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NL News & Rumors: Braves, Brewers, Phillies, Rockies

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The Braves, on the hunt for starting pitching, sent a top scout to Detroit this weekend to watch Tigers right-handers Justin Verlander and Michael Fulmer, reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com (on Twitter). Neither Verlander nor Fulmer seems like a realistic trade candidate, however. The Tigers reportedly want a noteworthy haul for Verlander, even though he’s 34, in the throes of a down season and still owed nearly $70MM through 2019. Verlander also has a full no-trade clause, so he could veto a deal even if the Braves do present an offer to the Tigers’ liking. Unlike Verlander, the 24-year-old Fulmer is both cheap and in his prime. Detroit would justifiably demand a ransom in return, then, but there’s no indication it’s interested in parting with him.

More from the National League:

  • Realistically, no one would have expected the Brewers to hold a 5.5-game advantage in the NL Central this late in the season, which could lead to an agonizing deadline for the team’s decision-makers, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. The Brewers, who were in on now-Cub Jose Quintana before the White Sox traded him Thursday and have interest in the Athletics’ Sonny Gray, must weigh whether to make a bold strike that eats into their farm system or take a more conservative approach. General manager David Stearns doesn’t seem eager to part with a prospect haul, telling Haudricourt: “We’ve worked very hard to build our system and organization as a whole where the level of young talent we have is a good place to be. I don’t see us, whether it’s this year or any year going forward, moving from that strategy.” Nevertheless, Haudricourt points to Gray’s team control, his connection to Milwaukee pitching coach Derek Johnson (who coached Gray at Vanderbilt) and the Brewers’ rotation questions as reasons why acquiring him would make sense.
  • Speaking of the Brewers, their success has come without having left fielder Ryan Braun at full strength, and his health will continue to be an issue for the rest of the season. Manager Craig Counsell said Saturday (via the Associated Press) that the Brewers will evaluate Braun daily through the end of the year, given that a strained right calf has hampered him for a while and forced him to the disabled list twice. While the 33-year-old has once again been a quality contributor to Milwaukee’s offense, having hit .260/.343/.553 across 169 plate appearances, Counsell believes there’s enough talent on hand to weather Braun’s issues. “We certainly want a healthy Ryan Braun, but we’ve had success with this team because of depth and we’ll continue to rely on that if we have to,” Counsell said.
  • 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.
  • Currently in possession of a wild-card spot, the Rockies will temporarily remove one of the best starters from their rotation in order to preserve his arm, according to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Rookie left-hander Kyle Freeland, who’s top two among Rockies starters in innings (110 1/3), ERA (3.67) and ground-ball rate (55 percent), is likely to head to the bullpen and could then log some time in the team’s Triple-A rotation before resuming his starting role in Colorado. Another rookie, righty Antonio Senzatela, looks primed to take Freeland’s place in the meantime. Freeland threw three shutout, no-hit frames in relief Saturday, when the Rockies lost starter Tyler Chatwood to an undisclosed injury in the first inning, per Saunders.

Phillies Interested In Christian Yelich; Marlins Waiting To Market Core Players

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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

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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.

NL East Notes: Gordon, Joseph, Kingery, Ross

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Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon is drawing trade interest from three teams, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (via Twitter).  The Fish are known to be open to discussing any player under a long-term contract as they look to be deadline sellers, and Gordon is locked up through 2020 on an extension that will pay him $37MM in salary over the next three seasons, plus a $14MM club option for 2021 that carries a $1MM buyout.  (Gordon also has roughly $3MM left to be paid in this season’s salary.)  After a lost 2016 season that included an 80-game PED suspension, Gordon is hitting .298/.346/.363 in 368 PA this year, though the bulk of his value has come in the form of baserunning (31 steals in 37 attempts) and strong second base defense.  Gordon projects as a long-term asset rather than a deadline rental for interested clubs, which leads to some intriguing speculation about his potential market.  Several contenders and pseudo-contenders would use a boost in second base production, though some of those teams near the bottom of the list already have long-term second basemen who are simply underperforming.

Here’s more from around the NL East…

  • 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.
  • Nationals righty Joe Ross was removed during the fourth inning of his start today after experiencing a notable drop in velocity during the game.  Ross hadn’t been pitching well (three ER in 3 1/3 IP), though his removal came with one out and nobody on in the fourth inning, and Washington’s team trainer accompanied Dusty Baker and pitching coach Mike Maddux to the mound.  Baker described the injury as “triceps tenderness” in his postgame talk with MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman and other reporters.  Ross had has an inconsistent season that saw him demoted to Triple-A for a brief spell, and the young right-hander has a 4.86 ERA for the Nats, thanks in large part to 15 homers allowed in just 70 1/3 IP.  Ross missed roughly 10 weeks last season due to shoulder soreness.

NL Notes: Mets, Colon, Phillies, Giants

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With the 39-46 Mets well out of the playoff picture, Mike Puma of the New York Post looks ahead to what could be an offseason of upheaval for the club. In addition to having a slew of veterans set for free agency over the winter, general manager Sandy Alderson and manager Terry Collins are also on expiring contracts. Given the way the Mets’ season has gone, it’s possible owner Fred Wilpon will nudge the soon-to-be 70-year-old Alderson toward retirement, per Puma. Regardless of whether Alderson or someone else is their GM, Puma expects the majority of the Mets’ offseason attention to go to their bullpen. Meanwhile, they probably won’t re-up either first baseman Lucas Duda or outfielder Jay Bruce over the winter (if they’re not already gone by the July 31 deadline, of course), relays Puma, who writes that the latter is likely to seek a four-year contract on the open market. It’s certainly debatable whether the 30-year-old Bruce would be worth that type of commitment, but he has made a case for it this season with a .265/.334/.539 line and 23 home runs over 353 plate appearances.

More from New York and two other National League cities:

  • 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.
  • The Mets believe Bartolo Colon chose to sign with Minnesota over returning to New York because they wouldn’t have been able to guarantee him a rotation spot for the rest of the season, according to Puma. A starting job is particularly important to the 44-year-old right-hander because he’s vying to become the winningest Dominican-born pitcher of all-time, notes Puma. With 235 victories, Colon is eight away from tying Hall of Famer Juan Marichal.
  • Giants outfielder Austin Slater suffered a torn adductor muscle in his right hip Friday and will miss two to three months, likely keeping him out for the rest of the season, reports Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. The 24-year-old Slater began his major league career in promising fashion between his early June promotion and the injury, hitting .290/.343/.430 in 108 PAs.

Cafardo’s Latest: Neshek, Royals, BoSox, Yanks, Cobb, Prado

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The latest pre-trade deadline rumblings from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe:

  • 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.
  • With the Rays in the thick of the American League playoff race, it appears soon-to-be free agent righty Alex Cobb will finish the season in Tampa Bay. “If we’re in it, I don’t think Alex Cobb is going anywhere,” a Rays official told Cafardo. The Rays will likely lose Cobb for nothing at season’s end, then, though moving him this summer would seemingly be a blow to their playoff hopes. In Cobb’s first extensive action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2015, the 29-year-old has put up a 3.75 ERA (4.13 FIP), 5.93 K/9, 2.34 BB/9 and a 45.4 percent ground-ball rate across 115 1/3 frames.
  • The Red Sox and Yankees have checked in on Marlins third baseman Martin Prado, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today previously reported, but Cafardo relays that Boston and New York have concerns over the 33-year-old’s contract. Prado is due roughly $34MM through 2019, which is problematic for both teams because they’re trying to stay under the $197MM luxury tax threshold. As such, the Red Sox and Yankees have asked the Marlins to eat some of the money on Prado’s deal. Injuries have limited Prado to just 123 plate appearances this season, and he has hit a meager .282/.309/.402. Nevertheless, both the Sox and Yankees admire his “leadership, hustle, and devotion to the game,” writes Cafardo. The Bombers are already quite familiar with Prado, of course, as he spent the second half of the 2014 campaign in the Bronx.

Phillies Notes: Franco, Joseph, Hellickson

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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.

Pirates Notes: Marte, Cutch, Cole, Rangers, Phillies

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Eligible to return from his 80-game PED suspension July 18, Pirates outfielder Starling Marte began a High-A rehab assignment Sunday. When Marte does rejoin the Bucs, he’ll do so as a left fielder, manager Clint Hurdle told Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and other reporters. Marte has spent the majority of his career in left since debuting in 2012, but thanks to both his excellent work there and Andrew McCutchen’s decline in center field, the Pirates moved the former to center and the latter to right in the offseason (Gregory Polanco shifted from right to left).

Now, with McCutchen enjoying a bounce-back season at the plate, Pittsburgh will keep its longtime face of the franchise in the outfield’s most important position. McCutchen is in the midst of his second straight poor year in center, though, as he posted minus-28 defensive runs saved and a minus-18.7 Ultimate Zone Rating in 2016 and already has a minus-15 DRS and a minus 18.5 UZR/150 this season. But general manager Neal Huntington has seen improvement, noting: “His metrics are better this year. Part of that … is we’ve pushed him back a little bit to play to his strengths and to his confidence, playing gap to gap.”

  • It’s possible Marte will head back to center if the Pirates trade McCutchen before this month’s deadline, and Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette observes that the value of both McCutchen and right-hander Gerrit Cole is increasing. Rival evaluators have pointed to Texas as a fit for the two, with one evaluator suggesting that the Rangers would have to give up outfielder Leody Taveras or left-hander Yohander Mendez just for McCutchen, according to Brink. Both Taveras (No. 45) and Mendez (No. 46) rank among MLB Pipeline’s top 50 prospects.
  • 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

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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.

NL Notes: Reds, Mets, Phillies

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As a serviceable, affordable free agent-to-be who’s on a rebuilding team, Reds right-hander Scott Feldman should theoretically be a trade candidate at this time of the year. But it’s possible the Reds will opt to keep Feldman as a way to benefit their other pitchers, according to Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Retaining Feldman would help the Reds avoid risking the arms and psyches of some of their young starters who might not be ready for the majors, suggests Buchanan, who notes that his presence also helps preserve the bullpen. Feldman has lasted at least six frames in eight of 17 starts, and he easily leads the Reds’ woeful rotation in innings (97) and ERA (3.78). He has also accounted for 1.6 fWAR, while the remainder of the Reds’ starters have combined for minus-2.8. “We are lucky to have him,” said manager Bryan Price. “To really look at our season and say what’s been the really one, from a rotational standpoint, the one constant, and it’s been the quality of Scott Feldman.”

More from Cincinnati and two other National League cities:

  • The latest member of the Mets to hit the disabled list is outfielder Michael Conforto, who’s now on the shelf (retroactive to June 28) with a bruised left hand, per a team announcement. Conforto suffered the injury on a hit by pitch last Sunday and hasn’t played since, thus depriving the Mets of a player who has slashed an excellent .285/.405/.548 in 269 plate appearances this season. Right-hander Zack Wheeler took Conforto’s vacant roster spot. Wheeler’s back after going on the DL on June 21 with biceps tendinitis.
  • The Reds’ first-round pick, right-hander Hunter Greene, will head to Cincinnati in the coming days to take a physical, reports Buchanan. That seems to bode well for the Reds’ chances of signing Greene, the second overall pick, by the July 7 deadline. The 17-year-old is likely seeking the richest deal in the 2017 class, relays Buchanan. So far, that honor belongs to No. 4 selection Brendan McKay, whom the Rays gave a record $7,007,500 earlier this week.
  • Phillies outfielder/infielder Howie Kendrick, who went on the DL on Friday with an injured left hamstring, will probably miss longer than 10 days, writes Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Kendrick will undergo an MRI in Philadelphia during the upcoming week, and the team’s bigwigs are undoubtedly hoping nothing serious crops up to prevent them from fetching a decent return at the trade deadline for the impending free agent. President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail suggested Friday that there should be plenty of interest in the 33-year-old Kendrick, saying, “If I wanted a professional hitter, I sure wouldn’t have any pause.”
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