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Blue Jays “Highly Unlikely” To Trade J.A. Happ

By Mark Polishuk | July 16, 2017 at 2:53pm CDT

The Blue Jays are receiving interest from the Brewers and other teams in left-hander J.A. Happ, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter links), though it is “highly unlikely” that the Jays will trade the southpaw since Toronto plans to compete in 2018.

Milwaukee has been aggressive in pursuing deadline upgrades, as the team has been linked to such names as Sonny Gray, Brad Hand and (the since-traded) Jose Quintana in recent days. GM David Stearns recently stated that his club’s strong preference is to obtain players who are under contract beyond just this season, and Happ fits that bill, owed $13MM in 2018 as well as roughly $4.7MM remaining on his 2017 salary. While a controllable pitcher of Happ’s ability is naturally of interest to many teams in general, Rosenthal notes that teams are particularly looking at Happ in part because this winter’s free agent class is thin on front-of-the-rotation starters.

Happ was seen as more of a reliable innings-eater than as a possible ace when he signed a three-year, $36MM deal with Toronto in the 2015-16 offseason, though the left-handed enjoyed the best season of his 11-year career in 2016, posting a 3.18 ERA over 195 innings and finishing sixth in the AL Cy Young Award voting. Elbow inflammation has limited to Happ to just 11 starts and 61 innings this year, though he has been on pace for even better numbers than in 2016, delivering a 3.54 ERA, 8.9 K/9 and 4.29 K/BB rate.

Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro suggested earlier this month that the Jays weren’t planning a major sell-off at the deadline, nor were they going to pursue rental players in an attempt at a postseason berth that is looking increasingly unlikely (the Jays took a 42-48 record into action today). Recent reports suggest that Toronto will be open to moving pending free agents like Joe Smith, Marco Estrada, Francisco Liriano or J.P. Howell, but perhaps not any notable pieces who are under contract beyond this season.

AL Central Notes: Santana, Kintzler, Perkins, Mejia, Tigers

By Mark Polishuk | July 16, 2017 at 2:21pm CDT

Though the Twins have received trade interest in both ace Ervin Santana and closer Brandon Kintzler, it would be “very difficult to justify selling” either hurler with the team still in the pennant race, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi tweets. Minnesota enters play today just 1.5 games out of first place in the AL Central and one game out of a wild card slot, and if anything, the Twins look like they’ll be trying to acquire pitching at the deadline rather than sell arms.

Here’s more from around the division…

Glen Perkins isn’t sure he is interested in pitching in 2018, though the former Twins closer tells Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that he is still determined to complete his long recovery from 2016 shoulder surgery to return to the bigs this season. “I still just want to pitch in a game. I mean, I do. I’m aware that the further along this goes, the less likely that is. But as long as I have a chance, I’m going to try,” Perkins said. The southpaw tossed just two innings in 2016 before being shut down due to the surgery, and Perkins has yet to be cleared for a full rehab assignment. The Twins have a club option for Perkins in 2018 that can (and almost surely will) be bought out for $700K, though Perkins said he is too focused on his recovery to worry about contract issues at this point.
Injuries have made it difficult for the Indians to fully access their needs heading into the deadline, though prospect Francisco Mejia is “the magic bullet” the club possesses if it wants to land a “premium” everyday player or starting pitcher, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. Mejia is widely regarded as one of the game’s best prospects, and the catcher has only increased his stock in 2017 with a strong season (.336/.385/.552) at Double-A. While Mejia is regarded as the Tribe’s catcher of the future, Cleveland was prepared to trade him to Milwaukee last summer for as part of a prospect package for Jonathan Lucroy before Lucroy used his no-trade protection to block the deal.
With Michael Fulmer receiving lots of interest, MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery wonders if the Tigers could package the young starter with one of the team’s unappetizing big contracts (Woodbery uses Jordan Zimmermann as an example) in order to both get some salary off the books and gain some good prospects. “Maybe a team with space under the luxury tax threshold would simply see it as an acquisition cost for getting Fulmer,” Woodbery writes. In my opinion, I doubt the Tigers would be willing to move Fulmer unless they were ready to go into a total rebuild, as the right-hander is so hugely valuable given his talent and controllability. As Woodbery notes, it can’t hurt for Tigers GM Al Avila to explore all possibilities, though finding a team with both the means and willingness to both absorb money and surrender a big prospect haul will be extremely difficult.

Nationals Acquire Sean Doolittle, Ryan Madson

By Mark Polishuk | July 16, 2017 at 12:04pm CDT

The Nationals made their long-awaited strike for bullpen help, acquiring relievers Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson from the Athletics, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter links). Right-hander Blake Treinen, minor league left-hander Jesus Luzardo and minor league third baseman Sheldon Neuse are headed to Oakland. The Nats have officially announced the move, adding that Joe Ross has been transferred to the 60-day DL to create roster space.

The trade ends months of speculation about how Washington would address its struggling bullpen, which sits last in baseball with a cumulative 5.34 ERA and -0.9 fWAR. The Nats were linked in trade rumors to seemingly every available reliever in the sport and finally settled on a familiar trade partner in Oakland. Rosenthal reported yesterday that the Nationals were looking to add both Doolittle and Madson from the A’s in a single deal. Both Madson and Doolittle have closing experience and either could slide right into Washington’s open ninth-inning role, though the club could also alternate between the two depending on how matchups favor the right-handed Madson or the left-handed Doolittle.

The Nats are undoubtedly very familiar with Madson from his years pitching for the Phillies in the NL East, though that almost seems like another career for the 36-year-old, who missed all of 2012-14 due to injury before resurfacing as a shutdown reliever for the 2015 World Series champion Royals. Madson parlayed that comeback year into a three-year, $22MM deal with the A’s and has performed well in Oakland, posting a 3.03 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 3.38 K/BB rate in 104 IP wearing in the green-and-gold.

Drafted 41st overall by the A’s in 2007, Doolittle has been a staple of the A’s bullpen for the last six seasons, with a 3.09 ERA, 10.7 K/9 and a sterling 6.38 K/BB rate over his 253 career innings. He has run into a bit of trouble with home runs over the last two seasons, which could hint at an issue as he moves from the Coliseum to a more hitter-friendly venue in Nationals Park.

Doolittle is owed roughly $1MM more this season and $4.35MM in 2018, as per an early-career extension signed with the Athletics in April 2014. The Nationals also hold club options on Doolittle for 2019 ($6MM, $500K buyout) and 2020 ($6.5MM, $500K buyout), making him an affordable long-term answer in their bullpen. Between both Doolittle and Madson, the Nats have addressed their pen both now and in the future with the trade.

Rosenthal reports that no money will change hands in the trade, so the Nationals will fully absorb the Madson and Doolittle contracts. The Nats will therefore add $11.85MM in payroll next season, though some money will come off the books with the likes of Jayson Werth, Joe Blanton, Oliver Perez and Stephen Drew hitting free agency (though Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy are due hefty raises and will eat up almost $15MM of that open money).

Treinen was part of another Oakland/Washington deal back in January 2013 when the then-Athletics prospect was dealt to the Nats as part of the three-team deal with the Mariners that saw John Jaso go to the A’s, Mike Morse to Seattle and A.J. Cole to the Nationals. Armed with both a 96mph-fastball and an ability to keep the ball out of the air (62.2% career ground-ball rate), Treinen put up good numbers for the Nats in 2014-16 before running into problems this season. Treinen has a 5.73 ERA over 37 2/3 innings, though a bloated .381 BABIP is partially to blame — Treinen’s ERA predictors (3.75 FIP, 4.09 xFIP, 3.75 SIERA) are much more forgiving of his performance.

The righty will only be arb-eligible for the first time this coming winter, so the Athletics have acquired a big arm under team control through the 2020 season. Santiago Casilla is likely to be Oakland’s primary ninth-inning option in the short term, though Treinen surely projects as a potential closer of the future for the A’s, and could conceivably audition in the role before this season is out.

Luzardo and Neuse were respectively rated 15th and 17th by the Baseball America Prospect Handbook’s preseason ranking of the top 30 prospects in the Nationals’ system. Luzardo is a hard-throwing 19-year-old who was a third-round pick for Washington in the 2016 draft, despite undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2016. He quite possibly would’ve been taken earlier in the draft were it not for that surgery, and Luzardo has only just begun his pro career, with three starts this season for the Nationals’ rookie league team.

Neuse was a second-round pick in 2016, and is hitting .291/.349/.469 with nine home runs over 321 A-ball plate appearances this year. Neuse is described by the BA Handbook as possessing average power potential, with “a short, compact swing” that allows him to hit to all fields.

Angels Designate Danny Espinosa For Assignment

By Mark Polishuk | July 16, 2017 at 11:33am CDT

The Angels have designated second baseman Danny Espinosa for assignment, the team announced on Twitter. Right-hander Parker Bridwell was called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

[Updated Angels depth chart at Roster Resource]

Espinosa was acquired from the Nationals last offseason as a possible answer to their long-standing hole at second base, though 2017 has been a disastrous year for the 30-year-old. Espinosa has hit just .162/.237/.276 over 254 plate appearances for Los Angeles, owning both the lowest wRC+ (40) and the sixth-highest strikeout rate (35.8%) of any player with at least 250 PA this season. While his defensive numbers have still been solid-to-average depending on the metric (+3.4 UZR/150, zero Defensive Runs Saved), Espinosa’s offensive futility has made him a below-replacement level player.

While Espinosa has never been much of a hitter over his career, there were signs that he had turned a corner at the plate last season, hitting 24 homers and posting strong numbers against left-handed pitching. Between that offensive promise and his excellent defensive track record, the Angels thought they were obtaining good value for a second baseman, at Espinosa’s $5.425MM price tag after avoiding arbitration.

Now, unless another team works out a trade with the Angels or claims Espinosa on waivers, the Halos will be on the hook for the roughly $2MM remaining on Espinosa’s contract. The infielder is a free agent this winter and may be hard-pressed to find a guaranteed Major League deal, barring a turn-around with another team in the second half of the season.

Nick Franklin and Cliff Pennington will form a platoon at second base for the time being in Los Angeles, though the position is a clear target area for the Halos if they choose to be buyers at the trade deadline. The Angels just got Mike Trout back from the disabled list, though with a 45-49 record and a four-game deficit in the wild card hunt, they’ll need to get on track quickly to justify making a purchase before July 31. Not many teams are looking for second base help this summer, so the Angels could enjoy a wide berth in the market, and they’ve already been linked to one long-term asset in Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon.

Rockies Place Tyler Chatwood On 10-Day DL; Activate Ian Desmond

By Mark Polishuk | July 16, 2017 at 10:50am CDT

The Rockies have placed right-hander Tyler Chatwood on the 10-day DL with a right calf strain, and activated first baseman/outfielder Ian Desmond in a corresponding move.

Chatwood threw just 19 pitches Saturday before being removed from his start due to the injury. Chatwood has a 4.74 ERA, 7.36 K/9 and 56% ground-ball rate over 106 1/3 IP for Colorado this season, as his usual grounder-heavy attack has been hampered by a lack of control (5.08 BB/9 and a league-high 60 walks) and a spike in home runs allowed — 22.1% of Chatwood’s fly balls allowed have left the yard.

As the one veteran arm in the Rockies rotation, Chatwood’s absence will tax a pitching staff that is already seeing some juggling of young arms. Kyle Freeland is being temporarily removed from the starting five in order to protect his arm, leaving the Rockies with Jon Gray, German Marquez, Jeff Hoffman and Antonio Senzatela comprising the rotation. Tyler Anderson and Chad Bettis could provide reinforcements in late July and late August, respectively, though you would expect Colorado to explore some starting pitching options before the trade deadline. Pitching has long been an issue at Coors Field, though Rockies starters have held their ground this season with a cumulative 6.8 fWAR (11th in baseball) and 4.68 ERA (17th in baseball).

Desmond was placed on the DL with a calf strain of his own on July 3, his second DL stint of the season after suffering a hand fracture during Spring Training. It’s fair to say that the injuries have kept Desmond from really getting on track during his first season in Colorado, as the veteran has hit only .283/.321/.388 over 236 PA this year.

Rockies Interested In J.D. Martinez

By Mark Polishuk | July 16, 2017 at 10:01am CDT

The Rockies have interest in Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports (Twitter link). Colorado joins an ever-growing list of teams connected to the slugger, including the Royals, Cardinals, Dodgers and Diamondbacks, plus likely more clubs whose interest has yet to be revealed.

As Morosi notes, Martinez is particularly valuable in the NL West as a right-handed bat to counter the division’s many good southpaws, which explains why the D’Backs, Dodgers and Rox have checked in on the outfielder. Martinez, of course, is a dangerous bat anywhere — he carries a .306/.384/.622 slash line and 15 homers over 224 plate appearances this season, putting him on pace for his best year since breaking out as one of the game’s top hitters in 2014. Martinez will be a free agent this winter, though even as a rental player, the Tigers stand to obtain a big return if and when they trade the 29-year-old.

The Rockies seem like an odd trade match at first given their seeming surplus of corner outfield options: Carlos Gonzalez, Ian Desmond (just activated from the DL today), Gerardo Parra, rookie Raimel Tapia and possibly David Dahl as a late-season reinforcement off the disabled list. CarGo, however, simply hasn’t been himself this year, hitting just .215/.294/.330 with six home runs over 306 PA. Desmond and Parra have both missed time due to injury, and could be needed at first base since Mark Reynolds’ bat has drastically cooled off over the last month. Tapia and Dahl, meanwhile, would seemingly fit the model of talented young outfield prospects that could go to Detroit in a Martinez trade; the Tigers have reportedly had interest in the likes of the Astros’ Derek Fisher and the Dodgers’ Alex Verdugo in recent months.

AL East Notes: Brach, Red Sox, Rays, Archer, Stroman

By Mark Polishuk | July 16, 2017 at 9:37am CDT

Orioles right-hander Brad Brach may be receiving more trade interest than closer Zach Britton, as there is “heavy traffic on” Brach’s services, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reports. Brach would come at a lower prospect cost than Britton, hence the larger degree of interest. Both pitchers have one year of arbitration eligibility left, with Brach ($3.05MM this season) on pace for a much lower salary than Britton ($11.4MM) even though Brach has pitched very well as Baltimore’s interim closer while Britton has spent much of the year on the DL. Brach already drew a lot of looks in the offseason and may be even more popular now that teams know they can potentially use him as a closer as well as a setup man.

Here’s more from the AL East…

The Red Sox have placed two relievers on the 10-day DL in as many days, with Joe Kelly sidelined with a left hamstring strain yesterday and veteran righty Blaine Boyer announced this morning as suffering from a right elbow strain. The hard-throwing Kelly has a 1.49 ERA over 36 1/3 relief innings for the Sox this season, with peripheral stats indicating some good fortune (.228 BABIP, 88.1% strand rate) to go along with Kelly’s 54.9% grounder rate. Boyer, meanwhile, has a 3.00 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 3.33 K/BB rate over 24 innings after signing a minor league deal with Boston in April. The Red Sox were already rumored to be looking for relief help at the deadline, and it’s likely that the search will intensify after losing two bullpen arms.
The Rays asked the Marlins about relief pitching when the two sides were negotiating the Adeiny Hechavarria trade last month, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. With the Rays looking for bullpen help and Miami seemingly open to moving any veteran player, it seems that the two sides are likely to re-open talks as we approach the deadline.
Also from Topkin, he reports that one team (not necessarily the Marlins) asked the Rays for both Brent Honeywell and Willy Adames in exploratory discussions about relievers. Needless to say, it would be a big surprise if either top prospect was actually dealt, though it gives an example of the high price tag that teams are placing on top-shelf relief pitching at the deadline.
The Cubs checked in on Chris Archer and Marcus Stroman during their wide-ranging search for young and controllable pitching, Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com writes. Archer has long been linked to Chicago in trade rumors, though the most recent talks unsurprisingly went nowhere since the Rays want to keep their ace to make a playoff run. As for Stroman, the Blue Jays informed the Cubs that the 26-year-old righty would cost Chicago a player from its big league roster. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently observed in his “Taking Inventory” analysis on the Jays, Stroman probably isn’t a likely trade candidate unless Toronto decides to embark on a total rebuild. The Cubs, of course, acquired Jose Quintana earlier this week and are reportedly still on the lookout to add another controllable arm to their rotation.

NL News & Rumors: Braves, Brewers, Phillies, Rockies

By Connor Byrne | July 15, 2017 at 10:27pm CDT

The Braves, on the hunt for starting pitching, sent a top scout to Detroit this weekend to watch Tigers right-handers Justin Verlander and Michael Fulmer, reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com (on Twitter). Neither Verlander nor Fulmer seems like a realistic trade candidate, however. The Tigers reportedly want a noteworthy haul for Verlander, even though he’s 34, in the throes of a down season and still owed nearly $70MM through 2019. Verlander also has a full no-trade clause, so he could veto a deal even if the Braves do present an offer to the Tigers’ liking. Unlike Verlander, the 24-year-old Fulmer is both cheap and in his prime. Detroit would justifiably demand a ransom in return, then, but there’s no indication it’s interested in parting with him.

Braves Among Teams With Interest In Jurickson Profar

By Connor Byrne | July 15, 2017 at 8:44pm CDT

The Braves are among teams with interest in Rangers infielder/outfielder Jurickson Profar, who is seemingly available, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman. The Rangers are looking for pitching, suggests Heyman, who notes that the Braves have a potentially on-the-move veteran in Jaime Garcia at the big league level and plenty of arms in the minors.

Profar was one of the premier prospects in baseball only a few years ago, but injuries and poor performance have damaged his stock in recent seasons. The 24-year-old has thus far amassed 718 trips to the plate in the majors, and he has hit a weak .229/.309/.329 during that span. Profar has spent most of this year at Triple-A Round Rock, where he has batted .300/.380/.438 in 231 plate appearances. That’s far better than the .172/.294/.207 line he has produced in 70 PAs this season with the Rangers.

Despite his unimpressive track record in the majors, Profar still offers youth, switch-hitting capability and defensive versatility, having appeared in between 19 and 57 contests at first base, second base, shortstop, third base and left field during 180 appearances in Texas. He’s also cheap this year (his salary is just north of $1MM) and controllable via arbitration through 2019. And given the Braves’ interest, it’s worth noting that president of baseball operations John Hart was in the Rangers’ front office when they signed Profar as an international free agent in 2009.

Cafardo’s Latest: Gray, Brewers, Cards, Dodgers, Royals, Tigers, BoSox

By Connor Byrne | July 15, 2017 at 8:20pm CDT

Of the several teams eyeing Athletics right-hander Sonny Gray in advance of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the Brewers have shown the most interest, reports Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The unexpected playoff hopefuls began doing “background work” on both Gray and now-former White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana just over a week ago, but the latter went to the NL Central rival Cubs on Thursday in a blockbuster trade. Acquiring Gray would be a quite a counterpunch by Milwaukee, which has a 5.5-game lead over the Cubs, and Cafardo observes that the Brewers have the prospect capital to make it happen. But even after getting Quintana, the Cubs haven’t closed the door on adding Gray, too.

More pre-deadline info from Cafardo:

The Cardinals, Dodgers and Royals seem to be leading the chase for Tigers contract-year slugger J.D. Martinez, according to Cafardo. As AL Central rivals of the Tigers, the Royals are especially familiar with Martinez, who has slashed .298/.379/.602 with 14 home runs in 219 plate appearances this year. The $11.75MM right fielder would significantly boost a below-average Kansas City offense that has received awful production from longtime franchise cornerstone Alex Gordon in left field. Meanwhile, with Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk on the disabled list, the Cardinals are shorthanded in the outfield. Winners of 40 of their past 51 games, the 62-29 Dodgers seemingly aren’t lacking for quality players anywhere, but picking up Martinez would make them all the formidable as they vie for a World Series.
Along with the previously reported Astros and Nationals, the Red Sox are interested in Tigers closer Justin Wilson, writes Cafardo. The Red Sox have come up as potential suitors for other on-the-block relievers, including David Phelps and Pat Neshek, so the connection to Wilson isn’t exactly shocking. The 29-year-old left-hander has posted outstanding numbers over 34 1/3 innings (2.36 ERA, 12.84 K/9, 3.41 BB/9) and would immediately become Boston’s top southpaw reliever, though Fernando Abad has held his own this season and Robby Scott has fared well against lefty-swingers. Wilson is making a highly affordable $2.7MM this season and comes with another year of arbitration eligibility.
Continuing the Tigers theme, righty Michael Fulmer is the Detroit starter who’s garnering the most attention from pitcher-needy teams, per Cafardo. Considering Fulmer’s among the top young hurlers in the game and controllable for the foreeseable future, that’s not surprising. There’s no indication the Tigers will seriously consider moving Fulmer, who informed Evan Woodbery of MLive.com that he doesn’t expect to go anywhere. Nevertheless, one NL executive told Cafardo that GM Al Avila is at least entertaining the offers that come in for the 24-year-old. “I think Al is being forced to listen,” said the exec. “The Tigers could get a huge haul for Fulmer, but they’re trying to get their payroll down and get younger. Trading Fulmer is not necessarily the way to do it.”

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