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Tim Dierkes’ MLB Mailbag: Francisco Alvarez, Hoerner, Crochet, And More

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This week's mailbag gets into a potential Francisco Alvarez extension, trading Nico Hoerner, valuing Garrett Crochet, potential outfield additions for the Braves, and much more.  Let's get into it!

Ben asks:

What would be a fair contract extension for the Mets and Francisco Alvarez? He is so talented and a great leader for such a young kid, have to imagine he will get expensive in arbitration.

I wrote an answer to this and then ran it by Steve Adams, Anthony Franco, and Darragh McDonald.  They threw cold water on some outlandish contract ideas I had for the Mets' young catcher.

Comparable contracts are lacking for Alvarez.  I don't think comps need to be catcher-specific, especially because there are so few good ones.  The Buster Posey and Joe Mauer deals are too old.  Will Smith signed with four years of service and the Dodgers got his age 29-37 seasons, with a luxury tax dodge as a core feature.

One that comes to mind in the 2+ class, where Alvarez will be after the season, is Andres Gimenez.  He signed a seven year, $106.5MM extension.  Some of the other MLBTR writers see this as something of a ceiling for Alvarez, and I assume the Mets would feel similarly.  At present, I'll take the over on that.

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Marlins Release Christian Bethancourt

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6:50pm: Miami is releasing Bethancourt, tweets Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. He’ll head back to free agency and could look for a minor league opportunity elsewhere.

4:50pm: Marlins catcher Christian Bethancourt went unclaimed on waivers following his recent DFA and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Jacksonville, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. As a player with more than three years of big league service, he has the right to reject the assignment in favor of free agency. However, Bethancourt is at 4.129 years of service, placing him 43 days shy of the five full years he’d need to elect free agency and retain the remainder of this season’s $2.05MM salary. Since he’d have to forfeit the remainder of that salary in order to elect free agency, he’ll surely accept it and report to Jacksonville.

First-year Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix was the Rays’ general manager when Tampa Bay acquired Bethancourt from the A’s, and in one of his first moves after being hired as Miami’s president of baseball ops, he brought Bethancourt to the Marlins in a cash swap with the Guardians, who’d previously claimed the catcher off waivers from the Rays.

The trade didn’t go as hoped, clearly. Bethancourt opened the season mired in a disastrous slump as the Fish received staggeringly poor production from their catching corps early on. By the time he was designated for assignment in favor of journeyman Ali Sanchez, he’d only managed to pull his batting line up to .159/.198/.268 in 88 plate appearances.

At one point, Bethancourt ranked among the game’s top catching prospects, but he’s fallen into journeyman status and at one point entirely moved on from catching in favor of outfield/infield work and even (more briefly) relief pitching. He spent the 2019 season in the KBO, didn’t play during the 2020 season, and bounced around the league in a more traditional catcher/first baseman role since 2021. That includes a 2022 season split between Oakland and Tampa Bay where he slashed a respectable .252/.283/.409 with a career-high 11 homers, but Bethancourt has been unable to replicate even that modest production since that time.

A career .292/.329/.468 hitter in parts of seven Triple-A seasons, Bethancourt will stick with the Marlins organization and provide some additional depth behind Nick Fortes and Sanchez. If either is injured and/or if Bethancourt gets his bat going in Jacksonville, he could get a look later this season. If not, he’ll be eligible for minor league free agency at season’s end, as is the case for all players with three-plus years of service who are outrighted off a 40-man roster, accept the assignment, and are not added back to the 40-man before the end of the year.

Oliver Ortega Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery

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The Astros announced that right-hander Oliver Ortega underwent surgery yesterday to remove a bone spur in his throwing elbow. He will miss the entire 2024 season. Lorenzo Delgado of Our Esquina was among those to relay the news on X.

Ortega, 27, was claimed off waivers from the Twins in October. In March, he underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow, with the club providing a three-to-four-month recovery timeline at that point. Ortega started the season on the 15-day injured list and was transferred to the 60-day IL shortly thereafter. With this new surgery, it will go down as a completely lost season for the righty.

That’s obviously an unfortunate development for Ortega, as he was coming off an encouraging season. With the Twins in 2023, he tossed 14 2/3 innings at the major league level with a 4.30 earned run average. In 34 2/3 frames at the Triple-A level, he had a 1.82 ERA, 32.6% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate and 48.1% ground ball rate.

He went on the IL in August last year due to a left lumbar strain and stayed there for the end of the season. The IL goes away during the offseason, so the Twins tried to run Ortega through waivers but the Astros swooped in with a claim, undoubtedly intrigued by those strong Triple-A numbers last year. Instead, the righty’s injury woes have continued and he will have spent over a year without appearing in a major or minor league game by the time this season is over.

If there’s any consolation for Ortega, it’s that he’s collecting a full year of big league pay and service time in 2024, which is not nothing for a guy who’s been up-and-down for most of his career to this point. He came into this year with one year and 19 days of service, meaning he’ll be at 2.019 at the end of the year. He will need to be reinstated from the IL in the offseason. If he hangs onto his 40-man spot into the 2025 season, he still has one option year remaining.

Reds Activate Noelvi Marté

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The Reds announced today that infielder Noelvi Marté has been activated from the suspended list, having now served his 80-game PED suspension. In corresponding moves, they optioned infielder Liván Soto and transferred right-hander Emilio Pagán to the 60-day injured list.

Marté, 22, had an excellent debut for the Reds last year. Long considered one of the top prospects in the league, he was called up in August of last year and hit .316/.366/.456 in his first 35 games at the major league level. That set him up to be a key part of the 2024 club but he was hit with an 80-game suspension in early March after testing positive for Boldenone.

That has been just one of several notable absences for the Reds this year. Matt McLain, TJ Friedl and Christian Encarnacion-Strand have all missed significant time due to injury, with several pitchers having spent time on the IL as well. Those health problems and Marté’s suspension have left the club fairly hamstrung so far on the season.

Those issues have contributed to a fairly lackluster performance from the club, as the Reds are currently 37-43. That leaves them only 4.5 games out of a playoff spot in the fairly weak National League Wild Card race, but many expected better results this year after the club seemed to be overflowing with young talent towards the end of last year.

The return of Marté could perhaps give them a boost, though for what it’s worth, he hasn’t been in good form after his layoff. He began a rehab assignment a couple of weeks ago and hit .151/.151/.170 in 15 Triple-A games. That’s a small sample size and perhaps some rust is expected after missing time, but the Reds will obviously hope for better than that going forward.

The Reds still have McLain, Friedl and Encarnacion-Strand on the injured list while Jake Fraley and Jeimer Candelario are each dealing with minor ailments. Despite Marté’s poor form during his rehab, he might get some runway to get in a good place with so many other players ailing. He was primarily playing third base during his rehab, which has been Candelario’s home for much of this season. Santiago Espinal has been covering that spot lately but is hitting just .203/.253/.297 on the year. Even when Candelario is healthy again, he is capable of moving over to first base, while regular first baseman Spencer Steer could perhaps move into the corner outfield mix.

As for Pagán, he landed on the 15-day injured list June 9 due to a right lat strain. This transfer suggests the Reds don’t expect him back until early August in a best-case scenario. He signed a two-year, $16MM deal in the offseason, with the chance to opt out after one year. He has a mediocre 4.43 earned run average on the year and seemingly won’t have a ton of time to improve that number after this IL stint. The Reds could look to improve their bullpen prior to the trade deadline, but their aggressiveness in that department will depend on how the club plays over the next month.

Spencer Turnbull To Miss Six To Eight Weeks Due To Lat Strain

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The Phillies announced that right-hander Spencer Turnbull has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a right lat strain. Right-hander Yunior Marté was recalled to take his spot on the active roster. Manager Rob Thomson says Turnbull will miss six to eight weeks, per Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer on X.

Turnbull, 31, started yesterday’s game but departed after just three innings due to right shoulder soreness. He told reporters after the game that he didn’t think the issue was too serious and that he hoped to make his next start, with Matt Gelb of The Athletic among those to relay his thoughts on the matter. Despite Turnbull’s optimism, it seems the club has determined the issue is serious enough for him to be on the shelf for a fairly sizeable stretch of time.

For much of the year, Turnbull has been pitching very well out of the bullpen but has been blocked from securing a lengthy stay in the rotation. The Phils have Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez all putting up good numbers this year. The results have been more wobbly from Taijuan Walker but he is an established veteran on a four-year contract, which gave him precedence over Turnbull.

Just a few days ago, Walker landed on the IL due to inflammation in his right index finger, which opened a rotation spot for Turnbull. Unfortunately, in quick succession, Walker’s replacement is now out of action with Turnbull landing on the IL himself.

It’s a shame because, as mentioned, Turnbull’s results have been good overall this year. Over 17 games, including seven starts, he has a 2.65 earned run average. He wasn’t going to maintain a .233 batting average on balls in play or an 84% strand rate forever, but he struck out 26.1% of batters faced, limited walks to a 9% clip and got grounders on 47.5% of balls in play.

The righty had a tough season in 2023, dealing with injuries and posting a 7.26 ERA. He was non-tendered by the Tigers and signed a modest one-year deal with the Phils with a $2MM base salary. Continuing to put up good numbers would have helped him in his return to the open market this coming offseason but this injury will put a dent in that or at least put his bounceback season on pause.

For the Phillies, their crowded rotation has been quickly un-crowded with Walker and Turnbull landing on the IL within days of each other. That will leave them looking for a fifth starter at least until Walker comes back. He has a murky timeline as it depends how his finger progresses in the coming weeks.

Perhaps that rotation spot will go to Michael Mercado, who was starting in the minors up until recently. He was recalled when Walker landed on the IL and has made one relief appearance thus far, but could perhaps return to starting. In 47 1/3 Triple-A innings this year, he has a 1.71 ERA, though less impressive peripherals. He has a 22.8% strikeout rate, 11.9% walk rate and 41.3% ground ball rate. A .240 BABIP, 83% strand rate and 3.9 home run to fly ball ratio have helped keep the runs off the board.

The other depth options aren’t particularly exciting. Kolby Allard, Freddy Tarnok and Max Castillo are on the 40-man but each has an ERA of 6.14 or higher for the IronPigs this year. Prospect Mick Abel has a 7.08 ERA in Triple-A this year.

If the Phils want to add some rotation depth, there’s still a month to go until the trade deadline. They can monitor the progress of Walker and Turnbull between now and then as they assess the market, but they have lots of wiggle room. They have a 53-27 record that is the best in the majors, putting them eight games ahead of Atlanta in the National League East.

Guardians, Matthew Boyd Agree To Major League Deal

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The Guardians and left-hander Matthew Boyd have agreed to a deal, according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post on X. It’s a major league deal for the Boras Corporation client, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com on X. The Guardians will need to open a roster spot whenever the deal, which is pending a physical, becomes official.

Matthew BoydBoyd, 33, has had some good results in his career but he has been on and off the mound in recent years due to various health issues. He required flexor tendon surgery in September of 2021 and missed most of the following season, making ten relief appearances for the Mariners in September of 2022. He made 15 starts with the Tigers last year before requiring Tommy John surgery at the end of June.

Due to those injuries and the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Boyd has been limited to 223 1/3 innings since the end of the 2019 season. His results have been fairly inconsistent in that time, which is probably not surprising given the many interruptions. His earned run average is an even 5.00 in that period, with strikeout and walk rates around league average.

Prior to this recent health odyssey, he was a solid contributor at the back end of the Detroit rotation for many years. From 2016 to 2019, he logged 588 frames over 109 appearances. In that stretch, he had a 4.67 ERA, 23.4% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate. His best performance was arguably back in 2019, when he struck out 30.2% of batters faced and gave out walks at just a 6.3% clip over 32 starts. His 4.56 ERA that year doesn’t look especially strong, but he allowed 39 home runs during what is now known as the “juiced ball” season, so his 3.61 SIERA might be more reflective of how he performed that year.

It’s now been almost exactly a year since Boyd underwent his Tommy John procedure. He is healthy enough to get on the mound, as he threw for clubs earlier this month, but he’ll presumably need some time to fully ramp up. Though he’s signing a major league deal, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he agreed to be optioned to some minor league affiliate for a few weeks, effectively a delayed Spring Training.

The Guardians have been surprising in many ways this year. The rotation has often been a strength for the club but has been a clear weakness this year. Shane Bieber required Tommy John surgery earlier in the season and is done for the year. Gavin Williams has been on the IL all year so far. Tanner Bibee has been good but the rest of the group has been flimsy behind him. Each of Triston McKenzie, Logan Allen and Carlos Carrasco have an ERA above 4.65. Ben Lively’s ERA is down at 3.03 but with a modest 21.4% strikeout rate and fortunate strand rate of 87.3%.

Despite those rotation struggles, the club is 51-27, the best record in the American League. They will probably be on the lookout for rotation upgrades prior to the July 30 deadline but there will be plenty of competition. There are few clear sellers at the moment thanks to some wide-open Wild Card spots and the few clubs that are clearly out of it have been getting hit hard by injuries. The Angels just lost Patrick Sandoval to season-ending surgery while the Marlins have each of Sandy Alcántara, Jesús Luzardo, Ryan Weathers, Edward Cabrera, Braxton Garrett and Eury Pérez all on the IL. Getting a pitcher from the White Sox would likely be a challenge since they share a division with the Guardians.

Given those question marks, it’s sensible for them to take a dice roll on Boyd. Financial details of the agreement haven’t yet been reported but it’s likely a fairly modest guarantee after he’s missed so much time lately. The Guardians will have roughly a month to get a look at him and see if he can help bolster their current group. They also have Williams currently on a rehab assignment, potentially giving them two rotation reinforcements in the coming weeks. How they decide to attack the deadline a month from now will likely be determined by developments in the coming weeks.

Cubs Place Javier Assad On Injured List

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The Cubs made some roster moves today, with Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune among those to relay them on X. As was previously reported, the Cubs signed right-hander Vinny Nittoli. To open a spot for him on the active roster, fellow righty Javier Assad has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm extensor strain. Righty Yency Almonte was transferred to the 60-day IL to give Nittoli a 40-man spot. Assad’s move is retroactive to June 24, per Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times on X.

At this point, it’s unclear how severe Assad’s injury is or how long the club expects him to be out of action, but it’ll be a blow for them regardless. Assad has made 16 starts for the club so far this year, allowing 3.04 earned runs per nine innings. There’s probably a bit of good luck in that number, as Assad’s 83.3% strand rate and .276 batting average on balls in play are both on the fortunate side. His 4.16 FIP and 4.22 SIERA suggest he would have trouble maintaining that kind of run prevention going forward.

Regardless, it’s still less than ideal for the Cubs to lose yet another arm to the injured list. They recently had Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks land on the IL, which forced Kyle Hendricks back into a rotation role, after he struggled earlier in the year and got kicked to the bullpen. The bullpen has also been undercut by injuries, with Almonte, Adbert Alzolay, Julian Merryweather and Mark Leiter Jr. all on the shelf.

Around all of those injuries, the club has been falling in the standings. They were 18-12 at the end of April but have gone 19-32 since, putting them at 37-44 at the moment. That’s still just five games back of a playoff spot in the weak National League Wild Card standings, but they’re currently the worst team in the NL apart from the Marlins and Rockies. That gives them a slim margin for error with the deadline just over a month away and losing a solid rotation member like Assad for even just a few weeks doesn’t help.

Without Assad, the rotation consists of Hendricks, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and Shota Imanaga. They will need to come up with a fifth starter soon and also play seven games in six days just before the All-Star break, thanks to a July 13 double-header in St. Louis. Hayden Wesneski made a spot start yesterday, tossing four innings, and could perhaps get the ball again in the coming days. Drew Smyly has plenty of starting experience but has been in a relief role this year. Top pitching prospect Cade Horton is shut down with a subscapularis strain and unavailable at the moment. Thomas Pannone, Dan Straily and Kyle McGowin are in the system on minor league deals and stretched out in the minors, though none of that trio currently has a roster spot.

As for Almonte, he’s been on the injured list since May 8 due to a shoulder strain. This transfer means he can’t be reinstated until 60 days from that date, which would be July 7. He wasn’t going to be ready before then anyhow. A few days ago, manager Craig Counsell told reporters that Almonte would be getting a second opinion after hitting a wall in his recovery attempts. “We’re just not progressing,” Counsell said, per Montemurro on X. “We have to find out whether medically there’s something we have to address or we have to take a different path on the rehab.”

Clayton Andrews Elects Free Agency

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Yankees left-hander Clayton Andrews rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in favor of free agency, the team announced. Andrews wasn’t claimed off waivers following his recent DFA. As a player who’s been previously outrighted earlier in his career (back in April by the Yankees), he had the right to decline a minor league assignment. He’ll now explore other opportunities around the league (though a new minor league deal with New York is certainly possible).

The 27-year-old Andrews appeared in one game with the Yankees this season and allowed three runs in just one-third of an inning. He’s been tagged for an unsightly 10 earned runs in a total of 3 2/3 MLB frames over the past two seasons between the Yankees and Brewers — his only big league work to date.

Andrews’ 2024 struggles extend beyond that brief time on the big league roster. He’s tossed 24 2/3 innings in Triple-A and been tagged for a 5.84 ERA with nearly as many walks (20.4%) as strikeouts (25.9%). That said, he pitched 57 innings of 2.53 ERA ball with a hearty 31.1% strikeout rate for the Brewers’ Triple-A club in Nashville as recently as last season.

Andrews has a 3.66 ERA in 91 career Triple-A innings and an overall 3.49 earned run average in parts of six minor league seasons since being selected in the 17th round by the Brewers back in 2018. Walks have always been an issue for the undersized (5’6″) lefty, but Andrews has fanned 29% of his Triple-A opponents and nearly one-third of his total minor league opponents since being drafted.

Twins Select David Festa

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June 27: The Twins have now formally announced the selection of Festa’s contract. He’ll make his debut today in Arizona. Right-hander Ronny Henriquez was optioned to St. Paul in a corresponding move.

June 26: The Twins are planning to select the contract of right-handed pitching prospect David Festa, reports Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune. KSTP’s Darren Wolfson first reported that Festa had been scratched as today’s starter in St. Paul, likely setting the stage for a debut tomorrow.

The 24-year-old Festa will indeed be called up ahead of Thursday’s series finale against the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Minnesota has an open spot on the 40-man roster, although the team will still need to make a corresponding move to add him to the 26-man roster. He will take over for a recently injured Chris Paddack in the Twins’ rotation. Most public outlets, including Baseball America, FanGraphs, and MLB Pipeline, agree that Festa is one of the Twins’ top two pitching prospects, with both MLB Pipeline (No. 99) and FanGraphs (no. 93) including the young right-hander among their top 100 prospects. He represented the Twins in the 2023 Futures Game.

The lanky 6’6″ Festa was a 13th-round pick by Minnesota out of Seton Hall back in 2021. He’s added considerable velocity to a heater that now sits around 95 mph and reaches the upper 90s since being drafted. He pairs that offering with a mid- to upper-80s slider that can get whiffs against righties and a changeup that helps him keep lefties at bay.

Scouting reports from each of BA, FanGraphs and MLB.com credit each of those three pitches as above-average, with the heater drawing a plus (60) from the latter. Though Festa started the season with some uncharacteristic walk troubles — he issued a free pass to 20% of his opponents over his first four Triple-A starts this season — he’s since reined in the walks and is credited with average or better command from scouts.

In 59 2/3 innings this season, Festa is sitting on a solid 3.77 earned run average that aligns quite closely with his 3.92 FIP. He’s punched out an excellent 35.1% of his opponents, and though his 9.7% walk rate is higher than average, Festa has made significant strides in that regard since his rocky start to the season. Over his past 10 outings, he’s only walked 6.7% of his opponents (while striking out an even loftier 37.3% of them).

The Twins view Festa as a potential key piece of their rotation for years to come, and they’ll get their first look at him tomorrow against the D-backs. While Paddack’s absence creates a short-term opening in the rotation, there’s not a clear vacancy once he returns from his bout of shoulder fatigue. Manager Rocco Baldelli indicated that the Twins plan to keep Paddack in a starting role when he’s reinstated, although given that this is Paddack’s first full season back from a second career Tommy John surgery (and that he’s already eclipsed his combined 2022-23 workload), an eventual move to a relief role later in the season seems plausible.

At that point, Festa could step into a more permanent spot in the rotation, at least for the remainder of the current season. All five of the Twins’ current starters — Paddack, Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Simeon Woods Richardson — are signed/controlled through 2025 at the very least. Add in right-handers Louie Varland and Zebby Matthews (the Twins’ other top pitching prospect who ranks No. 99 at BA presently and boasts a combined 1.56 ERA and 76-to-3 K/BB ratio between High-A and Double-A this season), and the Twins have a budding and enviable stock of starting pitching depth on their hands.

That falls under the “good problem to have” umbrella, of course, and positions the team to withstand injuries or trade from a position of strength at next month’s deadline or in the coming offseason. Paddack will be a free agent following the 2025 season, but aside from that, the Twins’ entire collection of big league or near-MLB-ready starters is signed/controllable through at least 2027.

Turning back to Festa specifically, he won’t receive a full year of big league service in 2024, meaning he’ll still be controllable for at least six more seasons — all the way through 2030. He’s also being called up late enough in the year that even if he sticks on the roster, he won’t pick up enough time to reach Super Two status. At the earliest, he should be arbitration-eligible following the 2027 season, although future optional assignments could push back his timeline to both arbitration and free agency.

Cubs, Vinny Nittoli Agree To Major League Deal

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The Cubs and right-handed reliever Vinny Nittoli are in agreement on a major league contract, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The Gaeta Sports Management client was recently designated for assignment by the A’s and elected free agency over an outright assignment to Triple-A. Chicago will need to open a spot on its 40-man roster once the addition of Nittoli is official.

Nittoli, 33, spent time with the Cubs’ Triple-A club in Iowa last year but never received a call to the big leagues despite pitching well in Des Moines. He’s out of minor league options, so he’ll jump right onto the big league roster this time around, however, as the Cubs hope to catch lightning in a bottle on another DFA reclamation in their bullpen after hitting paydirt on righty Tyson Miller.

A 25th-round pick by the Mariners back in 2014, Nittoli is the embodiment of a journeyman reliever who has persevered through the prototypical minor league grind. He made his MLB debut at age 29 in 2020, more than six years after being drafted as a senior sign out of Xavier, and has spent time in the minors or big leagues with one-third of the teams in Major League Baseball. Even after exhausting all three of his minor league options and logging big league time in each of the past four seasons, Nittoli has just 14 2/3 MLB innings and 52 days of MLB service to his name.

It’s a small sample, but Nittoli has pitched well in that time. He’s held opponents to five runs on 13 hits, five walks and a pair of hit batsmen with 10 strikeouts along the way — good for a 3.07 earned run average. That run-prevention mark in a small sample greatly outpaces the career 4.73 ERA Nittoli has put together in five Triple-A seasons (177 innings). That said, Nittoli’s Triple-A strikeout rate of 30.5% is far better than what he’s managed in the big leagues, while his 8.5% walk rate in Triple-A is right in line with his 8.2% mark in the majors.

The Cubs have now signed Nittoli twice — this time putting him directly on the MLB roster — so they’re clearly intrigued by the well-traveled righty. Nittoli changed up his pitch mix last year, scrapping a 92-93 mph four-seamer for a cutter that sits around 90 mph as his primary offering. With Oakland, he paired that pitch with a slider that averaged 83.2 mph and threw a handful of sinkers and changeups as well.

After an 18-12 start to the season, the Cubs have been reeling for the better part of two months. They’ve followed a 10-18 showing in May with a 9-14 showing in June and now sit seven games below .500 — last in the National League Central. They’re what should be a manageable five games back in the NL Wild Card chase, but given the leaguewide mediocrity in the Senior Circuit, that actually puts them third from last in the chase. They’d need to vault a whopping seven teams to claim the third Wild Card spot, as of this writing.

Chicago’s bullpen has been a major culprit in their struggles. Cubs relievers have a collective 4.52 ERA that sits 24th in the majors. Their 24.4% strikeout rate is a strong mark, landing eighth in MLB, but only the Rangers bullpen (11.9%) has issued walks at a higher rate than the Cubs’ 11.3% — and only four teams (Blue Jays, Rays, Angels, White Sox) have surrendered homers more frequently.

Certainly, making a low-risk bet on a 33-year-old with a strong track record of missing bats in the upper minors isn’t going to magically cure all those deficiencies, but it’s sensible to see the Cubs taking some action at a time when the trade market is still in its infancy. The aforementioned parity in the NL — and things are bunched only a bit less tightly in the AL — has left very few clear-cut sellers with just over a month until the July 30 deadline. Currently, there are nine teams within five games of a Wild Card spot between the two leagues. With few clubs wanting to part with major league help given their proximity to a potential postseason spot, there aren’t many options for teams like the Cubs as they look for ways to upgrade the roster.

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