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Orioles Rumors: Deadline, Schoop, Prospects

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Earlier this week, Orioles general manager Dan Duquette seemed poised to market some of his veterans in advance of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, but that no longer looks like the case. Even though the Orioles are 46-50 and 4.5 games out of a wild-card spot, Duquette told reporters Saturday that they’re planning to approach the deadline as buyers. “Whatever we do [at the trade deadline], we are going to try to help the club,” he said (via Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com, on Twitter). “I still like a lot of our core players. I don’t believe all the stuff that says we have half the club on the market, because we have a lot of baseball left to be played.” Specifically, the Orioles will attempt to upgrade a rotation that entered Saturday ranked in the majors’ bottom three in ERA (5.93) and fWAR (2.0). Duquette noted that “if we can get a little bit better starting pitching or add to the pitching we can make a run at this.”

A couple more notes from Baltimore:

  • One of the few positives for the Orioles this year has been second baseman Jonathan Schoop, who has flashed improved plate discipline and slashed an excellent .303/.351/547 with 20 home runs in 388 PAs. The Orioles had interest in keeping him around for the long haul even before the season, as Duquette revealed that he discussed an extension with Schoop over the winter (Twitter link via Ghiroli). Whatever the asking price was then, it has certainly gone up between the 25-year-old’s 2017 performance and his dwindling team control. Schoop, who’s on a $3.475MM salary this season, has two more arbitration-eligible years before free agency.
  • The Orioles may have a couple of trade chips in left-handers Alex Wells and Tanner Scott, both of whom have drawn interest, according to Duquette (Twitter link via Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com). A team called Duquette on Friday about the 20-year-old Wells, who has logged a 2.56 ERA, 6.97 K/9 and .88 BB/9 in 102 Single-A innings this season. He ranks as the Orioles’ 28th-best prospect at MLB.com, which places Scott 10th. “Teams covet” Scott, notes Connolly; although the 23-year-old has walked 5.98 batters per nine in 52 2/3 Double-A frames this season, he has posted an 11.45 K/9 and managed a stingy 2.05 ERA.

Rosenthal’s Latest: CBA, Cardinals, Marlins, Torres, Orioles

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Here are highlights of the latest notes column from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

  • Some teams pursued free agents last winter with the idea that the new CBA would allow them to have 26-man rosters in 2017. That plan, along with a related move to reduce September roster expansion to 28 players, did not wind up in the CBA, but owners and the union are open-minded to the possibility of revising it next winter, although such a change to the current CBA would likely only take place along with the addition of pace-of-play rules.
  • It would make sense for the Cardinals to discuss a trade with the Marlins involving outfielder Marcell Ozuna, Rosenthal writes. The Cardinals would get a middle-of-the-order hitter who is controllable through 2019. The Marlins, meanwhile, want to add prospects and it’s doubtful they can extend Ozuna, who is represented by Scott Boras. (Rosenthal recently reported that the Marlins would consider trading Ozuna.) Rosenthal also argues that the Marlins’ best path forward right now is to rebuild. Past attempts to win now have resulted in the team giving up too many small pieces of their future (including players like Andrew Heaney and Josh Naylor) in recent trades.
  • Top Yankees infield prospect Gleyber Torres has limited experience in the high minors, but he might be promoted to replace Chase Headley (who’s batting just .228/.300/.348 over 203 plate appearances this season) at third base in the near future, since the first-place Yankees could see Torres as a better option than dealing prospects to acquire a veteran third baseman.
  • Outfielder Howie Kendrick and reliever Pat Neshek have performed well for the Phillies this season and could provide the team with good trade value, perhaps along with Joaquin Benoit, once Benoit returns from a DL stint caused by a knee strain.
  • A source tells Rosenthal the Orioles want lefty relief help, although he notes that Double-A lefty Tanner Scott could become an option at some point. Scott, a sixth-round pick in 2014, has a 1.64 ERA and 11.7 K/9 in 33 innings thus far this season, although he might need to work on his 6.0 BB/9 so far before making it to the Majors. The O’s currently have Donnie Hart and Richard Bleier pitching as lefties out of their bullpen; another lefty reliever, Zach Britton, is out for an extended period with a forearm strain, although he doesn’t pitch in a typical lefty role anyway.

AL East Notes: Orioles, Scott, Jays, Longoria, Yankees

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The Yankees are 5-3 since the All-Star break, which further complicates the question of whether or not the team should buy or sell at the deadline, NJ Advance Media’s Randy Miller writes.  “I don’t know how much the organization actually has publicly said (about the trade deadline),” said Andrew Miller, himself a regular candidate in trade speculation.  “I feel like it’s been rumor and things that kind of have been assumed, and in reality I think all we can do is focus on the game at hand.”  New York is 49-47 for the season and sits 4.5 games behind Toronto for the last AL wild card slot.  Here’s more from around the AL East…

  • The Orioles have been getting calls about Double-A southpaw Tanner Scott since the offseason, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reports.  It’s possible Scott could be one of the prospects desired by the Padres in the rumored Melvin Upton-for-Ubaldo Jimenez trade talks between the two clubs, though Kubatko feels the O’s should keep Scott.  A sixth-round pick from the 2014 draft, Scott has posted a 4.63 ERA and 6.6 BB/9 over 114 2/3 pro innings (mostly out of the bullpen), though he averages 11.5 K/9 and owns a 101-mph fastball.
  • The Blue Jays have been talking to multiple teams about both starters and relievers, FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi tweets.  Bullpen is the more pressing concern for Toronto, though if Aaron Sanchez is shifted to a setup role as planned, that leaves a big hole in the rotation (especially given Marcus Stroman’s inconsistency and Marco Estrada’s recurring back issues).  Then again, Sanchez has been so good this season that the Jays could reverse course and keep him as a starter, which would increase their need for relief help.
  • Though trading Evan Longoria makes some sense for the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times believes the club won’t and shouldn’t entertain the thought of dealing its longtime star.  Longoria has too much value as Tampa’s franchise player on and off the field, and moving him would only fit if the Rays were pursuing a total rebuild, which doesn’t appear to be the case.  There has been whispers that former Rays boss Andrew Friedman could be exploring a reunion with Longoria with the Dodgers, though the Rays are reportedly uninterested in Longoria trades now and perhaps whatsoever.
  • Alex Rodriguez had “a very positive conversation” with Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner prior to Friday’s game and the subject of releasing the veteran slugger didn’t come up, sources tell ESPN.com’s Wallace Matthews.  The meeting was initiated by Steinbrenner, though the reason isn’t known; it’s possible it could simply have been the owner touching base with A-Rod on any number of topics.  It has been rumored that the Yankees could cut ties with Rodriguez in order to create roster space for younger players, as A-Rod hasn’t hit well this year and can only handle a DH role at this stage of his career.
  • A Kyle Schwarber-for-Andrew Miller deal between the Cubs and Yankees has been one of the hottest rumors of this deadline season, though Chicago management has repeatedly said Schwarber isn’t on the market.  Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron takes an interesting look at Schwarber’s fuure value, arguing that there are signs he may not develop into the top-tier slugger the Cubs believe he can be (though Cameron’s Mike Napoli comp is still flattering).  While Schwarber has more value than Miller as a long-term piece, Cameron that a Yankees trade package of both Miller and Aroldis Chapman would justify the Cubs pulling the trigger on a deal.

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