Baseball Blogs Weigh In: D-backs, Teheran, Jays, Brewers, Bucs
This week’s spin around the baseball blogosphere…
- Inside the ‘Zona has a plan for the Diamondbacks as the trade deadline nears.
- Outside Pitch MLB suggests the Braves should trade right-hander Julio Teheran.
- BaseballDocs believes the Red Sox and Dodgers are the teams likeliest to land Teheran.
- Chin Music Baseball analyzes Astros second baseman Jose Altuve‘s offensive brilliance.
- BP Toronto details how Marco Estrada has become the Blue Jays’ ace.
- Brew Crew Fever breaks down which Brewers could switch uniforms by the deadline.
- Call To The Pen wants to revamp the All-Star voting process.
- Jays From The Couch investigates what left-hander JA Happ is doing differently in his second stint with the Blue Jays.
- Pirates Breakdown is excited about the Bucs’ chances of competing for championships with their “dream rotation” taking shape.
- Think Blue Planning Committee looks at whether the Dodgers should pursue offensive upgrades before the deadline.
- AZ Snake Pit doesn’t see the Diamondbacks contending in 2017 without making notable changes to their outfield.
- Rotisserie Duck lists the 10 best and worst batting averages on balls in play and tries to figure out what’s ahead for the 20 players.
- Total Sports Live thinks the Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros, Mets and Dodgers are equipped to make second-half runs.
- Yanks Go Yard names the five biggest surprises of the Yankees’ first half.
- The Runner Sports mulls the possibility of the Astros trading elite infield prospect Alex Bregman.
- Blue Jay Hunter covers what Troy Tulowitzki‘s resurgence could mean for the Blue Jays.
- A’s Farm highlights the Athletics’ best minor league players of 2016 at the midpoint.
- That Ball’s Outta Here points to an adjustment struggling Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola could make.
- Orioles on Deck offers ways for the Orioles to fix their pitching woes.
- Rum Bunter is bullish about the recent work done by the Pirates’ bullpen.
- Motor City Bengals tries to find a fit for the Tigers among the Rays’ starting pitchers.
- Jays Journal checks in on the players the Blue Jays gave up in recent key trades.
- Brew City Sports Report has a positive outlook on the Brewers’ rebuild.
- North Shore Nine hopes the newly promoted Josh Bell can buck the Pirates’ long-running trend of relying on forgettable first basemen.
- The Point of Pittsburgh is optimistic about Bell’s future.
- RSN Stats delves into the remarkable numbers Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has put up this year.
- Halo Headquarters looks into whether the Angels should aim for the No. 1 pick in the 2017 amateur draft.
- The Ranger Report is worried about the Rangers’ pitching.
- Baseball Hot Corner regards right-hander Aaron Sanchez as a possible extension candidate in the near future for the Blue Jays.
- Philliedelphia could see a playoff contender picking up free agent shortstop Jimmy Rollins for the stretch run.
- Sports Heaven ponders Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun‘s future.
- Camden Depot revisits its preseason standings projections.
- The First Out At Third examines the prospects the Brewers received from the Red Sox in exchange for Aaron Hill.
- Big Three Sports explores the fantasy baseball ramifications of Cardinals star Matt Carpenter‘s injury.
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MLBTR Originals
Here’s a recap of the original analysis MLBTR offered this week:
- Although we’re not yet at the trade deadline, this season is already three months old. That means the offseason is creeping closer, so Tim Dierkes updated his free agent power rankings for the upcoming winter. Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes tops the group for the second straight month.
- Jeff Todd’s weekly top trade candidates series has now grown to 25 players as the Aug. 1 deadline approaches. The Athletics and Brewers lead the way with four representatives apiece.
- This week’s version of Jason Martinez’s “Knocking Down the Door” series features five more prospects who are trying to force their way into the big leagues. Right-hander Aaron Wilkerson graced the list Tuesday and then switched organizations via trade Thursday, going from the Red Sox to the Brewers.
- Jeff also came up with a list of 10 under-the-radar players who could find new homes in the weeks leading up to the deadline. Included are three relievers, a starter, a swingman, two infielders and three outfielders.
- Finally, Jason broke down the five most important roster decisions that happened in Major League Baseball from Monday through Friday. Three star players landed on the disabled list in that time frame.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Hill, Upton, Bruce, Hellickson, Stanley, Mets, Puig
Here’s the latest from Ken Rosenthal, via a pair of videos on FOX Sports:
- When the Athletics put Rich Hill on the market, they can be expected to charge a high price for him, Rosenthal says. Hill’s stats — if only for this season — compare favorably to David Price‘s last year, and he might be amenable to an extension with his new team.
- Prior to this season, there was no trade interest in Melvin Upton unless the Padres took on the rest of his contract. After a .268/.315/.464 performance this year, though, that’s changing, at least to a degree. San Diego still owes Upton a little under $40MM through 2017, but teams are now willing to give up talent, with the Padres’ return increasing depending upon how much salary they’re willing to take on. The Padres might be motivated to deal Upton and/or Matt Kemp to clear space for former first-round pick Hunter Renfroe, who’s batting .335/.362/.611 for Triple-A El Paso. Austin Hedges has also hit well for the Chihuahuas, which means the Padres could also look to move fellow catcher Derek Norris to clear space in the big leagues.
- Jay Bruce to the Blue Jays would make sense, Rosenthal opines. Acquiring Bruce from the Reds would allow the Jays to move Jose Bautista (who’s currently on the DL with a toe injury) to DH and reduce playing time for the underwhelming Justin Smoak. The Jays have a greater need for pitching, but might play to the strengths of the market by acquiring hitting instead.
- The Phillies could consider keeping Jeremy Hellickson, who’s in the midst of a solid season — he could eat innings for them down the stretch, with the Phillies perhaps gambling on him by extending a qualifying offer this coming winter and hoping to grab a draft pick as a result. But they would still “jump” at a good trade offer. Of their relievers, the Phils are more likely to deal David Hernandez or Andrew Bailey than Jeanmar Gomez, who they can control for 2017. Other Phillies candidates to be dealt include Andres Blanco and Peter Bourjos.
- Rosenthal begins the second video with a brief discussion of an article of his from earlier today about former Cardinals minor leaguer Cody Stanley, who has already received a 162-game suspension and expects to receive a lifetime ban for repeatedly testing positive for the steroid Turinabol. Stanley claims to not know why he keeps testing positive. “I will never apologize for something I didn’t do,” Stanley said in a statement. “We will not stop searching for why all of this has happened.” Chris Colabello of the Blue Jays, Alec Asher and Daniel Stumpf of the Phillies and Boog Powell of the Mariners have all tested positive for Turinabol and received suspensions, and all claim not to know what happened. “Who would be stupid enough to take the same steroid again?” Stanley asks Rosenthal.
- The Mets are likely to trade for pitching after a series of injuries to their hurlers, Rosenthal says. Recent injuries to Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard could have the team looking in different directions this month than previously anticipated, perhaps to starters, perhaps to relievers.
- The Dodgers will consider dealing Yasiel Puig before the August 1 deadline, Rosenthal suggests. Whether they actually do deal him could depend, however, on the timing of Andre Ethier‘s return and whether they acquire another outfielder.
Royals Among Teams Interested In Josh Reddick
The Athletics and right fielder Josh Reddick have not restarted contract talks, thereby increasing the likelihood of a trade by the Aug. 1 deadline, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The A’s offered Reddick a three-year, $36MM contract extension during the spring, but his camp countered with $56MM over four years and might have been amenable to $50MM to $52MM, according to Slusser. As of now, Oakland is unwilling to give a four-year commitment to Reddick, who will turn 30 next February.
In the event the out-of-contention A’s do shop Reddick prior to the deadline, there should be no shortage of interest in the left-handed hitter. The Bay Area-rival Giants, Cubs, Dodgers, Blue Jays and Nationals are among the potentially playoff-bound clubs that have scouted Reddick, but the defending World Series champion Royals are following him the closest, per Slusser.
The 45-42 Royals, who are seven games behind AL Central-leading Cleveland and 3.5 out of the Wild Card, entered Saturday ranked 26th in the majors in runs scored (342) and tied for 19th in wRC+ (92). They’ve primarily relied on Paulo Orlando and Brett Eibner in right field, and both have posted above-average batting lines this year across a combined 264 plate appearances. Their track records fall well short of Reddick’s, however, so replacing them with Reddick and getting standout center fielder Lorenzo Cain back from a hamstring injury to team with left fielder Alex Gordon would give Kansas City an enviable trio of starting outfielders on paper.
Dating back to his first year in Oakland, 2012, Reddick has hit a solid .255/.320/.437 with 81 home runs in 2,300 plate appearances. Reddick has also graded out well on the base paths and (for the most part) defensively throughout his time with the A’s, though Ultimate Zone Rating has assigned him negative marks in the field going back to last season. A broken thumb suffered in May kept Reddick out of a large chunk of games earlier this year, but he returned late last month. Overall, he owns a .296/.371/.429 line with five homers and nearly as many walks (23) as strikeouts (25) in 213 trips to the plate this season.
It’s important to note that the A’s don’t necessarily have to trade Reddick, to whom they could extend a qualifying offer after the season ends. The A’s would then receive a first-round pick as compensation if he declines the QO – which should be worth in the $16MM to $17MM neighborhood – though they seem likely to land more enticing assets via trade from an outfielder-needy contender. Reddick is on an affordable $6.575MM salary this year, which could help to drive up the A’s potential asking price for him as Aug. 1 approaches.
Phillies Release Yoervis Medina
The Phillies have released right-handed reliever Yoervis Medina, reports Matt Eddy of Baseball America (Twitter link). Philadelphia originally acquired Medina from the Pirates in exchange for left-hander Jesse Biddle over the winter.
Medina, who hurt his elbow in March, hasn’t appeared in the majors this season. The hard-throwing 27-year-old’s only action has come in rookie ball for Philly, where he tossed four innings. He previously threw a combined 21 major league frames as a member of the Mariners and Cubs last season, logging a 4.71 ERA, 6.86 K/9 and 4.71 BB/9. Medina is perhaps best known for the strong results he delivered with the Mariners from 2013-14. During that two-year stretch, he racked up 125 innings and recorded a 2.81 ERA, 9.4 K/9, 4.9 BB/9 and 53.5 percent ground-ball rate.
NL Notes: Nats, D-backs, Mets, Pirates
The Nationals’ Trea Turner, whom Baseball America ranks as the sport’s fifth-best prospect, rejoined the club Friday when first baseman Ryan Zimmerman landed on the disabled list with a strained left rib. The middle infielder hasn’t slotted into the Nats’ lineup, though, which is no surprise in light of manager Dusty Baker’s comments on Friday. “Right now, there’s no real place for Trea to take,” Baker said, per Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. “This isn’t a tryout camp. This is try to play the best team overall to win the game and win the pennant. Hopefully Trea will be a part of that while he’s here.” Turner has garnered some center field experience at the Triple-A level, though Baker is wary of putting him out there in the majors at this point. “I’m sure in time, he’ll show us all, but right now, he’ll probably remain in the infield unless I have to make a move out there in the outfield,” stated Baker. Between second baseman Daniel Murphy and shortstop Danny Espinosa, the Nats have an outstanding middle infield, so it doesn’t appear Turner will make much of an impact if those two remain healthy. The 23-year-old has batted an excellent .302/.370/.471 with 36 extra-base hits and 25 stolen bases in the minors this season.
More from three other NL cities:
- The Diamondbacks and closer Brad Ziegler might only be amid a separation, not a divorce, after they traded him to Boston on Saturday. While breaking the news of the trade to Ziegler, the D-backs informed the soon-to-be 37-year-old that they’d be interested in bringing him back during free agency, reports FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (on Twitter). General manager Dave Stewart expressed a desire last month to extend Ziegler’s contract, so it’s not surprising that Arizona might want to sign him in a few months. In the meantime, “With no real certainty of whether we’re going to be able to bring him back on a multi-year deal, we just decided we’d be able to get some pretty good prospects for him,” Stewart said regarding the trade (via Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic). Ziegler joined the Diamondbacks in 2011 and ultimately recorded an impressive ERA (2.49), sky-high ground-ball rate (69.3 percent), and 62 saves across 335 2/3 innings with the franchise.
- Newly-minted All-Star Bartolo Colon says he wants to pitch one more year, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets. Whether that will be with the Mets remains to be seen, but the timeless wonder has been a godsend for New York thus far in 2016. Colon, who will turn 44 next May, has put up a 3.28 ERA and 1.55 BB/9 in 98 2/3 innings. The pending free agent is currently earning $7.25MM.
- The Pirates’ recent revival will likely erase the chances of right-handed closer Mark Melancon switching teams prior to the Aug. 1 trade deadline, according to Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The free agent-to-be seemed like a prime trade candidate earlier this summer, but the Bucs have gone 11-3 since sitting a season-worst 34-39 on June 23 and have climbed to within 2.5 games of a Wild Card spot. Melancon is amid yet another stellar season, with a sparkling 1.26 ERA, 8.07 K/9 and 2.02 BB/9 in 35 2/3 innings. The 31-year-old has also converted 27 of 28 save opportunities.
Red Sox Notes: SP Market, Hill, Benintendi, Closer
The Red Sox are searching for starting pitching help as the Aug. 1 trade deadline nears, but president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is having difficulty finding viable options. “This is not an easy starting pitching market,” he said Saturday (via Scott Lauber of ESPN.com). Boston isn’t necessarily looking for a front-end starter, but someone at least capable of giving the team six reliable innings, Dombrowski continued. Red Sox starters entered Saturday just 24th in the majors in innings (760) and 21st in ERA (4.52), though they’re a much better 12th in K-BB percentage (13.7).
More from Boston, which improved to 48-38 with a win over the Rays on Saturday:
- While further addressing the difficult market for starters, Dombrowski commented (per Lauber), “The names we don’t want to trade always seem to start the conversation. “It’s a common thread of the same names that seem to be coming up. But they have come up in every conversation we have, and then you try to get realistic and move from there.” It’s fair to suggest one of the names that teams have asked about is Double-A outfielder Andrew Benintendi, who ranks ninth on Baseball America’s just-updated top 100 prospects list. Given his outstanding production, the 2015 seventh overall pick could soon join the left fielder-needy Red Sox, writes WEEI’s Rob Bradford. “He’s played very well,” said Dombrowski, who added that he’s not averse to moving a player straight from Double-A to the majors. “There’s some benefits to going to Triple-A. I don’t mean to downplay it. But I’ve had a lot of success throughout my career with guys going from Double-A to the big leagues.” After ripping up High-A pitching to begin the season, the 22-year-old Benintendi has hit .288/.347/.497 with six home runs in 196 plate appearances with Double-A Portland.
- Athletics left-hander Rich Hill – who revived his career with the Red Sox last September and could end up with them (or someone else) at the deadline – told Bradford that he thought re-signing with Boston last offseason was a possibility. “I did think there was a good chance to come back to Boston just because of everything that was going on there,” the 36-year-old said. “We had some really good things working.” The journeyman instead inked a $6MM deal in Oakland, where he has continued thriving. Hill has spun 76 innings of 2.25 ERA ball with the A’s this year while supporting that figure with a 10.66 K/9, 50 percent ground-ball rate and 14.5 percent infield fly rate. He could soon end up as the top starter dealt this summer, but he told Bradford that “there really hasn’t been too much thought about being traded somewhere.”
- Although the Red Sox acquired closer Brad Ziegler from the Diamondbacks early Saturday, manager John Farrell indicated Saturday (via Lauber) that he’s second to Koji Uehara in the ninth-inning pecking order.“Koji’s our closer. On days when (Uehara) isn’t available, we’ve got Brad (Ziegler) to turn to,” Farrell said. Of course, the Red Sox are only choosing between Uehara and Ziegler because of All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel‘s knee injury. While Uehara did pick up the save Saturday, he expressed skepticism toward Farrell’s statement, saying, “I don’t think I’ve won back the job” (Twitter link via Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald).
Pirates Sign Josh Outman To Minor League Deal
The Pirates have signed free agent left-hander Josh Outman to a minor league contract, per a team announcement. The Turner Gary Sports client will head to Triple-A Indianapolis. While Outman likely faces long odds of returning to the majors, it’s worth noting that the Pirates only have one southpaw in their bullpen, as their depth chart shows.
Outman, 31, last saw major league action in 2014. As a member of the Indians and Yankees that year, he combined for 40 appearances and posted a terrific 2.86 ERA and solid 53.9 percent ground-ball rate in 28 1/3 innings. However, a 5.08 BB/9 offset his 8.26 K/9 somewhat and he benefited from an 87.2 percent strand rate. Outman, who dealt with thoracic outlet syndrome last season but has now recovered from the issue, spent some of the year in the Braves organization and amassed 8 2/3 frames across four minor league levels. He opened this season with the independent Atlantic League’s New Britain Bees.
On the whole, Outman has recorded a 4.43 ERA, 7.41 K/9, 3.77 BB/9 and 43.8 percent ground-ball mark over 274 1/3 major league innings. Thirty-two of his 161 appearances have come in the form of starts, mostly with the Athletics from 2008-11. His latest start in the majors came back in 2012 with the Rockies.
Padres Won’t Trade Wil Myers; Could Deal Drew Pomeranz
Although the Padres haven’t made the playoffs since 2006, managing partner Peter Seidler told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times that he isn’t going to rush the franchise’s current rebuild. Seidler acknowledged that the Padres’ future-minded strategy probably won’t begin paying dividends at the major league level until 2019 at the earliest. That strategy has come into focus this year, with the team having outspent every other club on the international market this month.
After signing 10 top international prospects July 2, San Diego added another – 17-year-old Cuban left-hander Adrian Morejon – for a sizable $11MM bonus on Friday. The Padres had already soared past their league-allotted bonus pool by then, meaning that they’ll pay a 100 percent luxury tax on the Morejon signing. As such, they effectively picked him up for $22MM and have now spent in the neighborhood of $60MM on international free agents this year. The Padres’ allocation of international cash is currently, in their judgment, “the smartest place to spend money,” according to Seidler.
“In the context of baseball, it’s two years of Zack Greinke,” he continued. “It’s two years of Clayton Kershaw. For us, we get 20 high-ceiling teenagers. Most of them ultimately are not going to make it to Petco Park. But if four or five of them are impact players at Petco?”
Eventually joining those players in the majors could be several prospects from this year’s amateur draft, in which the Padres had six of the first 85 picks – including three first-round selections.
“This franchise’s history in the amateur draft — as far as having impactful players play for the Padres in the major leagues — is probably as bad as it gets,” Seidler stated. “We have confidence that what we are building is going to completely reverse that.”
Shifting gears to the major league side, the 38-49 Friars have the second-worst record in the NL West and will no doubt look to sell as the Aug. 1 deadline nears. The team has already jettisoned right-hander James Shields and cashed in 39-year-old reliever Fernando Rodney for a prospect, and it hasn’t ruled out trading its best starter of 2016 – lefty Drew Pomeranz – writes Shaikin.
Pomeranz, 27, is making a paltry $1.35MM this season and has two years of arbitration eligibility remaining, but the All-Star is scheduled to become a free agent when the Padres’ prospective window of competing, 2019, opens. Given his eminently affordable contract and excellent production – he ranks fifth in the majors in ERA (2.47) and 10th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.15) – Pomeranz could be one of the most appealing players available around the deadline. While the Padres aren’t against selling high on him, the same isn’t true regarding first baseman Wil Myers.
“He’s not going to be traded,” Seidler declared, and executive chairman Ron Fowler told Shaikin that Myers is “the type of guy we want to build this team around.”
As a result, Fowler is hopeful the Padres and Myers, a 25-year-old All-Star, can work out an extension. Myers is earning barely over the league minimum this year and is controllable through arbitration for three more seasons. The ex-Ray and former premier prospect has hit a tremendous .293/.358/.535 with 19 home runs in 371 plate appearances, also adding 15 stolen bases on 18 attempts. Thanks largely to his output at the plate and on the base paths, Myers has already been worth 3.5 fWAR – tied for the 11th-highest total among position players this year.
“The way we’re building this business is really straightforward,” said Seidler. “It’s all about building a core of high-ceiling, home-grown talent. That does go back to the way the best sports franchises in any of the major sports have always been run.”
Myers isn’t homegrown, but he’s clearly a high-ceiling player. And Seidler’s Padres hope Myers and a cavalcade of talented prospects can eventually lead the franchise back to relevance in the coming years.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/9/16
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.
- Veteran lefty Tom Gorzelanny has declined his outright assignment with the Indians and is now a free agent, the team has announced. The Indians designated Gorzelanny for assignment on Monday after he allowed seven runs in three innings for them. Gorzelanny, who turns 34 this week, has a career 4.40 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in parts of 12 seasons with the Pirates, Cubs, Nationals, Brewers and Tigers in addition to the Indians.
- The Cardinals have announced that they’ve allowed outfielder Carlos Peguero to depart for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan. They will receive cash considerations in return. The 29-year-old Peguero has played with the Mariners, Royals, Rangers and Red Sox in parts of five big-league seasons, but has never stuck, accumulating just 319 career plate appearances. He’s shown big power in the minors, though, with 95 home runs and a .277/.346/.520 in the equivalent of about three full seasons at Triple-A.
- The Rays have signed reliever Casey Coleman to a minor league deal, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Coleman opted out of his deal with the Mariners last week after posting a 2.08 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 39 strong innings with Triple-A Tacoma.
- One of Coleman’s new Durham Bulls teammates is lefty Dana Eveland, who was designated for assignment this week. Via SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (on Twitter), Eveland has accepted the Rays’ outright assignment. He posted an 8.55 ERA, 8.1 K/9 and 6.8 BB/9 in 20 innings of relief with the Rays this season.
- The Pirates have outrighted catcher Jacob Stallings, as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Bill Brink tweets. The Bucs designated the defensive specialist for assignment last week. The 26-year-old has batted just .200/.235/.326 this season, but he received a brief callup because of a rash of injuries to Pirates catchers.