- The Phillies aren’t in contention — far from it — but are still showing interest in Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon, Nightengale adds. Other organizations are also said to be looking into the speedy veteran, who is under contract for $38MM over the next three seasons. It’s a bit surprising to see this particular link, as the Phils already control Cesar Hernandez and have variety of interesting middle infield prospects moving toward the majors. CSNPhilly.com’s Corey Seidman argues as much, but notes that Gordon could conceivably be involved in some of the broader talks between the clubs.
Latest On Howie Kendrick's Recovery
- Phillies outfielder/infielder and trade candidate Howie Kendrick has been out this month with an injured left hamstring, and a return doesn’t seem imminent. Kendrick will join the Phillies in Miami on Monday, but only so the team can evaluate him to see if he’s healthy enough to embark on a rehab assignment, tweets Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
Phillies Interested In Christian Yelich; Marlins Waiting To Market Core Players
The Phillies have strong interest in Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich and would be glad to take some of Miami’s underperforming contracts to facilitate his addition, according to a report from veteran journalist Ken Rosenthal. (With FOXsports.com evidently morphing into a vlog, Rosenthal is writing from his Facebook page during what is sure to be a short-lived foray into free agency.)
From the Phils’ perspective, that would preferably mean taking on some lower-priced contracts that are clogging the Marlins’ books in the near-term. While the Phillies have at least weighed internally the idea of taking on Giancarlo Stanton’s massive contract as part of some swap, Rosenthal makes clear that the team has not expressed interest in doing so and that discussion of that concept never “got started.”
Other organizations, though, have reached out to Miami regarding Stanton. And as Rosenthal suggests, it seems reasonable to expect that there’d be a taker for him at some price point, though the prospect of taking all of his contract remains daunting. That explains all the chatter about possibly packaging Stanton with another player, though Rosenthal says he doesn’t expect that to occur.
While the creative possibilities are endless, it seems the Marlins will be taking a cautious approach at the deadline with regard to its most notable players. Despite an inclination in the baseball operations department to embark upon a rebuild, says Rosenthal, the organization is not willing to deal core players while still orchestrating the sale of the team itself.
That stance also seemingly means that Yelich is off-limits for the Phillies at the moment. There’s little rush to add to the MLB roster in Philadelphia, of course, but the interest (along with the possible trade concepts discussed above) strongly suggests that the team is looking into ways to install pieces for 2018 and beyond. That could conceivably result in any number of interesting scenarios this summer and over the winter to come.
Red Sox Notes: Neshek, Devers, Sale
The Red Sox have “keen interest” in Phillies righty Pat Neshek, reports WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. The 36-year-old Neshek (who has already tossed a scoreless inning in tonight’s All-Star Game) is widely expected to be traded, given his status as an impending free agent on baseball’s worst team. The sidearmer has worked to a pristine 1.27 ERA with 9.2 K/9, 1.3 BB/9 and a 36.5 percent ground-ball rate thus far in 2017. And, unlike in many previous seasons, Neshek has held left-handed opponents in check quite well. Right-handed opponents are hitting .234/.253/.286 against Neshek this season, while lefties are hitting .180/.231/.313. The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo reported that the Sox had scouted Neshek over the weekend as well, and he’s also been linked to the Nationals this summer.
More on the Red Sox…
- A promotion to Triple-A Pawtucket could be just days away for third base prospect Rafael Devers, writes Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. The 20-year-old Devers has crushed Double-A pitching this season, hitting at a .300/.369/.575 clip with 18 homers, which led to a second appearance on a Futures Game roster in is career. While many expect the Sox to trade for help at the hot corner, Speier notes that Devers could emerge in the Majors later this summer and provide Boston with a boost at its greatest position of need. Manager John Farrell has said that Devers will play in Triple-A before jumping to the Majors, though one would imagine that a strong showing there would tempt the Red Sox to take a glimpse at their potential third baseman of the future.
- Speier also spoke to Chris Sale, a number of his Red Sox teammates, and many other players throughout the American League about what, specifically, makes Sale such a dominant force on the mound. He also breaks down Sale’s unique delivery in terms of horizontal and vertical release point, noting that while a few other lefties have a similar release most are relievers (with the exception of Oakland lefty Sean Manaea), and none with that arm slot have Sale’s velocity. Speier breaks down each of Sale’s offerings using info from Brooks Baseball, Baseball Savant and other data sources, and the column even includes an animation to illustrate what it’s like to face Sale from the batter’s box. It’s an interesting look at one of the game’s great talents that is stuffed with quotes from his peers, coaches and others.
Phillies Notes: Joseph, Kingery
- While Hoskins seems very likely to get an audition in the big leagues this season, Phillies second base prospect Scott Kingery may remain at Triple-A in 2017, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Daily News writes. Though Kingery only has 12 Triple-A games under his belt, roster logistics could be the main reason Kingery probably won’t see the Show in 2017. If the Phils leave Kingery at Triple-A all year, they wouldn’t have to add him to the 40-man roster and thus protect him during the Rule 5 Draft in December. Over 371 combined PA at the Double-A and Triple-A levels, Kingery is hitting .312/.371/.606 with 22 home runs.
- The Phillies have made first baseman Tommy Joseph available in trade talks, CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury reports. With prospect Rhys Hoskins raking at Triple-A, it has widely been expected that Joseph would be available at the deadline given that the two primary first basemen can’t really co-exist in the same lineup. After a very rough start to the season, Joseph has recovered to post a .252/.313/.466 slash line and 15 homers through 323 plate appearances. Though Joseph is 26, controllable through the 2022 season and has shown some solid power in his brief big league career, it is thought that the Phillies may only be able to get good value for him in a trade if packaged with a rental player.
- While Hoskins seems very likely to get an audition in the big leagues this season, Phillies second base prospect Scott Kingery may remain at Triple-A in 2017, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Daily News writes. Though Kingery only has 12 Triple-A games under his belt, roster logistics could be the main reason Kingery probably won’t see the Show in 2017. If the Phils leave Kingery at Triple-A all year, they wouldn’t have to add him to the 40-man roster and thus protect him during the Rule 5 Draft in December. Over 371 combined PA at the Double-A and Triple-A levels, Kingery is hitting .312/.371/.606 with 22 home runs.
Phillies Unlikely To Try Tommy Joseph Or Rhys Hoskins In Outfield
- Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Friday that first basemen Tommy Joseph and Rhys Hoskins “can’t coexist on the same team,” and GM Matt Klentak implied the same on Saturday. Asked if the Phillies have considered using one of the two in left field, Klentak told reporters, including Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer: “We haven’t tried that, so you wouldn’t know until you tried it. But there’s a reason both of them are playing first base right now.” With only one position available for the two of them and Hoskins currently running roughshod over Triple-A pitching, Joseph could be the odd man out by the deadline. The 25-year-old’s trade value likely isn’t high, suggests Gelb, who posits that Philadelphia could package him with a rental in order to extract more value in a deal.
Royals, Red Sox, Yankees Have Scouted Pat Neshek
- The Royals, Red Sox and Yankees are among the teams that have scouted Phillies reliever Pat Neshek, according to Cafardo. They join the Nationals as clubs with known interest in the right-handed Neshek, who is likely on other bullpen-needy teams’ radars, too. The 36-year-old Neshek joined the Phillies last offseason in a salary-dumping deal with the Astros, but the $6.5MM man should warrant a much stronger return at the deadline. An impending free agent, Neshek is in the midst of his second All-Star season, having logged a 1.31 ERA, 8.91 K/9 and 1.31 BB/9 over 34 1/3 innings.
[SOURCE LINK]
Phillies Notes: Franco, Joseph, Hellickson
Here’s the latest on the Phillies, who will be one of the most notable sellers in the market as we approach the trade deadline…
- Maikel Franco is available in trade talks “but the price is high,” CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury writes. Previous reports suggested that the Phils were looking to move on from Franco, though he has hit better over the last month, so Philadelphia is perhaps looking to recoup more value for the third baseman. Of course, it wasn’t long ago that Franco was a highly-touted prospect who was seen as a potential cornerstone of the Phillies’ rebuild, though he has been below-average at the plate in both 2016 and 2017.
- Also from Salisbury’s piece, it seems like Tommy Joseph will have to be moved so the Phillies can get a look at Rhys Hoskins as the regular first baseman. “They can’t coexist on the same team,” manager Pete Mackanin said. “There is no way I could [get playing time for both]. It wouldn’t be fair to either guy. It wouldn’t be fair to us….If [Hopkins] could play another position, if either one of them could, it would make it easier for me to do. But I don’t think it would help either guy or us to find out about Rhys Hoskins if he is not playing on a regular basis.” Joseph has 36 homers and a .254/.310/.487 slash line in 662 career plate appearances, so between his production, age (26 next week) and five-plus years of team control, he’ll certainly get some attention on the trade market.
- Jeremy Hellickson looks like a sure bet to be traded, and PhillyVoice.com’s Ryan Lawrence looks at the Phillies could receive in a deal for the veteran innings-eater based on past recent deadline deals for somewhat comparable pitchers. The Phils seem likely to eat some or most of Hellickson’s remaining salary in order to receive a better prospect return. Salisbury suggested that the Royals and Mariners could be potential trade suitors for Hellickson, as both teams are looking for low-cost rotation help.
A Case For Phillies To Pursue Andrew McCutchen
- Sticking with the McCutchen theme, Ryan Lawrence of PhillyVoice.com opines that the in-state rival Phillies should pursue a deal for the 30-year-old. Given that the Phillies have the majors’ worst record (27-53), McCutchen wouldn’t help them vie for a playoff berth this year, but Lawrence argues that he’d still be a worthwhile addition. Philadelphia could acquire McCutchen with the goal of extending him past next season, when his team control expires. If they fail to reach a multiyear agreement by next summer and the Phillies aren’t in the playoff hunt, they’d potentially be able to flip McCutchen, contends Lawrence.
NL International Signings: 7/2/17
Here are some notable National League international signings not yet covered elsewhere on MLB Trade Rumors. All signing information can be found in these invaluable compilations of the initial flurry of July 2 action from Baseball America’s Ben Badler and MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez; the information here is from those sources unless otherwise credited…
- The Mets agreed to deals with Dominican shortstops Ronny Mauricio and Adrian Hernandez. Mauricio will get a $2.1MM bonus while Hernandez receives $1.5MM.
- The Phillies reached agreement with Dominican shortstop Luis Garcia on a deal with a $2.5MM bonus.
- The Marlins have agree to sign Ynmanol Marinez, a shortstop from the Dominican Republic. The exact figures on Marinez’s bonus aren’t known, though the 16-year-old will get in the neighborhood of $1.3MM-$1.5MM.
- The Brewers agreed to sign Dominican outfielder Larry Ernesto for a bonus in the range of $1.7MM-$1.8MM (BA had the lower figure, MLB.com the higher). Milwaukee has also reached a deal with Venezuelan outfielder Carlos Rodriguez for a $1.355MM bonus.
- The Cubs agreed to sign Mexican shortstop Luis Verdugo for a $1MM bonus.
- The Diamondbacks have an agreement with outfielder Kristian Robinson. The 16-year-old native of Nassau, Bahamas will receive $2.5MM from Arizona.
