Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Phillies Rumors

NL Notes: Myers, Wright, Strasburg, Phils, Ramos, Eflin

By | at

Padres outfielder Wil Myers will play third base in a rehab game on Sunday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic tweets, and it’s “virtually certain” that he’ll start at the hot corner when he returns from a short DL stint on Monday, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. If true, it would continue a nomadic pro career around the diamond for Myers, a former catcher prospect who has primarily lined up at first base and in the outfield in the majors. It’s anyone’s guess whether the 27-year-old Myers will be able to handle third base from a defensive standpoint at the MLB level, but he does seem to have the bat for it. The third basemen the Padres have used this year rank 23rd in the majors in fWAR (0.9) and 26th in wRC+ (83).

More from the National League…

  • Mets third baseman David Wright will begin a rehab assignment Sunday, and there’s optimism the long-injured captain will actually return to the major leagues. Manager Mickey Callaway told Tim Healey of Newsday and other reporters Saturday that, in his opinion, “there’s a very good chance” Wright will suit up again for the Mets. Upper body injuries have kept the 35-year-old Wright off a major league diamond since May 2016. He’s signed through 2020 on an eight-year, $138MM contract.
  • The Nationals hope to have injured right-hander Stephen Strasburg back in their rotation before Aug. 21-23, a key series against division-rival Philadelphia, Jamal Collier of MLB.com writes. Strasburg, out since July 26 with a pinched nerve in his neck, threw a successful 64-pitch bullpen session Saturday.
  • The Phillies announced that catcher Wilson Ramos will begin a rehab assignment at the Single-A level on Sunday. Philadelphia acquired Ramos from Tampa Bay at the July 31 non-waiver deadline, but he still hasn’t debuted with his new team. Ramos hasn’t played since July 14, in fact, as he has been dealing with a hamstring strain. The 31-year-old had been amid a quality season at the time and could be a nice reinforcement for the Phillies, who are neck and neck with the Braves for the NL East title. However, it’s not clear whether Ramos is all that close to returning. “From a results standpoint, we just want to see him healthy,” manager Gabe Kapler said (via Katie Woo of MLB.com). “One of the ways to get there is making sure he has the reps under his belt, get a little timing and rhythm at the plate, and then he’s ready to roll.”
  • Sticking with the Phillies, the club optioned right-hander Zach Eflin to Triple-A on Saturday to clear 25-man roster room for newly acquired first baseman Justin Bour. Given that Eflin has been a key part of the Phillies’ rotation this year, his demotion’s only temporary, but it’s one that will cost him nearly $30K and 10 days of big league service time, Matt Gelb of The Athletic notes (subscription required). While Eflin was “professional” about the decision, according to Kapler, the hurler’s representative is unhappy about the transaction. As part of a statement issued to Gelb, agent Tom O’Connell called the move “tremendously disappointing” and added, “While the club may feel that they are doing what’s best for the organization, they also lose sight of the human element and how it will affect the player.”

Phillies Designate Jake Thompson

By | at

The Phillies announced this afternoon that they have designated righty Jake Thompson for assignment. His roster spot will go to the just-acquired Justin Bour.

Once a prospect of note, Thompson came to Philadelphia as part of the Cole Hamels swap. He has not yet established himself in the majors, however, despite seeing action in each of the past three seasons.

Thompson has shifted to a relief role this season after almost exclusively working as a starter previously. The former second-rounder owns a 4.87 ERA in 116 1/3 MLB innings with 6.3 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9.

Though his velocity and swinging-strike rate have trended up a bit since the move to the pen, the recent numbers don’t paint a terribly promising picture for the 24-year-old. Thompson has handed out eleven walks in 16 1/3 MLB frames this year and carries a 4.60 ERA in his 47 Triple-A frames.

Phillies Acquire Justin Bour

By | at

2:15PM: The Marlins will receive left-hander McKenzie Mills, Fancred’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  Mills was an 18th-round pick for the Nationals in the 2014 draft, and the 22-year-old has a 3.51 ERA, 2.58 K/BB rate, and an 8.5 K/9 over 89 2/3 IP for high-A Clearwater this season, with Mills starting 16 of his 20 appearances.  This is the second notable trade Mills has already been part of in his young career, as he was sent to the Phillies from the Nationals last summer in the Howie Kendrick deal.

2:07PM: The minor league pitcher headed to the Marlins is an A-ball player, according to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia.  MLBPipeline.com’s Jonathan Mayo notes that the prospect wasn’t ranked as one of MLB.com’s top 30 minor leaguers in the Phillies’ system.  (Both links to Twitter.)

1:09PM: The Phillies have acquired first baseman Justin Bour and cash considerations in a trade with the Marlins, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter links).  Miami will receive a minor league pitcher in return.  The two sides worked out a trade after Philadelphia claimed Bour on revocable waivers.

The Marlins will cover roughly half of Bour’s remaining salary for the season, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports (via Twitter), which works out to around $450K of the $900K left on the $3.4MM Bour won in an arbitration case with the Phils last winter.

[Updated Phillies and Marlins depth charts at Roster Resource]

Justin BourBour has two more years of arbitration eligibility remaining, though he doesn’t necessarily have a long-term role in Philadelphia with Carlos Santana locked in at first base (at a $20MM average annual salary) at least through the 2020 season.  It could be that the Phillies look to deal or maybe even non-tender Bour this winter, as Rosenthal suggests, and for now they’ll use him as a perhaps overqualified left-handed bench bat.  Bour has badly struggled against southpaws this year while the switch-hitting Santana has hit only a modest .209/.362/.387 against right-handed pitching, so there is some room for a platoon situation.  The Phillies’ collective 93 wRC+ against righty pitching this season ranks just 21st in baseball, so the offense can certainly benefit from some pop from the left side of the plate.

Bour drew a lot of trade attention last winter in the midst of the Marlins’ fire sale, though we didn’t hear much buzz about the first baseman until deadline day itself, when he was the subject of some late-breaking talks.  Bour’s numbers were dampened by an extended slump throughout July, though he is still posting above-average (108 wRC+, 113 OPS+) offensive numbers overall, hitting .227/.347/.412 with 19 homers in 447 plate appearances.

Still, 2018 is shaping up as the weakest of Bour’s four seasons as a regular Major Leaguer, and certainly a step back from his breakout 2017 campaign.  Limited to just 429 PA last year due to a variety of injuries, Bour still managed 25 homers and slash .289/.366/.536 for a 133 wRC+ and 142 OPS+, even if his overall value (2.2 fWAR) was lowered by subpar baserunning and defense.

This season, however, Bour is hitting for less power (.184 ISO compared to .247 last year) while also striking out slightly more often and making a bit more soft contact.  Bour also enjoyed a .322 BABIP in 2017 as opposed to a .267 BABIP this year, and there’s also the simple fact that opposing pitchers can focus more directly on Bour since Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, and Christian Yelich are no longer in the Marlins’ lineup.  That said, there is also some evidence that Bour could be due for an uptick in production, as evidenced by that low BABIP and a .352 xwOBA that outpaces his real-world .329 wOBA.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/7/18

By | at

We’ll use this post to track the day’s minor moves …

Latest…

  • The Blue Jays will hold Darnell Sweeney on their active roster no longer. The club has announced that he cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A. Sweeney earned just four plate appearances with Toronto this season prior to being designated for assignment; it was his first taste of major league action since 2015, when the 27-year-old was with the Phillies. It seems as though the move was more motivated by projected potential than performance. Although Sweeney didn’t get a hit in his four trips to the plate, he did manage to draw two walks. He did, however, hit just .235/.310/.398 at the Triple-A level, and while that’s good for a nearly-average 98 wRC+, he also struck out in more than 30% of his plate appearances.
  • The Angels announced that they’ve placed infielder Luis Valbuena on release waivers. The 32-year-old is finishing up a two-year, $15MM contract with a 2019 club option, which clearly won’t be exercised. He’s long been a useful major-league asset, providing at least 1 fWAR across each of the past six seasons while with the Cubs, Astros and Angels. Unfortunately, this year has been an entirely different story, as he’s mustered just a .199/.253/.335 batting line across 288 plate appearances for the Halos while striking out a whopping 34.7% of the time. Valbuena’s performance has also suffered from a 6.6% walk rate that’s nearly four full percentage points below his career average of 10.5%.

Earlier…

  • The Twins have released right-hander Todd Van Steensel, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter). It seems the organization simply ran out of room for the 27-year-old reliever, who has been with the Twins since 2011. The Aussie had spent the 2018 season at the Double-A level, working to a 3.07 ERA with 10.0 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9 while allowing just 26 hits over 44 innings.

Rangers Claim Zac Curtis, Designate Brandon Mann

By | at

The Rangers have claimed southpaw Zac Curtis off waivers from the Phillies, per club announcements. In a corresponding move, the Texas organization designated fellow lefty Brandon Mann for assignment.

Curtis has held opposing hitters to just two earned runs in 9 2/3 innings on the year, but he has also permitted ten walks to go with his ten strikeouts. In 31 1/3 innings of MLB action spread over the past three years, he has worked to a 3.73 ERA but has matched this season’s ugly 1:1 K/BB ratio (26 apiece).

Of course, Curtis has spent most of the season at Triple-A. There, he has worked to a 3.00 ERA with 10.3 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 over his 42 innings. He’ll head to Triple-A on optional assignment when he reports to the Texas organization.

As for Mann, it has been a dream season even if things didn’t pan out fully with the Rangers. Remarkably, he made his MLB debut at 34 years of age, though he struggled through six appearances. Mann did turn in a strong effort at Triple-A on the year, posting 43 1/3 innings of 2.70 ERA ball with 7.7 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9.

AL East Notes: Sale, E-Rod, Red Sox, Orioles, Davis

By | at

After suffering a four-game sweep at Fenway Park, the Yankees are now 9.5 games behind the Red Sox for first place in the AL East.  New York has posted only a 18-20 record over its last 38 games, and this slump has not only seemingly put the division title out of reach, but also raised some concern that a turn-around is needed just to ensure a wild card berth.  As the New York Post’s Joel Sherman puts it, “the Red Sox are no longer the Rivals in 2018. The A’s and Mariners are.”  The Yankees are just 2.5 games ahead of the red-hot Athletics for home field advantage in the wild card game, while Seattle (who also been struggling lately) is 2.5 games behind Oakland.  It’s worth remembering, of course, that the Yankees are still 68-42 on the season and one rough series doesn’t write them off as World Series contenders, particularly since the club will eventually get key players like Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez back from the disabled list.

Some more from around the AL East…

  • While Chris Sale won’t be activated from the disabled list as soon as he’s eligible, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including the Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato) that the delay isn’t due to any setback with Sale’s shoulder.  The team was simply lining up its rotation so that Sale wouldn’t be starting, and thus batting, during an interleague series in Philadelphia next week.  The ace left-hander will likely make his return to start against the Orioles on August 11 or 12, Cora said.
  • In other Red Sox health news, Eduardo Rodriguez threw 30 pitches off a mound on Sunday and came away “feeling good,” he told reporters (including Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe).  While it isn’t yet certain what the next step in the left-hander’s recovery process will be, or even if Rodriguez will be able to return before August is through, Sunday’s throwing session was a good sign given that Rodriguez looked to have suffered a particularly severe ankle sprain back in mid-July.  Rodriguez hopes to come back as a starter but is open to pitching out of the bullpen; Abraham notes that returning as a reliever would likely mean a shorter rehab process.  One would think that Rodriguez (3.44 ERA, 9.5 K/9, 3.44 K/BB over 104 2/3 IP) has pitched well enough that the Sox would want him back in the rotation, but with Nathan Eovaldi now in the fold, Rodriguez may have more value in a Boston bullpen that currently lacks any left-handers.
  • With the Orioles now in full rebuild mode, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko looks ahead to what the team might have in store for the offseason.  The O’s could quite possibly continue to move veterans such as Mark Trumbo or Tim Beckham if any trade partners could be found, or potentially keep a familiar face around to serve as an experienced clubhouse voice on what is shaping up to be a much younger roster in 2019.
  • It also remains to be seen if the Rule 5 Draft will continue to be a significant part of the Orioles’ offseason strategy.  The O’s have put a notable focus on acquiring young talent via the Rule 5 Draft in recent years, including selecting three players last winter.  One player the O’s considered but didn’t select last winter was left-hander Austin Davis, Kubatko reports.  Davis has since made his MLB debut and posted some strong results (3.38 ERA, 4.33 K/BB rate, 26 strikeouts in 21 1/3 IP) out of the Phillies’ bullpen this season.  Given that the Orioles and Phillies were heavily involved in trade talks for such players as Manny Machado and Adam Jones in the lead-up to the July 31 deadline, it’s fair to wonder if Baltimore again tried to acquire Davis as part of negotiations.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/5/18

By | at

The latest minor moves from around baseball…

Latest Moves

  • The Phillies announced (Twitter link) that infielder Trevor Plouffe has been outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers.  Plouffe was designated for assignment on Tuesday to create roster room for newly-acquired southpaw Aaron Loup.  After signing a minors contract with the Phils in April, Plouffe cracked the 25-man roster and appeared in seven games (12 PA) for the team.  The clear highlight of this brief stint was Plouffe’s three-run walkoff homer to end a 16-inning marathon against the Dodgers on July 24.

Earlier Today

  • The Padres have selected right-hander Trey Wingenter’s contract from Triple-A El Paso, the club announced. The 24-year-old reliever, a 17th-round pick in 2015, is now in line to make his major league debut. Wingenter, who has also garnered his first Triple-A experience this season, pitched to a 3.45 ERA/4.58 FIP with 10.76 K/9, 4.87 BB/9 and a 46.5 percent groundball rate in 44 1/3 innings prior to his promotion.
  • The Mets have signed infielder Dylan Tice and left-hander Matt Gage to minor league deals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. Both Tice and Gage had been playing independent ball before catching on with the Mets. The 25-year-old Tice was most recently in affiliated ball from 2015-16 with the Cardinals, who chose him in the 36th round of the 2015 draft. Gage, a 10th-round selection of the Giants in 2014, had been with the San Francisco organization until earlier this season. Also 25, Gage opened 2018 with a 3.18 ERA and 6.0 K/9 against 1.2 BB/9 in 22 2/3 innings at the Double-A level.

Phillies Acquire Aaron Loup

By and | at

2:37pm: The deal has been announced by the Phillies. They’ve designated infielder Trevor Plouffe for assignment to open space on the roster.

2:21pm: The Blue Jays have traded left-handed reliever Aaron Loup to the Phillies for a prospect, reports Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet (via Twitter). Pitching prospect Jacob Waguespack is headed back to the Blue Jays in return, tweets Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

The acquisition of Loup represents the third proven veteran pickup in recent days for the Phillies, who lead the NL East by half a game and have also landed infielder Asdrubal Cabrera and catcher Wilson Ramos leading up to the trade deadline. On paper, Loup isn’t as exciting an addition as those two, though the 30-year-old has typically performed well since debuting with Toronto in 2012. This season hasn’t gone all that well for Loup, however, as he has recorded a 4.54 ERA and his second-lowest groundball rate (a still-respectable 46.7 percent) in 35 2/3 innings. On the other hand, Loup has posted 10.6 K/9 against 3.28 BB/9, logged personal-high percent swinging-strike (12.3) and infield fly percentages (12.1), and registered a 3.61 FIP.

Loup may prove to be a worthy add for the Phillies, whose bullpen ranks 18th in the majors in ERA and a much better ninth in fWAR. Regardless, he’s a pending free agent on a cheap salary ($1,812,500), making him a logical player for the out-of-c0ntention Jays to sell. As you’d expect, though, Loup didn’t carry a ton of trade value, and Toronto wasn’t able to acquire one of MLB.com’s 30 best Phillies prospects in return. Instead, they landed Waguepsack, a 37th-round pick in 2012 who has seen his first Triple-A action this season. The 24-year-old was a mixed bag as a member of the Lehigh Valley club, with which he put together a 5.06 ERA/3.66 FIP with 8.1 K/9, 3.38 BB/9 and a 51.9 percent grounder rate in 53 1/3 innings (14 appearances, eight starts).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Phillies Acquire Wilson Ramos

By | at

The Rays and Phillies have announced a swap that sends veteran catcher Wilson Ramos to Philly for a player to be named later or cash considerations. To clear a spot on the roster, lefty Zac Curtis was designated for assignment.

Ramos has been on the DL since mid-July due to a hamstring strain, but he can still be moved if both sides are comfortable with his medical reports. At present, he’s expected to return to action sometime in August.

It’s somewhat of a surprise fit, as catching help hasn’t been reported to be among the Phillies’ top interests leading up to the deadline. That said, Philadelphia backstops are hitting a collective .244/.317/.393 this season, and while that’s solid relative to catchers throughout the league, Ramos would represent a definitive upgrade, health permitting. In 315 plate appearances this season, he’s raked at a .297/.346/.488 clip, slugging 14 homers and 14 doubles along the way.

Rocket-armed Jorge Alfaro has been Philadelphia’s primary backstop this season, and while he’s held his own at the plate, his .254/.305/.398 batting line could stand to be improved upon. If the deal for Ramos ultimately goes through, then he’ll likely pair with Alfaro to shoulder the bulk of the catching load behind the dish this season. Ramos would be the second rental bat the Phillies have acquired in the days leading up to the deadline, as they already landed Asdrubal Cabrera from the division-rival Mets on Friday.

The addition of Ramos might limit Alfaro’s playing time for the duration of the 2018 season, but as a free agent at season’s end, Ramos won’t be a long-term roadblock for Alfaro. Ramos is earning $10.5MM in 2018 — his two-year deal called for an $8.5MM base salary but jumped by $2MM when Ramos started his 55th game last season — and is still owed $3.44MM of that sum before the end of the year.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweeted the deal was done, after Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweeted that it was close. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) first connected the sides today.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Deadline Day Bullpen Rumors: Padres, Diekman, Halos

By | at

It’s a buyers’ market for bullpen help with just over two hours until the non-waiver trade deadline, as there’s a significant supply of arms thought to be available on the market. Here’s some of the latest chatter as contenders look to bolster their relief corps:

  • The Cubs had scouts on hand to watch the Padres — likely relievers Kirby Yates and Craig Stammen — last night, tweets Dennis Lin of The Athletic. Chicago was tied to Brad Ziegler recently but didn’t land the submariner, as he instead went to the D-backs recently. Lin’s colleague, Ken Rosenthal, tweets that the A’s also have interest in Stammen. Rosenthal also tweeted earlier today that the Pirates watched Yates before acquiring Keone Kela. The addition of Kela could take them out of that market, of course, but the Pirates could speculatively still be in the market for another arm. Both relievers are controlled beyond the 2018 season.
  • The Rangers have accelerated their efforts to move lefty reliever Jake Diekman, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Texas has already moved Cole Hamels, Jesse Chavez and Kela in the days leading up to the deadline, and Diekman represents perhaps the top remaining trade chip they have — certainly the top remaining rental, especially with Adrian Beltre unlikely to approve a deal. Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweeted recently that the Phillies have checked in on Diekman.
  • USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that the Angels are drawing “serious interest” in lefty Jose Alvarez and Blake Parker, though as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register pointed out earlier today, it’d be tough for the Halos to part with either controllable reliever (Twitter links). The Angels hope for better health and a return to contention in 2019, and each of Alvarez, Parker and Cam Bedrosian could factor prominently into those plans. Fletcher notes that perhaps the organization would be more apt to move one of those relievers if it meant landing a nar-MLB commodity at a thin position such as catcher.
Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top