn on a minors deal, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune reports (Twitter links). He’ll continue rehabbing a rotator cuff injury that has kept him off the mound since 2015. Kohn previously turned in 115 innings of 3.52 ERA ball — but with 6.2 walks to go with his 8.7 strikeouts per nine — in parts of five seasons of MLB action.
  • Outfielder Michael Choice is heading to the KBO, as the Brewers announced they’ve sold his contract to the Nexen Heroes. Still just 27 years of age, the former top prospect was released by the Orioles after struggling early this year at Triple-A. But he has found his groove at Double-A Biloxi, slashing .272/.349/.503 over 195 plate appearances.

Trade Chatter: Darvish, Alonso, Red Sox, Ramos, Stanton, Cahill, Nunez

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Yu Darvish is pitching tonight for the Rangers, so clearly there’s nothing imminent. Indeed, Texas seems likely to take its decision on the ace to the latest possible moment, even as it begins to solicit interest. As that process begins to take place, it’s important to note that Darvish possesses partial no-trade rights. While it’s not at all clear whether he’d get in the way of a deal, particularly given that he’ll be a free agent in a few months regardless, that adds another potential hurdle. Per Jim Bowden of Sirius XM, via Twitter, Darvish currently can block trades to the Cubs, Indians, Pirates, Red Sox, and Rockies (along with five other teams that are in no position to consider a rental starter).

Here’s the latest trade deadline chatter:

  • While the Athletics continue to weigh their options with first baseman Yonder Alonso, the club has not actually engaged in any extension talks with his reps, per ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Twitter link). While a new deal seems unlikely to come to fruition (yet more than it did already), the A’s are struggling to drum up interest in the breakout performer. Indeed, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com suggests on Twitter that the Yankees are the only team firmly pursuing Alonso at this time. Trouble is, it seems, Oakland isn’t enamored of the Yanks’ offers to date.
  • Meanwhile, the division-rival Red Sox could conceivably look into some outside-the-box possibilities to improve their offense, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe writes. He bases that assessment on the difficulty of finding a significant offensive threat capable of playing third as well as the ongoing struggles of Mitch Moreland since he suffered a toe injury. Boston might consider a first baseman, Speier says, or perhaps even an outfielder that could lineup at DH — if Hanley Ramirez is capable of spending more time at first. While it doesn’t seem there’s any indication of internal interest at this point, Speier cites Alonso, Lucas Duda, and Jay Bruce as rental players that could hold some appeal.
  • Marlins closer A.J. Ramos is drawing interest from as many as eight to ten teams, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets. With momentum perhaps building toward a deal, Ramos tells MLB.com’s Jeremy Vernon that he hears the rumors, but is trying to stay focused on his current job. “It’s good, but also it’s a little bit bittersweet,” he said of the fact other teams are looking to deal for him.
  • A handful of clubs have reached out to the Marlins about high-priced slugger Giancarlo Stanton, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports, but the expectation remains that he will not be seriously marketed this summer. Still, the club is keeping Stanton “apprised of every contact” it receives, which evidently was a commitment made to the star. With full no-trade protection, he can control his destiny.
  • Interest in Padres righty Trevor Cahill is increasing as the deadline draws near, a team source tells MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell (via Twitter). While the possible introduction of Darvish to the market would knock Cahill down a peg among rental arms, it likely wouldn’t reduce the demand. After all, he’s still exceptionally cheap and has been one of the game’s most productive starters when healthy in 2017. For teams that want to take a shot at a continuation of that surprising success, Cahill should hold quite a lot of appeal.
  • Interestingly, in his recent run-down of the market for Athletics righty Sonny Gray, Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network noted that even the Padres have asked about the hotly pursued starter. That may be chalked up mostly to due diligence; though the Pads no doubt would love to install such an arm into their rotation for the next two years, it’s hard to see sufficient motivation to beat the offers of other organizations that will highly value the ability to utilize Gray for the next several months.
  • Among Giants players, infielder Eduardo Nunez is drawing the most interest, Olney tweets. That’s hardly surprising, as he’s a pending free agent who can play all over the infield. It still seems a bit difficult to imagine that the Giants won’t find a worthwhile arrangement involving Nunez, who could fit with quite a few different contenders.

White Sox To Acquire Mark Lowe, Jean Machi

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The White Sox have acquired veteran relievers Mark Lowe and Jean Machi from the Mariners, according to Triple-A Tacoma broadcaster Mike Curto (Twitter link). Both will report to Chicago’s top affiliate.

It seems that this isn’t a part of a larger deal, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets that cash is heading back to the M’s. Clearly, the addition of these two players by the rebuilding South Siders is designed to help the team maintain its pen depth down the stretch. Chicago has already traded away a pair of relievers from its major league roster and could move yet more by the trade deadline.

Lowe, 35, was released by the Tigers late in camp after a disappointing run in Detroit. He joined the Mariners on a minors pact and has gone on to post a 6.23 ERA in 39 innings, all at Triple-A. Lowe has struck out 8.5 and walked 4.6 batters per nine on the year.

As for the 35-year-old Machi, he did enjoy a brief MLB stint earlier this season — his first since 2015 — but has spent most of the year at Tacoma. Over 36 2/3 innings, Machi carries a 3.44 ERA with 7.1 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9.

Diamondbacks To Promote Anthony Banda

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The Diamondbacks will promote lefty Anthony Banda to start tomorrow in place of Taijuan Walker, per a club announcement. Walker is on paternity leave, so it’ll only be a short absence for him.

Banda, a southpaw who’ll soon turn 24, currently ranks as the game’s 68th-best overall prospect, in the eyes of the Baseball America prospect team. He is already on the 40-man, earning a spot last fall in order to be protected from the Rule 5 draft. The D-Backs picked up Banda (as well as Mitch Haniger) in the 2014 deadline deal that sent Gerardo Parra to the Brewers.

It’s not yet clear whether the D-Backs have any inclination to lean on Banda much at all down the stretch, but that could depend in some part upon how he looks in his MLB debut. Banda has managed only a 5.08 ERA in his 101 Triple-A innings this year, with 8.3 K/9 against 3.8 B/9, and didn’t exactly dominate in his 13 starts there last year.

Banda is viewed more as a steady potential MLB starter than a high-risk, high-upside play with electric stuff. But it’s also possible he could contribute from the bullpen in some capacity over the next few months. His readiness may have at least some impact on the club’s deadline plans, though Arizona’s approach over the next ten days surely won’t be driven to any great extent by Banda’s form in this spot start.

Braves Release Eric O’Flaherty

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The Braves have released lefty Eric O’Flaherty, per a club announcement. He had been on the 10-day DL.

A roster spot was needed so that catcher Anthony Recker could be brought up. Kurt Suzuki is on the bereavement list, creating the need for another backstop.

The 32-year-old O’Flaherty has continued to find work over the past several seasons, but hasn’t really been the same since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2013. In 18 1/3 innings this season, he struggled to a 7.85 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9.

Indians Place Boone Logan On 10-Day DL

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The Indians have placed southpaw Boone Logan on the 10-day DL, according to a club announcement. That move was largely expected after he departed his most recent appearance with what is being labeled a lat strain.

Logan is expected to miss “significant time,” per skipper Terry Francona, via Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). While it’s not clear just how long that will be, and Logan is still set for a second opinion, it seems reasonable to expect that the club won’t be able to count upon him to be a major contributor down the stretch.

For the time being, at least, lefty Tyler Olson will come up to take the open roster spot. The 27-year-old has only brief MLB experience, but has been throwing well this year at Triple-A. Through 40 2/3 innings there, he owns a 3.32 ERA with 11.5 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9.

The strikeout rate, in particular, represents a huge leap forward for Olson. But he’ll have fairly large shoes to fill. While Logan actually hasn’t been as effective against lefties (.711 OPS) as righties (.638) this year and owns a 4.71 ERA, he has dominated same-handed hitters historically and is humming along with 12.0 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and a fifty percent groundball rate.

While Olson’s intriguing run at Columbus makes him worthy of a shot at the majors, there isn’t much time to assess him before the trade deadline. The Indians do have one of the game’s very best left-handed relievers in Andrew Miller, of course, but he’s not utilized as a lefty specialist. In addition to Olson, Ryan Merritt currently occupies a pen slot, but he’s more of a swingman than a matchup option from the pen.

With Cleveland looking to hold off several competitors in the division while also preparing for a hopeful postseason bid, it’ll have to at least consider looking at the trade market. There are quite a few southpaws available on this year’s market, though the best among them figure to be in high demand.

NL East Notes: Kendrick, Phillies, Asdrubal, Nats, Werth, Camargo

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The Phillies announced that Howie Kendrick has been activated off the 10-day DL, with Brock Stassi heading down to Triple-A in corresponding move.  Between this hamstring strain and a strained oblique earlier this season, Kendrick has been limited to just 33 games and 139 plate appearances in his first season in Philadelphia, though the veteran has been raking when he has been able to play.  Kendrick is hitting .349/.403/.476 this year, and while some regression is surely baked into those numbers (his BABIP is a whopping .443), Kendrick’s bat, positional versatility and respected clubhouse presence make him a valuable trade chip for the Phillies.  He’ll have 11 days to audition for other clubs and prove he is healthy before the deadline.

Here’s more from around the NL East…

  • Even before he has made his return, some teams have expressed interest in trading for Kendrick, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki writes in a rundown of the Phillies’ potential deadline plans.  Jeremy Hellickson has also drawn interest.  While these two veterans and first baseman Tommy Joseph are being shopped, sources tell Zolecki that reliever Pat Neshek is definitely the most likely — and maybe the only –Phillie to be moved prior to the deadline.  Kendrick, Hellickson, Joaquin Benoit and Daniel Nava could still be dealt but not until the August waiver period.
  • Mets infielder Asdrubal Cabrera has drawn interest from the Indians, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports (via Twitter).  The Tribe would use Cabrera (who spent the first seven-plus years of his career in Cleveland) at second base until Jason Kipnis returns from the DL, and Cabrera would them move into a utility infield role backing up Kipnis, Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez.  Cleveland could add bench depth if they can’t swing a larger trade, Crasnick writes (Twitter links) though “they appear to be on the fence” about making such a move, with current signs pointing towards nothing major in the works.
  • The Nationals want to add another reliever and potentially some rotation depth, though it remains to be seen if they’ll have the prospects or money to make those deals happen, MLB.com’s Jamal Collier writes as part of a reader mailbag piece.  It doesn’t look like the Nats will move top prospects Victor Robles, Juan Soto or Erick Fedde as part of any trade, plus the club already dealt from its secondary farm system stockpile in acquiring Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle from the A’s.  That deal added roughly $5MM in salary to the Nationals’ 2017 payroll, so it’s possible Washington might be out of financial room, unless they can move some current salaries as part of a trade.
  • Earlier this week, Jayson Werth told Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post and other reporters that he suffered a fracture in his left foot in addition to the bone bruise that has sidelined him since early June.  Despite the ominous-sounding injury, Werth said that the bone bruise is the real problem, as he still can’t sprint.  The veteran outfielder is taking batting practice and throwing, however, so going by the rough two-month timeline for bone bruise recovery, Werth could potentially be back with the Nationals in early August.
  • Johan Camargo has impressed the Braves and is taking playing time away from shortstop Dansby Swanson, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes.  While the Braves still have full confidence in Swanson’s ability as a future franchise cornerstone, Camargo has hit .315/.338/.465 over his first 134 MLB plate appearances and flashed some good glovework at not just shortstop, but also at third base.  The Braves’ experiment with Freddie Freeman at third has morphed into Freeman playing every day at either third or first base, with Camargo starting at the hot corner against left-handed pitching and Matt Adams starting at first against right-handed pitching.  Camargo could be playing himself into a regular infield role for 2018, or possibly as a multi-positional superutility man capable of playing the outfield as well.

Tigers Notes: Verlander, Avila, Wilson

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Some trade rumblings out of the Motor City…

  • The Tigers are reportedly willing to pay the rest of Justin Verlander’s remaining 2017 salary in order to facilitate a deal, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.  This works out to roughly $10.89MM.  Reports earlier this week indicated that Detroit was open to including some money as part of a Verlander deal, though according to rival executives who have spoken with Fenech, the Tigers would need to bump that figure up to $25MM-$30MM if the club hopes to receive a good prospect return for Verlander.  The former Cy Young Award winner’s future salary obligations ($28MM in each of the next two seasons, and a $22MM vesting option for 2020) and his struggles in 2017 have greatly limited his trade value, though Fenech notes that teams like the Cubs and Dodgers still had scouts at Verlander’s most recent outing.
  • The Cubs have expressed the most interest in catcher Alex Avila, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (Twitter links), and Nightengale feels Avila will be the next notable Tiger to leave Detroit now that J.D. Martinez has been traded.  Nightengale figures the Tigers would “ideally” receive a mid-level prospect in exchange for Avila, who is enjoying a career year just before hitting free agency this winter.  Detroit is reportedly getting a lot of interest in Avila, though the Cubs and Blue Jays are the only teams specifically linked to the catcher (and Toronto has since acquired Miguel Montero).
  • Also from Nightengale, he reports that the Brewers “have been aggressive” in their pursuit of Tigers closer Justin Wilson.  The Astros, Nationals, Rays and Red Sox are among the other teams known to be checking in on Wilson, who has only elevated his stock since taking over the ninth inning for Detroit.  Milwaukee has been linked to any number of relievers and controllable starters, with Wilson joining such names as Brad Hand, Addison Reed and Sonny Gray.

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