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Jake Diekman

Which Players Could White Sox Make Available Closer To The Trade Deadline?

By Steve Adams | May 1, 2023 at 11:59pm CDT

I wrote about the calamitous White Sox start on Friday, and over the weekend the team went 1-2, snapping a nine-game losing streak with a stunning seven-run bottom half of the ninth inning, walking off the Rays in the process. Even if that win sparks some momentum for a listless South Side club, the Sox are already nine back in the AL Central. They’d need to play at an 82-51 pace (.617) to get to 90 wins. It’s not even clear that’d be enough for a division win, with the Twins playing at a 95-win pace.

Early May is pretty early to be doing any forward-looking breakdown of what a team might have to offer at this year’s trade deadline, but the current state of the White Sox is a bit more dire than usual. Their playoff odds at FanGraphs have plummeted from 30.5% prior to the season to just 4.2% now. PECOTA has their playoff odds at just 3.2%. They have MLB’s second-worst run differential (-65) and are already battling myriad injuries with some glaring depth issues.

One of the most frequently asked questions over the past week in the chats we host at MLBTR has been one of who could be available if the Sox sell this summer. With that in mind and with an obligatory “it’s still only May 1” caveat, here’s a quick rundown of the possibilities and how they’ve begun the season.

Rental Players

The most obvious candidates to change hands if the Sox do indeed end up selling, all of these players are set to be free agents at season’s end anyhow. There are a couple of qualifying offer candidates within the group, so the Sox would need to feel they’re getting more than the value of a compensatory draft pick back in those instances.

Lucas Giolito, RHP, 28, $10.4MM salary

Giolito won’t turn 29 until mid-July and stands as one of the potential top arms on next offseason’s free-agent market … if he can round back into form this season and put an ugly 2022 campaign behind him. From 2019-21, the former first-round pick was one of the American League’s top arms, making the All-Star team in ’19 and securing Cy Young votes in all three of those seasons — including sixth- and seventh-place finishes in 2019 and 2020, respectively. During that stretch, Giolito logged a collective 3.47 ERA with a huge 30.7% strikeout rate and solid 8% walk rate.

The 2022 season was another story. Giolito’s fastball dropped from the 94.2 mph it averaged during that three-year peak down to 92.7 mph. His strikeout rate fell to an above-average but still-diminished 25.4%. His walk rate crept up a bit, to 8.7%. His opponents’ average exit velocity jumped from 87.8 mph to 88.8 mph, and his hard-hit rate rose from 34.5% to 39%. None of those are awful numbers, but everything went the wrong direction for Giolito in ’22. A huge .340 BABIP surely contributed to some of his struggles — being a fly-ball pitcher with the worst outfield defense in baseball isn’t fun — but it wasn’t a great season regardless.

Giolito’s picked some velocity back up early this season. His 23.1% strikeout rate isn’t near its peak, but his 4.1% walk rate is far and away a career-best mark. If the White Sox sell, Giolito will likely be one of the best and most in-demand starters on the market. He’s out to a decent start, and with his track record, age and upside, a qualifying offer seems likely, barring a disastrous collapse. The Sox would need to feel they got more value than they’d net in the form of a compensatory draft pick.

Reynaldo Lopez, RHP, 29, $3.625MM

Lopez has had a terrible start to the season, with an 8.76 ERA and five home runs allowed in just 12 1/3 innings (3.65 HR/9). He was very good in the ’pen in 2021-22, however, notching a 3.07 ERA with an above-average 24.8% strikeout rate and a 5.3% walk rate. In 2023, Lopez is sporting a career-best 33.3% strikeout rate, and he’s averaging a career-high 99.2 mph on his heater. His 14.6% swinging-strike rate is excellent. If Lopez who allowed just one home run in 55 2/3 innings last year, can get past this bizarre home run spike, he still has obvious late-inning potential and is the type of affordable power arm who’d appeal to other clubs.

Mike Clevinger, RHP, 32, $12MM

Clevinger technically has a 2024 option on his contract, but mutual options are almost exclusively accounting measures and are exercised by both parties with only the utmost rarity. He’s still just 32 years old, by Clevinger’s halcyon days feel like they were a lot longer ago than 2017-20. He missed the 2021 season following Tommy John surgery, came back with a diminished fastball and middling peripherals in ’22, and hasn’t looked much better in 2023, with a 4.60 ERA, below-average 19.3% strikeout rate and ugly 11.1% walk rate in 29 1/3 innings. Clevinger has gained some but not all of the life on his heater back, and his current 8.1% swinging-strike rate is both well below the league average (11.1%) and easily the lowest mark of his career. He’s pitching like a fifth starter right now, and not a particularly cheap one.

Elvis Andrus, 2B/SS, 35, $3MM

Andrus was great with the White Sox in place of an injured Tim Anderson down the stretch in 2022 (.271/.309/.464, nine homers, 11 steals) and has been the opposite so far in 2023, hitting .206/.274/.245 in 113 plate appearances with well below-average quality of contact, per Statcast. He can still play defense and has now shown a willingness to log some time at second base, so another club could look at him as a slick-fielding utility option. He’ll need to hit more than he has in the season’s first month, though.

Hanser Alberto, INF, 30, $2.3MM

Alberto has typically been a solid defender at three infield spots with good bat-to-ball skills, a bottom-of-the-barrel walk rate and minimal power. This season, however, he’s made some glaring misplays at third base and batted just .211/.211/.368 in 19 plate appearances before hitting the IL with a quad strain. It’s a tiny sample, but he needs to get healthy and play better to even make it to the trade deadline on the big league roster.

Yasmani Grandal, C, 34, $18.25MM

The switch-hitting Grandal has bounced back at the plate with a .241/.323/.446 batting line (114 wRC+) and three homers in 93 plate appearances. His 8.6% walk rate is well down from its career 14.5% level, and his once-vaunted defensive ratings have fallen below average at 34. Given his considerable salary, Grandal is only changing hands if the ChiSox eat a good portion of the bill.

Signed/Controlled for One Extra Year

Moving anyone from this group would signal a more aggressive seller’s standpoint from the front office, but the Sox would generally be able to retain their core players while also unlocking larger returns than they’d be land for their generally modest collection of rentals.

Tim Anderson, SS, 30 | $12.5MM in 2023, $14MM club option for 2024

Anderson batted above .300 in four straight seasons from 2019-22, turning in an overall .318/.347/.473 slash that was 23% better than league average, by measure of wRC+. The two-time All-Star is a regular threat for 15 to 20 home runs and 15 to 25 steals. Defensive metrics are mixed on his work at shortstop, but his only across-the-board below average season per DRS, UZR and OAA came in 2022, when he was hobbled by a groin strain. Anderson is a well above-average regular with All-Star potential and a highly affordable salary through the 2024 season.

The White Sox’ top prospect is 2021 first-rounder Colson Montgomery, who has become one of the game’s top-ranked shortstop prospects. He opened the season on the shelf with an oblique strain but could be ready for a big league look in 2024 after reaching Double-A as a 20-year-old in 2022.

Lance Lynn, RHP, 36 | $18.5MM in 2023, $18MM club option for 2024

Lynn, 36 next week, hasn’t been himself so far in 2023. His 10.1% walk rate is his highest since 2018 by a wide margin, and he’s allowed a jarring 2.20 homers per nine frames. The 94.4 mph he averaged on his heater in 2019-21 is down to 92.6 mph in 2023, and while he’s still missing bats in the zone and off the plate, Lynn has allowed too much hard contact when opponents do connect. Hitters posted just a .192/.238/.335 slash against Lynn’s four-seamer as recently as 2022, but they’re hitting .283/.365/.587 when putting the pitch in play this year. The 2019-22 version of Lynn is well worth that 2024 option price, but he needs to solve his home run woes.

Liam Hendriks, RHP, 34 | $14MM in 2023, $15MM club option for 2024

Hendriks hasn’t pitched this season but recently announced that he’s cancer-free after battling non-Hodgkins lymphoma for the past several months. Hendriks is one of the game’s best relievers, and the priority is simply getting back on the field. If he looks like himself, he’d garner interest.

Joe Kelly, RHP, 35 | $9MM in 2023, $9.5MM club option for 2024

Kelly has been on the IL three times since signing a two-year, $17MM deal with the White Sox prior to the 2022 season. He also has a 6.26 ERA and a 12.6% walk rate with the South Siders. He’s still missing bats, racking up grounders and has had improved command in his tiny 4 2/3  inning sample this season. The Sox might have to eat some money to move him even if he’s pitching decently.

Kendall Graveman, RHP, 32 | $8MM in 2023, $8MM in 2024

Graveman is still throwing hard and missing bats at a solid clip, but his sinker isn’t getting grounders anywhere near its prior levels. He’s sitting on a 38.7% ground-ball rate in ’23 after living at 54% in 2021-22 and 52.1% in his career prior to the current season. On a surely related note, he’s giving up homers at a career-worst rate (2.38 HR/9). Graveman’s first season in Chicago was solid, but he’s at risk of becoming another high-priced bullpen misstep.

Jake Diekman, LHP, 36 | $3.5MM in 2023, $4MM club option for 2024

The White Sox acquired Diekman from the Red Sox at last year’s trade deadline even though he’d walked 17.5% of his opponents in Boston, and the command has only gotten worse. Diekman has walked a whopping 13 of his 58 opponents (22.4%) in 2023 while posting a 7.94 ERA. Command has always been a weak point, but this current rate just isn’t tenable. If he can’t right the ship, it’s hard to imagine him lasting on the roster until the trade deadline.

Longer Term Players

Moving anyone from this bunch is tougher to envision, as it would effectively signal a larger-scale rebuilding effort. While the Sox could still move one or even multiple players from this group without necessarily embarking on a full-scale rebuild, these moves would represent a clear step back from contending not only in 2023 but likely in 2024 at the very least — quite possibly longer.

Dylan Cease, RHP, 27 | $5.3MM in 2023, arb-eligible in 2024-25

Trading Cease would amount to waving a white flag not only on this season but on the entire rebuild that the Sox went through from 2016-20. Cease finished runner-up to Justin Verlander in American League Cy Young voting last year and was so dominant — 2.20 ERA, 30.4% strikeout rate, 6.4 bWAR in 184 innings — that he might’ve won in another year where he wasn’t chasing a historic comeback effort from a future Hall of Famer.

Cease’s velocity, strikeout rate and swinging-strike rate are all down a bit this season, but not in glaring, concerning fashion. He’s sporting a 4.15 ERA, though practically all the damage against him came at the hands of the Rays last week when the hottest team in baseball tagged him for seven runs. Cease won’t turn 28 until December. He’s a power-armed, bat-missing monster with two years of arbitration remaining after the current season. Pitchers like this almost never get traded, and it’s extra-tough to see the White Sox biting the bullet and making a move, since doing so just feels like a giant concession. If they do reach that point, Cease could generate one of the biggest hauls in recent trade deadline memory.

Michael Kopech, RHP, 27 | $2.05MM in 2023, arb-eligible in 2024-25

It’s been a poor start for Kopech (7.01 ERA in 25 2/3 innings) thanks to wobbly command that has manifested in a career-high 11.1% walk rate and, more problematically, a career-worst 2.81 HR/9 mark. Still, he’s a 27-year-old who once ranked as the sport’s top pitching prospect and as recently as 2021-22 logged a combined 3.53 ERA, 26.7% strikeout rate and 10.4% walk rate in 188 2/3 innings.

Kopech spent nearly all of the 2021 season in the bullpen as he worked back from Tommy John surgery and fanned a gaudy 36.1% of his opponents in that role. He’s a high-upside arm and has already seen his average fastball creep up from 95.1 mph in 2022 to 96.2 mph in 2023. Teams would love to get their hands on Kopech right now, and if he can cut back on the walks and homers, his value will only increase. This trade wouldn’t necessarily be the white flag that the Cease trade would be, but it’s hard to see Kopech going unless the Sox are pessimistic about their chances in the next couple of seasons as well.

—–

There are other names to consider, though each comes with plenty of red flags. Yoan Moncada is signed through 2024 and controllable through a 2025 club option, but he’s been neither healthy enough nor consistently productive enough to make the remaining $43.1MM in guarantees on his deal feel palatable for a trade partner. Luis Robert Jr., Eloy Jimenez, Andrew Vaughn and Aaron Bummer are all signed or controlled through at least 2026 (2027 in Robert’s case), which lessens any urgency to move those players. As it stands, the Sox would be selling low on anyone from that group of talented players. No one from that group feels likely to be a serious trade candidate this summer.

Of the three buckets listed above — “rental,” “one extra year” and “longer-term” — the rental pieces are the likeliest to go. Selling anything beyond that point, particularly a face of the franchise like Anderson or a controllable Cy Young-caliber talent like Cease, would likely signal a step back and longer-term rebuilding effort just two years after the Sox sought to emerge from their prior rebuild. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf is as loyal as they come, but one can imagine that the current meltdown could test even his patience; GM Rick Hahn candidly acknowledged last week in public comments that his job is likely on the line.

The White Sox still have a couple months to try to turn things around, but if things don’t improve in a hurry, then many of the names listed above will the most frequently discussed players on the 2023 summer rumor mill as contending teams look to beef up their rosters in advance of a postseason push.

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Chicago White Sox MLBTR Originals Aaron Bummer Andrew Vaughn Dylan Cease Eloy Jimenez Elvis Andrus Hanser Alberto Jake Diekman Joe Kelly Kendall Graveman Lance Lynn Liam Hendriks Lucas Giolito Luis Robert Michael Kopech Mike Clevinger Reynaldo Lopez Tim Anderson Yasmani Grandal Yoan Moncada

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Red Sox Acquire Taylor Broadway From White Sox

By Anthony Franco | August 30, 2022 at 10:09pm CDT

The Red Sox announced they’ve acquired minor league reliever Taylor Broadway from the White Sox. He’s the player to be named later in this month’s trade that sent reliever Jake Diekman to Chicago for catcher Reese McGuire.

A closer at Ole Miss, Broadway was selected by the White Sox in the sixth round of the 2021 amateur draft. A college senior, he signed for $30K but has quickly progressed to the upper minors. The right-hander made just 15 appearances in A-ball before getting a bump to Double-A Birmingham. He’s spent most of this season there, pitching to a 4.74 ERA across 49 1/3 innings. While it’s not an especially impressive ERA, the 25-year-old has struck out a strong 33.9% of opposing hitters while issuing walks at only a 6.4% clip.

Broadway was eligible to be traded even after the August 2 deadline, as he’s never occupied a spot on a 40-man roster. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams explored this month, players who have spent the entire season in the minor leagues and haven’t been added to an MLB 40-man or injured list at any point this year are still eligible to be traded. Broadway will report to Double-A Portland and adds an upper level bullpen arm to the system.

As for the big leaguers involved in that swap, the Red Sox have gotten the better results through the first month. McGuire is hitting .396/.412/.500 through 16 games while taking the strong side of a catching platoon with Kevin Plawecki. Diekman has allowed six runs (five earned) with 13 strikeouts but eight walks in 8 1/3 frames with the South Siders. McGuire will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason; Diekman is under contract for $3.5MM next season and has a $4MM club option or a $1MM buyout for 2024.

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Boston Red Sox Chicago White Sox Transactions Jake Diekman Reese McGuire

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White Sox, Red Sox Swap Reese McGuire For Jake Diekman

By Darragh McDonald and Steve Adams | August 1, 2022 at 6:40pm CDT

6:40pm: The White Sox announced the trade, adding that they’re also sending a player to be named later or cash to the Red Sox as part of the swap.

6:11pm: The White Sox are trading catcher Reese McGuire to the Red Sox, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN. Robert Murray of FanSided reports that veteran left-handed reliever Jake Diekman is headed to Chicago in the deal.

McGuire, 27, will give Boston an immediate option to take some of the playing time vacated by this evening’s trade of Christian Vazquez to the Astros. While McGuire has never managed to string together much consistency in the big leagues, he’s a former top prospect with an additional three seasons of club control remaining beyond the current year. He’s hitting just .225/.261/.285 on the season but has outstanding defensive marks on the year: +7 Defensive Runs Saved, a 31% caught-stealing rate and positive pitch-framing grades from both FanGraphs and Statcast.

McGuire is out of minor league options, so the acquisition suggests that the Red Sox plan on carrying him on the big league roster for the foreseeable future. With Vazquez now in Houston and Kevin Plawecki set to become a free agent following the season, McGuire will at least give the Sox a defensive-minded option to be a backup next year. Prospects Ronaldo Hernandez and Connor Wong give the Sox some in-house options to step up in 2023 (and perhaps down the stretch this year), but the front office could also look at ways to upgrade behind the dish in the offseason (or, potentially, with further trades in the next 22 hours).

The 35-year-old Diekman, meanwhile, will give Chicago a veteran left-handed option the front office was rumored to be seeking. He’s having a somewhat typical season by his standards, missing plenty of bats but also walking far too many hitters. Command has always been an issue for Diekman, who currently has a 4.23 ERA with a 29.8% strikeout rate but the worst walk rate of any qualified reliever in the Majors (17.5%).

Despite the deluge of free passes, Diekman will add a hard-throwing, swing-and-miss southpaw to the late-inning mix for manager Tony La Russa. He’s playing on a two-year, $8MM contract that spans the 2022-23 seasons and carries a $4MM club option for the 2024 campaign. As such, the ChiSox can count Diekman among their late-inning options at least for one more season and perhaps for two, depending on how he fares over the next 14 months.

The White Sox have been without lefty Aaron Bummer for most of the summer thanks to a strained lat, and touted young lefty Garrett Crochet underwent Tommy John surgery early in the season. That led general manager Rick Hahn and his staff to target some additional lefty help in the bullpen. Tanner Banks, a 30-year-old rookie, had previously been La Russa’s only other southpaw option out of the ’pen. Triple-A lefties Anderson Severino and Bennett Sousa are both on the 40-man roster, but each has been hit quite hard this season in limited MLB work.

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Boston Red Sox Chicago White Sox Newsstand Transactions Jake Diekman Reese McGuire

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Red Sox To Sign Jake Diekman

By TC Zencka | March 15, 2022 at 2:30pm CDT

March 15: Diekman’s deal with the Sox is a two-year, $8MM arrangement, according to Cotillo (Twitter thread). He’ll earn $3.5MM in both 2022 and 2023. The Sox hold a $4MM club option for the 2024 season, which comes with a $1MM buyout.

March 13: For the second time today, the Red Sox are adding a lefty to the bullpen. Boston and Jake Diekman are close to agreeing to terms, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (via Twitter). The deal is “believed to be a multi-year deal” though the exact terms are not yet clear.

Diekman is one of the top bullpen arms available on the market. The now-35-year-old was lights out for the A’s during the pandemic-shortened 2020. He appeared in 21 games, posting a microscopic 0.42 ERA/2.72 FIP spanning 21 1/3 innings, numbers-driven at least in part by an uncharacteristically high 61.6 percent groundball rate. For comparison, he posted a 34.8 percent groundball rate last year and owns a 47.9 percent rate in that department for his career.

The 10-year veteran initially came to Oakland mid-season in 2019 in a deal with the Royals that netted KC a pair of minor leaguers. He continued to be effective for the A’s last season, though not quite at the surreal level of 2020. He tossed 60 2/3 innings over 67 outings with a 3.86 ERA/4.46 FIP while notching seven saves and 14 holds. He also blew seven saves.

With a 31.7 percent strikeout rate, he differentiates himself from the other lefties in Boston’s pen with his ability to miss bats. In so doing, Diekman becomes the top southpaw in a Boston pen that added Matt Strahm earlier today.

Beyond their new pair, the BoSox can call on Josh Taylor, Darwinzon Hernandez, and Austin Davis as potential southpaws out of the bullpen. Diekman is by far the most established of the bunch, however. He’s sure to team with Garrett Whitlock in the late game mix for manager Alex Cora.

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Boston Red Sox Newsstand Transactions Jake Diekman Red Sox

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Athletics Decline Jake Diekman’s Option

By Steve Adams | November 4, 2021 at 11:23am CDT

The Athletics have declined their 2022 option on left-hander Jake Diekman, per an announcement from the MLBPA that lists Diekman as an official free agent. The A’s held a $4MM team option on Diekman but will instead pay him a $750K buyout. Opting against a net $3.25MM price on Diekman only further adds to the expectation that the A’s will pare back their payroll this winter.

Set to turn 35 in January, Diekman wasn’t as sharp in 2021 as he was in 2020, when he notched a sub-1.00 ERA through 20 innings in the shortened season. However, he still pitched to a respectable 3.86 ERA with a huge 31.9% strikeout rate and a heater that averaged 95.6 mph (up from last year’s 95.3 mph). Diekman walked an ugly 13% of his opponents in 2021, but that level of shaky command is nothing new for the lefty. He’s walked 12.7% of his career opponents, and the A’s (like every other team that acquires Diekman) knew what they were getting when they signed Diekman to a two-year, $7MM deal in the 2019-20 offseason.

It’d have been more surprising to see Diekman bought out had the Athletics not already stunningly allowed longtime manager Bob Melvin depart to manage the Padres — a move largely believed to be financially motivated. Spending $3.25MM on a 36-year-old reliever, even a pretty good one, wasn’t in the cards for a club looking to scale back its expenditures.

That said, Diekman is a hard-throwing lefty who has posted a combined 2.96 ERA and a 32.9% strikeout rate across the past two seasons out of the Oakland bullpen. He averaged 1.48 home runs per nine innings this year, a rather alarming uptick from the career 0.55 mark he carried into 2021, but Diekman still throws hard and racks up strikeouts in droves. He was also harder on righties than on lefties this season — a trend throughout his career — which should reduce any potential platoon concerns.

Another multi-year deal can’t be ruled out in free agency, although given Diekman’s age and this year’s home run surge, a one-year pact still could be more likely. Still, it’s a thin crop of left-handed relievers this winter, so he ought to find another club willing to guarantee him a few million dollars on a one-year pact, at the least. It’s possible that he comes out ahead in the ordeal, topping a $3.25MM guarantee, although one would imagine that the A’s looked around for potential trade matches before simply declining the option.

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Oakland Athletics Transactions Jake Diekman

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Option Notes: Perez, Vazquez, Chafin

By Steve Adams | October 31, 2021 at 10:57pm CDT

Catcher Roberto Perez’s $7MM option for the 2022 season isn’t likely to be exercised by the Guardians, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes in his latest mailbag column. Set to turn 33 in December, Perez has long rated as one of the game’s premium defenders behind the dish and looked to have turned a corner at the plate in 2019, when he hit .239/.321/.452 with a career-high 24 home runs. However, he’s limped to a .155/.253/.277 slash with eight homers in 276 trips to the plate since. Perez has missed significant time over the past two seasons due to a pair of shoulder injuries and, earlier this year, a fractured ring finger. It’s certainly plausible that the shoulder and hand injuries contributed to his decline at the plate, but a budget-conscious Cleveland club doesn’t seem likely to bet $7MM on a rebound — particularly when the buyout is a relatively light $450K. Cleveland has a more affordable, similarly defensive-minded backstop already on the roster in arbitration-eligible Austin Hedges. He’s projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn a $3.8MM salary next season.

Some more notes on various contract options around the league…

  • The Red Sox hold a $7MM club option on catcher Christian Vazquez, but the price to retain their backstop was nearly a bit steeper. MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo points out that Vazquez’s contract called for that option to rise to $8MM upon reaching 502 plate appearances, but he fell just four trips to the plate shy of that mark. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom spoke highly of Vazquez in his end-of-season press conference, telling reporters: “It’s a hard position to check all the boxes and you don’t take for granted when you have someone who has shown that he can do it.” The 31-year-old Vazquez hit .258/.308/.352 with plus defense behind the dish this season, and based on Bloom’s comments imply there’s a good chance he’ll be back in the fold next season as well.
  • Andrew Chafin’s one-year, $2.75MM deal with the Cubs was structured to include a $2.25MM salary plus a $500K buyout on a $5.25MM mutual option. The contract, however, also allowed Chafin to pick up a $125K bonus for reaching 50, 55, 60 and 65 games in 2021. Chafin was heavily used both by the Cubs and then by the Athletics following a trade, and he ultimately reached all four of those milestones while wearing an A’s jersey. As such, he’s now sitting on a $5.75MM option for next season. Chafin will have first say of whether to exercise his half of the option and could very well decline in search of a multi-year deal, which would render it a moot point. (He’d get the $500K buyout even if he declines.) If not, the fact that the option is now $500K more expensive makes it even tougher for the cost-conscious A’s pick up their end in what could be an offseason filled with tough financial decisions. Oakland also holds a $4MM club option on fellow southpaw Jake Diekman, which is effectively a net $3.25MM decision for the A’s, given its $750K buyout.
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Boston Red Sox Cleveland Guardians Notes Oakland Athletics Andrew Chafin Austin Hedges Christian Vazquez Jake Diekman Roberto Perez

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A’s Notes: A.J. Puk, Jake Diekman

By TC Zencka | December 10, 2020 at 12:19pm CDT

Tantalizing left-hander A.J. Puk is on track to to return from shoulder surgery and take his place in the A’s 2021 starting rotation, per MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos (via Twitter). GM David Forst places Puk alongside Frankie Montas, Jesus Luzardo, Sean Manaea, and Chris Bassitt in their projected rotation.

At the tail end of games, however, the A’s have a hole to fill. When Blake Treinen left in free agency, the A’s backfilled the closer role with Liam Hendriks. Now that Hendriks appears to be following Treinen out the door, the A’s again have a decision to make. Hendriks had already eased into the role with 25 saves in 2019 when he took over, however.

Only two players besides Hendriks recorded a save in 2020, however: Joakim Soria had two and Burch Smith had one. Soria is also a free agent, and Smith is a soon-to-be 31-year-old looking to appear in back-to-back seasons for the same team for the first time in his career. But the A’s aren’t totally bereft of candidates for high-leverage opportunities.

Forst put Jake Diekman at the top of the list, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Diekman bounced around from Philadelphia to Texas to Arizona and Kansas City before landing in Oakland a few days before the 2019 trade deadline. He’s been a viable and oft-used bullpen arm throughout his nine-year career, but he’s never been regularly called upon to finish games. Diekman has seven career saves.

Diekman reached new heights in 2020 with a 0.42 ERA/2.72 FIP across 21 appearances totaling 21 1/3 innings. The 33-year-old has also notched 141 holds throughout his career, including 13 in 2020.

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Oakland Athletics A.J. Puk Burch Smith David Forst Jake Diekman

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Coronavirus Notes: Astros, Diekman, Teheran, Indians

By Connor Byrne | July 9, 2020 at 12:46am CDT

Astros superstar Alex Bregman had to sit out Wednesday’s practice because the results of his latest coronavirus test did not arrive on time, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle relays. “I look forward to having the issue resolved as soon as possible to rejoin my teammates tomorrow,” Bregman stated. Meanwhile, teammate and outfielder Michael Brantley expressed frustration with the league’s testing problems, saying “[players] kind of want answers.” He added, “I’d love to hear from Rob (Manfred) and some clarity on how we’re going to get this done because that’s very important.” Houston’s among a few teams slowed early in Summer Camp by testing delays, further calling into question whether MLB is capable of pulling off this season.

  • Like Brantley, Athletics reliever Jake Diekman is unhappy with how the league has handled the testing process. There’s plenty at stake for Diekman – the 33-year-old has battled ulcerative colitis for most of his life and underwent surgery to remove his colon in 2017, putting him in greater danger of contracting the virus. Diekman told Alex Coffey of The Athletic: “I’m high-risk, so I have to speak out for everyone. I don’t want to get sick.” He went on to question MLB’s estimate of how many players have tested positive, opining that it must “be getting close to 100.” And while Diekman doesn’t want to opt out of the season, he’s skeptical that one will even happen. “Once the regular season hits, there’s no way I’m opting out,” he said. “But if they don’t get the testing figured out, this whole thing will get shut down. That’s my personal opinion.” Coffey’s piece is worth a full read, as there’s plenty more on the concerns Diekman and his wife, Amanda, have in regards to a potential season.
  • The Angels placed right-hander Julio Teheran on the 10-day injured list earlier this week, but even manager Joe Maddon was uncertain of the reason. It turns out that Teheran’s still in Atlanta – where he pitched previously – because he and his family have shown symptoms consistent with COVID-19, he told Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (Spanish-language link). Teheran revealed he “was not feeling well,” but he’s hopeful of joining his team in Los Angeles this weekend if he gets the go-ahead. Regardless, with the campaign just two weeks away, Maddon’s not sure if Teheran will be available from the jump (via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com), as the skipper observed that “it would probably be a rush” to place him in the Angels’ season-opening rotation.
  • Indians outfielder Delino DeShields tested positive for the coronavirus last week, but it looks as if he’s on the road to recovery. DeShields’ most recent test came back negative, and he’s on his way to Cleveland as a result, Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com reports. If he tests negative again there, he’ll be able to join his teammates for Summer Camp. [JULY 11 UPDATE: DeShields indeed tested negative for the second time, and rejoined the Tribe’s camp.]  More good news: Slugger Franmil Reyes returned to practice Wednesday after testing negative. The Indians held Reyes out of camp for two days amid worries that he contracted the illness at a July 4 party.
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Cleveland Guardians Houston Astros Los Angeles Angels Notes Oakland Athletics Alex Bregman Coronavirus Delino DeShields Jr. Franmil Reyes Jake Diekman Julio Teheran

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West Health Notes: A’s, D-backs, Mariners, Giants, Rangers

By Connor Byrne | June 24, 2020 at 7:30pm CDT

Players who are at high risk of contracting the coronavirus have the right to opt out of participating this season, but they’d still receive full pay and service time. Athletics reliever Jake Diekman, who has ulcerative colitis and who had his colon removed in 2017, is one of those players. Diekman, however, informed Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he has no interest in opting out of the campaign – at least, not yet. “I’ve never thought once about opting out,” said the southpaw, though he added: “Say two or three guys on the team get it, we’ve all been around each other. I don’t know if I’d opt out in the middle of the season, but it definitely worries you.” Slusser also spoke with A’s utility player Chad Pinder, whose wife is expecting a baby in September, about the season. Pinder said, in part: “We have to do it right — or it just might not work. But there is a risk to this.”

  • An unnamed player on the Diamondbacks tested positive for the coronavirus in Arizona within the last month, general manager Mike Hazen said Wednesday (via Bob Nightengale of USA Today). That player was not using their facility, though, Hazen added. It’s unclear how his recovery has gone.
  • The Mariners have “had a few players test positive” for the virus, general manager Jerry Dipoto said Wednesday (via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). Fortunately, Dipoto went on to reveal that “they’re asymptomatic, and they feel great.”
  • More on the Mariners, who are uncertain whether outfielder Mitch Haniger will be ready for the resumption of spring training, according to GM Jerry Dipoto (via Divish). The past year has been an injury-filled nightmare for Haniger, who only played in 63 games in 2019 and then underwent two offseason surgeries – one a core procedure, the other a dissectomy. In better news for the Mariners, reliever Austin Adams – who underwent surgery on a torn ACL last fall – is set for camp. The 29-year-old Adams may have broken out for the Mariners last season with 32 innings of 3.94 ERA ball and a whopping 14.91 K/9.
  • Giants corner infielder Pablo Sandoval and lefties Tony Watson and Tyler Anderson will all be good to go for camp’s return, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets (1, 2). Catcher Aramis Garcia could be ready to come back in mid- to late August, meanwhile, and reliever Reyes Moronta may be set by then or in September. Sandoval had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last September; Watson dealt with shoulder issues before spring training shut down; Anderson underwent a procedure on his left knee last summer; Garcia’s still recovering from February hip surgery; and Moronta’s on the mend from the right shoulder surgery he had in September.
  • Rangers left-hander Joely Rodriguez is back to throwing after suffering a lat strain in April, but he won’t be ready for the start of the season, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Rodriguez should return at some point during the campaign, though. Texas lured Rodriguez back to the majors on a a two-year, $5.5MM contract in free agency after the former Phillie thrived in Japan from 2018-19.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Notes Oakland Athletics San Francisco Giants Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers Aramis Garcia Austin Adams Coronavirus Jake Diekman Joely Rodriguez Mitch Haniger Pablo Sandoval Reyes Moronta Tony Watson Tyler Anderson

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Athletics Sign Jake Diekman

By Steve Adams | December 3, 2019 at 1:45pm CDT

1:45pm: The Athletics have formally announced the signing.

1:21pm: The Athletics and free-agent lefty Jake Diekman have agreed to a two-year contract with a club option for a third season, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter links). The Beverly Hills Sports Council client will be guaranteed $7.5MM over the life of the pact.

Jake Diekman | Aug 3, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Jake Diekman (35) stands on the mound during the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Diekman, 33 next month, inked a one-year, $2.75MM pact with the Royals last winter and was traded to the A’s prior to the July 31 deadline. The veteran southpaw pitched to a 4.43 ERA with 21 strikeouts but 16 walks and three hit batsmen through 20 1/3 innings with the A’s, continuing control problems that have plagued him for much of his MLB tenure. Diekman clearly made a strong impression on the Oakland organization, though, and he’s now in line to call it home for the next two seasons.

Control issues notwithstanding, the appeal in Diekman is easy to see, as his raw stuff is tantalizing. His 95.8 mph average heater is one of the fastest among all left-handed relievers in baseball, and Diekman’s overall 16.1 percent swinging-strike rate ranked 18th among 158 qualified reliever this past season. He’s averaged better than 11 strikeouts per nine innings pitched in his MLB career and fanned 28.2 percent of the hitters he’s faced in the big leagues. A look at his Statcast profile reveals that Diekman was one of the best in the game at limiting hard contact — specifically in allowing opponents to barrel up his offerings.

Diekman will pair with lefty T.J. McFarland, whom the A’s claimed off waivers last month and inked to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration yesterday, giving manager Bob Melvin multiple lefties to deploy in 2020. The Oakland ’pen will once again be anchored by emergent closer Liam Hendriks, with Yusmeiro Petit, Joakim Soria and rebound hopeful Lou Trivino adding to the setup corps as well.

The move to add Diekman comes just a day after Oakland traded Jurickson Profar to the Padres and non-tendered Blake Treinen, Ryan Buchter and Josh Phegley — substantially reducing payroll in the process; that quartet had been projected to earn a combined $17.6MM on a perennially low-payroll A’s club.

Some of those funds will be immediately reallocated to Diekman, it seems, but the Oakland payroll still projects to come in north of previous levels. Last year’s $92MM Opening Day mark was a club record, and the A’s projected to come in around $95MM even before bringing Diekman aboard. It’s always possible that they’ll move some veteran contracts, but the A’s at the very least appear poised for a second season above the $90MM mark, which is unheard of territory for the organization.

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