Adam Eaton

Nationals Place Adam Eaton On 10-Day DL

By Jeff Todd | April 29, 2017 at 8:29am CDT

SATURDAY 9:13am: The Nationals have announced that they’ve placed Eaton on the DL and promoted Bautista, as anticipated. Eaton’s injury has officially been listed as a left knee strain.

8:21am: The Nats will promote outfielder Rafael Bautista to the big leagues, MASN’s Byron Kerr writes. That news would seem to indicate Eaton is headed to the DL. The 24-year-old Bautista is batting a modest .291/.325/.354 in 83 plate appearances with Triple-A Syracuse, a line roughly in keeping with the offensive skill set he’s demonstrated throughout his minor-league career — he hits well for contact and posts reasonable on-base percentages but lacks power. Bautista swiped 56 bases for Double-A Harrisburg in 2016 while only being caught ten times, indicating outstanding speed, and Kerr notes that his range is very good. MLB.com ranks Bautista 13th among Nationals prospects.

FRIDAY 9:47pm: Skipper Dusty Baker was only able to say that the club will know more after Eaton undergoes an MRI tomorrow, as Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com tweets.

9:38pm: Nationals center fielder Adam Eaton was removed from tonight’s game after suffering an apparent lower-leg injury suffered while crossing first base. There are no details yet from the club, of course, but Eaton had to be helped off without placing any weight on his left leg.

The image of Eaton grimacing in pain while being removed from the field is just about the last thing the Nationals hoped to see this evening. The 28-year-old has functioned as a key cog in a productive Nats lineup since coming over in a somewhat controversial winter trade.

Over his 102 trips to plate entering tonight’s action, Eaton carried a .291/.392/.465 batting line with a pair of long balls and three stolen bases. Though defensive metrics haven’t loved his work in center field, the jury is still out given the meager sample to date.

We’ll need to wait for further word, clearly, before leaping to any conclusions. But given the degree of pain clearly being experienced by the gritty Eaton, and the fact he wasn’t able to bear any weight on his leg, it seems at a minimum that the organization will need to expect some kind of DL placement. For the time being, the club could utilize Michael Taylor in center while also playing Bryce Harper there at times, though obviously that’s not the optimal alignment.

Quick Hits: Cutch, Nats, Pirates, Crisp, Dodgers, Soler, Rangers

By Connor Byrne | April 22, 2017 at 10:37pm CDT

Financial reasons played a key role in the Nationals’ offseason decision to trade for then-White Sox center fielder Adam Eaton instead of the Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen, reports FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (video link). With his $4MM salary this year, Eaton is much cheaper than McCutchen ($14MM), and acquiring the latter would have forced the Nationals to jettison left-hander Gio Gonzalez and his $12MM price tag in a separate deal, says Rosenthal. In addition to having concerns over how their payroll would have looked with McCutchen, the Nationals had no interest in meeting Pittsburgh’s lofty demands for the five-time All-Star. Washington bought high on Eaton, whose excellent 2016 helped convinced the club to give up high-end pitching prospects Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning for him. McCutchen, on the other hand, had a career-worst season last year, yet the Pirates wanted an even more impressive package for him than the Nationals sent the White Sox, according to Rosenthal. Pittsburgh held out for both pitching prospects and major leaguers, leading the Nats to go in another direction.

NL Notes: McCutchen, Eaton, Diamondbacks, Ziegler

By Connor Byrne | December 10, 2016 at 8:35pm CDT

Andrew McCutchen has indicated in the past that he’d like to spend his entire career with the Pirates. Even after the Bucs nearly traded McCutchen to Washington at the winter meetings, the five-time All-Star center fielder hasn’t done a 180. “That hasn’t changed just because of my name being in trade (talks),” McCutchen said regarding his desire to stay a Pirate for good (via Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review). McCutchen did admit it bothered him that the Pirates placed him on the block, though he doesn’t harbor any ill feelings toward general manager Neal Huntington. “We had a really good conversation and we ended it on good terms,” the 30-year-old said. “I do understand he has a job (to do). I don’t understand what he has to do. I can’t empathize with that, just like he can’t empathize with what I could be going through, the challenges I face.” While it appears McCutchen will remain a Pirate in 2017, his penultimate year of team control, the one-time National League MVP revealed that Huntington hasn’t given him “any assurances” on his future.

Here’s more from the NL:

Outfielder Adam Eaton has been a well above-average offensive producer in each of his three full major league seasons, but the newest member of the Nationals hasn’t been as consistently productive in the grass. Eaton was among the majors’ best defenders as a right fielder last season, but that came after he logged mixed results in 2014 and 2015 in center – where he’s likely to line up as a Nat. Speaking Saturday to reporters, including Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com, Eaton called his 2015 output in center “very poor,” though he expressed confidence about his general defensive ability. “I don’t like to harp on the negative, either. So I think that I’m definitely the ‘14 player,” he said. “If I’m in right, hopefully I’m the ‘16 player. And when I’m in center, hopefully I’m the ‘14 (player). I think I’m very capable of playing all three (outfield positions).” Eaton finished 2014 with 11 Defensive Runs Saved and plummeted to minus-14 the next season.
The reliever-needy Diamondbacks have checked in with free agent and longtime D-back Brad Ziegler about a reunion, but a deal is unlikely because the 37-year-old has received far more lucrative offers than the $2.75MM the club gave Fernando Rodney, according to FanRag’s Jack Magruder. In the wake of picking up Rodney, new GM Mike Hazen told Magruder that he’s “very comfortable with the group we have right now.” Only five teams amassed fewer wins than the Diamondbacks’ 69 in 2016, but the team has “a lot of talent,” Hazen said.
The Pirates, Rockies and Dodgers look like logical landing spots if the White Sox trade highly effective, eminently affordable left-hander Jose Quintana, opines David Schoenfield of ESPN.com. Pittsburgh would likely have to part with at least one top-caliber prospect from the trio of right-hander Tyler Glasnow, outfielder Austin Meadows and first baseman Josh Bell to acquire Quintana, writes Schoenfield. The Rockies could center an offer on young shortstop Brendan Rodgers, suggests Schoenfield, who adds that the Dodgers might be able to secure Quintana with righty Jose De Leon and outfielder Alex Verdugo headlining a package.

East Notes: Chapman, Marlins, Nationals, Eaton, Yankees, Gardner, Mets

By charliewilmoth | December 8, 2016 at 1:10pm CDT

Aroldis Chapman agreed to an $86MM guarantee from the Yankees last night, but the Marlins offered him a bigger guarantee of $87MM, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. The Yankees’ deal contains additional value for Chapman in the form of an opt-out clause after three years, and the terms of the Marlins’ offer might have been different. (FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that the salary distribution in the Yankees’ deal, which includes a large signing bonus, was better, and Chapman also liked the no-trade clause.) Still, last night, Chapman specifically cited a desire to return to the Yankees as a key reason for his decision. Here’s more from the East divisions.

The conventional wisdom was that the Nationals paid too heavily for Adam Eaton this week, Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post writes. One key to the trade from the Nationals’ perspective, though, is that the organization had changed its mind about Lucas Giolito, with one team official telling Svrluga, “He’s not going to be what I thought he was going to be.” Also, Eaton (who is controllable for the next five years) offered the Nationals a long-term outfield solution that Andrew McCutchen wouldn’t have — McCutchen would have been eligible for free agency after the 2018 season, at the same time as Bryce Harper, and the Nats would have been forced to address two outfield positions at once.
GM Brian Cashman says the Yankees have completed their biggest moves this offseason, “unless I trade (Brett) Gardner,” as related by MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (on Twitter). Hoch adds that Cashman has rejected trade offers for third baseman Chase Headley. The Yankees, of course, have agreed to terms with Chapman and Matt Holliday to upgrade their bullpen and DH spot. The Yankees have listened to offers for Gardner this week.
With the Winter Meetings in the books, the Mets will now attempt to trade Jay Bruce or another outfielder, and they’ll try to add relief pitching on short-term deals, ESPN’s Adam Rubin tweets. Earlier this week, the Mets reportedly were interested in a Curtis Granderson / Brad Brach deal with the Orioles that would have addressed both needs, but that trade seems unlikely.

White Sox GM Rick Hahn Discusses Trading Adam Eaton

By Steve Adams | December 7, 2016 at 7:35pm CDT

After a whirlwind stretch of about 27 hours in which he traded franchise cornerstone Chris Sale and one of the game’s best all-around outfielders in Adam Eaton, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn expressed both the difficult and emotional nature of the decisions as well as the optimism he had about his organization’s future at a press conference at Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings. Having traded Sale for prospects Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Luis Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz yesterday, Hahn acquired right-handers Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning in this afternoon’s Eaton trade.

“There’s going to be some difficult elements of this along the way, as we talked about yesterday,” said Hahn of the decision embark on a rebuild. “I did not enjoy my phone call with Adam any more than I enjoyed my phone call with Chris yesterday. But everyone in that room, in that suite upstairs, when we went through the process of evaluating whether this was the right thing to do, was unanimously on board that this will help further our process.”

Though the front office was seemingly all on board, Hahn didn’t characterize that as an easy consensus to reach. Trading a player with five years of remaining club control was understandably characterized as a difficult decision to reach and one that at times was the source of some debate.

“We certainly expect to be in a position to contend for championships within the next five years,” the GM stated, “so we had to have our own debate. ’Are we better off doing this now, perhaps diversify a bit and bring in some other high-ceiling talent? Or do you stick with Adam yourself?’ I do think he had perhaps a little bit more appeal than maybe some free agent options, given the price points, or perhaps than some other players on the market because of the length of their control relative to Adam. That also meant that he came with a higher asking price.”

In the case of Eaton, that was three right-handed pitchers that Hahn termed “potential front-end-of-the-rotation fixtures.” The White Sox entered negotiations with high expectations and didn’t merely sell to the highest bidder, Hahn explained, and that’ll be the manner in which he continues to operate as he fields interest in other players on the roster. Names like Todd Frazier and Melky Cabrera represent short-term assets (free agents next winter) that could potentially be explored in deals, while others such as David Robertson (two years of control) Jose Abreu (three years) and Jose Quintana (four years) could merit larger commitments due to the fact that each can be a long-term (and reasonably priced) solution for an interested party.

Unsurprisingly, Hahn didn’t make mention of any specific players he’s already discussed or plans to market to other clubs, but he made no secret of the fact that the Sox hope to again find themselves in a position to receive a trade offer that they feel too strong to rebuff.

“There may well be nothing else while we’re [at the Winter Meetings,” Hahn explained. “There may not be anything else until after the holidays, or through the trade deadline or until next offseason. We’re taking a longer-term view, and we’re going to do this deliberately and with reason and logic, and react accordingly to the market. Eaton came together because Washington was fairly aggressive, as were a few other suitors that accelerated the time frame. We are open and eager for that to happen again, but if it doesn’t, we’ll be patient and move when the time is right.”

Though five of the players that they’ve acquired since Tuesday morning are pitchers, the White Sox weren’t specifically focusing on high-end pitching prospects when negotiating with other clubs. The Sox pursued the best prospects possible, regardless of position, according to Hahn. The end goal, he further explained, is to develop enough of a base of talent that the Sox don’t need to be so reliant on a top-heavy roster. In recent years, the White Sox haven’t had the “one-through-25 depth or even the one-through-40 depth” that a team needs in order to play at a championship level, Hahn opined.

Fostering that level of depth obviously isn’t a short-term endeavor, but that also doesn’t mean that the White Sox won’t reap any benefits in 2017. While Dunning — whom Hahn noted was high on the team’s draft board in 2016 — will begin the season in Class-A, both Giolito and Lopez are expected to open the season in the Sox’ Triple-A rotation and will get the opportunity to pitch in the Majors if they prove ready. “The good ones have a way of forcing the issue,” said Hahn, noting that both Giolito and Lopez “conceivably will contribute to the 2017 White Sox.”

And, depending on how the remainder of Chicago’s trading efforts work out, there could be further ripple effects on the Opening Day roster. The White Sox now look at Cabrera, Charlie Tilson and Avisail Garcia as their starting outfield alignment, according to the GM. Further subtractions throughout the roster, though, could lead the team to “augment” the roster as Spring Training approaches. If the Sox don’t have the requisite upper-level depth to fill a void or if the team doesn’t wish to rush a prospect to the Majors, it seems reasonable to expect the Sox to pursue a veteran option that could serve as a bridge to younger talent.

Over the past few years, Hahn has been used to speaking at press conferences in which he’s announcing a newly acquired addition to his Major League roster with an eye toward contending, making the past few days somewhat uncharted territory for the South Side GM.

“The weird part for me is that we walk around here, you have a lot of people congratulating you — kindly, with well-intentioned congratulations — whether it’s scouts, or executives from other clubs,” Hahn explained. “It’s a little awkward, because we traded Chris Sale. That’s not something you feel great about. That’s not a feather in your cap, so to speak, but this is where we are.”

Mike Rizzo Discusses Nationals’ Acquisition Of Adam Eaton

By Jeff Todd | December 7, 2016 at 6:29pm CDT

Nationals GM Mike Rizzo addressed his club’s acquisition of Adam Eaton from the White Sox, which cost a trio of quality pitching prospects. Eaton, who just turned 28, is controllable for five years at the reasonable rate of $38.4MM (the last two seasons via option). Here are a few highlights from the press conference:

Rizzo emphasized the importance of the flexibility that Eaton brings to the organization. Whether or not it opens the team to spend more money to add in other areas remains to be seen, but that certainly appears to be one possibility. The team’s “decisions aren’t made in a vacuum,” noted Rizzo. Eaton, he said, “gives us flexibility both positionally [and] flexibility payroll-wise,” which “puts us in position to do a lot of things.”

The contract and rate was obviously important, but Rizzo emphasized that Eaton himself was the driving consideration. Rizzo spoke glowingly of Eaton’s all-around game, explaining that he has a grinder’s approach, good contact skills, “sneaky pop,” and situational awareness at the plate. It helps, too, that Eaton is palatable against lefties, as Rizzo noted, though he fares much better in the on-base department (.359 career OBP) than with power (.352 slugging). All told, said Rizzo, “we think the arrow offensively is going up.”

Washington further believes that Eaton “also makes us better in the clubhouse” and “gives us a little edge and excitement at the ballpark,” in Rizzo’s words. And Eaton also rates as a quality defender, in the team’s estimation. “In the short term he’s certainly capable of playing center field very well,” said Rizzo. “And he’s an outstanding corner outfielder.” The strong-armed performer could, at least in theory, end up moving to a corner after the 2017 season, when Jayson Werth will hit the open market.

All told, the decision wasn’t quite as difficult internally as it might have seemed. “It was one of the few times in the draft room, in the war room where the analytical information matched up with the scouting eye, and it was a decision in the room that was very easy for us to make, to determine that this was the player, at this time, with that skillset, with the control, where at that price was the right guy for us to do it,” said Rizzo.

The veteran executive went on to note, interestingly, that Eaton also “gave [the Nationals] the most value for the players we were giving up.” Sacrificing Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Dane Dunning surely hurt, but that quote seemingly hints that the Nationals had identified certain hurlers as expendable. He emphasized that the team “traded from a position of depth,” using its arms to “fill a hole in our lineup” while still maintaining “the depth that we have in the major league rotation.”

In that regard, said Rizzo, “this deal was built around asset allocation.” Calling it a “win-win” arrangement, he characterized the White Sox’ side of the swap as a package of “good, potential upside players.” In return for parting with that still-to-be-developed talent, the Nats’ GM says they “got ourselves a good, young, skillful player that we control at below-market values for five seasons.”

Though Rizzo was disinclined to say whether the move meant that Trea Turner would take over for Danny Espinosa at short, that seems to be the only logical conclusion at the moment. Barring a surprise move involving Werth, he and Bryce Harper are expected to man the corners, and the remainder of the infield is otherwise spoken for, making for a rather clear, regular alignment in which Eaton plays center and Turner handles short. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that D.C. will deal Espinosa. He’s still a quality defender with a powerful (albeit strikeout-prone) switch-hitting bat, and still seemingly fits on the roster unless there’s a desire to re-allocate his payroll.

Nationals Acquire Adam Eaton

By Steve Adams and charliewilmoth | December 7, 2016 at 4:21pm CDT

The White Sox have announced that they’ve traded outfielder Adam Eaton to the Nationals in a deal centered on right-hander Lucas Giolito, as FanRag’s Jon Heyman previously reported. Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reported that right-handers Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning are also in the deal.

The price to acquire Eaton, 28, proved extremely costly for the Nationals, who will send two of the game’s top 10 right-handed pitching prospects, Giolito and Lopez, to Chicago in order to acquire him (rankings via MLB.com). Beyond that, Dunning was Washington’s first-round pick (No. 29 overall) this past summer.

The exceptionally steep cost to acquire Eaton is understandable, though, as he’s fresh off a season in which he batted .284/.362/.428 with 14 homers, 14 steals and perhaps the best right-field defense of anyone in baseball. Of course, the Nationals figure to put Eaton back in center field, where his glove isn’t as strong, but doing so will allow the team to put Trea Turner back at shortstop. And, with Jayson Werth hitting the open market next winter, the Nats could put Eaton back in a corner spot as soon as 2018 if GM Mike Rizzo adds a more premium defender next winter.

Not only was Eaton worth six wins above replacement in the estimation of both Fangraphs and Baseball Reference last season, he’s also on a wildly affordable contract that guarantees him just $19.9MM over the next three seasons and comes with two affordable club options. All told, his earnings can top out at $38.4MM if both options are picked up. For five eminently affordable years of a player of that ilk, it’s not surprising that multiple top 50 overall prospects and a 2016 first-round pick were required to pry Eaton away from the White Sox, who very clearly appear to be in the midst of an aggressive rebuilding process.

The Nationals had previously been in talks with the Pirates for Andrew McCutchen, with Lopez among the names connected to those talks. Their acquisition of Eaton would appear to shut the door on those negotiations. In Eaton, they’ve acquired a player who doesn’t have McCutchen’s power but who has superior secondary skills and is controllable for a longer period of time.

As for Chicago GM Rick Hahn, he’s bolstered his farm system by a staggering amount in a span of roughly 26 hours, as he added Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Luis Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz in yesterday’s Chris Sale blockbuster with the Red Sox. Remarkably, the Nationals were reported to have offered both Giolito and Lopez in their offer for Sale, and despite making the decision to rebuff that offer, he acquired both ballyhooed righties just one day later.

Giolito ranks as the third-best prospect in baseball, via MLB.com, which rates Giolito’s mid- to upper-90s fastball an 80 on the 20-to-80 scouting scale and regards his curveball almost as highly. Giolito raced from Double-A Harrisburg to the Majors in 2016, posting a 2.97 ERA, 9.1 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 115 1/3 minor league innings and tacking on 21 1/3 more in the Majors. The White Sox’ plans for the towering 6’6″ righty aren’t yet clear, but he could easily become a regular big-league rotation option in 2017. Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan tweets that the Nationals were “down” on Giolito, and some in the industry believe the Nats would have been willing to trade him in a one-for-one deal for Andrew Miller last summer, as Jon Morosi of MLB Network tweeted. Still, Giolito retains enormous upside.

Lopez is lesser known than Giolito, but brings a big arms of his own and rates 38th in MLB.com’s list. Like Giolito, he pitched in Harrisburg, Triple-A Syracuse and Washington in 2016, and he fared well in the minors before struggling a bit in the big leagues — he posted a 3.21 ERA, 10.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 109 1/3 minor league innings. He’s smaller than Giolito, at 6’0″, but like Giolito and Kopech, he’s got an electric arm — he can dial his fastball into the mid-90s and touch higher. He figures to pitch in the big leagues for at least a good portion of the 2017 season.

Dunning was the 29th overall pick in the June draft, and the 21-year-old rated as the Nats’ sixth-best prospect. Hayes tweets that the White Sox liked Dunning very much when they were scouting for the draft (when he was otherwise somewhat overlooked on a loaded Florida Gators team). MLB.com praises his fastball, which sits in the low- to mid-90s with good movement, and strong changeup. He made seven starts for the Nats’ short-season team in Auburn, posting a 2.14 ERA, 7.8 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9. He seems likely to begin the 2017 season at the Class A or A+ level, and he’s likely to be at least a year or two from contributing in the big leagues.

Morosi first said the two sides had talked earlier today, and MLB.com’s Scott Merkin said a trade was in the works. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the deal was close to being finalized.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nationals Close To Acquiring Adam Eaton

By Steve Adams | December 7, 2016 at 3:41pm CDT

3:41pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Nats are close to getting Eaton from the White Sox. Top outfield prospect Victor Robles is not in the deal, he adds.

3:35pm: The White Sox are working on a trade that would send outfielder Adam Eaton to the Nationals, reports MLB.com’s Scott Merkin (on Twitter).

Acquiring Eaton won’t be cheap for the Nationals. The 28-year-old is coming off a brilliant season in which he batted .284/.362/.428 with 14 homers and 14 stolen bases while delivering arguably the best right-field defense of any player in the Majors. Both Fangraphs and Baseball Reference pegged Eaton’s season at six wins above replacement, and on top of that, he’s controllable through the 2021 season for a total of $38.4MM (although only $19.9MM of that figure is guaranteed, as the remainder comes in the form of club options).

The Nationals are known to be in the market for a center fielder and have been connected to Andrew McCutchen on numerous occasions, but Eaton would give them a younger, cheaper and more controllable option to plug into center field. While there are certainly some questions about Eaton’s work in center — the very reason he was in right field was that the ChiSox moved him there after adding what they felt to be a better defensive center fielder — the same questions exist about McCutchen. Eaton would only need to play center for one year in D.C., as Jayson Werth is a free agent next winter, creating a corner vacancy for Eaton to slide into.

Acquiring Eaton would definitively push rising star Trea Turner back to his natural position of shortstop, and it would also give a right-leaning Nationals lineup a left-handed bat to hit atop the order and provide some balance.

As for the White Sox, an Eaton trade would likely return at least one MLB-ready component to offset some of the lost value from the departure of their best position player. It’d also further signal that a full-scale rebuild is in effect on the South Side of Chicago.

Trade Rumors: Colome, Eaton, Robertson, Braves, Orioles

By Steve Adams | December 7, 2016 at 2:46pm CDT

The Rays and Nationals have been in contact about a possible trade of Tampa Bay closer Alex Colome, tweets Jon Morosi of the MLB Network. Morosi doesn’t characterize the seriousness of the talks, though Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted recently that the Rays might market Colome once Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman sign, so perhaps this was a bit of ground work. The asking price on Colome, if the Rays do indeed field offers on him, would figure to be exceptionally high. The 27-year-old (28 at the end of the month) had a breakout season in the Tampa Bay bullpen this past year when he took over the ninth inning for the injured Brad Boxberger. In 56 2/3 innings, Colome logged a scintillating 1.91 ERA with 11.3 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 47.1 percent ground-ball rate with 37 saves. Beyond the dominant numbers, Colome has yet to reach salary arbitration and is controlled for another four years before he’s eligible for free agency.

More trade chatter from around the league…

Morosi also tweets that the Nationals are considering center field options beyond rumored top target Andrew McCutchen, and Adam Eaton of the White Sox is among them. Chicago’s willingness to part with Eaton, who is controllable through the 2021 season for a total of $38.4MM (only $18.4MM of which comes in guaranteed years), isn’t exactly clear. While some reports this offseason have indicated that the Sox are only interested in trading players with three or fewer years of club control remaining, FanRag’s Jon Heyman suggested yesterday that they could be open to dealing virtually anyone following the Chris Sale blockbuster. Moving Eaton, who hit .284/.362/.428 with elite corner outfield defense last season, would only make sense for an exceptionally large haul of young talent.
Heyman tweets that David Robertson has drawn some trade interest, but the White Sox might wait to see which teams miss out on Jansen and Chapman before seriously exploring offers. In that case, they’d face some competition in the form of the Rays and Colome, though Robertson would require a lesser prospect package from teams that are in the market for bullpen help. Then again, Robertson is also owed $25MM over the next two seasons and is coming off a disappointing season (by his standards), giving bullpen-needy teams a number of factors to mull when considering the pair of trade candidates.
The Braves inquired with the Orioles about the availability of right-handed setup man Brad Brach but found the asking price too high, tweets Sherman. Per his report, Baltimore asked Atlanta for young outfielder Mallex Smith in return. Brach has been nothing short of outstanding with the O’s over the past two seasons, compiling a 2.39 ERA with 10.3 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 in 158 1/3 innings of work, and he’s under club control for another two seasons. Smith won’t turn 24 until next May, though, and comes with five years of team control. He appeared in 72 games last season, his Major League debut, hitting .238/.316/.365. While those numbers don’t stand out, Smith has blistering speed and is considered a plus defender capable of playing all three outfield positions. He’s also performed fairly well in the upper levels of the minors, though he looks to have a limited role in 2017, when Atlanta will trot out Matt Kemp, Ender Inciarte and Nick Markakis to the outfield grass.

Latest On Cardinals’ Outfielder Search

By Mark Polishuk | December 7, 2016 at 5:35am CDT

The Cardinals are exploring several options as they look to the outfield market, with Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporting that the club is thought to have spoken to the White Sox about a trade for Adam Eaton. The Rockies are also open to the idea of swapping Charlie Blackmon for “a high return” and Goold notes that the Cards and Rox have held discussions in the past. Goold also notes previously-reported Cardinals targets as Lorenzo Cain and Jarrod Dyson of the Royals and free agent Dexter Fowler, plus another notable free agent name in Ian Desmond. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported yesterday that the Cards had held some internal discussions about pursuing Desmond’s services.

All of these players would fit the Cardinals’ stated goal of upgrading their defense and athleticism and all play center field, which would allow the Cards to keep Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty in corner outfield roles (though Eaton and Blackmon bring more defensive value in corner spots than as center fielders.) It doesn’t appear that St. Louis is necessarily close to a move, however, as GM John Mozeliak said Tuesday that he didn’t feel he was “a phone call away” from completing an acquisition, though he was in talks about at least five potential moves.

Now that Chris Sale has been traded, it would seem that the White Sox are at least open to discussing a deal for any player, though Eaton would come at a high cost. The outfielder signed a contract extension in March 2015 that keeps him under team control through 2019 at the earliest, and potentially through 2012 via club options. While Chicago may be in rebuild mode, the team surely hopes to be on track quickly enough that Eaton could be part of the next White Sox contender.

Blackmon comes with two years of control via his arbitration years, and while the Rockies plan on contending in 2017, they could look at a Blackmon deal as an opportunity to solve an outfield logjam (to find a spot for Gerardo Parra) while also addressing other roster holes. Starting or relief pitching are the most obvious needs for Colorado, and while the Cards have some arms to spare, they’ve already dealt perhaps their clearest pitching trade chip in Jaime Garcia. The Rox also have an open spot at first base, so perhaps Matt Adams could factor into a potential trade package, though it would certainly take more than just Adams to land Blackmon. Blackmon also has some questions marks due to his ordinary career numbers away from Coors Field.

Rather than sacrifice prospects or roster depth in a trade, the Cards could instead just sign Fowler or Desmond, though either of those signings would cost St. Louis a draft pick (both outfielders are qualifying offer free agents) and a significant cash outlay. Given that the Cardinals have been so heavily linked to Fowler this winter, it makes sense that they’d also be considering Desmond, who can similarly be an option in both center and left. Desmond has received interest from the Nationals, Orioles and Blue Jays this offseason, and while he had talks with his former team in Texas, the Rangers’ re-signing of Carlos Gomez doesn’t help Desmond’s chances at a return.

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