Indians, Phillies Showing Interest In Joey Gallo
Multiple teams have inquired about Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo, reports Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, with the Indians and Phillies being among the “most aggressive” in doing so.
For his part, Gallo will become arbitration-eligible after the 2019 season, and is under control through 2022. That makes him an attractive asset to teams pursuing outfield help, especially considering his strength. The former top ten prospect enjoyed a breakout campaign last season, smacking 41 dingers to go along with a 14.1% walk rate en route to a 3-fWAR season. That comes with a well-known Achilles heel, however, as Gallo’s gargantuan 36.8% strikeout rate severely limited his production ceiling. In addition, more than half his batted balls were of the fly ball variety and his penchant for pulling the ball half the time as well makes him easily shiftable; those two factors put a stranglehold on his BABIP, which ended 2017 at .250. All told, this profile resulted in him barely hitting above the Mendoza line (.205 AVG), and the issues have become even more pronounced in 2018.
That said, however, Fangraphs still pegs Gallo as a 1.3 WAR outfielder, meaning he’s about league average in terms of position player value. He’s also quite young at just 24 years of age, giving him plenty of time to iron out his issues and/or improve upon his power ceiling. As such, it’s no surprise that the Rangers are torn about whether or not to deal their 2012 supplemental first round draft selection. On the one hand, he’s perhaps the club’s best chance to reap a significant prospect return as they embark on what promises to be a fairly arduous rebuild. On the other hand, though, it might not be the right time to deal the power prodigy, as his value is depressed due to an average follow-up to his breakout campaign. There’s at least a fairly good chance that Gallo will improve upon the .190/.306/.458 batting line and 102 wRC+ he’s posted so far this season, and if he does, he might net a better trade package in the future than he would now.
The Indians have perhaps the bleakest outfield outlook of any contending team. Outside of Michael Brantley, who’s been producing at close to his vintage levels after missing most of the past two seasons due to shoulder and ankle injuries, the Tribe’s situation in right and center field has taken a disastrous turn. Opening Day center fielder Bradley Zimmer‘s out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery, their best right field option Lonnie Chisenhall‘s out until September with another calf issue, and even Tyler Naquin has recently joined the injury report with a hip issue that could keep him out awhile. That leaves the Indians trying to piece together an outfield puzzle with pieces like Melky Cabrera, Rajai Davis, Brandon Guyer and Greg Allen, none of whom have been particularly inspiring this season. It’s understandable that the Indians would be checking in on each and every outfield option available.
Meanwhile, the fit for Gallo in Philadelphia is less clear. Rhys Hoskins continues to be a revelation and will be firmly cemented in left field for years to come, while Odubel Herrera‘s got a similar stranglehold on the center field job. Gallo could push Nick Williams into a fourth outfield role, which is probably the most likely scenario, but it’s not as though Williams has been bad- he’s hit .257/.331/.457 as a member of the Phillies this season and has been only slightly worse defensively than Gallo. It’s worth noting that Gallo came up through the Rangers’ system as a third baseman and incumbent Maikel Franco looked to be close to losing his job earlier this season, but he’s done more than enough to keep the keys to the hot corner with his recent performance; since the start of June, Franco’s hit .285/.333/.533 with nine homers and a meager 11.6% strikeout rate.
It remains to be seen what other teams have inquired on Gallo, though it seems possible the Yankees could potentially be interested following a serious injury to Aaron Judge. The Red Sox and Astros are known to be looking for outfield pieces as well, though they’re far more likely to invest in players with a lower price tag.
Phillies Acquire Asdrubal Cabrera
The Phillies have officially agreed to acquire infielder Asdrubal Cabrera from the Mets, as first reported by Andy Martino of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Righty Franklyn Kilome is heading to New York in return, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported (via Twitter).
It’ll certainly be interesting to see how the Phils decide to utilize Cabrera. The veteran has mostly played second base this year, grading quite poorly in the field, but that’s not likely where he’ll play in Philadelphia. It seems possible that Cabrera will slot in mostly at third base and shortstop. He played the latter position for much of his career and split his time between all three of those infield spots in 2017.
Having tried and failed to land Manny Machado, the Phillies seem to have settled on a strategy of mixing and matching on the left side of the infield. To this point, they have primarily utilized Maikel Franco and Scott Kingery, but the rehabbing J.P. Crawford will also ultimately factor in again as well. The current roster also includes infield reserves Jesmuel Valentin and Trevor Plouffe, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see one of those players moved off the active roster to make way for Cabrera.
Regardless of what patch of dirt Cabrera occupies, it is clear that the Phils will gladly put his bat in the lineup. Though Franco has turned it on of late, Kingery and Crawford have produced little offensively. As for Cabrera, he has been a solid offensive performer throughout his dozen seasons in the majors. But he has never been better than in New York. Since inking a two-year deal with an option (picked up last winter), Cabrera carries a .279/.339/.464 slash with 55 home runs.
The switch-hitting Cabrera destroyed opposing righties in 2018, posting a .285/.345/.535 slash. He hasn’t been as productive when facing southpaws this year, but had greater success against them in the prior campaign. For his career, Cabrera has very neutral splits, so there’s good reason to think he can succeed regardless of which side of the box he’s in.
For the Mets, there was no reason not to cash in the last two months of control over Cabrera, who’s earning a manageable $8.25MM salary this year. The New York organization is well out of the postseason hunt and had already begun moving expiring contracts for the second-straight summer.
In exchange for Cabrera, the Mets will add an intriguing hurler who still needs to iron some things out to make an impact in the big leagues. Kilome’s raw arsenal is impressive, led by an upper-nineties heater, and he’s said to be regarded as a hard worker. Even while ranking Kilome the tenth-best prospect in the Phillies system, though, MLB.com noted that “his command has been inconsistent.”
Thus far in 2018, the 23-year-old owns a 4.24 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 over 102 Double-A innings. Perhaps he’s not far from being ready for an opportunity in a major-league pen, but it seems doubtful he’ll receive a shot in the rotation until he has completed some further development. Kilome is already on the 40-man roster, which will increase the pressures to make him of use at the MLB level.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Asdrubal Cabrera, Zack Wheeler
12:03pm: Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets that the Mets and Brewers have discussed a package deal that would send both players to Milwaukee, though there’s no indication that anything is close to being completed. The D-backs are indeed in the mix for Cabrera, he adds.
9:05am: Teams who’ve spoken to the Mets about the availability of Asdrubal Cabrera have gotten the impression that he’ll be traded soon, reports Andy Martino of SNY.tv. While “soon” is a relative term, especially with the non-waiver trade deadline just four days away, Martino adds that the Mets then plan to shift their “full attention” to finding a trade partner for Zack Wheeler. Presumably, they’ll want to leave themselves ample room to discuss that swap, so it stands to reason that they’d hope to wrap up a Cabrera swap in short order.
ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted yesterday that the Diamondbacks have “checked in” on Cabrera as they seek to bolster their own infield mix. Joel Sherman of the New York Post adds the Indians and the Phillies to the fray, though he notes that Philadelphia’s interest would be stronger were Cabrera still viewed as a capable shortstop. Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweets that the Braves and Brewers, too, may be in the market. While a number of teams have inquired to some extent, the Post’s Mike Puma surmised yesterday that there are three or four teams with legitimate interest in Cabrera (Twitter link). As for Wheeler, he’s generating interest from the Brewers and Reds, per Martino. The Cubs had shown interest, though yesterday’s agreement to acquire Cole Hamels would quite likely put an end to that pursuit.
While the Mets have had just about everything possible go wrong for them over the past couple of seasons, their signing of Cabrera in the 2015-16 offseason has proven to be an excellent one. He’s earning $8.5MM in the third year of what proved to be a $25MM contract (after his 2018 option was exercised) and is hitting .277/.329/.488 with 18 homers, 23 doubles and a triple. Cabrera, though, has received dreadful defensive ratings for his work at second base (-18 Defensive Runs Saved, -6 Ultimate Zone Rating), which won’t do his trade value any favors.
As for Wheeler, he’ll obviously have the greater value of the pair, given his affordable salary, the fact that he’s controlled through 2019, his recent success and the plethora of teams seeking to bolster their rotation in the coming days. Over his past 10 starts, Wheeler has worked to a 3.50 ERA (3.40 FIP, 4.17 xFIP) with 7.8 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and 0.56 HR/9 with a 40.2 percent ground-ball rate. His fastball has averaged 96.4 mph in that span, and he’s posted a strong 11.3 percent swinging-strike rate. Puma noted yesterday that as many as 10 teams have displayed some level of interest.
Trade Chatter: Jones, Kela, Beltre, A’s, Gibson, Phillies
The Orioles haven’t yet approached Adam Jones about the possibility of waiving his no-trade clause, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. That doesn’t mean that the Orioles won’t be moving him, however, and Crasnick echoes previous reports in writing that both the Phillies and Indians have some degree of interest in Jones, who’d likely play right field for either club. Per Crasnick, there are some in the industry who feel Jones would want an extension in order to waive his full no-trade protection — Jones has 10-and-5 rights — though there’s been no firm indication of that from Jones’ camp, it seems.
Meanwhile, Jones himself chatted with MASNsports.com’s Steve Melewski about the possibility of being moved, calling reported interest from other teams “humbling” and “flattering.” The longtime Baltimore center fielder, though, says he has not yet discussed the possibility of approving a trade away from the Orioles with his family. “If the scenario is right, I want to win, I want play ball,” says Jones. “You look at these kind of scenarios and what is the best fit for you. When all the information comes and we get more information, I’ll be able to make a better decision based on the information.”
More trade chatter from around the league…
- With Cole Hamels on his way to the Cubs, pending medical reviews, the next player the Rangers move could be closer Keone Kela, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Per Passan, clubs that have spoken to Texas about Kela “get a sense they’re getting close to something.” The Pirates have been the team most prominently linked to Kela in recent days, though a hard-throwing, 25-year-old reliever who can be controlled affordably through the 2021 season clearly won’t have any shortage of interested parties. Kela might be the Rangers’ best trade chip, given that remaining club control, although that control also lessens the Rangers’ sense of urgency in finding a trade partner.
- Sticking with the Rangers, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reports that the Braves have emerged as somewhat of a longshot suitor for third baseman Adrian Beltre. Atlanta wouldn’t be looking to supplant Johan Camargo at third base, but Beltre would share some time at the hot corner with the much younger Camargo while deepening the Atlanta bench and providing some leadership on a youthful club. Beltre has the ability to veto any trade, of course, and reports have painted the possibility of a trade surrounding him to be remote. Sullivan also notes that, with regard to the Pirates and their interest in Kela, the Rangers could have some interest in starting pitching prospects Clay Holmes and Taylor Hearn.
- The Athletics remain on the hunt for a rotation upgrade, but Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that the A’s “haven’t sounded particularly enthusiastic” about that market. If the A’s can’t find a starter at a price point they deem acceptable, they could instead look to add to their bullpen as a means of shortening games and taking some pressure off the current members of their rotation.
- The Twins “have fielded inquiries” on right-hander Kyle Gibson, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, but they’re more interested in dealing their impending free agents than Gibson, who is controlled through 2019 and is in the midst of a breakout season. The former first-round pick was brilliant against the Red Sox last night, allowing one run over eight innings and lowering his ERA to 3.42 in the process. Through 129 innings, Gibson has averaged 8.8 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 and 0.91 HR/9. His fastball is up nearly a mile per hour over its 2017 average, and his 12.2 percent swinging-strike rate is easily a career-high. The Twins are currently seven games back of the division lead in the AL Central, but they’ve won four in a row. With three games in Boston and another hosting Cleveland before Tuesday’s non-waiver deadline, Minnesota faces a tough road to closing that gap.
- Sherman also reports that the Phillies, after missing out on Manny Machado, would at the very least like to add a defensive upgrade at shortstop. Interestingly, he notes that the Phils have at least had internal discussions about reacquiring Freddy Galvis from the Padres. He also lists the Rays‘ Adeiny Hechavarria and the Tigers‘ Jose Iglesias as players that the Phillies’ front office has considered. The Phils have also been tied to Eduardo Escobar since Machado went to L.A.
NL West Notes: Padres, Archer, Giants, Shark, Evans, Dodgers
Reports yesterday indicated the Padres were checking around about a potential Chris Archer trade with the Rays, and MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi sheds a bit more light on those talks. San Diego is reportedly willing to move one or two of Francisco Mejia, Luis Urias, and Cal Quantrill in an Archer deal, though its top two prospects (Fernando Tatis Jr. and MacKenzie Gore) are not available. Even without Tatis or Gore on the table, dealing any of those other highly-touted prospects would be a major concession on San Diego’s part, and a big score for the Rays. Mejia was only just acquired by the Padres as the return for Brad Hand and Adam Cimber, so in my opinion, it could be that the team sees the young catcher as somewhat “found money” — put another way, the Padres would be essentially dealing Hand and Cimber for Archer, which is a deal the club would’ve happily made. Then again, the Padres are so deep in minor league talent that they can afford to move top names like Mejia, Urias, or Quantrill and still have one of the game’s better farm systems.
Scouts from the Padres and Diamondbacks (and, from outside the division, the Phillies and Cubs) watched Archer’s start last Sunday. A source tells Morosi that at least eight teams have recently been in touch with the Rays about Archer’s availability, and while there still isn’t clear sign Tampa is considering a trade, this deep interest is one of the reasons “a deal involving Archer is more likely now than at any point in recent memory,” Morosi writes.
Here’s more from around the NL West…
- There’s still no timetable for the Giants to welcome back righty Jeff Samardzija, though it’s not looking particularly promising. Per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, via Twitter, the veteran hurler is “not returning anytime soon.” Rather, he’ll continue to rest his ailing shoulder before heading out for some amount of rehab work. This continues to be a lost season for the 33-year-old, who owns a 6.25 ERA in 44 2/3 innings
- Though Samardzija’s ongoing injury issue is one of several less-than-promising signs for the Giants, indications are that they aren’t interested in packing up and waiting for next year. GM Bobby Evans says in a chat with Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the front office is “bent toward helping our current club.” Though Evans expressed at least some willingness to consider moving bullpen pieces, such a move wouldn’t really serve the team’s interests, particularly after the Giants previously gave up young talent to shed salary. While the team is still within reasonable striking distance in the NL West, its place in the trade deadline picture remains unclear — though Evans did shut down any thought that the team would make a last-minute decision to make star lefty Madison Bumgarner available.
- The Dodgers sent scouts to watch pitchers on both the Marlins and Rays when the two Florida rivals faced off last weekend, the Miami Herald’s Clark Spencer reports (Twitter link). L.A. could have interested in any number of relievers or perhaps even starting pitchers on either roster, given how many Miami and Tampa players have been cited in trade rumors. Interestingly, Spencer’s tweet was linked to a tweet from Michael J. Duarte of NBC Los Angeles, who said that the Marlins had scouts watching Yadier Alvarez‘s most recent Double-A outing. A consensus top prospect headed into the 2017 season, Alvarez didn’t crack the preseason top-100 lists for Baseball America or MLB.com this year (though Baseball Prospectus still had him 41st) in the wake of an unimpressive season. Alvarez has continued to struggle in 2018, with a 5.85 ERA and 25 walks in 20 frames for Double-A Tulsa, though he’s still missing a lot of bats with his 100-mph fastball.
Phillies Interested In Adam Jones, Eduardo Escobar
The Phillies’ list of trade targets includes Orioles outfielder Adam Jones and Twins infielder Eduardo Escobar, Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman reports. Indeed, MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi lists the Phillies and Indians as “two of the most serious contenders” to acquire Jones before the trade deadline. (Morosi initially reported on Cleveland’s interest in Jones earlier this month.)
Philadelphia and Baltimore have been linked in trade talks for much of the summer, as the Phils were known to be suitors for Manny Machado and Zach Britton before both former O’s stars were dealt to the Dodgers and Yankees, respectively. It’s fair to assume that the Orioles have a very good sense of the Phils’ farm system at this point, both from scouting and negotiations and the simple fact that there are more than a few former Baltimore executives in Philadelphia’s front office (chief among them club president Andy MacPhail and GM Matt Klentak).
Jones, who turns 33 on August 1, is owed roughly $7MM for the remainder of the season. He’s a free agent this winter, so he’d represent a pure rental for the Phillies, who would get a veteran upgrade in their outfield that wouldn’t represent a long-term roadblock for younger talents like Nick Williams.
With Odubel Herrera locked into everyday center field duty, Jones’ likeliest role with the Phillies would be to take over from Williams as the regular right fielder. It’s worth noting that Williams (.250/.329/.438 in 286 PA, 12 homers, 104 OPS+, 105 wRC+) is actually hitting better than Jones (.277/.304/.422 in 411 PA, 10 homers, 100 OPS+, 96 wRC+) this year, though Jones brings a much longer track record of performance to the table. Williams also has been a very subpar defender in right field, so Jones should represent an upgrade in that area even if his own metrics in the more challenging center field position have been well below average for the last three years. The recent demotion of Aaron Altherr left the Phillies in need of a backup outfielder, so Williams would step into that role.
Escobar has mostly played third base for the Twins this year, though with Maikel Franco hitting better in recent weeks, the Phillies would likely use Escobar in place Scott Kingery at shortstop. Escobar is in the midst of an outstanding .278/.338/.522 campaign over 397 PA, and the 29-year-old has also delivered 15 homers and a league-best 37 doubles. He is another rental player, and only has roughly $1.7MM still owed to him for the rest of the season.
Latest On Cole Hamels
7:27pm: Then again, a source tells Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (Twitter link) that it’s “not accurate” to say the sides have discussed Hamels.
Of course, the Nats do have someone on hand to watch Hamels in action tonight, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports on Twitter. The Braves, Cubs, Phillies, Yankees, and Diamondbacks do as well.
Of course, there are other players on view as well. The Atlanta organization may be looking at lefty reliever Jake Diekman, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman suggests on Twitter.
As for the Nationals, Janes tweets that noted D.C. executive Dan Jennings is the rep in Arlington, though she suggests his appearance is “more due diligence.”
7:15pm: The Nationals are the latest team with some level of interest in Rangers lefty Cole Hamels, according to MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. Those two organizations are said to have engaged in “trade discussions,” though there’s no indication that a deal is particularly close.
It’s not surprising to see the Nats angling to deepen their rotation and Hamels is certainly a pitcher with whom the organization is familiar. Of course, it’s also a bit interesting to hear of this particular connection given a rather notable run-in between Hamels and the D.C. ballclub, though that was some years ago.
After a strong outing on June 19th, Hamels owned a 3.41 ERA. After four sub-optimal times out, though, he’s all the way up to a 4.36 mark that arguably better reflects his true talent level at this stage of an outstanding career.
On the one hand, Hamels is back to generating a strikeout per nine after a big fall-off in 2017. On the other, he’s giving up home runs on 20.2% of the flyballs put in play against him. ERA estimators mostly view Hamels as a solid hurler — he’s at a 5.06 FIP, 4.11 xFIP, and 4.06 SIERA this year — but there’s not much reason to believe that Hamels is the top-line starter he once was.
Perhaps there’s some added appeal in the fact that Hamels has a long history of good work in the postseason, even if his most recent appearance — a 2016 dud for the Rangers — did not go as hoped. All told, he has thrown 98 1/3 innings of 3.48 ERA ball over 16 playoff starts. Hamels was also named the MVP of the 2008 World Series.
Contract will play a major role in the market for Hamels. He’s earning $22.5MM this year, a hefty rate for a sub-elite starter. He’s also due a $6MM buyout on a $20MM club option for 2019. Increasingly, it seems likely he’ll end up receiving the break-up fee.
Hamels can block trades to twenty teams, but the Nats are not among them. Neither are the division-rival Braves. The Atlanta organization has been linked loosely to Hamels in the recent past. Morosi suggests the Braves are indeed at least taking a look, though it’s not clear if there’s serious interest.
Phillies Showing Interest In Curtis Granderson
The Phillies are discussing a potential Curtis Granderson swap with the Blue Jays, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter links). Rosenthal notes that the Phils are looking to upgrade their bench after demoting struggling outfielder Aaron Altherr to Triple-A last night. Matt Gelb of The Athletic tweets that improving the offensive depth of the roster is the Phillies priority in the eight days leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline.
The 37-year-old Granderson is hitting .230/.337/.417 with nine homers, 15 doubles, a triple and a pair of stolen bases over the course of 274 plate appearances in a part-time role with Toronto this season. He’s only been allowed to face a left-handed pitcher 23 times, hitting just .111/.273/.167 in that small sample. In 251 PAs against right-handers, Granderson is hitting .240/.343/.438 with all nine of his homers and 14 of his 15 doubles.
Granderson is earning $5MM in 2018, with about $1.85MM of that sum still owed to him through season’s end. He’s not a perfect fit for the Phils’ roster, as he’d give the club an almost entirely left-handed-hitting outfield mix, with Rhys Hoskins serving as the main exception. Beyond that, the Phillies have been one of the worst teams in the game against left-handed pitching, making Granderson seem an even tougher fit. Collectively, Philadelphia hitters have posted a meager .229/.320/.356 slash against southpaws. Adding a bat that has been almost entirely shielded from facing lefties to the bench certainly wouldn’t do the team any favors in improving that clear deficiency.
That said, Granderson is an affordable and still reasonably productive veteran who’d deepen the team’s bench and bring postseason experience and a renowned clubhouse presence to a young Phillies roster. The cost of acquisition for the rental of a part-time outfielder would be minimal, as well, and the Phils could still stand to bring in another option to help bolster the bench and provide a boost against left-handed pitching.
The Phillies have also recently been linked to Mets infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, which would align with their goal of deepening the lineup, and Rosenthal echoes previous suggestions that the club could also pursue Twins infielder Eduardo Escobar for a more regular role. Rosenthal also suggests the Marlins utilityman Derek Dietrich could fit the Phillies’ needs as a potential bench piece that could fill in at multiple positions (though Dietrich, like Granderson, wouldn’t be much help against lefties).
Quick Hits: Altherr, Schoop, Santana, Allen, Miller
The Phillies announced that outfielder Aaron Altherr and righty Mark Leiter Jr. have been optioned to Triple-A, with corresponding roster moves coming tomorrow. It was just a season ago that Altherr looked like a breakout member of the Phils’ outfield picture, as he hit .272/.340/.516 with 19 homers over 412 plate appearances, though he has been unable to come anywhere close to that production in 2018. Altherr has been a sub-replacement level (-0.7 fWAR) player through 248 PA this season, hitting just .171/.290/.305 and subsequently losing regular playing time. He’ll look to get back on track in the minors, while his absence could put Philadelphia in the mix for a backup outfielder in its trade discussions.
Here’s more from around baseball as we’re just over a week away from the trade deadline…
- Jonathan Schoop‘s time with the Orioles may be coming to an end, if recent trade rumors are any indication. The second baseman tells The Athletic’s Dan Connolly (subscription required) that he hopes he can remain in Baltimore to become a building block for the O’s as they go through a rebuild. That said, the team also didn’t engage in any extension talks with Schoop last winter in the wake of his strong 2017 season. That move may have been prescient on the Orioles’ part, as Schoop suffered through a nightmarish first three months that saw him miss time with an oblique injury and post just a .587 OPS over 266 PA. Though he has hit better in July, the Orioles would still be selling low on Schoop, so they could retain him for the rest of the season to see if he can rebuild any value in the second half. Schoop has one remaining year of arbitration eligibility before hitting free agency after the 2019 campaign.
- Ervin Santana will make his season debut on Wednesday when he takes the hill for a start in Toronto, Twins skipper Paul Molitor told reporters (including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger). Santana underwent surgery on the middle finger of his throwing hand back in early February, a procedure that was thought to require only a 10-to-12 week rehab stint. Unfortunately for the right-hander, he battled continued soreness in his finger as well as a rather troubling velocity drop during his recovery process, and is only now ready to return to action. Due to that extended absence, Bollinger writes that Santana’s $14MM club option for 2019 is ” not expected to be picked up” by the Twins, though I’d suspect that the team would at least consider retaining the veteran if he shows any of his old form over the final two-plus months of the season. Santana did post excellent numbers in 2016-17, delivering a 3.32 ERA, 2.77 K/BB rate, and 7.2 K/9 over 63 starts and 392 2/3 IP for Minnesota.
- The Indians‘ acquisitions of Brad Hand and Adam Cimber from the Padres in this week’s blockbuster trade likely means that the Tribe will let Cody Allen and Andrew Miller leave after the season, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer opines. Hand is signed to a reasonable contract through at least the 2020 season while Cimber is controlled through 2023, making them better value over Allen and Miller, considering what the two veteran relievers are likely to ask for in free agency this winter. Cleveland has stretched its payroll beyond its usual mid-market comfort zone in an attempt to win a World Series, and it always seemed unlikely that the Indians would continue to heavily invest in the bullpen by re-signing Miller and/or Allen when lower-cost options could be found elsewhere.
Heyman’s Latest: Mets, Wheeler, deGrom, Syndergaard, Jackson, Phils, Braves
“About a half-dozen teams” have some interest in Mets right-hander Zack Wheeler, FanCred Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets. Wheeler’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors for a few weeks now, with such teams as the Reds, Yankees, and Diamondbacks all reportedly linked to the 28-year-old. With the Mets firmly in sell mode as the deadline approaches, Wheeler certainly still appears to be the likeliest of New York’s starting pitchers to be moved in the coming days. In other tweets,, Heyman notes that though the Mets are doing their due diligence on current offers for Jacob deGrom or Noah Syndergaard, it’s more probably the team would wait until the offseason to deal either ace. Waiting until the winter opens up a wider array of potential suitors for trades, and thus would increase the Mets’ chances of landing their desired return of MLB-ready talent. Of course, the chances of Syndergaard being now seem “infinitesimal” since the righty is now on the 10-day DL after contracting hand, foot, and mouth disease.
Here’s some more transactions buzz from Heyman’s Twitter account…
- The Red Sox and Giants are among the teams who are showing interest in veteran outfielder Austin Jackson. San Francisco, of course, just traded Jackson to the Rangers as part of a salary dump, and Jackson is now available in free agency (for the prorated MLB minimum salary) after Texas released him. Jackson has hit only .242/.309/.295 in 165 PA this season, though he could provide several teams with veteran outfield depth. He is more natural backup outfield fit, for instance, than current Red Sox roster members Steve Pearce or Brock Holt. The Giants have a pretty crowded outfield mix already, though Jackson is more experienced than the likes of Austin Slater or Steven Duggar.
- The Braves and Phillies have been linked to several major names this summer, and Heyman says the two NL East rivals have indeed been “involved in most/all the big stuff” on the trade front. According to some, however, Atlanta and Philadelphia have also seemed less likely than other contenders to move their top prospects. This jibes with recent comments from Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos, who was looking to make upgrades but expressed wariness about dealing top prospects, particularly for rental players. Both the Braves and Phils are somewhat in the same boat as teams who are somewhat unexpected contenders coming out of a lengthy rebuild, and since both are looking to begin some sustained success, they aren’t necessarily looking to make a big all-in push this year.