Tigers Claim Marc Krauss From Rays
The Tigers announced that they’ve claimed first baseman Marc Krauss off waivers from the Rays. Tampa Bay had designated Krauss for assignment over the weekend.
The claim of Krauss is a fairly logical move for the Tigers, who learned this weekend that they’ll be without two-time AL MVP Miguel Cabrera for the next six weeks due to a calf injury. Krauss, 27, hasn’t hit much in the Majors over parts of the past three seasons, but he does have some power, with 11 homers in 402 big league plate appearances and a career .198 ISO in the minors. With this move, he’ll join his fourth organization of the past seven months. The Angels claimed Krauss off waivers from the Astros back in December then traded him to the Rays earlier this season.
A’s Acquire Aaron Kurcz From Braves
The Braves announced that they’ve traded right-hander Aaron Kurcz to the Athletics in exchange for an international bonus slot that’s valued at $167K. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that this latest trade will allow the Braves to sign Venezuelan shortstop Juan Morales.
The Braves have been the most active team in terms of trading for international bonus money. They’ve moved right-handers Cody Martin, Caleb Dirks and Garrett Fulenchek in addition to outfielder Jordan Paroubeck and now Kurcz in order to acquire an additional $1.299MM in bonus money to sign Morales, Dominican shortstop Derian Cruz and Dominican outfielder Christian Pache. By making these trades, the Braves have avoided incurring spending restrictions in the 2016-17 signing period, and Ben Badler of Baseball America tweets that the organization plans to spend aggressively in next year’s class.
An 11th-round pick by the Cubs in 2011, Kurcz went to the Red Sox as part of the compensation package for Red Sox GM turned Cubs president Theo Epstein. Boston traded him to the Braves in the offseason deal that sent Anthony Varvaro to the Red Sox. Kurcz, 24, missed the 2013 season due to Tommy John surgery but has otherwise posted consistently low ERA marks and gaudy strikeout totals with questionable control. He has a lifetime 2.87 ERA in the minors with 11.6 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9, with his BB/9 rates worsening as he’s ascended he minor league ladder.
Trade Market For Catchers
The Rays, Twins, Angels and Rangers all represent teams that above or near the .500 mark despite scarce production from the catcher position. Beyond that quartet, the Mariners, Marlins, Braves and White Sox have all received poor production, with none of the four definitively declaring itself a selling club yet. Many teams are in need of catching reinforcements, be it an upgrade of their primary catcher or an improved reserve option. We’ll kick off the 2015 Trade Market series here at MLBTR by running down a list of some players that could reasonably stand out as trade chips:
Starters
Jonathan Lucroy (Brewers), Stephen Vogt (Athletics), Derek Norris (Padres), Austin Hedges (Padres), Nick Hundley (Rockies), A.J. Pierzynski (Braves), Brayan Pena (Reds), Kevin Plawecki (Mets), Andrew Susac (Giants)
- Lucroy’s offense in 2015 has been slowed somewhat a broken toe he suffered early on, but his track record and team-friendly contract make him a highly desirable asset. He’s earning $3MM in 2015, $4MM in 2016 and has a $5.25MM club option for 2017. The Brewers aren’t going anywhere this year and could be a long shot to contend in 2016, so listening to offers makes sense. Lucroy has batted .291/.345/.370 since coming off the DL.
- Vogt has homered just twice since June 1 and slashed .245/.336/.355 in that time. Even that production is solid for a catcher, though, and his season line is still a robust .290/.380/.502. He’s homered 13 times despite calling O.Co Coliseum home, and Vogt is controllable through 2019. Though he’s been speculatively mentioned as a trade chip, those hoping to acquire the slugger (and the epic “I believe!” chants that come with him) may be doing some wishful thinking; GM Billy Beane has candidly said he’s not trading Vogt. Skeptics will point out that Beane’s comment is more than a month old and that the A’s expressed similar reservations about dealing Josh Donaldson last October. (Granted, those comments were made anonymously and not on-record by the GM.) I find a trade unlikely.
- The 26-year-old Norris might be another long shot to be moved, as he’s controllable through 2018. The Padres parted with Jesse Hahn and R.J. Alvarez to land Norris this offseason, and he’s provided league-average offense for a San Diego club that is further down the standings than they’d hoped to be. GM A.J. Preller has proven to be quite aggressive and could conceivably move Norris, paving the way for Hedges as the catcher of the future.
- Hedges hasn’t hit a lick in the Majors, but he’s a premium defender who hit quite well in 21 Triple-A games this year prior to his call-up. Some scouts have questioned whether or not he’ll ever hit in the Majors, however, and he wasn’t terribly impressive at the plate in Double-A last season. The Pads could theoretically move Hedges over Norris if they don’t feel that Hedges will develop at the plate enough to profile as a starter.
- Hundley’s a classic trade candidate — a veteran hitter on a short-term deal that is enjoying a productive season for a last-place club. Signed to an affordable two-year, $6.25MM deal this offseason, Hundley’s slashing .296/.341/.458 with six homers. Most of that production has come at Coors Field, of course, but his road line of .264/.319/.364 is above average for a catcher.
- The Braves are in contention, so trading Pierzynski may not be high on their to-do list, but he’s a productive veteran on a one-year, $2MM deal, so it has to be mentioned. Atlanta could flip Pierzynski and re-install Christian Bethancourt behind the plate. They could also move Pierzynski and acquire a different young catcher, as they’ve reportedly been asking rival clubs about young backstops. Either way, Pierzynski, who is hitting .267/.304/.416, isn’t a long-term piece.
- Pena’s not an elite option, but he’s in the final season of a two-year deal with the struggling Reds and has a track record of hitting for a decent average. This season’s been arguably his best; Pena is batting .298/.366/.340 in 215 plate appearances and has a modest $1.4MM salary.
- Plawecki and Susac make the list only because their team has other long-term options on the roster. Both strike me as long shots to be moved, but either could be used as a major chip in acquiring an established veteran to fill a need for his current club. Buster Posey can continue to handle catcher in the short-term for San Francisco (even though some feel he’ll eventually move to an infield corner full-time), and Travis d’Arnaud may still be the favored long-term option in Queens. d’Arnaud is currently injured but could return this month.
Backups/Struggling Veterans/Former Starters
Michael McKenry (Rockies), Carlos Ruiz (Phillies), Alex Avila (Tigers), Geovany Soto (White Sox), Dioner Navarro (Blue Jays), Jarrod Saltalamacchia (D-Backs)
McKenry finds himself in a similar situation to teammate Hundley; he’s an affordable option that is hitting well for a last-place team. His production comes mostly against left-handed pitching. Navarro’s DHing for the Blue Jays but has voiced a preference to return to full-time catching, even if it means via trade. The Jays could probably use an upgrade over his bat at DH anyhow. Avila’s future at catcher is cloudy due to his concussion issues, and the Tigers could turn things over to James McCann full-time if he’s moved. Ruiz, Soto and Saltalamacchia aren’t hitting much but have done so in the past and could be change-of-scenery candidates that can be had on the cheap.
Currently in the Minors
Steve Clevenger (Orioles), Christian Bethancourt (Braves), Josmil Pinto (Twins), Gary Sanchez (Yankees), Austin Romine (Yankees), Austin Barnes (Dodgers), Max Stassi (Astros), Tony Sanchez (Pirates), George Kottaras (White Sox)
Clevenger’s excelled against Triple-A pitching in 2015 and reportedly improved his throwing, but the Orioles don’t have a spot behind Matt Wieters and Caleb Joseph. It seems like a waste for him to be in Triple-A, though there’s value in quality depth. Bethancourt looked like a building block for the Braves, but their reported interest in acquiring a young catcher could indicate that their restructured front office isn’t as high on him as the previous regime. Gary Sanchez is blocked by Brian McCann, but some feel he’s not defensively sufficient behind the plate anyhow. The same could be said of Pinto, who is currently sidelined by a concussion but has raked in the minors when healthy. The out-of-options Romine cleared outright waivers earlier this year but is hitting well at Triple-A. Barnes is another promising young catcher who is blocked on his Major League roster (Yasmani Grandal). Stassi, 24, has ranked among the top 20 prospects for the A’s and Astros for six seasons (per Baseball America), but he’s blocked by Jason Castro and Hank Conger, and he’s struggling at Triple-A this year. Tony Sanchez has never lived up to his No. 4 draft slot and hasn’t hit much in the upper minors, but he could be a buy-low or backup option. The veteran Kottaras is no stranger to the bigs and is enjoying a monster season at Triple-A.
Latest On Braves’ First-Rounder Kolby Allard
The Braves have signed all of their top picks with the exception of first-round selection Kolby Allard, and David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that it’s looking like there’s a “legit chance” that Allard will honor his commitment to UCLA rather than sign with Atlanta (Twitter links). O’Brien does add that there’s a chance this could be posturing in an attempt to get a bit more money out of the Braves.
Selected with the No. 14 overall pick in this year’s draft, Allard’s slot comes with a value of $2,842,200. However, Allard was at one time speculated to be selected within the top 10, if not top five picks of this year’s draft before a stress reaction in his back cost him about two months of his senior season at San Clemente High School in California. As such, it’s possible that Allard’s advisers are pushing for a bonus that’s more commensurate with higher draft slots.
The Braves were assigned a bonus pool of $10,684,100 (via Baseball America) heading into this year’s draft, and they’ve saved a total of $87,500 on the rest of their picks from the top 10 rounds, per MLB.com. The Braves can also exceed their allotted bonus pool by 4.99 percent before incurring the loss of a pick in next year’s draft, which comes out to about $533K. Paired with the $87,500 they’ve saved on their other top picks, that means the Braves could afford to offer Allard up to $3,462,000 (roughly $620,600 over slot) without losing a future pick. That value would be just slightly below the slot value of the No. 8 overall selection ($3,470,600).
Allard ranked sixth on the Top 100 of ESPN’s Keith Law heading into the draft, while MLB.com rated him 16th, and he placed 18th on the draft lists of BA and Fangraphs. Allard was considered the top prep arm in this year’s class thanks to a plus curve and an above-average fastball before injuring his back, per Law. Should Allard indeed end up attending UCLA, the Braves would be awarded with the 15th overall pick in next year’s draft (one slot lower than that of the failed signing).
Central Notes: Richard, Tigers, Verlander, Royals, Cueto
The Pirates‘ trade of minor league starter Clayton Richard to the Cubs might not seem like huge news on the surface, but the move could prove to be significant if the Bucs have injuries in the rotation, Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. With Richard out of the picture and the team’s rash of injuries, the Pirates’ organizational starting depth has been compromised. Manager Clint Hurdle is not yet terribly concerned about it, saying “I still think we are in a place where we are covered. If something were to happen here and we lost two starters, that might change. We have lost our surplus. We had great depth at one point, now our depth isn’t as deep.” Richard, 31, was a productive starter for the Padres before shoulder issues derailed his career. In both 2010 and 2012, he put up 200+ innings with a sub-4.00 ERA. He last appeared in the big leagues in 2013, struggling badly before ultimately going under the knife.
A few more notes from the game’s Central divisions…
- Just one week ago, the Tigers were locks to be buyers at this year’s trade deadline, but James Schmehl of MLive.com examines the possibility that they could become sellers in the wake of Miguel Cabrera‘s injury. As Schemehl notes, the Tigers have a number of appealing trade chips in David Price, Yoenis Cespedes and Rajai Davis — each of whom is set to hit free agency at season’s end. However, Schmehl also notes that the team has made a significant investment in winning this season and may be more likely to add a pair of relievers with an eye on the postseason. Asked about the possibility of becoming a deadline seller, manager Brad Ausmus replied, “That’s not really my call, but I’d be surprised.” Given the Tigers’ win-at-all-costs approach over the past few seasons, it would be a surprise to me as well to see them as deadline sellers, though perhaps they’ll take a similar route to 2014 and deal from their big league roster as a means of strengthening the current on-field product.
- The New York Post’s Joel Sherman makes a bleak comparison for Tigers fans, writing that Justin Verlander has become Detroit’s version of CC Sabathia. Verlander is in the first year of a five-year, $140MM extension and has struggled to deliver any form of positive results over the past two seasons while dealing with injuries. He notes that GM Dave Dombrowski even talks about Verlander in the same manner that his Yankees counterpart, Brian Cashman, discusses Sabathia. Sherman quotes Dombrowski: “We don’t think you will see MVP-season Justin, but he can still be a very good pitcher and that would be really big for us. … He has just been a little inconsistent. We just need him to get more comfortable.” Verlander’s not showing quite the depleted velocity that Sabathia has, however, so perhaps there’s hope for him yet.
- The Royals should make an aggressive play to acquire the Reds‘ Johnny Cueto prior to the deadline, opines ESPN’s Christina Kahrl. She feels that the Royals are already strong favorites to win the AL Central, but adding Cueto gives them the rotation depth necessary to be a force in shorter playoff series. With Cueto and perhaps a returning Kris Medlen in the fold, Kahrl notes, the Royals can be shielded from the need to start Jeremy Guthrie in a pivotal postseason contest.
Cubs Looking For Starting Pitching, Lefty Outfield Bats
The Cubs have had more talks about acquiring starting pitching than they have position players, though they would also like to add a left-handed hitting outfielder if the price is right, FOX Sports’ Jon Paul Morosi reports.
Jake Arrieta, Jason Hammel, Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks have all posted good to excellent results as Chicago’s top four starters, though the fifth spot has been a problem area. Tsuyoshi Wada has been effective when healthy but the southpaw is currently on the DL for the second time this season, while Travis Wood struggled in seven starts. Clayton Richard was acquired from the Pirates on Friday and threw a quality start on Saturday, though it’s hard to see Chicago counting on Richard as a stable option.
It’s possible the Cubs could target a big name on the pitching market, as Morosi writes that the team hopes to have an ace in the fold by the start of next season. To this end, the Cubs would prefer to acquire a pitcher under contract beyond this season (i.e. Cole Hamels) rather than a rental like Johnny Cueto, as if they get their top-of-the-rotation arm now, that would save them having to spend more time and money pursuing the likes of David Price in free agency this winter.
Morosi cites the Brewers’ Gerardo Parra and the Padres’ Will Venable as “two names to watch” as possible Cubs targets for their outfield need. Either would spell the switch-hitting Dexter Fowler against right-handed pitching. Fowler carried a tough .232/.308/.379 line into today’s action thanks in large part to a .660 OPS in 281 plate appearances against righties (but a healthy .833 OPS in 55 PA against lefties). Given the abundance of right-handed starters in the NL Central, a righty-mashing bat is a clear need for the Cubs.
Shortstop has become another problem area, as Starlin Castro‘s below-replacement level season (-0.3 fWAR entering today) makes Morosi wonder if Chicago would consider getting a veteran middle infielder to pair with Addison Russell. The problem is that Castro has minimal trade value right now given his poor performance and the roughly $41MM owed to him through the 2019 season.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/5/15
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.
- The Braves acquired left-hander Mitchell Lambson from the Astros, Bryant-Jon Anteola of the Fresno Bee reports (Twitter link). Lambson was a 19th-round pick for Houston in the 2011 draft who has posted strong minor league numbers in five pro seasons: a 2.79 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 4.34 K/BB rate over 242 relief innings, including his first taste of Triple-A ball this year.
- The Cubs have signed righty Ben Rowen to a minor-league deal, the Iowa Cubs have announced. Rowen had previously been in the Orioles organization until opting out of his contract. Rowen had posted a 2.41 ERA with 1.4 BB/9 in 37 1/3 innings with the Orioles’ top two minor league affiates. His strikeout rate (5.8 K/9) was a bit low, but he has a strong history of inducing ground balls. The 26-year-old came to the Orioles from the Dodgers as part of the two teams’ curious trade involving reliever Ryan Webb.
- The Athletics have outrighted first baseman Nate Freiman to Triple-A Nashville, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. They had designated him for assignment on Thursday. The 28-year-old Freiman hit .218/.269/.448 in 93 plate appearances with the A’s in 2014 and has struggled greatly in 129 plate appearances with Nashville in 2015.
- The Blue Jays have outrighted righty Todd Redmond to Triple-A Buffalo, MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm tweets. They had designated him for assignment earlier this week. Redmond has pitched a total of 16 innings for the Jays so far this year, and he’s been designated for assignment and then outrighted three separate times. The 30-year-old has a 4.25 ERA, 7.9 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 171 1/3 career big-league innings in parts of four seasons with the Blue Jays and Reds.
NL West Notes: Frias, Giants, Maybin, Parra, Greinke, Gray
The Dodgers‘ search for pitching may only intensify with the news that Carlos Frias has been placed on the 15-day DL with lower back tightness. Los Angeles already dipped into its starter depth by installing Frias and Mike Bolsinger into the rotation in place of Hyun-jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy, so all eyes will be on the Dodgers this month to see if they can land another big arm before the trade deadline. Here’s the latest from the NL West…
- The Giants are looking for outfielders and Gerardo Parra and Cameron Maybin are two of the names who have been discussed, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports (via Twitter). In another tweet, Olney notes that the Braves aren’t open to dealing Maybin right now. Outfield had been cited as a possible target spot for San Francisco, though GM Bobby Evans didn’t seem set on obtaining an everyday outfielder since Hunter Pence and Nori Aoki will be expected to resume their regular spots in the lineup when they’re both healthy. In my opinion, I’d think that a left-handed hitting outfielder like Parra could be of particular use in a center field platoon with Angel Pagan, who has struggled badly against right-handed pitching this season (though Pagan has generally fared better against righty arms over his career).
- The Giants have liked Parra “forever,” according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (via Twitter). Parra had spent his entire career prior to August 2014 with the Diamondbacks, however, and Arizona didn’t want to deal the outfielder to a division rival.
- In Olney’s latest Insider-only post, he observes that Zack Greinke‘s big season is putting him in position for a massive free agent payday this winter. “It seems like a foregone conclusion” Greinke will opt out of his Dodgers contract in search of a more lucrative deal, and while he turns 32 in October, Olney believes he’s the type of pitcher with the athleticism, mechanics and pitching know-how to still be very effective as he ages. Andrew Friedman has generally eschewed giving big contracts to older players in his career as an executive, though this could well change now that he runs a high-payroll team.
- The Rockies are again in need of pitching reinforcements, and Nick Groke of the Denver Post wonders if the team could promote top prospect Jon Gray. Troy Tulowitzki and Walt Weiss seem in favor of Gray coming to the bigs soon, though GM Jeff Bridich was more cautious. “Jon Gray is doing a great job right now of learning lessons and evolving at the Triple-A level. So there are things that he needs to do and will continue to do. And we’ll continue to exercise patience with him,” Bridich said. Gray has a 4.88 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and a 2.45 K/BB rate in 90 1/3 Triple-A innings this season — respectable numbers in the very hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
Nationals Place Stephen Strasburg On 15-Day DL
The Nationals have placed Stephen Strasburg on the 15-day disabled list with a left oblique strain, and recalled righty Taylor Jordan from Triple-A Syracuse to take his place, the club announced today. Strasburg left his start yesterday after just 56 pitches due to discomfort in his left side.
The transaction continues what’s been a frustrating season for Strasburg, who’s already made one trip to the DL to recover from a strained left trapezius muscle and has also dealt with several other nagging injuries. Strasburg has only pitched 61 innings in 2015 and his health issues have surely been a factor in his uncharacteristically high 5.16 ERA. His peripheral numbers (9.3 K/9, 2.7 BB/9) and ERA indicators (3.55 FIP, 3.38 xFIP, 3.44 SIERA) suggest that Strasburg had pitched somewhat better than his ERA, which could also be explained by a .355 BABIP and a low 64.1% strand rate. Since returning from his initial DL stint, Strasburg had looked much better, allowing just two runs and posting 18 strikeouts over 15 2/3 innings.
If Strasburg is able to make a quick recovery, there’s a chance he might technically not need to be replaced on the pitching staff. Nats manager Matt Williams hinted that the team could simply employ a four-man rotation until the All-Star break since Washington has an off-day on Thursday. If Strasburg is still on the DL once the second half resumes, Tanner Roark (who has already made six starts this year) will likely take his spot in the rotation.
It’s doubtful that Strasburg’s injury would lead to an external acquisition even if he did miss significant time. Nationals starters have combined for a league-best 10.6 fWAR, with Roark and Joe Ross providing valuable depth behind Max Scherzer, Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez, Doug Fister and Strasburg.
New York Notes: Drew, Refsnyder, Lagares
Here’s the latest from both Big Apple teams…
- Despite Stephen Drew‘s struggles, ESPN New York’s Andrew Marchand writes that the Yankes may not address second base in any major way at the trade deadline due to a lack of clear upgrades on the market. Rob Refsnyder has shown defensive improvement at Triple-A and could be called up to supplant Jose Pirela, yet it’s possible Refsnyder himself could be trade bait; he has some prospect value but he isn’t one of the “top tier guys” in the Yankee farm system.
- From that same piece, Marchand also notes that the Yankees aren’t likely to obtain an ace starter like Johnny Cueto or Cole Hamels “unless prices drop significantly.”
- The Yankees are only a season and a half removed from handing more than $500MM in free agent contracts to Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann and Masahiro Tanaka, yet the early returns are still inconclusive at best, Marchand and Wallace Matthews write. Beltran hasn’t shown much, McCann struggled in 2014 but has hit well this season, and Ellsbury and Tanaka have both looked good when healthy but still have injury question marks hanging over them. While there’s still plenty of time for the quartet to live up to their big contracts, this uncertainty in the early years of their contracts (when each, save Beltran, should still be in or close to their primes) isn’t an encouraging sign.
- The Mets have struggled badly against right-handed pitching this season, a problem that Joel Sherman of the New York Post blames on “front office negligence” and a “refusal to churn — to aggressively try to upgrade even marginally” for quality left-handed bench depth. Juan Lagares has been particularly ineffective against righty pitching, and Sherman lists five players (Brock Holt, Gerardo Parra, David Peralta, Seth Smith and Will Venable) he feels would be good options as platoon partners with Lagares in center field. Of that group, I highly doubt the Red Sox would deal the versatile Holt and Smith’s contract is likely too expensive for the Mets’ seemingly limited payroll.
- If Mets GM Sandy Alderson is indeed “prepared to overpay” for a hitting upgrade, ESPN’s Buster Olney (via Twitter) wonders if the team could shop Zack Wheeler to an American League team. The Mets already have a plethora of young rotation options and Wheeler could be seen as expendable. An interested team would be making “a futures bet,” as Olney puts it, since Wheeler is out of action until roughly the middle of 2016 recovering from both Tommy John and tendon surgeries.