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Phillies Acquire Aaron Loup

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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

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The Rays and Phillies have announced a swap that sends veteran catcher Wilson Ramos to Philly for a player to be named later and an unknown amount of cash. 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

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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.

Andrew McCutchen Drawing Trade Interest

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11:07am: Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets that the Yankees’ interest in McCutchen is “soft.” They’re expected to add an outfielder today, he adds, but it doesn’t appear that McCutchen is high on the list of targets at this time.

Meanwhile, Bob Nightengale tweets that the Giants do not expect to move McCutchen at all today.

8:22am: The Yankees, Phillies and Indians are all showing “varying levels of interest” in Giants outfielder Andrew McCutchen, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi, who writes that San Francisco is more open to moving potential free agents than it was earlier this summer. On the other hand, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic tweets that while the Giants may indeed consider a move involving McCutchen, he doesn’t believe the team would seriously consider doing so until next month in a potential waiver deal. Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle strikes a similar tone, tweeting that Giants are actually still looking at adding to their outfield or rotation in an effort to improve the team’s 2018 chances.

The Giants, of course, have slipped in the NL West standings this month, though they’re still just five and a half games back of the division lead. The reported possibility of surgery for right-hander Johnny Cueto doesn’t do any favors for the team’s hopes of climbing back up the standings, but GM Bobby Evans and president Brian Sabean have never been overly inclined to send their team into “sell” mode in the past.

It’s not hard to see why any of the teams listed by Morosi would at least have interest in McCutchen, though the Yankees’ need may be too short-term in nature for a player like McCutchen. New York has reportedly been seeking an extra outfield bat with Aaron Judge and Clint Frazier on the shelf, but McCutchen would be a costly addition (financially speaking) and crowd the team’s outfield mix in fairly notable fashion if and when Judge is ready to return next month.

Cleveland and Philadelphia, meanwhile, both showed some interest in Adam Jones but have come to learn that he’s unlikely to waive his 10-and-5 no-trade protection. As such, both have been tied to other bats on the market in recent days. The Indians, in particular, are said to be focusing on an upgrade in center field, though McCutchen is clearly better-suited for corner outfield work at this stage of his career.

McCutchen, 31, is earning $14.75MM this year in his final season before reaching free agency for the first time in his career. He’s enjoyed a solid season at the plate, though his offensive output hasn’t been anywhere near his peak levels, when he was the 2013 NL MVP and widely considered to be among the game’s best all-around players. In 454 plate appearances with San Francisco, McCutchen is hitting .258/.352/.407 with 10 homers, 24 doubles and a pair of triples — still above the league average (especially considering his cavernous home park) but no longer at elite levels.

For the Giants, there’d be some financial incentive in moving McCutchen, as shedding the remainder of his salary (roughly $4.84MM) would help to ensure that they remain south of the $197MM luxury tax threshold. But, doing so would also thin their outfield mix and serve as a gut-punch in the clubhouse. Ultimately, it doesn’t seem likely that the Giants will opt to deal McCutchen prior to the non-waiver deadline, though the interest in him and the potential for a move down the line are of at least some note.

Deadline Chatter: Beltre, Outfielders, Starters, Bucs/Friars, Romo

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Here are the latest rumors from around the game on the eve of the non-waiver trade deadline:

  • The Red Sox and Braves have each at least held talks with the Rangers on third baseman Adrian Beltre, per Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston and Morosi. It’s not at all clear, though, that either club is going to push hard enough to get Texas to move the veteran. Indeed, talks with Atlanta may already have sputtered, MLB.com’s TR Sullivan tweets. He adds that there is some indication the Red Sox aren’t actually all that inclined to go after Beltre, so much as the future Hall of Famer likes the idea of going back to Boston, and Rob Bradford of WEEI.com hears there’s not much of a connection between the clubs (Twitter link). In addition to other hurdles, Beltre’s no-trade rights present an obstacle. ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick notes on Twitter that Beltre may not wish to go somewhere if he isn’t going to receive regular playing time. In any event, to this point, Beltre has not been presented with any possible trades to consider, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets.
  • When it comes to rental outfielders, there aren’t a huge number of appealing options. But there are certainly some veterans drawing interest. The Yankees and Phillies have put out feelers on Curtis Granderson of the Blue Jays, per Morosi (Twitter link). Granderson isn’t the only notable name on the Phils’ radar, as Heyman connects the organization to the Mets and Jose Bautista, via Twitter. Meanwhile, the Marlins are still dangling outfielder Cameron Maybin, per Jon Heyman of Fancred (via Twitter). Among the clubs that are at least considering him are the Indians, Yankees, and Mariners.
  • Some of the most interesting potential trade candidates, of course, won’t end up going anywhere. Indications are that some top hurlers will stay at home. It does not appear that any rivals have made a real push to force the Mets to part with righty Jacob deGrom, per Jon Heyman of Fancred (on Twitter). Despite “some late action” on Noah Syndergaard, Andy Martino of SNY.tv tweets, it still seems there’s nothing brewing there. Meanwhile, the Orioles don’t appear to have been enthused with trade offers for top pitchers Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy (or their other controllable players), Heyman indicates in a tweet.
  • The Pirates and Padres appear to have quite a lot to talk about, as Ken Rosenthal and Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic report (in a tweet) that the Pittsburgh organization has “aggressively pursued” pitching from San Diego. It’s not evident which hurler the Bucs are eyeing, though Rosenthal suggests that veteran Craig Stammen could be a sensible target. Stammen and Kirby Yates appear to be the likeliest remaining trade chips in the Padres’ pen, owing to their quality output and relatively short remaining control rights (one year and two years, respectively).
  • While the present focus is on another member of the Rays pitching staff, reliever Sergio Romo is drawing quite a lot of looks, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Romo is affordable ($2.5MM salary), battle-tested in October, and still capable of getting outs in the majors at 35 years of age. Romo’s swinging-strike rate is down to 12.6%, his lowest since 2009, but he’s carrying a 3.69 ERA through 46 1/3 innings on the season.
  • If you’re looking for more reading, check out the latest column from Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. He runs through a variety of situations, including the Giants’ in-between position, the Twins’ struggles to market Brian Dozier, and more. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports also has quite a bit of chatter in his latest column, some of which we’ve already highlighted on the site. Among other items of interest, Passan checks in on the Brewers’ efforts to find a starter, suggesting they are a prime suitor for Zach Wheeler of the Mets.

Cardinals Open To Offers On Bud Norris, Jose Martinez

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The Cardinals are receiving trade inquiries into closer Bud Norris, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, with the Rockies and Red Sox among the teams that have shown interest to this point. In a second column, Goold adds that the club is “open to discussing offers” for both Norris and first baseman/outfielder Jose Martinez.

The Red Sox have been tied to countless relievers of late, it seems, and Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM tweets that they, along with the Phillies, Astros and Mariners, are “in” (to varying extents, of course) on practically every bullpen arm that is available on the market at this point.

Norris wasn’t supposed to be the Cardinals’ top bullpen addition of the offseason — far from it — but that’s unequivocally how things have played out. While the Cardinals gave Greg Holland a one-year, $14MM contract to serve as their closer and also signed Luke Gregerson to a two-year, $11MM deal, Norris and his one-year, $3MM deal have been the lone bullpen signing to pay dividends. Holland was released on Friday amid a seismic shakeup of the St. Louis pitching staff, while Gregerson been plagued by injuries all season and owns a 7.11 ERA through just 12 2/3 innings thanks to multiple DL stints.

Norris, meanwhile, stepped up and seized the ninth-inning gig from Holland and Dominic Leone (another offseason ’pen addition who has yet to pan out). Through 43 innings, the 33-year-old Norris boasts a 3.14 ERA with 11.7 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, 1.05 HR/9 and a 41 percent ground-ball rate. His fastball and sinker are both averaging nearly 95 mph, the best of his career, and Norris’ ridiculous 38.3 percent chase rate (that is, out-of-zone pitches that have induced a swing from opponents) ranks seventh among 158 qualified relievers.

Earlier this month, Norris spoke to the Post-Dispatch’s Rick Hummel about his hopes to sign a long-term deal to remain with the Cardinals, though his affordable salary and excellent results could make him as appealing a trade candidate as they do an extension candidate for the St. Louis front office. As it stands, he’ll be a free agent at the end of the season and is still owed $1MM of his $3MM salary, making him affordable for any team in search of a upgrade.

As for Martinez, there’s little question about the late-blooming 30-year-old’s ability to produce at the plate. He’s mashed at a .304/.371/.487 pace since making his Major League debut in 2016, and his current .294/.359/.461 output is considerably better than that of a league-average bat (23 to 24 percent better, when adjusting for park and league, per OPS+ and wRC+). Martinez’s power is down a bit from 2017, but he’s still walking at a solid 8.9 percent clip and has improved his strikeout rate, which sits at just 16 percent. He can be controlled through the 2022 season and won’t even be eligible for arbitration until after the 2019 season.

While all of that is decidedly positive, Martinez’ glovework is on the opposite end of the spectrum. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak candidly acknowledged earlier this month that Martinez’s defensive shortcomings at first base were “putting a lot of stress on everyone,” and the team has since shifted him into a part-time role and given him more time in the outfield recently. Martinez, though, has played 328 innings in the outfield and turned in dismal defensive marks (-8 Defensive Runs Saved, -5 Ultimate Zone Rating). He hasn’t fared any better at first base, though, and there’s been speculation that he could ultimately land on an American League club where his bat would be better serve in a DH capacity.

Latest On Adam Jones’ Future

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5:15pm: The Orioles “have had places to send” Jones, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post, but Sherman echoes Kubtako’s sentiments in reporting that Jones, to this point, does not want to waive his no-trade protection.

Specifically, Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweets that “there was a chance to go to Philly,” though it’s not clear if the two sides had firmly agreed on a deal that Jones vetoed or if he simply nixed the idea while the O’s and Phils were negotiating. Heyman cites Jones’ family, friends and charity works in the Baltimore community as reasons for Jones preferring to remain with the O’s, even at the cost of a potential playoff race in the season’s final couple of months.

11:43am: Orioles center fielder Adam Jones has been popular in the rumor mill as Tuesday’s non-waiver trade deadline looms, but it doesn’t appear he’ll be part of a deal in the coming days. As a guest on 105.7 The Fan on Sunday, Orioles general manager Dan Duquette revealed that Jones is likely to stay with the team through the the deadline (via Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com).

“I do. I believe he’ll be an Oriole on Wednesday,” Duquette said. “These veteran players it’s a tough, tough decision. Rest assured that we have wrestled with that decision.”

As Duquette alluded to, Jones has a major say in his future, given that the pending free agent is a 10-and-5 player. Jones would be able to veto any trade as a result, and so far, he has told the Orioles that’s what he plans on doing, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets.

Jones’ situation could change, Kubatko notes, but as Dan Connolly of The Athletic (subscription required) explained earlier this weekend, he may not be in position to waive his no-trade rights in the middle of the season. Not only is the 32-year-old a Baltimore institution who has ongoing charitable endeavors in the city, but Jones also has a young family — one he may not want to uproot with a couple months left in the season. Of course, Jones told Melewski earlier this week that he’d like to play for a winner, which isn’t going to happen if he stays in Baltimore through 2018. The Orioles are competing for the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft, not a playoff spot, whereas teams interested in Jones are pushing for postseason berths. To this point, Jones has reportedly landed on the radars of the NL East-leading Phillies, the AL Central-leading Indians and even the below-.500 Giants, per Kubatko, who adds that Philly was “making a strong push” to acquire the veteran.

In the event he’s not dealt this month, Jones could still have a change of heart and end up on the move in August, when his pricey salary (he’s currently owed roughly $7.2MM of his remaining $17MM) would make him a candidate to clear trade waivers. Jones may not be a significant upgrade for many teams at this stage of his career, though, and between that and his salary, he’s unlikely to bring back much in a trade. The five-time All-Star has only offered league-average offensive production thus far in 2018, having batted .281/.307/.431 with a 98 wRC+ in 424 plate appearances. Worse, Jones has endured a third straight rough season in center, where he has accounted for minus-15 Defensive Runs Saved, a minus-10.1 Ultimate Zone Rating and minus-8 Outs Above Average. Unsurprisingly, all of those figures rank toward the bottom of the majors.

While Jones has fallen off in center, he’s nonetheless primed to finish the year at the position should he stick with Baltimore. Otherwise, Jones could move to a corner if a trade occurs this season or at least vacate center heading into 2019. For now, the question will continue to be whether Jones will close the year as a member of the Orioles – with whom he has played since 2008 – or a World Series hopeful.

Indians, Phillies Showing Interest In Joey Gallo

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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

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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

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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.

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