Angel Pagan

Latest On Angel Pagan

By Jeff Todd | March 8, 2017 at 1:52pm CDT

We’ve heard mostly crickets on the market for veteran outfielder Angel Pagan, who turned in a strong bounceback year in 2016 (.277/.331/.418 with 12 home runs and 15 stolen bases) but remains unsigned with camp well underway. MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently looked at the possible landing spots for the 35-year-old Pagan, who has been linked at least loosely to teams such as the Nationals, Blue Jays, and (quite a ways back) Orioles.

Here’s the latest on his situation:

On hand to face his old Giants club as a member of team Puerto Rico, Pagan spoke with reporters including MLB.com’s Chris Haft (links to Twitter). He says that he has only been offered minor-league deals, which obviously haven’t held appeal. “I just don’t feel I need to be fighting for a job,” he said. “If a team wants me to help a team win, they know I can help them win.” Pagan added that he’s healthy and certainly suggested he’s still hoping to find a place to play in 2017. “They’ll see it in the [World] Baseball Classic,” he said.

Earlier Updates

The Braves have made Pagan an offer, per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter), but it was of the minor-league variety. Understandably, Pagan is looking for a MLB roster spot, according to the report. While that’s not surprising, given his solid work last year and long history as a semi-regular player, it remains to be seen whether such an opportunity will arise.
For the time being, at least, Pagan seems willing to wait and see whether he does find a 40-man spot. His agent Greg Genske tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links) that Pagan is currently focused on preparing to play in the World Baseball Classic with Puerto Rico. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how he performs, and whether or not that may have some impact on the interest level around the league.
That said, Genske notes that Pagan “has received several offers from clubs during the off-season and since start of spring training.” To date, the agent adds, he “has not yet found the right fit.” Whether that’s his way of saying that MLB offers haven’t been forthcoming, or whether Pagan is heavily weighing other factors (money, role, location, etc.), isn’t immediately clear. All told, though, it seems reasonable to expect that some organization will find enough of a need — whether due to injury or reevaluation of internal options — to offer Pagan at least a reserve/platoon job with some amount of guaranteed money.

AL East Notes: Jays, Rays, Red Sox, Orioles

By Connor Byrne | March 5, 2017 at 9:12am CDT

The Blue Jays have shown interest in outfielder Angel Pagan, one of the best free agents left on the market, but it’s unlikely he’ll end up in Toronto, according to Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. The club is content to stick with Steve Pearce, Melvin Upton Jr., Ezequiel Carrera and Dalton Pompey as its left field options and doesn’t want to disrupt their competition by adding Pagan to the mix on a major league contract, per Chisholm.

Potential Landing Spots For Angel Pagan

By Steve Adams | February 28, 2017 at 8:21pm CDT

Spring Training is underway, and though all of the names on MLBTR’s Top 50 ranking from this past November have come off the board, a handful of useful free agents still remain in search of new homes. Angel Pagan quite arguably tops that list. The 35-year-old has averaged 547 plate appearances and 131 games per season across the past two years after missing much of the 2013-14 campaigns due to injury, and the 2016 season was a productive one for the switch-hitter. Pagan batted .277/.331/.418 with a career-high 12 homers to go along with 15 stolen bases and defense in left that ranged from passable (-4 Defensive Runs Saved) to slightly above average (+4.4 Ultimate Zone Rating).

Though he’s played in about 130 games in each of the past two seasons, Pagan has nonetheless required time on the disabled list in each of those campaigns — most recently spending a few weeks on the shelf with a hamstring injury. His days of playing center field on a regular basis could possibly be behind him as well; the Giants shifted Pagan to left field last year after signing Denard Span to a three-year deal. With Pagan set to turn 36 this season and poor defensive metrics from his last regular work in center field (2015 — though he was hampered by knee troubles that season), some clubs may be wary of his glove in center.

Pagan has drawn interest from the Nationals, per FOX’s Ken Rosenthal, who also reported that the Blue Jays and Royals had interest before adding Jose Bautista and Brandon Moss, respectively. Pagan will hardly break the bank at the stage of the offseason — Rosenthal suggested that the Nats are hoping to land him on a minor league deal — but the longtime Giants and Mets outfielder still seems perfectly capable of helping a big league team. His bat checked in at roughly league average last year, per park-adjusted metrics like OPS+ and wRC+, and depending on one’s preferred defensive metric/WAR version, Pagan was worth one to two wins.

Let’s run down a few speculative landing spots for Pagan that make some sense on paper…

Athletics [Current depth chart]: Oakland’s outfield mix right now looks to include Khris Davis as the primary left fielder, Rajai Davis in center field and Matt Joyce in right (where he’ll platoon with Jake Smolinski). Mark Canha and/or Adam Rosales could see some occasional time in the outfield corners as well, but there’s enough uncertainty here that Pagan could serve as an upgrade.
Braves [Current depth chart]: Atlanta still doesn’t have much of an option in center in the event of an Ender Inciarte injury or day off. Matt Kemp is no longer an option there, and Jace Peterson has all of eight innings in the Majors at the position. The Braves have claimed corner options like Adam Walker and Christian Walker this winter, but Pagan profiles as more of a traditional fourth outfielder than either of those younger options.
Blue Jays [Current depth chart]: Even after re-signing Bautista, it’s not hard to see how Pagan could fit into the Jays’ outfield mix. Toronto is currently set to rely on a platoon of Ezequiel Carrera and Melvin Upton Jr./Steve Pearce in left field. Pagan could compete for at-bats in left and could also help to spell Bautista in right (either late in games as a defensive replacement or in the starting lineup on days when Bautista serves as a DH). Speculating further, he could even push Bautista to first base with some degree of regularity (though the team does have both Justin Smoak and Pearce as options there).
Giants [Current depth chart]: San Francisco seems set on seeing what it has on its hands with a pair of unproven outfielders: Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson. Parker, though, has demonstrated significant strikeout issues and needed a .360 average on balls in play to produce a fairly modest .267 average in the Majors. Williamson is the younger of the pair and has come with his own strikeout issues. Left field still looks like the Giants’ biggest hole, on paper, but they seem to prefer to move on to younger options.
Nationals [Current depth chart]: Jayson Werth, Adam Eaton and Bryce Harper are set to be the primary outfielders in D.C., but Werth has had his own injury issues in recent years. Michael Taylor, Chris Heisey and perhaps an occasional appearance from Adam Lind appear to be the Nationals’ primary reserve options, but Taylor’s yet to make enough contact in the Majors to tap into his considerable upside. GM Mike Rizzo has been highly active late in the winter, adding both Matt Wieters and Joe Blanton in the past week.
Orioles [Current depth chart]: The O’s were linked to Pagan back in December, though they’ve since added Michael Bourn and Craig Gentry on minor league deals. Bourn, though, will miss the next four weeks due to a broken finger, so perhaps the Orioles will again turn to Pagan as a possible depth piece. GM Dan Duquette reportedly would like an outfielder that can provide some speed and corner defense, and Pagan can fit that bill. Baltimore does have a pair of Rule 5 outfielders in camp in Aneury Tavarez and Anthony Santander, though, so the team may also feel the outfield scene is crowded enough.
Pirates [Current depth chart]: No one is supplanting any of Gregory Polanco, Starling Marte or Andrew McCutchen for a regular role in the Pittsburgh outfield, but the primary backup outfielders appear to be Adam Frazier (who was more of an infielder in the minors) and John Jaso, who is definitively limited to the corners.
Twins [Current depth chart]: Minnesota looks to be going young across the board in the outfield, with Eddie Rosario in left, Byron Buxton in center and Max Kepler in right. Switch-hitter Robbie Grossman is on hand and could serve as a right-handed complement to Rosario or Kepler, and Drew Stubbs is in camp with Minnesota trying to win a job. Out-of-options Danny Santana, a former shortstop, has seen his share of outfield action as well. There are plenty of options for the Twins, but if it’s determined that one of the starters needs to return to Triple-A, or if an option like Stubbs or Santana falters, there’s room for an addition.
Tigers [Current depth chart]: Justin Upton and J.D. Martinez are set for everyday work in the corners, but the Tigers are going piecemeal in center field. Mikie Mahtook and Tyler Collins look primed to form a platoon, with Anthony Gose and young JaCoby Jones also on hand as options. It’s up for debate whether Pagan’s glove will play in center field anymore, but given the uncertainty in Detroit, it’s easy to see where he could slot into the mix.
White Sox [Current depth chart]: Melky Cabrera, Charlie Tilson and Avisail Garcia look to be the starting trio for the ChiSox in the outfield, with veteran Peter Bourjos in camp on a non-roster invite. Waiver claim Rymer Liriano, too, could enter the mix — perhaps as a platoon partner for Tilson. Pagan could push Garcia or Cabrera to designated hitter, in theory, or he could slot in elsewhere if the Sox decide that Tilson needs more seasoning.

I’ll open this one up for everyone to weigh in (link to the poll for Trade Rumors mobile app users)…

Nationals Have Interest In Angel Pagan

By Steve Adams | February 27, 2017 at 8:24am CDT

The Nationals are among the teams with interest in free-agent outfielder Angel Pagan, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports in his latest notes column. However, the Nationals and other interested parties are hoping to land Pagan on a minor league pact, Rosenthal notes.

That Pagan would potentially have to settle for a minors deal is somewhat of a surprise. Though age isn’t on his side, as he’ll turn 36 this July, Pagan is coming off a quite-productive season at the plate and remains a very viable option in left field — if not in center. Last season, the switch-hitter batted .277/.331/.418 with a career-high 12 home runs in 543 trips to the plate. He also provided above-average value on the bases (15-for-19 in stolen bases and, per Fangraphs, +1.9 runs overall) and was one of the game’s most difficult batters to strike out. Only 16 players whiffed at a rate lower than Pagan’s 12.2 percent in 2016.

Certainly, Pagan comes with some durability concerns. He’s been on the disabled list in each of the past four seasons and missed just under a month with a hamstring injury in 2016. However, after being limited to just 167 games between the 2013-14 seasons, he’s averaged 131 games and 547 plate appearances across the past two seasons.

The Nationals have a mostly full outfield, with Jayson Werth slated to roam left field, newly acquired Adam Eaton in center field and 2015 NL MVP Bryce Harper in right field. Pagan could serve as a solid fourth outfielder that could spell Eaton from time to time and provide somewhat of a safety net for the oft-injured Jayson Werth. Chris Heisey is the team’s primary backup, and Adam Lind could see some occasional time in left field as well. Michael Taylor, too, is on hand as a potential option in the outfield, though the promise he once showed has yet to manifest in the Majors, and he’s coming off a dreadful 2016 season.

Per Rosenthal, Pagan also drew interest from the Blue Jays and the Royals earlier this winter, but those two teams have since inked Jose Bautista and Brandon Moss to respective contracts. Bautista’s deal with the Jays, though, hardly seems like it should entirely preclude Toronto from harboring continued interest in Pagan. The Blue Jays currently look poised to deploy a platoon of Ezequiel Carrera and Melvin Upton Jr. in left field, and it’s not difficult to argue that Pagan would be an upgrade over that pairing. Speculatively speaking, the Tigers and White Sox could each offer Pagan a fairly significant role in 2017, and a number of teams could consider Pagan an improvement over their current fourth outfielder.

Orioles Interested In Rajai Davis

By Steve Adams | December 23, 2016 at 10:33am CDT

The Orioles have interest in free-agent outfielder Rajai Davis as the team looks to add some speed to its outfield mix, reports Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. The O’s have previously been linked to Angel Pagan amidst their search for a corner outfielder/leadoff man, but Encina writes that the team’s interest in Davis may have surpassed its interest in Pagan at this point.

Davis, 36, enjoyed a solid season with the Indians in 2016. While his two-run homer off Aroldis Chapman in Game 7 of the World Series might be what most fans associate with the 11-year veteran, strong glovework and exceptional baserunning are what made Davis such a valuable commodity in Cleveland last year. In 495 plate appearances, Davis batted just .249/.306/.388, and though he did slug a career-best 12 homers, his strikeout rate climbed to a career-high 21.4 percent. Davis uncharacteristically struggled against left-handed pitching last year despite boasting a very solid .288/.343/.437 slash against southpaws in his career.

Capable of playing all three outfield positions, Davis was a passable though unspectacular option in left field and center field with Cleveland in 2016 (depending on one’s preferred metric/method of evaluation). He’d be in line mostly for corner work with the Orioles, due to Adam Jones’ presence in center field, and could reasonably function in a platoon capacity with Hyun Soo Kim if Baltimore isn’t keen on giving Kim a chance against left-handed pitching in 2017. (Kim received just 22 plate appearances against southpaws last year.) Of course, Davis may well be looking for a more significant role, and his respectable defense and prowess on the bases plus a lack of proven options on the roster could allow that to materialize in Baltimore.

Davis’ 43 stolen bases in 2016 not only led the American League — they were more than twice as many as the Orioles’ entire roster mustered over the life of the regular season. Baltimore, somewhat stunningly, managed just 19 stolen bases on the year in 2016. That’s the lowest single-season total of any team since the Tigers stole just 17 bases as a team all the way back in 1972. And, Davis’ baserunning value extends beyond his raw stolen base numbers, as Fangraphs rated him as the game’s second-best baserunner last year, trailing only Billy Hamilton, due largely to his ability to take extra bases in non-stealing situations (going first to third, second to home, etc.).

Baltimore has reportedly been in talks with Mark Trumbo for quite some time about a return to play right field, although the team could conceivably add Trumbo and an outfielder, electing to use Trumbo primarily as a DH while deploying more defensively gifted options in the outfield. Pagan, too, would provide a solid defensive option with a bit of speed — albeit less than Davis — though it’s not entirely clear what the asking price for either Davis or Pagan is at this juncture. That, of course, will factor heavily into Baltimore’s thought process — especially if talks with Trumbo continue and/or intensify in the weeks to come.

Quick Hits: Lagares, Giants, Lopez, Romo, Holland, Cole

By Mark Polishuk | December 11, 2016 at 10:58pm CDT

No-trade protection (whether in the form of contract clauses or 10-and-5 rights) have long been a factor in deal-making. MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince chronicles some famous instances throughout baseball history of players blocking trades, and some current players mentioned on the rumor mill whose ability to be moved is complicated by their own full or partial no-trade clauses. Here’s more from around baseball…

Mets center fielder Juan Lagares suffered an injury while making a diving catch for his Dominican winter league team, ESPN’s Adam Rubin reports. X-rays were negative, though Lagares will return to New York to be examined by team doctors. Lagares has himself received some trade attention this offseason but New York wants to keep the slick-fielding but light-hitting outfielder in a backup role.
It doesn’t look like the Giants will be re-signing free agents Gregor Blanco, Santiago Casilla, Javier Lopez, Angel Pagan, Jake Peavy or Sergio Romo, CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic writes. Romo has received “at least a couple of offers” from other clubs, according to Giants sources. Lopez is likely to retire unless he gets “a great offer” from an East Coast team so he can stay close to his home in Georgia.
GM David Stearns declined to say whether or not the Brewers were one of the teams Greg Holland personally met with at the Winter Meetings, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reports. The Brewers did scout Holland’s showcase last month, however, so the Crew can be added to the long list of teams that have some degree of interest in Holland after his return from Tommy John surgery. The Cubs, Dodgers, Yankees, Giants, Red Sox, Indians, Rays, Mariners, Nationals, Padres, Twins, Mets, Phillies, Tigers, Blue Jays and Royals are all known to have sent scouts to the showcase or have other been linked to Holland this winter.
Gerrit Cole tells MLB.com’s Adam Berry that he has yet to talk to the Pirates about his 2017 contract. MLB Trade Rumors projects Cole to earn $4.2MM in his first time through the arbitration process following a season that saw him post a 3.88 ERA, 2.72 K/BB rate and 7.6 K/9 over 116 innings. While the numbers are solid, they were also Cole’s worst in his four big league seasons, as he suffered through an injury-plagued year. This performance dip and rather checkered health history could be reasons why the Pirates aren’t planning to discuss an extension with Cole and agent Scott Boras over the winter, though Cole said he is healthy and will begin his offseason throwing program on Monday.

Free Agent Rumors: Red Sox, Orioles, Mets, Cahill, Drew

By Steve Adams | November 30, 2016 at 11:24am CDT

ESPN’s Scott Lauber joins other reporters in downplaying the possibility of Edwin Encarnacion signing with the Red Sox, noting that Boston is reluctant to give that type of long-term commitment to a DH and also isn’t keen on parting with a draft pick to sign him. Boston has been linked to Carlos Beltran extensively, and a source recently told Lauber that the Red Sox still “want him badly.” Boston has also reached out to Mike Napoli, according to Lauber, although if Napoli is truly seeking a three-year commitment (as was rumored yesterday), then the Sox may not want to wait around for his asking price to drop to a more reasonable level.

A few more notes on the free-agent market…

Angel Pagan is “definitely” on the Orioles’ radar as they look for help in the corner outfield and atop their lineup, reports Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com. Though he’s battled injuries in recent years, the 35-year-old somewhat quietly batted .277/.331/.418 with 12 homers and 15 steals in 543 plate appearances for the Giants last year, and Connolly notes that he’d fit the Orioles’ from an offensive, defensive and financial standpoint. Per Connolly, the Orioles aren’t likely to spend heavily to address their leadoff/right field need. In a separate column, he also writes about the possibility of a reunion between Pedro Alvarez and the O’s, noting that some in the organization feel Alvarez is the likeliest of the team’s free agents to return (over Mark Trumbo and Matt Wieters). Connolly also writes that many of Alvarez’s teammates spoke highly of him as both a teammate and a person.
The Mets still have no intention of pursuing one of the top three closers on the market, reports MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (Twitter links). DiComo checked in recently on Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon and was informed that there’s “little to no interest” from the Mets on that front. Rather, the team is looking at mid-tier free agents, and DiComo lists Fernando Salas as one example. Salas finished out the year in the Mets’ bullpen and performed brilliantly, firing 17 1/3 innings of 2.08 ERA ball with 19 strikeouts and no walks.
After enjoying a renaissance in the Cubs’ bullpen, Trevor Cahill is marketing himself as a starting pitcher this winter and has already received three offers, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). Still just 28 years old (29 in March), Cahill turned in a 2.74 ERA with 9.1 K/9, 4.8 BB/9 and a robust 56.6 percent ground-ball rate in 65 2/3 innings with the Cubs. While the walks are a concern, Cahill’s relative youth and the dearth of quality arms on the market make him a fairly intriguing roll of the dice in a rotation role.
The Angels have had some preliminary talks with free agent second baseman Stephen Drew, reports Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (on Twitter). They haven’t had any sort of advanced talks with Drew’s camp though, and Fletcher characterizes him as one of several possibilities that is under consideration while noting that the Halos aren’t close to anything with any second base option. Drew logged a pair of brutal seasons at the plate in 2014-15 but hit well with the Nationals in 2016 when he batted .266/.339/.524 with eight homers in a very limited role. Drew picked up just 17 plate appearances against lefties last year and received only 165 PAs on the season as a whole.

NL West Notes: Preller, Giants, Rockies, D’Backs

By Mark Polishuk | October 22, 2016 at 10:36am CDT

Padres GM A.J. Preller is back on the job now that his 30-day suspension has ended, though both Preller and the organization may need more time to repair their reputations around baseball. ESPN’s Buster Olney (subscription required) reports that several teams will adjust how they negotiate with San Diego from now on, while one team has simply refused to consider any trades with Preller and the Padres. There is also still “a river of industry speculation” that the Padres could face lawsuits about their handling of player medical information. Here’s some more from around the NL West…

In a reader mailbag piece about several Giants-related topics, MLB.com’s Chris Haft doesn’t see San Francisco re-signing free agents Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez, Angel Pagan or Jake Peavy, though there’s a chance Gregor Blanco could return. The probable departures of Romo and Lopez could be part of a wider bullpen shakeup for the Giants, as GM Bobby Evans has said that finding a closer is a top offseason priority.
The Rockies’ managerial search is discussed by Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post as part of his own reader maibag. Saunders feels the team’s new skipper should come from outside the organization in order to bring a fresh perspective. It seems like Colorado is more apt to hire a manager who leans more towards the front office’s analytical mindset. Former manager Walt Weiss “embraced the statistics and analytics to a large degree,” though ultimately preferred to rely on gut-level calls and felt he was being interfered with by the front office. The well-documented discord between Weiss and GM Jeff Bridich also didn’t help things, as you might expect.
The Diamondbacks lost three members of the scouting department in part due to the front office uncertainty prior to hiring of new GM Mike Hazen, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. Assistant director of scouting Brendan Domaracki and longtime scout Howard McCullough (who had been with the D’Backs since the franchise began operations) both left for positions with the Mariners, while amateur scout Frankie Thon Jr. will join the Angels as their new international crosschecker and assistant director of international scouting.

Injury Notes: Salazar, Strasburg, Liriano, Pagan, Young

By Jeff Todd | October 12, 2016 at 9:55am CDT

The Indians continue to see progress from right Danny Salazar, as ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports. He is readying for a sim game today or tomorrow as he works to return from a forearm strain, after which Cleveland will determine whether he’s ready to work from the bullpen in the upcoming ALCS. That would provide the Indians with a notable boost to a bullpen that figures to be a key to the team’s chances.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the game:

As they hope for their own trip to the league championship round, the Nationals don’t appear to have quite as much cause for optimism for their own injured starter, Stephen Strasburg, as MLB.com’s Jamal Collier reports. Manager Dusty Baker said that Strasburg, who’s dealing with forearm problems, was throwing well in a pen session but elected to cut it short after experiencing discomfort. Baker did suggest it wasn’t a true setback, and Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post notes on Twitter that Strasburg was tossing from flat ground yesterday. That seems to suggest there’s at least a glimmer of hope that he’d be available if the team reaches the NLCS, though perhaps a hypothetical World Series return would be more plausible.
The Blue Jays appear set to utilize lefty Francisco Liriano in the ALCS after he reported positive developments after being struck by a liner in the divisional series, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports on Twitter. Liriano says he’s symptom-free and ready to go this weekend. The 32-year-old pitched well down the stretch while working mostly as a starter, but has been used from the pen thus far in the postseason. He’ll likely factor as an important swingman as the Jays seek to move on to the playoffs’ final round.
Giants outfielder Angel Pagan was hopeful he’d be able to go for last night’s thrilling NLDS Game 4, Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News reported. His back spasms had him at day-to-day status, the veteran said. Ultimately, though, Pagan did not appear in the contest, in which San Francisco suffered another stunning bullpen meltdown to end its season. The 35-year-old’s five-year run with the Giants may be over, with the seemingly minor back issue not doing much to damper a nice bounceback campaign. Over 543 plate appearances on the year, he posted a sturdy .277/.331/.418 batting line with 15 steals and a dozen home runs. The switch-hitting Pagan was particularly good against right-handed pitching, and seems likely to draw a fair bit of interest as a center field-capable fourth outfielder on the open market.
Royals righty Chris Young underwent surgery to what the team described as his “bilateral core and right-sided adductor,” per a club announcement (via MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan; Twitter links). He’s only expected to need eight weeks to recover, meaning that the procedure shouldn’t have much of an impact on his ramp-up next spring.

Trade Market Notes: Teheran, Bruce, Reddick, Giants, Rangers, White Sox

By Jeff Todd | July 22, 2016 at 11:34pm CDT

Braves righty Julio Teheran exited tonight’s start with what is being described as right lat tightness, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman writes. Teheran had been throwing well, once again, before the issue arose. We’ve already seen plenty of cold water thrown on the idea that he’ll be traded, and this injury — even if it’s minor — could help seal the deal (or, rather, the lack thereof).

Here are some more notes as the trade market continues to take shape:

It has largely been taken for granted that the Reds will trade Jay Bruce this summer. But ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets that some rival executives are finding it difficult to gain any traction in talks with the Cincinnati front office. Others, though, still see a deal as likely.
Some of the same teams pursuing Bruce are in on Athletics outfielder Josh Reddick, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi notes on Twitter. That’s not surprising — both are left-handed-hitting corner outfielders, albeit rather different ones — and it’s certainly possible to imagine the interplay between their respective markets having an impact on how trade talks progress. The Cubs, Dodgers, and Indians all have some level of interest in both players, per the report.
As for the Athletics and Reddick, there are other teams in the mix, too. Per John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group, the Royals and Giants are also taking a look. Of course, we also heard today (subsequent to Hickey’s report) that Kansas City may instead head in a different direction.
We’ve heard plenty of chatter on Melvin Upton tonight, after Olney suggested earlier today that he could be a fit for the Giants. Whether or not Upton is the target — or, as just noted, Reddick — it seems that San Francisco is once again leaning toward adding another outfielder. Hunter Pence’s return hasn’t been quite as smooth as might’ve been hoped, and the remaining primary mix — Angel Pagan, Denard Span, and Gregor Blanco — hasn’t been terribly productive, though Pagan has had a solid bounceback campaign. On the other hand, both Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson have hit at better than league-average rates when they’ve been up, so the club isn’t exactly hurting for options.
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News provides a useful round-up of the Rangers’ efforts to bolster a scuffling rotation. In addition to opening talks with the Rays and White Sox, as has been covered extensively, the team is looking at a variety of other possibilities. Andrew Cashner of the Padres is one player that the Rangers have discussed, as are Mariners lefties James Paxton and Wade Miley. It seems that all variety of options continue to be on the table, as all of the pitchers covered in the report constitute quite different assets. GM Jon Daniels suggests that, while he’d prefer to move quickly toward a deal, the odds are that it’ll come down to the deadline.
As the White Sox weigh what (if any) players to sell, the club won’t have two short-term assets on the shelf. As Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports, both center fielder Austin Jackson and catcher Alex Avila — each of whom was signed to a one-year deal over the winter — are still a ways away from returning from their respective injuries.

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