NL News & Rumors: Braves, Brewers, Phillies, Rockies
The Braves, on the hunt for starting pitching, sent a top scout to Detroit this weekend to watch Tigers right-handers Justin Verlander and Michael Fulmer, reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com (on Twitter). Neither Verlander nor Fulmer seems like a realistic trade candidate, however. The Tigers reportedly want a noteworthy haul for Verlander, even though he’s 34, in the throes of a down season and still owed nearly $70MM through 2019. Verlander also has a full no-trade clause, so he could veto a deal even if the Braves do present an offer to the Tigers’ liking. Unlike Verlander, the 24-year-old Fulmer is both cheap and in his prime. Detroit would justifiably demand a ransom in return, then, but there’s no indication it’s interested in parting with him.
More from the National League:
- Realistically, no one would have expected the Brewers to hold a 5.5-game advantage in the NL Central this late in the season, which could lead to an agonizing deadline for the team’s decision-makers, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. The Brewers, who were in on now-Cub Jose Quintana before the White Sox traded him Thursday and have interest in the Athletics’ Sonny Gray, must weigh whether to make a bold strike that eats into their farm system or take a more conservative approach. General manager David Stearns doesn’t seem eager to part with a prospect haul, telling Haudricourt: “We’ve worked very hard to build our system and organization as a whole where the level of young talent we have is a good place to be. I don’t see us, whether it’s this year or any year going forward, moving from that strategy.” Nevertheless, Haudricourt points to Gray’s team control, his connection to Milwaukee pitching coach Derek Johnson (who coached Gray at Vanderbilt) and the Brewers’ rotation questions as reasons why acquiring him would make sense.
- Speaking of the Brewers, their success has come without having left fielder Ryan Braun at full strength, and his health will continue to be an issue for the rest of the season. Manager Craig Counsell said Saturday (via the Associated Press) that the Brewers will evaluate Braun daily through the end of the year, given that a strained right calf has hampered him for a while and forced him to the disabled list twice. While the 33-year-old has once again been a quality contributor to Milwaukee’s offense, having hit .260/.343/.553 across 169 plate appearances, Counsell believes there’s enough talent on hand to weather Braun’s issues. “We certainly want a healthy Ryan Braun, but we’ve had success with this team because of depth and we’ll continue to rely on that if we have to,” Counsell said.
- Phillies outfielder/infielder and trade candidate Howie Kendrick has been out this month with an injured left hamstring, and a return doesn’t seem imminent. Kendrick will join the Phillies in Miami on Monday, but only so the team can evaluate him to see if he’s healthy enough to embark on a rehab assignment, tweets Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
- Currently in possession of a wild-card spot, the Rockies will temporarily remove one of the best starters from their rotation in order to preserve his arm, according to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Rookie left-hander Kyle Freeland, who’s top two among Rockies starters in innings (110 1/3), ERA (3.67) and ground-ball rate (55 percent), is likely to head to the bullpen and could then log some time in the team’s Triple-A rotation before resuming his starting role in Colorado. Another rookie, righty Antonio Senzatela, looks primed to take Freeland’s place in the meantime. Freeland threw three shutout, no-hit frames in relief Saturday, when the Rockies lost starter Tyler Chatwood to an undisclosed injury in the first inning, per Saunders.
Cafardo’s Latest: Gray, Brewers, Cards, Dodgers, Royals, Tigers, BoSox
Of the several teams eyeing Athletics right-hander Sonny Gray in advance of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the Brewers have shown the most interest, reports Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The unexpected playoff hopefuls began doing “background work” on both Gray and now-former White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana just over a week ago, but the latter went to the NL Central rival Cubs on Thursday in a blockbuster trade. Acquiring Gray would be a quite a counterpunch by Milwaukee, which has a 5.5-game lead over the Cubs, and Cafardo observes that the Brewers have the prospect capital to make it happen. But even after getting Quintana, the Cubs haven’t closed the door on adding Gray, too.
More pre-deadline info from Cafardo:
- The Cardinals, Dodgers and Royals seem to be leading the chase for Tigers contract-year slugger J.D. Martinez, according to Cafardo. As AL Central rivals of the Tigers, the Royals are especially familiar with Martinez, who has slashed .298/.379/.602 with 14 home runs in 219 plate appearances this year. The $11.75MM right fielder would significantly boost a below-average Kansas City offense that has received awful production from longtime franchise cornerstone Alex Gordon in left field. Meanwhile, with Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk on the disabled list, the Cardinals are shorthanded in the outfield. Winners of 40 of their past 51 games, the 62-29 Dodgers seemingly aren’t lacking for quality players anywhere, but picking up Martinez would make them all the formidable as they vie for a World Series.
- Along with the previously reported Astros and Nationals, the Red Sox are interested in Tigers closer Justin Wilson, writes Cafardo. The Red Sox have come up as potential suitors for other on-the-block relievers, including David Phelps and Pat Neshek, so the connection to Wilson isn’t exactly shocking. The 29-year-old left-hander has posted outstanding numbers over 34 1/3 innings (2.36 ERA, 12.84 K/9, 3.41 BB/9) and would immediately become Boston’s top southpaw reliever, though Fernando Abad has held his own this season and Robby Scott has fared well against lefty-swingers. Wilson is making a highly affordable $2.7MM this season and comes with another year of arbitration eligibility.
- Continuing the Tigers theme, righty Michael Fulmer is the Detroit starter who’s garnering the most attention from pitcher-needy teams, per Cafardo. Considering Fulmer’s among the top young hurlers in the game and controllable for the foreeseable future, that’s not surprising. There’s no indication the Tigers will seriously consider moving Fulmer, who informed Evan Woodbery of MLive.com that he doesn’t expect to go anywhere. Nevertheless, one NL executive told Cafardo that GM Al Avila is at least entertaining the offers that come in for the 24-year-old. “I think Al is being forced to listen,” said the exec. “The Tigers could get a huge haul for Fulmer, but they’re trying to get their payroll down and get younger. Trading Fulmer is not necessarily the way to do it.”
Rosenthal’s Latest: Red Sox, Frazier, Yankees, Gray, Cubs
Here’s the latest from Ken Rosenthal, via a video on FOX Sports.
- A Red Sox trade for White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier seems “almost inevitable,” according to Rosenthal. (Rosenthal’s choice of words is strikingly strong here.) The Red Sox need a short-term infusion of power at third, with top prospect Rafael Devers as their long-term answer at the position. Frazier, who is eligible for free agency next winter, fits the bill perfectly, in Rosenthal’s view. Frazier has batted a modest .210/.331/.438 in 326 plate appearances this season, but he has a solid history of hitting for power and has batted a robust .248/.377/.540 since June 4 after getting off to a slow start to the year.
- The Yankees will be buyers at the deadline, but will be cautious, not wanting to sacrifice too much future value in exchange for immediate upgrades, says Rosenthal. One team that matches their needs well is the Athletics, who have help at first base (Yonder Alonso) and on the mound (Sonny Gray and a number of relievers).
- Rosenthal characterizes Gray to the Cubs as unlikely — Gray would likely cost Ian Happ or another top young hitter, and Rosenthal guesses the Cubs would rather go forward with their current collection of rotation talent (which, of course, now includes Jose Quintana) and sign a free agent next winter. Rosenthal points out, though, that whatever the Cubs’ actual level of interest, both the Cubs and Athletics probably like the perception that the Cubs want Gray, since the extra name on the market increases pressure on the Brewers, who’ve also been connected to him.
Indians Interested In Sonny Gray
The Indians are “evaluating” Athletics starter Sonny Gray, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets. The extent of the Indians’ interest isn’t yet known.
Gray is in the midst of a strong season with Oakland, with a 3.69 ERA, 8.4 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 over 84 2/3 innings. Unsurprisingly, a large number of teams have been connected to Gray lately, including the Astros, Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Cubs and Brewers.
The Indians’ rotation boasts a strong one-two punch this season in the form of Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco, and Mike Clevinger has fared reasonably well in 11 starts this year. The rest of its starting corps, though, has been uneven — Trevor Bauer‘s results have lagged behind his peripherals, and both he and Josh Tomlin have ERAs over five. Danny Salazar, meanwhile, is on a rehab assignment after missing time due to a shoulder issue.
West Notes: Gray, Darvish, Torres
The Astros, Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Blue Jays all had scouts on hand as Athletics starter Sonny Gray pitched six shutout innings against Cleveland Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. A report before the game had indicated Gray had been scratched, suggesting the possibility of an imminent trade, and Gray said he received 50 texts just before the game. That report, however, turned out to be false. Gray has also recently been connected to the Cubs and Brewers, although Brewers GM David Stearns suggested his club was merely doing “background work.” Here’s more from the West divisions.
- The Rangers are not likely to trade or extend Yu Darvish, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes. A recent report indicated the Rangers would listen to offers for Darvish and Cole Hamels, and Grant doesn’t dispute that possibility outright. But the Rangers, despite a 44-45 record, could still make a Wild Card run, and with plenty of starting pitching on the market, they aren’t likely to land a top prospect for Darvish, who would be a rental. The Rangers would also stand to receive compensation if Darvish rejected a qualifying offer and departed next winter. If they were to keep Darvish after the deadline, the Rangers could then attempt to sign him long-term, although, as Grant points out, long-term contracts for pitchers in their thirties are often risky propositions.
- Padres lefty Jose Torres is receiving trade interest, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. The 23-year-old Torres has a 4.46 ERA and eight home runs allowed in his first full year in the Padres’ bullpen, but with an impressive 9.1 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 and 95.1-MPH average fastball velocity. Those factors could make him an intriguing addition to the trade market, and one might think he could come up in various scenarios in discussions with teams also interested in fellow lefty Brad Hand. There would seem to be little pressing need for the Padres to move Torres, however, since he’s not eligible for arbitration until after the 2019 season at the earliest.
Cubs Remain Interested In Sonny Gray After Quintana Trade
The Cubs swung what might be the biggest deal of the summer yesterday by acquiring Jose Quintana for a prospect package headline by Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease, but they’re still interested in A’s right-hander Sonny Gray, reports Jon Morosi of MLB.com (Twitter link). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and MLB Network tweets the same sentiment, that the Cubs are “pursuing” Gray despite having already added Quintana.
The Cubs’ acquisition of Quintana left them without two of their top prospects, though the Cubs still have a number of appealing young players. Infielder Jeimer Candelario ranks among the game’s Top 100 prospects over at MLB.com, and ESPN’s Keith Law recently noted that pitching prospect Adbert Alzolay and Oscar De La Cruz have seen their stock rise quite a bit this season.
Chicago also has a number of young position players already at the MLB level, though there’s been considerable doubt cast on their willingness to deal players that have already played their way into prominent roles on the Major League roster. If the team is to make a serious run at Gray, however, that may well be what is required of president Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer.
It’s not necessarily clear that the Cubs are aggressively chasing Gray, who is controllable via arbitration through the 2019 campaign. Rosenthal tweets that it’s not yet known how hard they’ll push to bring Gray into the fold, though their openness to the notion is interesting all the same. Acquiring both Quintana and Gray would line the Cubs up for a rotation featuring that pair, Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks for at least the next three years, and while Gray’s price figures to rise, it should be more manageable than filling the spots of Jake Arrieta and John Lackey via free agency when that pair reaches the open market this offseason. That could be a key for the Cubs, who will see Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Javier Baez, Hendricks, Kyle Schwarber, Carl Edwards Jr. and others reach arbitration eligibility in the next two years.
Twins Showing Interest In Controllable Starters
The Twins are “checking in” on a few starting pitchers around the game, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Minnesota is seemingly limiting its interest to controllable arms at this point.
That’s not terribly surprising to hear. After all, the Twins are still treading water in the AL Central and AL Wild Card races. And GM Thad Levine said recently that the organization “would be very open to spending aggressively on assets that we could use to propel our team forward this year and for years to come.”
As noted in that above-linked post, the Twins have an obvious need — both now and in the near future — for reliable starting pitching. While there’s little reason to think that the team would part with significant future talent just for an immediate upgrade, it makes sense that the club would value the chance at contending this year while also considering arms that could bolster the roster for a few more seasons to come.
Rosenthal notes that Jose Quintana of the White Sox and Sonny Gray of the Athletics are two pitchers who’d likely appear on Minnesota’s list of possible targets, though it’s not clear whether the Twins have eyes for either in particular. He also suggests Dan Straily of the Marlins as an option, though again there’s still no indication that he’s specifically on the radar of Levine and chief baseball officer Derek Falvey.
Of course, those sorts of pitchers — Quintana and Gray, in particular — figure to draw interest from many other organizations. Those two have done so for quite some time, in fact, with the continued demand perhaps also representing a big reason that their respective organizations have felt comfortable waiting to deal them.
At this stage, there’s still a lack of clarity as to how the market will develop. Quintana and Gray might spur bidding wars; certain contenders could pivot to more affordable rental pieces (or even relievers); and/or we could see other long-term rotation assets (such as Julio Teheran or Gerrit Cole, among many other possibilities) reach the market to meet the demand. The level of involvement of teams such as the Twins will very likely play a role in dictating those developments, though the question remains whether Minnesota will press to get a deal done for a new starter.
White Sox Maintain High Asking Price On Quintana
The White Sox remain undeterred in seeking to obtain a big haul for sturdy lefty Jose Quintana, according to a report from Jon Heyman of Fan Rag. With three years of affordable control remaining after the current season, the rebuilding organization probably doesn’t need to deal Quintana this summer.
To this point, the team has stood on that notable piece of leverage, continuing to ask for “two very top prospects” in its conversations with interested rivals. The South Siders have pressed the Astros for Francis Martes and Kyle Tucker, while asking the Yankees to headline a deal with either Gleyber Torres or Clint Frazier.
That strategy seemed in danger of backfiring earlier this year, as Quintana stumbled out of the gates. But the 28-year-old has righted the ship of late, perhaps restoring any lost shine.
Quintana has thrown only 104 1/3 frames over 18 starts, putting him shy of a 200-inning pace, though he has yet to exhibit any health issues. (More broadly, durability is one of the lefty’s chief attributes.) His 15.5% K%-BB% is a near-exact match for the numbers he carried over the prior three campaigns. A rise in home runs allowed (1.21 per nine) is perhaps the largest single factor differentiating Quintana’s current campaign from the five strong seasons that came before.
If teams buy into the improved form Quintana has shown since the start of June — 45 strikeouts and just 12 earned runs over forty frames — then perhaps they’ll be willing to meet the steep asking price. Then again, his less-than-dominant form over the course of the current season raises yet more questions about just how hard contenders should push to get him.
For the Astros, Heyman notes, Quintana may not really be as impactful an arm as the team would prefer to acquire. That makes sense: Houston is running off with the AL West and has many quality rotation options, but would love to add a true lock-down starter to the top of its staff.
In fact, the ‘Stros have gone so far as to ask the Mets about star righty Jacob deGrom, per the report. (Tom Verducci of SI.com had previously reported some level of interest.) He’d likely be a more impactful addition, though there’s still no reason to think the Mets have any interest in even considering a deal.
As it stands, teams like the Astros and Yankees are continuing to “look around for alternatives,” per the report. But the lack of obviously available pitchers of comparable or better quality — with the exception, it seems, of Sonny Gray — represents another key element of the White Sox’ bargaining position. Just how things will turn out remains to be seen, but to this point the long standoff continues.
NL Central Notes: McCutchen, Brewers, Greene, Reds
Andrew McCutchen‘s NL Player Of The Month-winning performance in June ended over a year of frustration at the plate for the longtime Pirates star, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick writes. The hot streak also reinvigorated trade speculation about McCutchen’s future, and he reiterated to Crasnick that he wants to stay in Pittsburgh. Bucs GM Neal Huntington stated that the team isn’t shopping McCutchen but, thanks to the Pirates’ struggles in the standings and their payroll limitations, all options must be kept open:
“We anticipate Andrew continuing to be a Pirate until something changes — whether it’s through free agency or someone coming in [with an offer] that we believe can help this organization over the big picture,” Huntington said. “That’s the hard reality. We’ll listen on anybody. We have to. It doesn’t mean we’re looking to move him or actively engage. There’s active and passive engagement, and we’ll always be open for passive engagement if somebody wants to come to us.”
Here’s more from around the NL Central…
- Brewers GM David Stearns spoke to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other reporters about his team’s deadline plans, largely reiterating his statement from May about the Brewers’ improved play not throwing off their overall long-term rebuilding strategy. While the club will “certainly explore every avenue” to improve the roster, Stearns implied that the Brew Crew will pursue controllable players over rentals st the trade deadline. “I never want to say never, but if there’s going to be an acquisition cost, it needs to be an acquisition that’s going to be here for more than one year. Players that have multiple years of control are naturally better fits,” Stearns said.
- Pitchers like Jose Quintana and Sonny Gray would fit as upgrades on multi-year contracts, though Stearns downplayed reports of the Brewers‘ interest in the two hurlers. “I think this time of year, we along with all 29 other teams, do background work on a number of different players. That’s natural. It’s league-wide and across the board,” Stearns said.
- Talks between the Reds and second overall draft pick Hunter Greene came right down to the wire yesterday, as president of baseball ops Dick Williams tells Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer and other reporters. Both sides expressed worry that a deal couldn’t be reached before Friday’s 5pm deadline, and it was apparently a matter of seconds before a final agreement was reached, Williams said. There was pressure in both camps, as Greene faced either a year in limbo or three years away from re-entering the draft if he chose to attend UCLA, while the Reds didn’t want to face the stiff penalties that would’ve been imposed on them for exceeding their draft bonus pool. In the end, Greene signed for a record-setting $7.23MM bonus.
Brewers Reportedly Looking Into Jose Quintana, Sonny Gray
The Brewers are the surprise leaders of the National League Central as the All-Star break approaches, and Jon Morosi of MLB.com writes that they’ve begun doing “background work” on White Sox lefty Jose Quintana and Athletics righty Sonny Gray in advance of the non-waiver trade deadline. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that any pitcher the Brewers acquire this summer would have to be controllable beyond the current season.
Milwaukee’s place atop the standings was unexpected for most, but it’s not much of a surprise to see them linked to controllable arms. As we noted when listing Milwaukee as a potential fit for Gray last week, assets of this nature mesh with the Brewers’ current status as contenders as well as their longer-term rebuilding vision that’s ahead of schedule thanks to breakouts from Jimmy Nelson, Corey Knebel, Travis Shaw and Eric Thames, among others. That rebuilding effort, it should be noted, has left Milwaukee with one of the game’s top-ranked minor league systems.
[Related: Milwaukee Brewers Depth Chart]
Quintana can be controlled through the 2020 season via a guaranteed $8.85MM salary next season and a pair of club options for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, which are respectively valued at $10.5MM and $11MM. Gray, meanwhile, is earning $3.575MM in 2017 and will be eligible for arbitration in each of the next two winters before reaching free agency upon completion of the 2019 campaign. Either player would easily fit into a Milwaukee payroll that is among the game’s lowest in 2017 and has just $25MM committed to two players (Ryan Braun and Thames) in each of the next two seasons.
Neither Gray nor Quintana has numbers that are immediately eye-catching, but each has shown signs of life after poor starts to the season. In his past six outings, Quintana has averaged 9.1 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 with a 54.8 percent ground-ball rate, leading to a 2.34 ERA in that span. Gray, meanwhile, has averaged 8.7 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9 with a 51.3 percent grounder rate across his past seven outings, resulting in a 3.45 ERA.
The Brewers have received 104 sensational innings from Nelson this season, but their second-best starter, Chase Anderson, recently landed on the disabled list due to an oblique strain and could miss up to six weeks. Matt Garza has enjoyed a resurgence in 2017 after a pair of sub-par seasons, but Milwaukee’s rotation has been spotty beyond that trio. Zach Davies is second on the team in innings but carries a 4.90 ERA, while Junior Guerra missed the first six weeks of the season and hasn’t come close to last year’s success when healthy. Wily Peralta, meanwhile, has 6.08 ERA through eight starts.
Given those struggles and their reported desire to upgrade the 2017 roster, Milwaukee figures to be linked to a number of rotation options over the next three weeks. (Morosi speculatively links them to Toronto lefty J.A. Happ as well.) The Brewers currently sit 4.5 games ahead of the Cubs and 5.5 games ahead of the Cardinals in the NL Central.