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July Headlines: National League

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This year’s trade season did not disappoint. After a wild couple of days, we’re gonna do our best to recap the action from one of the busiest trade deadlines in recent memory. Let’s start with the headlines coming out of the Senior Circuit this month…

The Champs Are Still The Champs: This phrase, in many ways, could serve as an ironic headline for this year’s trade deadline, as we saw the dismantling of a couple of former championship teams. The reigning champ, however, was not one of them. The Dodgers reasserted themselves as the team to beat in the National League by making the splashiest move of the deadline in acquiring Max Scherzer and Trea Turner from the Nationals.

The Dodgers stepped up, and now they have perhaps the most intimidating starter of his generation slotted into a rotation with Clayton Kershaw, probably the best pitcher of his generation, along with young stud Walker Buehler. It’s an amazing collection of talent for a single team.

That said, the Turner acquisition might be even more impactful, as he’s under team control  through next season. Turner and Mookie Betts as a 1-2 punch in the lineup are devastating. Interestingly, the Dodgers also got Corey Seager back from the injured list today, and it remains to be seen how the Dodgers will deploy their pair of All-Star shortstops (to say nothing of Gavin Lux and Chris Taylor). The Dodgers have options now and for the future. Remember, Seager is a free agent after the season. They can still bring back their World Series MVP at the right price point, but they won’t be pressured to now that they have Turner in the fold.

The Padres Don’t Land Mad Max: The trade deadline madness really began on Thursday night when it was announced that the Padres and Nats had agreed on the players involved in a Scherzer deal. That didn’t sit well with the Dodgers, who swooped in to remind the Padres of who still runs the West. The Padres were expected to turn their attention to Jose Berrios, but they weren’t able to get him either.

At the end of the day, the Padres didn’t get Scherzer, Berrios, Joey Gallo, or any other of the big names. They did add Adam Frazier, a versatile defender and good contact hitter, along with Daniel Hudson, who is a legitimate get for the bullpen, and Jake Marisnick, who compliments their centerfield options nicely, even if he’s not much more than a depth piece. It was a less impactful deadline than expected, but what’s worse: Fernando Tatis Jr. promptly reaggravated his shoulder injury. Add it all up, and the swing from potentially acquiring Scherzer to potentially losing Tatis is enough to give any Padres fan whiplash.

Giants Add Bryant: The Padres took a big swing and missed, the Dodgers took their swing and connected, and sure to form, the Giants played the deadline slow and steady. Does the tortoise win again? Time will tell, but the Giants did ultimately nab a former MVP in Kris Bryant without giving up a top prospect. Bryant fits their profile like a glove, and he’ll be able to fill in at third until Evan Longoria returns and then move to the outfield.

Remember: The Giants have a three-game head start on LA and a five-game lead on the Padres. Adding Bryant has game-changing potential, while Tony Watson was a solid, low-key add to the pen. The Dodgers are scary, but if the Giants keep playing their game, LA may find themselves in the wild card game anyway.

Cubs Collapse, Dismantle 2016 World Series Champs: In a vacuum, the Cubs had a pretty good deadline. They added a number of buzzy, interesting young players like Nick Madrigal, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Alexander Canario. But it came at a cost. After years of rumors, Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Baez were finally shipped out of town, along with Craig Kimbrel, Andrew Chafin, Ryan Tepera, Marisnick, and Trevor Williams. New players — and new narratives — are long overdue in Chicago, and the next chapter awaits.

Nationals Collapse, Dismantle 2019 World Series Champs: It’s appropriate that the Cubs are in DC to play the Nats this weekend, because really, the two clubs are mirror images of one another, right down to their interconnecting pieces like Kyle Schwarber and Jon Lester. Both teams were trying to contend on the legs of recent title teams, both teams had disastrous months of July, and both clubs desperately needed an influx of young talent. Both teams got it on Friday.

The Nats farm system was even more barren than Chicago’s and their need to restock even direr given the presence of young superstud Juan Soto. So Washington said their fare-thee-wells to  Scherzer, Turner, Hudson, and Yan Gomes from the title team, plus recent additions Lester, Schwarber, Brad Hand, and Josh Harrison. GM Mike Rizzo does not sell off pieces willy nilly, but in doing so, they got some high-end, near-ready pieces as they look to quickly rebuild a contender in context around Soto before the Scott Boras client reaches free agency after the 2024 season.

Brewers Take Their Place Atop The NL Central: Milwaukee made their big acquisition back in May, and Willy Adames has transformed himself and the club since his arrival. They were last under .500 on the day before Adames arrived, they’ve gone 41-19 since and taken firm hold of the NL Central. Still, some tinkering remained on the docket for July, as the Brewers picked up Eduardo Escobar, Rowdy Tellez, John Curtiss, and Daniel Norris.

Injuries Keeping Mets From Runaway Division Title: The Mets left deadline day with a more acute awareness of what they lost than what they gained: Jacob deGrom has been shut down for another couple of weeks, leaving the all-world hurler out until at least September. That’s heartbreaking for a Mets team with a clear path to an NL East title. Plenty of upside remains in the Mets rotation with Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker posting career years, Carlos Carrasco set to make his debut, and Tylor Megill providing the surprising rookie breakout contenders seek. Still, deGrom and Noah Syndergaard are questionable at best for the rest of the season, and the only rotation additions the Mets made at the deadline were Rich Hill and Trevor Williams.

They did, however, account for Francisco Lindor’s injury by adding Javier Baez, Lindor’s friend and countrymate who can ably fill in while Lindor is out and then slide to second or third when he returns. Baez isn’t, perhaps, the former Cub that Mets fans expected, but he’s an excellent fit alongside Lindor and should bolster the pitching staff with his stellar glove — even if acquiring him did cost them a former first-rounder in Crow-Armstrong.

Braves Lose Acuna For The Season: The deadline might have looked a lot different for Atlanta had they not lost Ronald Acuna Jr. for the season back on July 10th. Without Acuna and Mike Soroka, the Braves weren’t expected to make any major swings at contention. But even a 13-12 July was enough to keep them within four games of first. A fourth consecutive NL East title remains in reach. So they nabbed one of the top available relief arms in Richard Rodriguez, as well as, seemingly, all the outfielders: Jorge Soler, old pal Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario, and Joc Pederson, plus Stephen Vogt to reinforce their catching corps.

Soft Buys From The Fringes Of Contention: The Giants and Dodgers made headline additions, while the Nats and Cubs took a firm step away from contention. In the middle, there were a number of clubs that neither sold the farm nor raised the white flag. Such as…

…the Phillies… who seemed poised to add a bevy of arms given their bullpen situation, not to mention a starting rotation that’s received underwhelming performances from the back end. Instead, only Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy came to help, and they cost the Phillies’ top prospect Spencer Howard. Howard’s handling had been in question all season, and now he’s been served an unceremonious end to his Philly tenure. Gibson’s had a fine season thus far with the Rangers, but his groundball approach will be tested in front of Philly’s subpar infield defense. Sure, Freddy Galvis brings his glove back to help out, but will that be enough?

…and the Reds… who looked to undo their winter penny-pinching by restocking the bullpen. Justin Wilson, Luis Cessa, and Mychal Givens will try to help a bullpen that ranks 29th with a 5.31 ERA. The Reds’ inconsistent play in July kept them squarely on the deadline fence, however, and now that Nick Castellanos is on the injured list, they’re seven games behind the Brewers and looking like longshots for the postseason.

…and the Cardinals…who added a few pieces at the deadline, despite being 9.5 games behind the Brewers and 6.5 out of a wild card spot. The additions were modest, however, as St. Louis went on a run of graybeard southpaws in July, adding 36-year-old Wade LeBlanc, 37-year-old Jon Lester, and 38-year-old J.A. Happ to a rotation fronted by 39-year-old Adam Wainwright and caught by 39-year-old Yadier Molina.

Cellar Dwellers Sell: The Marlins, Pirates, and Diamondbacks, each in last place of their respective divisions, made some moves to turn expiring talent into youth for the future. The Marlins added the biggest fish in Jesus Luzardo, but the Pirates did well for themselves, too, by adding some plug-and-play talent like Michael Chavis from Boston and Bryse Wilson from Atlanta, while also grabbing two prospects from Seattle for Tyler Anderson. The Dbacks weren’t quite as active, but they did move Escobar and Joakim Soria, though a COVID-19 outbreak has brought more pressing issues to their attention.

The Rockies Don’t Trade Trevor Story Or Jon Gray: The most perplexing moves of the deadline were the trades that didn’t happen. Despite having no shot at contention in a division with zero margin for error (in the short-and-long term), the Rockies chose to stand pat rather than build for the future. Holding Gray is one thing, but Story has stated his desire to move on, so their decision not to acquire a prospect or two for him before he walks might be the biggest shock of deadline season.

Braves To Acquire Richard Rodriguez

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The Braves and Pirates completed a last-minute deal sending closer Richard Rodriguez from Pittsburgh to Atlanta, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan (via Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic adds that righties Bryse Wilson and Ricky DeVito are headed to Pittsburgh in return for Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, 31, is under team control through 2023.  He currently sports a 2.82 ERA, 22.8 K%, 3.4 BB%, and 29.2% groundball rate.  Rodriguez’s only standout ability this year has been avoiding walks, and with so few groundballs he may return to his homer-prone ways. Nor does Rodriguez throw particularly hard for a reliever in 2021, averaging 93.2 miles per hour on his fastball. Rodriguez’s ERA stood at 0.45 on May 25th, but since then in 18 games he’s managed a 5.40 ERA.

Still, the Braves have added a solid, controllable setup man to their bullpen behind closer Will Smith.  This month Smith has gotten the highest-leverage work for Atlanta, followed by A.J. Minter and Chris Martin.  The Braves are four games out in the NL East, sitting one game below .500 at present.  This still leaves the club with a 9.7% chance at the playoffs, according to FanGraphs, and Braves President, Baseball Operations & General Manager Alex Anthopoulos chose to go into buying mode.  Aside from Rodriguez, Anthopoulos has essentially assembled a brand new outfield with Eddie Rosario, Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall, and Jorge Soler.

In Wilson, the Pirates snagged a 23-year-old righty with 14 career big league starts to his name.  Drafted in the fourth round out of high school back in 2016, Baseball America gave Wilson a 50 grade before the season.  BA wrote, “Wilson profiles as a back-of-the-rotation workhorse type who will throw strikes and compete.”  The Braves had optioned Wilson to Triple-A on Tuesday, but GM Ben Cherington said he should be in Pittsburgh and active tomorrow.

DeVito, a 21-year-old righty, has a 2.66 ERA this year in five High-A starts.  FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen and Kevin Goldstein gave him a 40 grade before the season, noting that “if Devito’s pitch-quality improves a little bit he has a strong chance to be a three-pitch reliever.”

Red Sox, Pirates Swap Austin Davis And Michael Chavis

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The Red Sox announced the acquisition of lefty reliever Austin Davis from the Pirates, sending infielder Michael Chavis back to Pittsburgh in a one-for-one deal.

It’s a bit of a surprising pickup for Boston, since an elbow sprain has limited Davis to just 9 2/3 innings this year. He’s allowed seven runs (six earned) in that brief look, striking out eleven and issuing five walks. This is his fourth season seeing some action at the big league level, as the 28-year-old previously pitched for the Phillies and Pittsburgh from 2018-20. Altogether, he has a 5.65 ERA/4.04 SIERA in 71 2/3 innings.

Davis still has a pair of minor league option years remaining and hasn’t yet reached arbitration, though. He’ll give the Sox a flexible southpaw relief option who can be moved back and forth between Boston and Triple-A Worcester so long as he sticks on the 40-man roster.

Chavis was a one-time highly-regarded prospect, so it’s easy to see the appeal for the Pirates. Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington was leading the Boston front office when the Red Sox selected Chavis in the first round of the 2014 draft. The right-handed hitter has bounced on and off the big league roster over the past three years, picking up a little more than the equivalent of one full season’s worth of playing time. Chavis has a .234/.291/.413 line across 622 big league plate appearances to date.

He’s been too strikeout-prone to this point, but there’s little harm for the rebuilding Bucs in giving him a look. Chavis has the minor league pedigree and defensive flexibility — he’s seen time at each of first, second and third base, as well as in left field — to be an intriguing buy-low pickup. Chavis can still be optioned for the remainder of this season and next.

Robert Murray of FanSided reported the Red Sox were acquiring Davis. Keith Law of the Athletic reported that Chavis was going to the Pirates in return.

Phillies, Pirates Swap Minor Leaguers

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The Phillies are acquiring minor league lefty Braeden Ogle from the Pirates, tweets Robert Murray of FanSided.  The Pirates will receive catcher Abrahan Gutierrez, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Mackey also notes that the trade “likely plays into the Pirates’ impending Rule 5 crunch,” in that Ogle would be more likely to be taken than Gutierrez.  The Phillies have since announced the trade.

Ogle celebrates his 24th birthday today – happy birthday, Braeden!  The southpaw was drafted in the fourth round out of high school by the Pirates back in 2016, signing for above slot.  As of 2019, when he was in A-ball, Ogle moved to a bullpen role.  After finishing 2019 in High-A, Ogle was able to jump to Triple-A this year after the lost 2020 minor league season.  In 31 2/3 innings, he’s punched out nearly 31% of batters, but has also walked nearly 17%.  Ogle hasn’t appeared on a prospect list for a while, but before 2018 Baseball America assigned him a 50 grade on account of a 94-96 mile per hour fastball as well as a decent slider and changeup.

Gutierrez was one of the players the Pirates were to receive in the Tyler Anderson trade with the Phillies that fell through, notes Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Gutierrez, 21, is hitting .288/.420/.429 in 2019 Low-A plate appearances this year. Prior to the season, Baseball America gave him a 40 grade, noting that Gutierrez “projects as a backup catcher if he can quicken his bat speed and make harder contact.”  He projects as an average defender, according to BA.  Gutierrez originally signed with the Braves out of Venezuela in 2017, but he was one of the 13 prospects who had his contract voided when GM John Coppolella was banned from MLB for life for circumventing international signing rules.  Gutierrez kept his $3.53MM bonus from the Braves, but then was able to sign a new contract with the Phillies.

The Phillies’ bullpen currently sports a 4.57 ERA.  Lefty Ranger Suarez has been their highest-leverage reliever of late.  They have another southpaw in Jose Alvarado, who has an 8.68 ERA and 21 BB% in his last ten appearances.

Mariners Acquire Tyler Anderson From Pirates

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The Mariners have picked up one of the more notable starting pitchers on the trade market, announcing they’ve acquired left-hander Tyler Anderson from the Pirates. Two prospects — catcher Carter Bins and right-hander Joaquin Tejada — are headed back to Pittsburgh. To create 40-man roster space for Anderson, Seattle designated infielder Jake Hager for assignment.

Tyler Anderson | Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It’s a surprising turn of events after the Phillies were reportedly on the verge of acquiring Anderson this afternoon. That potential deal fell through after Pittsburgh expressed concern about the medical review of one of the prospects expected to be involved. Now, Anderson is on his way to the Pacific Northwest instead.

Seattle has reportedly been in the market for starting pitching over the past couple weeks. The Mariners have been hit hard by injuries, thinning out the rotation depth. The reunion with James Paxton lasted less than two innings before the southpaw blew out and required Tommy John surgery. Justin Dunn has been out for over a month due to a strain in his throwing shoulder, while Justus Sheffield is sidelined by both a flexor strain in his forearm and an oblique issue. Depth options Ljay Newsome and Nick Margevicius have been out for months and don’t seem likely to return this season.

Acquiring Anderson will add some stability behind Yusei Kikuchi, Logan Gilbert, Marco Gonzales and Chris Flexen. The southpaw’s numbers aren’t eye-popping, but he’s a dependable back-of-the-rotation option. Anderson has stayed healthy all year and taken the ball 18 times, totaling 103 1/3 innings. He’s worked to a 4.35 ERA/4.42 SIERA, production that’s generally in line with his past work for the Rockies and Giants.

Anderson’s a control specialist. He’s long been a quality strike-thrower, and he’s issued walks to a career-low 5.8% of opponents this season. Limiting free passes is key for Anderson, a fly-ball pitcher who doesn’t punch out too many batters. His 20.0% strikeout rate is a few points below the 23.1% leaguewide mark for starting pitchers, although his 11.6% swinging strike rate is actually marginally better than average.

In addition to his serviceable production, Anderson’s an eminently affordable pickup. He signed a one-year, $2.5MM contract with the Pirates over the winter. Just over $900K of that sum remains to be paid through season’s end. The 31-year-old is again slated to hit free agency this winter, so he’s a pure rental pickup for Seattle.

The decision to acquire an impending free agent might raise some eyebrows among fans. After all, the Mariners traded top reliever Kendall Graveman to the division-leading Astros for Abraham Toro this evening, a move that didn’t go over well in the Seattle clubhouse. The notion that the Graveman trade suggested the Mariners were punting on the 2021 season was always too simplistic, though.

General manager Jerry Dipoto told reporters in the aftermath of the Graveman – Toro swap that the front office had more moves in the works. Even independent of future acquisitions, the Mariners front office might simply have seen the value of four additional years of control over Toro — a well-regarded young infielder who’s already at the major league level — as too good to forego with Graveman headed for free agency in a few months. Modern front offices have become increasingly flexible in their trade deadline approaches, more willing to balance their short and long-term goals rather than definitively bucket themselves as “buyers” or “sellers.”

That’s particularly true of teams like the Mariners. Seattle’s surprisingly worked their way into the thick of the playoff picture, entering play tonight just one game back of the Athletics for the second Wild Card spot in the American League. They’ve outperformed most preseason expectations and their underlying record estimators, though, leaving some question about their ability to stick in the race for the stretch run. With that in mind, it makes sense for the Mariners to continue to look for long-term value while making smaller acquisitions with a 2021 playoff push in mind.

Seattle picked up Hager off waivers from the Brewers last month. He’s spent his tenure in the organization with Triple-A Tacoma, hitting .214/.294/.469 across 109 plate appearances. In all likelihood, he’ll find himself on outright waivers within the next seven days.

The appeal for the rebuilding Pirates is rather obvious. Pittsburgh signed Anderson with the hope that he’d pitch well enough to be flipped for young talent midseason, and that’s exactly how things played out.

Bins, 22, was an 11th-round draft choice out of Fresno State in 2019. He’s hit well in the low minors over his two-plus professional seasons, reaching Double-A for the first time this month. Entering the season, Baseball America and FanGraphs each rated Bins the #29 prospect in the Seattle system. Both outlets praised his raw power and surprising athleticism for a catcher. Swing-and-miss concerns led both BA and FanGraphs to project Bins as a likely #2 backstop.

Tejada, 18, signed with Seattle out of Panama for $200K during the 2019-20 international signing period. Ben Badler of Baseball America wrote at the time that Tejada had seen his velocity spike into the low-90’s. He’s a low-level lottery ticket who made his professional debut this season in the Dominican Summer League.

As for the Phillies, they’ll now have to turn their attention elsewhere before Friday afternoon’s trade deadline. The hope had been that Philadelphia could acquire Anderson to fortify the back of the rotation. Presumably, that’ll continue to be the priority now that he’s no longer available.

Jeff Passan of ESPN was first to report the two sides were nearing agreement on an Anderson trade. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported the deal had been completed. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times was first to report the Pirates were receiving a pair of prospects — including Bins — while Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported Tejada’s inclusion.

Tyler Anderson Talks Between Phillies, Pirates Hit Late Obstacle

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10:22 pm: The Pirates have raised some concerns about Hernandez’s medical evaluation, reports Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. It remains possible a deal sending Anderson to Philly still gets done, although that might require “modifications” to Pittsburgh’s return, per Salisbury.

4:52pm: Despite multiple reports indicating the deal had been finalized, the trade now looks to have hit a “snag,” tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Mackey tweets that Anderson is now in Pirates gear and throwing in the Pittsburgh bullpen. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that there’s some sort of issue with one of the two prospects in the deal.

That said, Anderson still isn’t starting tonight’s Bucs game. Pittsburgh has announced Luis Oviedo will make his first MLB start in place of Anderson. There’s no indication yet that the trade sending Anderson to Philadelphia is completely off, and it remains possible that the two parties could simply amend the deal to push it across the finish line. The Post-Gazette’s Mike Persak tweets that righty Max Kranick is at PNC Park, likely to replace Anderson on the roster, though he may have been summoned before any late obstacles arose.

3:07pm: The two sides are in agreement on a trade, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). The Phillies are sending 21-year-old catcher Abrahan Gutierrez and 20-year-old righty Cristian Hernandez to the Pirates in return. The deal is “final,” per Mackey.

2:42pm: The Pirates and Phillies are in “serious” talks on a trade that would send left-handed starter Tyler Anderson from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, reports Jayson Stark of The Athletic (Twitter link). The deal in question would send a pair of prospects back to Pittsburgh. FanSided’s Robert Murray first noted talks between Philly and Pittsburgh. Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets that Anderson has been scratched from tonight’s start, which certainly suggests a move is imminent.

Tyler Anderson | Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The potential return isn’t yet clear, though Stark characterizes the prospects being discussed as “second tier” and notes in a second tweet that catching prospect Rafael Marchan is not part of the proposed package.

That’s not exactly surprising, as while Anderson is a solid starter, he’s more the type of arm to stabilize a rotation than to push it to new heights. A free agent at season’s end, Anderson is playing on a one-year, $2.5MM contract and is still owed about $901K of that sum between now and the end of the year.

Anderson, 31, has made 18 starts for the Buccos this season and pitched at least five innings in all of them. That may not seem like a high bar, but the Phillies have routinely received short starts from the likes of Chase Anderson, Vince Velasquez and Matt Moore. A reliable source of five to six solid innings per outing is something the club could badly use — particularly with right-hander Zach Eflin currently on the shelf.

Thus far, Anderson has given the Pirates 103 1/3 innings of 4.35 ERA ball, although he’s been a bit more consistent than that number might appear at first glance. The lefty was shelled for nine runs in five frames against the Braves back on May 21 but has yielded three or fewer earned runs in 15 of his 18 starts. Setting aside that awful night against the Braves, Anderson carries a 3.75 ERA in his other 17 appearances.

Anderson doesn’t miss tons of bats (20 percent strikeout rate) or induce tons of grounders (37.3 percent), but Anderson has excellent control (5.8 percent walk rate) and has induced plenty of weak contact in the air. Among the 276 pitchers who’ve had at least 100 batted balls against them so far in 2021, Anderson’s average exit velocity of 91.7 mph on balls in the air sits in the 86th percentile.

When the Phils are at full strength, Anderson would step in as the team’s fourth starter behind Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and the aforementioned Eflin. He may not be locked in as a postseason starter, should Philadelphia qualify, but he could be a multi-inning option in a short postseason series or potentially a Game 3 starter, depending on the health elsewhere in the rotation. He also takes one target off the board for the division-rival Mets, who are eyeing rental starters and had been connected to Anderson as recently as this morning.

Turning to the Pirates’ end of the deal, they’ll receive some far-off but promising youngsters who joined the Phillies via international free agency. Gutierrez was originally signed by the Braves but reentered the free-agent market after Atlanta was penalized for international signing violations. He’s climbed as high as Class-A in 2021 and is enjoying an excellent season there, batting .285/.418/.424 with five homers, nine doubles and a solid 30 percent caught-stealing rate in 48 games.

Baseball America ranked Gutierrez 26th among Phillies farmhands prior to the season, calling him a line-drive hitter with average power and good knowledge of the strike zone. He landed 32nd on FanGraphs’ rankings of the Phillies system.

Hernandez is another player who didn’t rank prominently on preseason rankings of the Phillies’ system but has likely elevated his status with a strong 2021 showing. He’s pitched 56 2/3 innings at A-ball — presumably throwing to Gutierrez with regularity — and notched a 3.49 ERA with a big 31.2 percent strikeout rate and a 9.3 percent walk rate. MLB.com tabbed him 29th among Phillies prospects entering the season, noting that despite a modest $120K bonus when he signed, he might emerge as the best arm of Philadelphia’s 2017-18 signing class. Their report on him cites an above-average fastball that reaches 97 mph, a solid slider and a still-developing changeup as reasons to be optimistic about the 6’3″, 180-pound righty.

Pirates Discussing Richard Rodriguez, Rafael Marchan With Phillies

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The Phillies are known to have interest in Pirates reliever Richard Rodriguez, and Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports (Twitter link) that catcher Rafael Marchan has been part of the trade talks between the two Pennsylvania clubs.  Marchan is ranked fourth on MLB Pipeline’s list of Philadelphia’s top 30 prospects, though Marchan has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate ever since J.T. Realmuto re-signed with the club.  Marchan has received a bit of big league playing time in each of the last two seasons but only made his Triple-A debut in 2021, hitting an underwhelming .200/.285/.215 over 151 plate appearances.  The 22-year-old also missed a good chunk of Spring Training due to a hamstring injury.

Blue Jays Interested In Joey Gallo, Richard Rodriguez

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The Blue Jays continue to look for controllable upgrades all over their roster, and two of the trade deadline’s most-discussed names are on Toronto’s radar.  MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports that the Jays are one of the teams who have spoken with the Rangers about slugger Joey Gallo, while the Jays and Phillies are among the clubs looking at Pirates right-hander Richard Rodriguez, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The Jays were initially linked to Rodriguez last month, and it isn’t surprising that Toronto continues to have interest considering that the team’s bullpen has continued to struggle.  Despite a +85 run differential, the Blue Jays have a modest 49-47 record due in large part to their 6-12 record in one-run games — a by-product of several blown late leads by a bullpen depleted by injuries.  The Toronto front office has tried to address the problem by acquiring Adam Cimber and Trevor Richards in trades within the last month, though an argument can certainly be made that more reinforcements are necessary.

That said, Rodriguez has struggled in July after a very strong start to the season, so he isn’t exactly putting on the best showcase in advance of the July 30 trade deadline.  What helps his trade value, however, is that Rodriguez is controlled through the 2023 season via two more arbitration years.  Even with some saves boosting his arbitration resume, the righty will remain pretty inexpensive at least into 2022 considering that Rodriguez is playing on a $1.7MM salary in 2021.

Entering today’s action, the Blue Jays were 10.5 games behind the Red Sox for first place in the AL East, and nine games back of the Rays for both second place and the first AL wild card slot.  Even in chasing the Athletics for the second wild card berth, 4.5. games and two other teams (the Mariners and Yankees) stand between Toronto and the A’s, so the Jays will need to heat up to get more firmly back into the postseason hunt.

While there hasn’t been any indication that the Jays are considering selling, it isn’t surprising that they seem to be prioritizing players who can help beyond 2021, rather than rental players for what might be a longshot of a playoff chase.  Cimber and Richards are controlled through 2024, Rodriguez through 2023, and Gallo isn’t a free agent until after the 2022 season.

Acquiring Gallo would also seem to hint at larger-scale roster moves afoot either this winter or before Friday’s deadline, since the Jays’ outfield picture is already pretty crowded.  George Springer, Teoscar Hernandez, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Randal Grichuk have all been rotating through the three outfield positions and in the DH spot, and Corey Dickerson will also be part of the mix once he is activated from the injured list.  Acquiring Gallo would only add to this surplus, though a trade could itself address the issue.  One would imagine the Rangers would have interest in Gurriel and his affordable contract, or maybe the much pricier Grichuk (owed $9.333MM in each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons) could be dealt as part of a larger deal, with the Blue Jays perhaps eating some of that money.

Since the Jays are already heavy in right-handed batters, a powerful left-handed bat like Gallo would add balance and make Toronto’s lineup even more dangerous.  Also, as good as the Blue Jays’ lineup is at the moment, the team might lose a key piece this winter if Marcus Semien departs in free agency.  Gallo is enjoying a nice rebound after a down year in 2020, as the Texas outfielder is hitting .222/.380/.484 with 24 homers and a league-best 74 walks over 384 plate appearances.

Latest On Tyler Anderson

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TODAY: The Mets are one of the teams interested in Anderson, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  A trade might have to come together quickly, as Heyman writes that the Pirates would ideally like to move Anderson before his scheduled start tonight against the Brewers.

JULY 25: The Pirates are likely to trade starter Tyler Anderson before this week’s trade deadline passes, per the MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter). That’s hardly surprising, as it’s quite literally been the plan all season, notes Jason Mackey of PGSportsNow (via Twitter).

Morosi does note that Anderson is particularly appealing to the Dodgers and Phillies, who like his manageable salary as they try to minimize potential tax bills. Of course, if Anderson’s salary makes him an asset to high-payroll teams, it’s surely an asset for low-payroll teams as well. Anderson is playing on a one-year, $2.5MM contract and headed for free agency after the season. In theory, he won’t cost much to acquire, but there’s still the matter of finding the right piece that fits the Pirates’ vision.

The 31-year-old, after all, is valuable largely because he’s eminently available. He has, in 560 career innings, offered up mostly the dull consistency of a back-end starter. For some teams right now, the Phillies among them, that’s tremendously valuable.

With 103 1/3 innings, Anderson has crossed the century mark for just the third time in his career. His 4.35 ERA/4.26 FIP would be his best numbers since his rookie season, but they’re also right in line with what he’s shown since leaving Coors Field. In these past two seasons with the Giants and Pirates, Anderson has logged 163 innings in 31 appearances (29 starts) with a 4.36 ERA/4.30 FIP, 33.9 percent groundball rate, 18.4 percent strikeout rate, and 7.2 percent walk rate. That’s 2.1 fWAR over roughly a full season of work.

Pirates Trade Clay Holmes To Yankees

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The Yankees announced Monday that they’ve acquired right-handed reliever Clay Holmes from the Pirates in exchange for minor league infielders Diego Castillo and Hoy Jun Park. Catcher Rob Brantly, who’d been on the roster as a Covid-related replacement player, has been returned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to open a roster spot. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported about a minute before the announcement that Holmes was being traded to the Yankees for a pair of minor leaguers (via Twitter).

Holmes, 28, has spent the season in the Pittsburgh bullpen and pitched to a 4.93 ERA, a 23.3 percent strikeout rate, a 13.2 percent walk rate and an enormous 72.8 percent ground-ball rate. To offer a bit more context on that percentage, Holmes has pitched 42 innings this season and surrendered just 16 fly-balls (three of which were pop-ups) and 15 line drives. He’s induced 83 grounders.

Control has been an obvious issue for Holmes, who has always hit four batters and thrown five wild pitches, but he’s only allowed 10 home runs in 119 2/3 career innings (0.75 HR/9). He’s also among the game’s best at limiting premium contact so far in 2021 (86th percentile average exit velocity; 91st percentile barrel rate).

Holmes has yet to reach arbitration but will be arb-eligible for the first time this winter. He’s making scarcely more than the league minimum and can be controlled all the way through the 2024 season if he ultimately sticks in the bullpen. He’ll have to prove his mettle with the Yankees at the Major League level, however, as he’s out of minor league options and cannot be sent down without first being exposed to waivers.

For much of his minor league career, Holmes worked as a starting pitcher. He’s made just four starts in the Majors, however, against 87 bullpen appearances. Because he can’t be sent down, it’s unlikely that the Yankees would try to stretch him out at the MLB level. He’ll head into the bullpen for now, where he can give them some length. Holmes has worked several outings of one-plus or two innings at a time and topped 30 pitches in an appearance on a few occasions.

Ground-ball rate looks to be something the Yankees have zeroed in on in recent years, at least with regard to their bullpen. Zack Britton is one of the most prolific ground-ball pitchers in history, and the current Yankee bullpen sports five more pitchers who’ve tossed at least 10 innings of relief this year with a grounder rate of 50 percent or better: Albert Abreu, Luis Cessa, Jonathan Loaisiga, Mike King and Wandy Peralta. At a time when the league is working to curb the use of foreign substances that increase the spin rate on four-seam fastballs and sliders, it’s perhaps not coincidental that the Yankees are seeking out another extreme ground-ball pitcher who relies on a low-spin sinker.

Yankees fans may be surprised to see Park included in this deal after he’s posted a .327/.475/.567 slash with 10 homers, nine doubles, a triple and eight stolen bases in 223 Triple-A plate appearances so far. The 25-year-old was recently called to the big league roster for the first time but only got one appearance before being sent back out.

Notably, however, the Yankees outrighted Park to Triple-A, however, indicating that he went unclaimed on outright waivers at the time of the move. The Pirates (or another club) could’ve had Park for free at that point, were they willing to dedicate a 40-man roster spot to him. The 29 other clubs passed. The Bucs will now pick up his rights (without having to dedicate a 40-man spot) and hope he can continue to build on that breakout showing he’s enjoyed so far in Triple-A this year. FanGraphs’ Eric Lonenhagen ranked Park 31st among Yankees farmhands prior to this deal, noting that his ability to play a viable shortstop an control the strike zone make him a “high-probability utility infield piece.”

Castillo, 23, had a history as a light-hitting middle infielder with premium contact rates before his production exploded in a pitcher-friendly Double-A setting this year. He’s hitting .277/.345/.504 (127 wRC+) with 11 home runs, 18 doubles and eight steals in 249 plate appearances on the year. Castillo has walked at a career-best 8.4 percent against a 13.4 percent strikeout rate. He’s another shortstop-capable infield prospect to add to the middle levels of the Pirates’ system — one whom Longenhagen ranked 21st in the Yankees’ system at the time of the swap.

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