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Cafardo’s Latest: Verlander, Royals, A’s, Mets, Nats

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As the trade deadline approaches, the possibility of the Tigers dealing right-hander Justin Verlander seems more realistic than ever before, suggests Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Tigers, who own the American League’s third-worst record (36-43) and are trying to cut payroll, would be willing to eat some of the money remaining on Verlander’s contract, per Cafardo. In addition to what’s left of his $28MM salary this season, Verlander is due $28MM in each of the next two seasons. Additionally, Verlander has a $22MM vesting option for 2020, but that will only trigger if he finishes in the top five of the AL Cy Young voting in 2019. Of course, it’s also worth noting that the 34-year-old has full no-trade rights.

More of Cafardo’s weekly rumblings:

  • Having rallied from a dreadful start to climb over .500 (40-39) and into the playoff race, the Royals could look to acquire a front-line pitcher by the deadline, a team official told Cafardo. “We’re constantly evaluating where we are, but right now we feel we have a chance to take the division,” said the official. “Our core players are all playing well right now. If that changes, we have time to make that change, but we’re proceeding like we’re in this to win.” Kansas City is just two games back in the AL Central and a half-game out of the wild card, so the team certainly doesn’t look as if it has the makings of a seller. As such, agent Scott Boras doesn’t expect the Royals to move clients Eric Hosmer or Mike Moustakas, both of whom will be eligible for free agency after the season.
  • The Athletics are likely to trade relievers Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle, according to Cafardo, who names the Nationals and Yankees as potential suitors. Madson, who’s on a $7.5MM salary both this year and next, has bounced back from a so-so 2016 to post a 2.53 ERA, 8.72 K/9, 1.69 BB/9 and a 53.6 percent ground-ball rate in 32 innings this season. The oft-injured Doolittle has only thrown 16 1/3 frames, but he has been highly effective (3.31 ERA, 12.67 K/9, 1.1 BB/9); what’s more, he’s controllable for reasonable prices through 2020.
  • Another reliever, the Mets’ Addison Reed, could also end up on the move. Odds are, though, that he won’t head to the Nationals, writes Cafardo. The Mets apparently aren’t open to helping the NL East rival Nats fix their bullpen issues.

Pitching Notes: Rangers, A’s, Yanks, Padres, Twins

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Matt Bush hasn’t been a shutdown closer for the Rangers, so they’ve stripped him of the job and will deploy a ninth-inning committee, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. “We’ll use multiple pitchers based on who is available and the set of hitters coming up,” said manager Jeff Banister. “We are not set on one single guy.” Each of Keone Kela, Alex Claudio and Jose Leclerc could get save opportunities, notes Sullivan. All three have outperformed Bush, who had a nightmarish June in which he blew three of seven save chances and allowed 10 earned runs on 21 hits in 9 1/3 innings. He’s the second Rangers closer to struggle mightily this season, joining predecessor and now-Giant Sam Dyson. (To keep tabs on all teams’ ninth-inning situations, follow MLBTR’s affiliate Twitter site, @CloserNews.)

  • Athletics right-hander Andrew Triggs could undergo season-ending surgery if his ailing left hip doesn’t respond to treatment by the end of the month, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Triggs received a cortisone shot two weeks ago, but there hasn’t been much progress in his recovery since then. The 28-year-old is optimistic he’ll avoid surgery, but he’ll face a six-month recovery if he does go under the knife. Triggs has been on the disabled list since June 10, before which he posted a 4.27 ERA, 6.89 K/9, 2.62 BB/9  and a 49.8 percent ground-ball rate across 65 1/3 innings.
  • Left-hander C.C. Sabathia is on track to return to the Yankees’ rotation Tuesday, per Andrew Marchand of ESPN.com. Sabathia hasn’t pitched since suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain in mid-June. Before that, the impending free agent helped his stock, not to mention New York’s playoff chances, with a 3.46 ERA and a 49.8 percent ground-ball rate over 75 1/3 frames.
  • Meanwhile, righty Trevor Cahill will slot back into the Padres’ starting staff Tuesday, tweets Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. With the trade deadline approaching, Cahill’s return will come at a good time for the rebuilding Padres. Cahill, out since mid-May with a shoulder strain, pitched like a front-line starter over 41 1/3 innings in the early going, logging a 3.27 ERA, 11.1 K/9 and a 60.2 percent ground-ball rate.
  • One of the Twins’ top prospects, Double-A lefty Tyler Jay, is likely headed for season-ending surgery, according to Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press. Jay is being evaluated for thoracic outlet syndrome, which is not an easy injury from which to return (as the Twins’ Phil Hughes and the Mets’ Matt Harvey have shown). Jay, whom the Twins chose sixth overall in 2015, battled neck issues as a Double-A last season and entered 2017 as a reliever. His latest ailment has limited him to two innings this year.

David Paulino Receives 80-Game Suspension

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Major League Baseball has announced an 80-game suspension without pay for Astros right-hander David Paulino, who tested positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance. It’s the first PED offense for Paulino, who won’t appeal the ban, tweets Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle. Paulino will miss the rest of the regular season and won’t be eligible to participate in the playoffs if Houston qualifies, which looks like a formality for a 54-27 club that leads the American League West by 13.5 games.

“We are disappointed in the news today regarding David Paulino,” general manager Jeff Luhnow said in a statement. “We hope this is a one-time incident and something David can learn from as he continues his career. The Astros will continue to fully support Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.”

The 23-year-old Paulino currently ranks as Baseball America’s 67th-best prospect, a slight fall from his 51st-place standing after the 2016 season. He debuted at the major league level last year, albeit with only seven innings of work, and racked up six starts this season prior to his suspension. Paulino managed just a 6.52 ERA and a 30.1 percent ground-ball rate in 29 innings this year, but he did post impressive strikeout and walk rates (10.55 K/9 and 2.17 BB/9), and he induced infield pop-ups at an above-average clip (11.9 percent).

While Paulino wouldn’t have factored into a semi-healthy Astros rotation come playoff time, his loss is a blow to their depth at the very least. Houston is currently without three-fifths of its rotation in Dallas Keuchel, Charlie Morton and Collin McHugh, all of whom have missed significant time this year because of injuries. Lance McCullers and Joe Musgrove have also spent time on the disabled list this season, thus creating opportunities for the likes of Paulino and Brad Peacock.

With Morton on his way back, Paulino likely would have been leaving Houston’s starting group soon, but he could have continued his development in the big league bullpen or in Triple-A Fresno’s rotation. Further, it’s possible that Paulino would have served as a trade chip by this month’s deadline. As one of Houston’s top prospects, the team perhaps could have used Paulino in a package to reel in a more established big leaguer.

Luhnow rightly called Paulino an “important piece” earlier this season, but his off-field troubles are undoubtedly frustrating to the club. Paulino has now been subjected to discipline in back-to-back years. When Paulino was at Double-A last summer, the Astros issued him a suspension for unknown reasons, though Luhnow did note that Paulino didn’t do “anything major.” That’s not the case this time, however, and his season is over as a result.

NL Notes: Reds, Mets, Phillies

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As a serviceable, affordable free agent-to-be who’s on a rebuilding team, Reds right-hander Scott Feldman should theoretically be a trade candidate at this time of the year. But it’s possible the Reds will opt to keep Feldman as a way to benefit their other pitchers, according to Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Retaining Feldman would help the Reds avoid risking the arms and psyches of some of their young starters who might not be ready for the majors, suggests Buchanan, who notes that his presence also helps preserve the bullpen. Feldman has lasted at least six frames in eight of 17 starts, and he easily leads the Reds’ woeful rotation in innings (97) and ERA (3.78). He has also accounted for 1.6 fWAR, while the remainder of the Reds’ starters have combined for minus-2.8. “We are lucky to have him,” said manager Bryan Price. “To really look at our season and say what’s been the really one, from a rotational standpoint, the one constant, and it’s been the quality of Scott Feldman.”

More from Cincinnati and two other National League cities:

  • The latest member of the Mets to hit the disabled list is outfielder Michael Conforto, who’s now on the shelf (retroactive to June 28) with a bruised left hand, per a team announcement. Conforto suffered the injury on a hit by pitch last Sunday and hasn’t played since, thus depriving the Mets of a player who has slashed an excellent .285/.405/.548 in 269 plate appearances this season. Right-hander Zack Wheeler took Conforto’s vacant roster spot. Wheeler’s back after going on the DL on June 21 with biceps tendinitis.
  • The Reds’ first-round pick, right-hander Hunter Greene, will head to Cincinnati in the coming days to take a physical, reports Buchanan. That seems to bode well for the Reds’ chances of signing Greene, the second overall pick, by the July 7 deadline. The 17-year-old is likely seeking the richest deal in the 2017 class, relays Buchanan. So far, that honor belongs to No. 4 selection Brendan McKay, whom the Rays gave a record $7,007,500 earlier this week.
  • Phillies outfielder/infielder Howie Kendrick, who went on the DL on Friday with an injured left hamstring, will probably miss longer than 10 days, writes Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Kendrick will undergo an MRI in Philadelphia during the upcoming week, and the team’s bigwigs are undoubtedly hoping nothing serious crops up to prevent them from fetching a decent return at the trade deadline for the impending free agent. President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail suggested Friday that there should be plenty of interest in the 33-year-old Kendrick, saying, “If I wanted a professional hitter, I sure wouldn’t have any pause.”

Nationals Designate Jacob Turner For Assignment

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The Nationals announced that they’ve designated right-hander Jacob Turner for assignment and activated left-hander Sammy Solis from the disabled list.

[RELATED: Updated Nationals Depth Chart]

Turner, an offseason minor league signing, cracked the Nationals’ rotation in early May but ended up doing most of his work out of the bullpen before his designation. The 26-year-old wasn’t part of the solution for the Nats’ beleaguered relief corps, though, as he pitched to a 5.20 ERA and yielded a .288/.355/.545 batting line in 27 2/3 innings from their bullpen. All told, Turner has recorded a 5.08 ERA, with 5.31 K/9 and 3.46 BB/9, in 39 frames, making this the latest disappointing major league season for the 2009 first-round pick of the Tigers and former high-end prospect.

Meanwhile, if his output from 2015-16 is any indication, Solis’ return actually could be a significant boon to Washington’s bullpen. Solis was especially brilliant last year, when he registered a 2.41 ERA, 10.32 K/9 and 4.61 BB/9 in 41 innings, though he got off to a rough start this season before going on the DL in late April with elbow inflammation. The 28-year-old has given up four earned runs on four hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings in 2017, but that’s obviously a small sample and he still owns a 3.11 ERA in 66 2/3 career frames. That type of run prevention would be a godsend for the Nats, whose relievers rank second last in the majors in both ERA and fWAR.

5 Key Stories: 6/25/17 – 7/1/17

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The biggest stories featured on MLBTR over the past week:

Braves end the Bartolo Colon experiment: Even though Colon, 44, is the majors’ oldest player, the Braves’ decision to hand him a $12.5MM guarantee in the offseason was hardly indefensible at the time. The revered Colon was coming off his sixth straight quality season since an unexpected resurgence, and another respectable showing this year from the ex-Met could have helped the Braves hang in the playoff race or give them a potential trade deadline chip. Unfortunately, Colon’s career has taken a disastrous (and potentially fatal) turn this season. The 235-game winner pitched to an 8.07 ERA over 63 innings with the Braves, forcing them to designate him for assignment.

Drew Smyly to undergo Tommy John surgery: Smyly was one of Seattle’s key pickups over the winter, when it took a circuitous, costly route to acquire him from the Rays, but it’s now possible he’ll never pitch for the Mariners. The 28-year-old left-hander suffered an elbow injury prior to the regular season, thereby keeping him out through June, and then discovered during the rehab process that he’ll need to undergo surgery on a torn ulnar collateral ligament. Smyly will miss the next 12 to 15 months, putting his future with the M’s in question. After all, Smyly is only under control for one more year, and at $6.85MM, he’ll be fairly expensive in 2018 for someone who won’t be able to contribute. For now, the loss of Smyly takes away a potential midseason rotation reinforcement for the Mariners, who have fought through a rash of injuries to hang around a crowded American League wild-card race.

Veteran catchers in flux: The past week was an eventful one for established catchers Miguel Montero, Stephen Vogt and Derek Norris. Montero is the only member of the trio who has turned in a solid year offensively, having hit .286/.366/.439 in 112 plate appearances, but the Cubs designated him Wednesday after a regrettable on- and off-field performance Tuesday. Montero, with the help of right-hander Jake Arrieta, yielded seven stolen bases in a loss to the Nationals and then criticized the hurler after the game for his role in the debacle. Montero had a point, as FanGraphs’ Travis Sawchik wrote, but publicly throwing a teammate under the bus didn’t endear him to either the Cubs’ players or decision makers. As such, the club moved on from Montero after two-plus seasons. A few days before Montero’s tenure with the Cubs unexpectedly concluded, the team they’re chasing in the NL Central, the first-place Brewers, claimed Vogt off waivers from the Athletics. Vogt had been in Oakland since 2013, but his poor start to the season convinced the A’s to designate him. The 32-year-old has been a welcome addition to Milwaukee’s roster, though, as he has already swatted two home runs in eight trips to the plate. Meanwhile, Norris landed on the free agent market when the Rays released him Tuesday. The once-capable hitter was in the midst of his second consecutive subpar offensive season before the Rays moved on from him.

Marlins to change hands soon: To the relief of many Marlins fans, much-maligned owner Jeffrey Loria’s reign looks as if it’s on the verge of ending. Loria, who purchased the Marlins for $158MM in 2002, is likely to sell the team soon for between $1.1 billion and $1.3 billion. It’s unclear who will buy the franchise, but one prospective ownership group features Hall of Famer Tom Glavine and another includes the Cooperstown-bound Derek Jeter.

Rays find a shortstop: In on-field Marlins news, they shipped shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria to the Rays on Monday for a pair of minor leaguers. In doing so, the Marlins rid themselves of what’s left of Hechavarria’s $4.35MM salary and freed up the shortstop position for JT Riddle. Tampa Bay – which, unlike Miami, is contending for a playoff spot – sought help at short thanks to Matt Duffy’s seasonlong injury woes. Hechavarria has earned a rep as a defense-first shortstop, but he was a decent offensive player as recently as 2015 and has so far collected eight hits in 16 PAs with the Rays.

Brewers’ Chase Anderson Likely To Miss 4-6 Weeks

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SATURDAY: After meeting with team doctors and getting an MRI, Anderson expects to miss four to six weeks, per McCalvy (on Twitter).

WEDNESDAY: The Brewers will put right-hander Chase Anderson on the 10-day disabled list, tweets MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. Milwaukee announced tonight that Anderson exited his start with a strained left oblique muscle that he suffered on a swing at the plate. McCalvy adds that Anderson is facing a “long absence” and notes that the righty said he felt as if he’d been stabbed in the side upon taking the swing that caused the injury.

Oblique strains often lead to an absence in the four to six week range, though there’s no word yet on the severity of the strain. While Grade 1 strains often come with that roughly month-long timetable, Cole Hamels missed upwards of eight weeks with an oblique issue this year. Tyler Skaggs was diagnosed with a Grade 2 oblique strain back on May 1 and was given a projected recovery time of 10 to 12 weeks.

[Related: Milwaukee Brewers depth chart]

An absence of even a month for Anderson is a terrible loss for the Brewers. The 29-year-old is in the midst of a breakout season, as he’s worked to an outstanding 2.89 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 38.1 percent ground-ball rate in 90 1/3 innings this year. Acquired from the Diamondbacks alongside prospect Isan Diaz (and some of Aaron Hill’s remaining contract) in the trade that sent Jean Segura to Arizona, Anderson avoided arbitration as a Super Two player this offseason and is earning $2.45MM in 2017. He’s controllable for another three years via arbitration.

With Anderson on the shelf, the Brewers will need to fill a spot in what’s been a surprisingly solid rotation. Right-handers Jimmy Nelson, Zach Davies, Matt Garza and Junior Guerra will remain in the starting rotation, but alternatives options Wily Peralta and Brandon Woodruff are both presently on the disabled list. Speculatively speaking, the club could try stretching lefty Josh Hader back out into a starting role, though it seems likelier that he remains in the ’pen, with Milwaukee turning to Paolo Espino, Taylor Jungmann or another depth option from the minors.

Royals Designate Seth Maness For Assignment

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The Royals have designated reliever Seth Maness for assignment, tweets Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star. Maness’ 40-man spot will go to right-hander Luke Farrell, who will start the first game of the Royals’ doubleheader against the Twins on Saturday.

[RELATED: Updated Royals Depth Chart]

Prior to his designation, the 28-year-old Maness threw 9 2/3 innings with the Royals and surrendered a whopping 16 hits, but he somehow only allowed four earned runs. The soft-tossing right-hander has struggled even more this season at Triple-A, where he has logged a 9.77 ERA on 25 hits in 15 2/3 frames.

Although the 2017 campaign hasn’t gone well for Maness, it’s somewhat remarkable that he has even been able to take the mound at all. While with the Cardinals last August, Maness suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow, but he managed to avoid undergoing Tommy John surgery. Maness instead opted for a newer “primary repair” surgery, one that came with a shorter recovery period, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch detailed in January.

The Royals signed Maness in February, undoubtedly hoping he’d resemble the quality reliever he was in St. Louis. Maness was never a strikeout artist as a member of the Cardinals, with whom he punched out just 5.76 batters per nine innings from 2013-16, but he still pitched to a 3.18 ERA over 237 1/3 frames. Maness’ success came from limiting walks (1.76 per nine) and inducing ground balls at a 59.4 percent clip.

Farrell, 26, is the son of Red Sox manager John Farrell. The longtime skipper will miss Boston’s game Saturday to watch his son’s major league debut. Luke Farrell entered the pro ranks when the Royals chose him in the sixth round of the 2013 draft. He’s now in his second season at Triple-A, where he has combined for a sub-4.00 ERA in 173 1/3 innings (including a 3.83 ERA, with 8.42 K/9 against 2.95 BB/9, in 82 1/3 frames this year).

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/1/17

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The latest minor moves from around baseball:

  • Major League Baseball has suspended Giants right-handed prospect Joan Gregorio for the rest of the season because of steroid use, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Gregorio, 25, is the Giants’ eighth-best prospect, per MLB Pipeline, which lauds his fastball and notes that the team regards him as a potential starter at the big league level. The 6-foot-7 Gregorio has worked almost exclusively out of the rotation at various minor league levels since debuting with the Giants organization in 2010. In 13 starts and 74 innings this year at Triple-A, Gregorio logged a 3.04 ERA (with a 5.13 FIP), 7.42 K/9 and 4.26 BB/9.
  • The Pirates released infielder Jason Rogers on Friday, according to their Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis (Twitter link). The 29-year-old will sign with the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese Central League, reports Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Rogers’ tenure with the Pirates began in December 2015, when they acquired him from NL Central rival Milwaukee in a deal that saw the Brewers land center fielder Keon Broxton. While Broxton has turned into a regular for the Brewers, Rogers only totaled 33 plate appearances with the Pirates (all last season) and hit a meager .080/.303/.160. He was much better at Triple-A this year, slashing .289/.362/.439 with nine home runs in 282 PAs.
  • Righty Eddie Gamboa has declined an outright assignment to Triple-A in favor of free agency, Rangers executive vice president of communications John Blake announced Friday. The Rangers designated Gamboa for assignment June 22, which came after the 32-year-old knuckleballer opened the season with a 6.49 ERA, 5.3 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 77 2/3 Triple-A innings. Gamboa made his major league debut with the Rays last season and put up a 1.35 ERA, 7.4 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 over 13 1/3 frames. Texas acquired him for a player to be named later or cash considerations over the winter.
  • The Indians announced that MLB has suspended right-hander Joe Colon for the rest of the season after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Colon has been with the Indians since they selected him in the 12th round of the 2009 draft, and he debuted in the majors last year with 10 innings of eight-earned run, 12-hit ball. The 27-year-old worked at Triple-A this season and posted a 4.13 ERA, 9.37 K/9 and 4.96 BB/9 in 32 2/3 innings.

Blue Jays Designate Ian Parmley, Select Lucas Harrell

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The Blue Jays announced that they’ve designated outfielder Ian Parmley for assignment and selected the contract of right-hander Lucas Harrell.

Parmley, whom the Blue Jays chose in the seventh round of the 2012 draft, made his major league debut last week but failed to reach base in any of his four plate appearances. The 27-year-old has spent nearly the entire season at Triple-A Buffalo, where he has hit .289/.332/.369 with one home run and 11 stolen bases in 205 PAs.

Unlike Parmley, Harrell has a fairly extensive big league track record. The 32-year-old is now set to put on his fifth major league uniform since debuting with the White Sox in 2010. The majority of Harrell’s action has come in Houston, where he pitched from 2011-14 and turned in two seasons of 150-plus innings. At his best, Harrell registered a 3.76 ERA, 6.51 K/9, 3.62 BB/9 and a 57.2 percent ground-ball rate across 193 2/3 frames in 2012.

After his run with the Astros ended, Harrell spent 2015 with the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization. He resurfaced stateside last season and pitched in both the majors and minors with the Rangers and Braves organizations. In nine starts and 47 big league innings, Harrell logged a 4.21 ERA, 6.89 K/9, 4.79 BB/9 and a 44.3 percent grounder rate. He signed a minor league deal with the Jays over the winter and has combined for 27 2/3 frames between Double-A and Triple-A this season.

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