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NL Notes: Castellanos, Cubs, Padres, Richards, Pirates

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Outfielder Nicholas Castellanos is only about a week into his Cubs tenure, but Patrick Mooney of The Athletic (subscription link) wonders if the free agent-to-be will work his way into the team’s plans past this season. Castellanos has excelled at the plate over a rather small sample of work as a Cub, and as Mooney explains, the former Tiger has taken a liking to his new franchise. While the 27-year-old Castellanos will be one of the top hitters in the upcoming winter’s free-agent class, a lack of defensive value figures to limit his earning power. The price could be palatable enough for the Cubs to retain him, but it wouldn’t be ideal that Castellanos would have to remain a full-time outfielder in a DH-less league.

More from the NL…

  • The Padres don’t expect the shoulder tightness that forced right-hander Garrett Richards from his latest rehab start to require an MRI, per Jeff Sanders on the San Diego Union-Tribune. “We’ll see how it responds over the coming week to treatment and when he picks up a ball in the near future,” manager Andy Green said of Richards. If all goes well, the former Angel could debut with the Padres sometime before this season ends. The Padres signed Richards to a two-year, $15.5MM contract last winter just a few months after he underwent Tommy John surgery.
  • Prized Pirates righty Mitch Keller is likely to return to the majors for a start next Tuesday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests. The 23-year-old is one of the game’s highest-ranked pitching prospects, but a three-start audition in the majors from May to June didn’t go well. Keller allowed 14 earned runs on 21 hits and six walks in a 12-inning span, though he did strike out 15 batters. And Keller has held his own this year in his debut in the offense-driven International League. In 103 2/3 innings with Triple-A Indianapolis, he has pitched to a 3.56 ERA/3.60 FIP with 10.68 K/9 and 3.04 BB/9.
  • More on the Pirates from Mackey, who has the latest on injured outfielder Gregory Polanco and catcher Francisco Cervelli. Polanco, who hasn’t played since June 16 because of left shoulder problems, has received clearance to restart baseball activities. It’s still not clear when he might return to the Bucs, however. Polanco also sat out the first couple weeks of 2019 on account of his shoulder, which required season-ending surgery last September. Cervelli, trying to work back from a concussion that has shelved him since May 25, is progressing toward catching again this season. The concussion-prone Cervelli will first need “final clearances from our doctors, the commissioner’s office and the [MLBPA],” Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said.

Latest On Garrett Richards Rehab

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Last winter, the Padres placed a limited but still-significant bet on the still-healing right arm of Garrett Richards. The expectation was that the Tommy John rehabber would be at full strength for the 2020 campaign and might even be ready in time to make a late contribution in 2019.

As of early July, it seemed things were proceeding well. Richards was ultimately sent out to begin a rehab assignment in mid-July, starting a thirty-day clock for potential MLB activation. That wasn’t a hard timeline — MLB rules allow the commissioner to grant up to three, ten-day rehab extensions for pitchers returning from TJS — but the 31-year-old would not have been put in a competitive pitching environment had he not been deemed ready to begin his march back to the MLB mound in earnest.

Richards started off gingerly, making two brief appearances with the Friars’ rookie ball Arizona League affiliate. His rehab work was placed in a higher gear in late July, when he joined the San Diego High-A outfit at Lake Elsinore. Richards didn’t exactly dominate in his first start: he allowed two earned runs on five hits and two walks, while generating just one strikeout, over 57 pitches in 2 1/3 innings.

It was encouraging, then, to see Richards come out of the gates in better form yesterday. He ran up five strikeouts against two walks and two base hits over 2 2/3 innings. Richards had only thrown 51 pitches to that point, thirty of them for strikes, so he surely was slated to remain on the hill at least to record his ninth out — if not also to begin the fourth inning.

Unfortunately, Richards ended up departing the mound at that point. The official word (Twitter link) is that the veteran righty was pulled with “apparent discomfort in his right shoulder.” The Mad Friars Twitter account indicates that trainers were looking at Richards’s shoulder rather than his recently repaired (and long problematic) elbow. While that’s not necessarily comforting in and of itself, it’s good to hear that the decision to pull him from the mound was deemed precautionary and that there’s no current expectation that Richards will miss a start.

Even if this proves to be a blip, it seems we’re still at least a few weeks away from potentially seeing Richards in the majors. Given its place in the standings, the San Diego club has no reason to proceed with anything but the utmost caution with the hard-throwing right-hander. He’ll still need to build his pitch count up and also spend some time fine-tuning against higher-level competition. And the organization will ultimately need to clear 40-man roster space to accommodate Richards (as will be required regardless once the season ends and the 60-day injured list goes dormant).

Padres To Acquire Carl Edwards Jr.

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In yet another under-the-wire deadline deal, the Cubs traded right-handed reliever Carl Edwards Jr. to the Padres, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers tweets. The once-trusted setup man had clearly seen his standing with the organization slip, as evidenced by a recent demotion to Triple-A Iowa.

The Cubs are getting lefty Brad Wieck back from the Padres in return for Edwards, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Chicago will also send $500K in international bonus pool money to the Padres in the deal, per Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. All indications are that the San Diego organization will take over the remainder of Edwards’s $1.5MM salary.

Edwards Jr. will join a strong bullpen unit in San Diego, offering value as a buy-low candidate with a high ceiling if Padres management can resolve the issues that have driven his fall from grace this season. While the Pads find themselves outside the playoff picture in 2019, the addition of Edwards could pay dividends in years to come; the 27-year-old will remain under team control through the 2022 season, which would seem to jibe with the Padres’ desired timeline for contention. If Edwards can return to form in San Diego, the Padres will add yet another bullpen weapon to its already-deep arsenal.

Wieck, meanwhile, is slightly younger than Edwards and has two more years of team control, which makes him an attractive long-term relief option. However, he lacks the Major-League track record and electrifying potential that made Edwards a mainstay in recent Cubs bullpens. While Chicago still finds itself in position to contend, Jed Hoyer and company viewed Edwards as a change-of-scenery candidate and may not have seen an opportunity for him to contribute to this year’s team. Replacing him with Wieck, while likely not improving their chances in 2019, may provide insurance against possible departures of veteran cogs: Pedro Strop, Brandon Kintzler, and Steve Cishek will all be free agents at season’s end, and there are few internal options outside of that group.

Wieck’s 2019 numbers are not pretty—his 6.57 ERA, fueled by allowing 2.6 HR/9, won’t inspire any optimism in Cubs faithful—but there are signs of promise. Despite the struggles, he’s struck out 11.3 batters per nine innings, good for a 3.44 K:BB ratio. In 2018, between Double- and Triple-A, he struck out 70 batters in 46 1/3 innings while walking just 17. He’s certainly not a finished product, and it’s questionable whether he provides more value to a contender than a diminished version of Edwards; however, with the extra years of team control and good strikeout stuff, the Cubs believe Wieck will grow into a more valuable long-term asset than the Edwards, who may well be a lost cause.

Over a three-year stretch from 2016-2018, Edwards established himself as a key member of the Cubs’ bullpen. Tossing 154 1/3 innings of relief over that span, Edwards posted a 3.03 ERA while striking out 12.4 batters per nine innings. However, his fortunes took a turn for the worse this season, as his ERA has ballooned to an unsightly 5.87. His strikeout numbers, while still impressive, dipped slightly; while his command issues haven’t waned, his 5.51 FIP seems to have been inflated by an increased proneness to the long ball, as he’s already allowed 3 in just 15 1/3 innings of work.

Dodgers Acquire Jedd Gyorko

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3:33pm: Southpaw Tony Cingrani is heading to St. Louis, likely for salary relief (as he’s out for the year), along with righty Jeffry Abreu. The Dodgers also obtain international spending capacity and cash considerations in unannounced amounts.

2:15pm: The Dodgers have struck a deal to add infielder Jedd Gyorko from the Cardinals, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). The return isn’t yet known.

Gyorko, 30, is playing on a $13MM salary this year ($5MM of which is still property of the Padres) and comes with a $13MM option ($1MM buyout) for next season. It’s not clear whether the Dodgers will be stepping into the full obligation.

Though he’s currently on the injured list, Gyorko is expected back in relatively short order. He’s on the 60-day injured list at present, which means the Dodgers don’t have to open a 40-man roster spot for him.

The Dodgers certainly have a wide array of players that fit Gyorko’s general description as a multi-positional player with a nice track record at the plate. But several of those players are currently dealing with injury issues, so the L.A. brass obviously decided to snag another.

Gyorko will be looking for a bounce back when he arrives with his new team. He hasn’t seen much action this year but has struggled when he has been available. But he was a consistent hitter over the prior three seasons in St. Louis, carrying a cumulative .259/.331/.463 batting line with 61 total long balls.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Noah Syndergaard Reportedly “Off The Trade Market”

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WEDNESDAY, 10:25am: The Mets took Syndergaard “off the trade market last night,” according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links). While the club is still talking about Wheeler — the Mets “have a price” that’ll need to be met in order to move him — it seems they are now all but closed off to a deal involving Thor.

The roller-coaster ride of the Mets has continued unabated. While the club has a legitimate shot at sneaking into a Wild Card slot, it still needs to leapfrog some other teams to get there. After weeks of rumors regarding Syndergaard and Wheeler — following an offseason in which the former, especially, was batted around in trade chatter — it seems the New York org will attempt once again to build around the former and may even hang onto the latter.

6:42am: There’s still at least some possibility of a deal with the Padres, but it “feels like a long shot,” per Jon Heyman of MLB network (via Twitter). It seems the asking price is just too great at the moment, with the Mets seeking a package that includes “both major league pieces and prospects.”

12:50am: Rival executives who have spoken with the Mets believe a Syndergaard deal has indeed become “less likely,” Robert Murray of The Athletic reports. At least for now, it “appears” Syndergaard will remain a Met, per Murray.

TUESDAY, 11:42pm: Right-handers Marcus Stroman and Trevor Bauer have already ended up on the move prior to Wednesday’s trade deadline. Righty Noah Syndergaard, the most popular player in the rumor mill in recent days, could join them. But Syndergaard expects to remain a Met beyond the deadline, as he told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com and other reporters Tuesday.

“I think I’m staying put,” said Syndergaard, who DiComo notes has been in contact with the Mets’ front office.

The Mets started Syndergaard against the White Sox on Tuesday, which they likely wouldn’t have done if they were closing in on a trade. Syndergaard proceeded to turn in one of his finest performances of the season, tossing 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball (unearned) with five hits allowed and 11 strikeouts against one walk. The 26-year-old now owns a 4.10 ERA/3.48 FIP with 9.2 K/9, 2.49 BB/9 and a 48.8 percent groundball rate in 134 innings.

Syndergaard’s 2019 production hasn’t been as great as we’ve come to expect from him since he debuted in 2015. That isn’t to say it’s unimpressive, though, as it does somewhat rival the numbers Stroman and Bauer have put up this year. Stroman, an ex-Blue Jay who’s now teammates with Syndergaard, netted two decent prospects in a trade over the weekend. Bauer returned a haul to the Indians on Tuesday in a trade that also involved the Reds (his new team) and the Padres.

The Mets would be within reason to hold out for even more than Bauer brought back. After all, compared to Bauer, Syndergaard is younger, several million dollars cheaper, under control for a year longer and in possession of a superior track record. New York’s undoubtedly exorbitant asking price for Syndergaard may wind up as too rich for the rest of the league.

The Padres, for one, are seemingly out of the race. Talks between the Mets and Padres “are completely dormant,” Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. Franmil Reyes was reportedly among the players the Padres were willing to trade for Syndergaard, but the Friars sent him to the Indians in Tuesday’s blockbuster.

If Syndergaard does remain in place Wednesday, the Mets could still deal another high-profile starter in fellow righty Zack Wheeler. The 29-year-old pending free agent may be the most obvious trade candidate in baseball heading into the deadline.

Reds Acquire Trevor Bauer In 3-Team Deal With Indians, Padres

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Last night’s stunning three-team trade is now official.  The Indians have traded star right-hander Trevor Bauer to the Reds, who sent back right fielder Yasiel Puig and lefty pitching prospect Scott Moss.  Cleveland also added a trio of players from the Padres: outfielder Franmil Reyes, young left-hander Logan Allen, and rookie-level infielder Victor Nova.  On the San Diego end of the swap, the Friars have landed much-hyped outfield prospect Taylor Trammell from the Reds.  Amazingly, the finishing touch on Puig’s brief Reds career was his involvement in a dust-up with the Pirates, which actually went down after the trade agreement was reached.  That finale may have edged out Bauer’s last impression as an Indian from Sunday.

At 49-55 and 6 1/2 games out of wild-card position, Cincinnati’s chances of earning a playoff spot this year appear close to dead. Nevertheless, the poor win-loss results the team has achieved this season didn’t deter president of baseball operations Dick Williams and general manager Nick Krall, whose goal is to make a more serious playoff push in 2020. The Reds may be in position to do that by picking up Bauer, who – barring more deals – could team with Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, Anthony DeSclafani and Tyler Mahle to give the Reds one of the game’s best rotations next season. Cincinnati’s starting staff has been a formidable group without Bauer this year, but it could lose one or two veterans by Wednesday’s trade deadline. Tanner Roark and Alex Wood look like possible candidates to wind up on the move, but even if they stay put through the season, they’re not under contract beyond then.

The 28-year-old Bauer has been a quality, albeit somewhat frustrating, starter since he entered the pro ranks as the third overall pick of the Diamondbacks in 2011. He went to the Indians in a three-team trade in 2012 (which also involved the Reds) and has since pitched to a 3.89 ERA/3.95 FIP across 1,044 1/3 innings and 180 appearances (170 starts). Bauer was at his best last year, during which he earned Cy Young consideration on the strength of a splendid 2.21 ERA/2.44 FIP over 175 1/3 frames.

While Bauer hasn’t been as effective this season, he has still notched a solid 3.79 ERA/4.17 FIP with 10.63 K/9 against 3.62 BB/9 through a league-leading 156 2/3 innings. That was eminently valuable production to a Cleveland team which has been without Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Mike Clevinger for significant parts of the season, but the Tribe nonetheless deemed Bauer expendable. In his final act as an Indian, Bauer fired a ball from the pitcher’s mound over the center field wall Sunday after a frustrating outing in Kansas City.

Clearly, Bauer’s on-field tantrum last weekend didn’t have an adverse affect on his trade value. The Indians are bringing back a major haul for Bauer, who’s making $13MM now, will earn an arbitration raise next season and has said he plans to go year to year in free agency thereafter. As a 62-44 team that holds the American League’s top wild-card spot and trails the AL Central-leading Twins by 2 1/2 games, the Indians were only going to trade Bauer if it helped them stay in contention this season. It appears this deal will enable them to accomplish that. It’ll also shave quite a bit of salary from the Indians’ 2020 books while giving them multiple potential long-term pieces.

Puig is only under control through this season, during which he’s making a $9.7MM salary, but will team with Reyes to help give the Indians the right-handed outfield/DH punch they’d been seeking on the trade market. With the Puig and Reyes acquisitions, the Indians have become the first team to ever land two 20-home run hitters in one midseason trade, Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out.

The 28-year-old Puig joined the Reds last winter in a previous blockbuster involving the Dodgers. Although Puig got off to a horrible start this season, his production has taken off over the past several weeks. Puig now owns a .252/.302/.475 slash with 22 home runs and 14 stolen bases (19 attempts) across 404 plate appearances. Long a capable defender in right field, Puig has also performed well in that aspect this year.

One of the key elements of this deal for Puig is that it completely wipes out the possibility of him receiving a qualifying offer after the season. Puig only looked like a borderline candidate for a QO, but now that he’s off the Reds, he’s on schedule to reach free agency unfettered over the winter.

Just as Bauer’s Indians stint ended in bizarre fashion, so did Puig’s days with the Reds. He was involved in a brawl during the Reds-Pirates game Tuesday when news of the trade came down. Puig may have to serve a suspension early in his Tribe tenure as a result.

There are no such concerns centering on Reyes, who has emerged as one of the game’s foremost power bats since he debuted a year ago. Although Reyes has struggled to consistently get on base this season, his first full campaign in the majors, the big-bodied 24-year-old has still batted .255/.314/.536 (117 wRC+) with 27 home runs in 354 PA. Given his prolific home run totals, Reyes could eventually rake in sizable sums via arbitration, but that isn’t something the Indians will have to worry about for the foreseeable future. Reyes isn’t on track to reach arbitration until after the 2021 season, and he’s not scheduled to become a free agent until the conclusion of the 2024 campaign.

Not to be forgotten, the Indians are also getting three less established players in this deal in Allen, Nova and Moss. The 22-year-old Allen entered the season as a top 100-caliber prospect. He has since struggled in a 25 1/3-inning major league sample and in 57 2/3 frames with Triple-A El Paso of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. However, Allen was still regarded as one of the many high-end prospects in a jam-packed Padres system. FanGraphs’ Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen ranked Allen as the Padres’ eighth-best farmhand back in May, writing that he “comfortably projects as a No. 4 starter.”

Nova, 19, was not grouped in with the Padres’ premier farmhands, but Longenhagen tweets that the infielder’s “an interesting, bat-first flier.” The Dominican Republic native has held his own this year in rookie ball, where he has batted .330/.421/.451 (136 wRC+) with seven steals in 109 PA.

Now 24, Moss became a Red when they used a fourth-round pick on him in 2016. The former Tommy John patient has since put up appealing results in the minors, including this year. In his first experience in Double-A ball, Moss has thrown 102 innings and recorded a 3.44 ERA/3.52 FIP with 10.85 K/9, though he has walked just over five hitters per nine. Moss ranked as the Reds’ 12th overall prospect at MLB.com, which notes he has a “somewhat limited” ceiling but could turn into a back-end starter or swingman at the MLB level.

The highest-ranked prospect in this trade is Trammell, whom Baseball America and ESPN’s Keith Law (subscriptions required) placed near the top of the sport in their most recent updates. BA rates Trammell 41st, while Law’s even more bullish (No. 14). This hasn’t been a hugely effective season for the 21-year-old Trammell, who has batted .236/.350/.338 (108 wRC+) with six homers and 17 steals in 377 PA during his initial taste of Double-A action. However, youth and injuries have played a part in Trammell’s unspectacular output, explains Law, who contends the youngster has the tools to become “a good regular or a star” in left field.

The Padres, of course, surrendered a substantial amount to acquire the unproven Trammell. But trading Reyes will somewhat enable the club to alleviate its current logjam in the outfield. With Reyes out of the mix, the Padres still have two starting-caliber corner outfield options in Hunter Renfroe and the maligned, expensive Wil Myers. They also have rookie Josh Naylor, Travis Jankowski and Franchy Cordero as 40-man options who are either in the minors or injured at present.

Weighing all the pieces in this trade, it’s all the more surprising the Blue Jays couldn’t reel in a greater return for righty Marcus Stroman this past weekend. At $7.4MM, Stroman’s cheaper than Bauer, under control for the same period and has arguably been the better of the two this season. Nevertheless, in a trade with the Mets, the Jays were only able to secure two non-elite prospects – pitchers Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson – for Stroman. There was plenty of chatter afterward that teams were clinging to their prospects and unwilling to give up truly outstanding young talent anymore, but this three-way deal shows that isn’t the case.

Jeff Passan of ESPN broke the news of the deal. Additional players involved were conveyed by Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Dennis Lin of The Athletic, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Padres Interested In Extending Kirby Yates

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There has been no shortage of interest this summer in Padres closer Kirby Yates, one of baseball’s top trade chips. It doesn’t appear the Padres are going to move Yates by Wednesday’s deadline, though, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The team instead hopes to extend Yates, who’s in his penultimate year of club control.

Yates has unexpectedly turned into a core Padre and one of the elite relievers in baseball since they claimed him off waivers from the Angels in April 2017. At that point, the right-hander owned a 5.38 ERA across 98 2/3 innings divided among the Rays, Yankees and Angels. With help from the splitter he added to his repertoire upon joining the Padres, Yates has pitched to a stellar 2.38 ERA/2.47 FIP with 13.78 K/9, 2.49 BB/9 and 44 saves on 50 chances over 162 2/3 innings in San Diego.

While Yates was tremendous a year ago, he has found yet another gear this season. Through 44 frames, Yates ranks first among qualified relievers in ERA (1.02) and FIP (1.07), second in K/BB ratio (8.00), third in xFIP (2.12), fourth in K/9 (14.73) and 20th in BB/9 (1.84). Hitters have recorded a matching and feckless .208 weighted on-base average/expected wOBA off Yates, who has converted 31 of 33 save opportunities.

The Padres are likely out of contention this season, Yates is set to play his age-33 campaign in 2020, and relievers are known for their volatility. Those are all arguments for the Padres to sell Yates when his value’s at its zenith, and the fact he’s earning a bargain salary ($3MM-plus) would make an impressive haul easier for them to land. But it looks as if the Padres, hoping to snap their lengthy playoff drought in 2020, will keep Yates and make an effort to reach a new deal with him.

Noah Syndergaard Rumors: Tuesday

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The Mets have already added one of the most coveted starters on the trade market, but they’re poised to perhaps trade away one or two more. New York continues to listen to offers on righty Noah Syndergaard, who is still listed as the starter for tonight’s game. We’ll track today’s rumblings on him here and update throughout the evening…

  • The Padres made what they considered a fair offer on Syndergaard — one that involved Major League players — but still aren’t close to coming to terms with the Mets, reports SNY’s Andy Martino (via Twitter). The Padres are widely believed to be willing to deal from their plethora of outfielders — Manuel Margot, Hunter Renfroe and Franmil Reyes are among the available names — and also possess one of baseball’s premier farm systems. San Diego’s interest in Syndergaard dates back to the offseason, and they’re still hoping to add a potential frontline starter to help them in 2020 beyond at this year’s deadline. While they’ve explored innumerable trade scenarios around the league, the Padres’ “most earnest” pursuit has been their ongoing effort to obtain Syndergaard, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
  • Similarly, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets that the Mets have been seeking current MLB talent in all of their Syndergaard talks — even from teams with highly regarded minor league systems. That meshes with last night’s report (from LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune) that the Mets had asked the Twins for center fielder Byron Buxton as part of the return for Syndergaard — an ask that Minnesota was rather obvious unwilling to oblige. (Buxton is hitting .259/.313/.508, good for a 108 wRC+, and is arguably baseball’s best outfield defender.)
  • “[W]hat they were asking it is not even worth a second conversation,” one executive tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post with regard to Syndergaard discussions with the Mets. “I’m not even sure it was worth the first. … [T]he Mets are not in the mode of meeting you in the middle of your offer and their ask, it is their ask or nothing.” As Sherman more broadly explores, Mets brass has no inclination to move toward anything but a win-now approach in 2020. General manager Brodie Van Wagenen was the only one of the dozen GM candidates for the Mets who did not recommend some level of rebuild to ownership, Sherman writes, and both he and the Wilpon family remain committed to constructing a roster they believe can compete in 2020. That seems to only further underline that the Mets would want multiple MLB or MLB-ready assets to part with Syndergaard.

Rays Showing Interest In Padres Outfielders

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The Rays are working the phones on multiple fronts, with the evident aim of adding pitching as well as a bat. In that latter pursuit, the team has engaged the padres regarding corner outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Franmil Reyes, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).

It’s not surprising to see those particular names pop up, if only because of the prior rumored Tampa Bay targets. The club has been tied to numerous powerful right-handed hitters, most of whom would represent full or part-time options in the corner outfield. It seems that’s a particular profile of interest.

What’s particularly interesting about this slugging San Diego duo is that it consists of a pair of young and controllable players. That’d presumably increase the price tag, though perhaps there’s also some logic in the Rays going after pieces with long-term as well as short-term value.

There’s obviously a tough balance to be struck here by the Tampa Bay front office. Even as hopes of a division run have melted away, the club has made clear that it wishes to “do everything we can not to take this season for granted and see if there is a way to help this team in a responsible fashion.”

Renfroe and Reyes each possess an abundance of power. They’ve also both put it into play in game action at the MLB level this year. The former has a .238/.297/.563 slash and 29 dingers, the latter a .253/.312/.535 mark and 27 long balls. Both of those lines translate to a 116 wRC+ and suggest equal parts intrigue and concern as to sustainability.

The sluggers each have a little more swing and miss, and a little less plate discipline, than might be preferred. Barring an adjustment, their fortunes will rise and fall on their ability to square up the baseball consistently. That sort of high-power, low-OBP profile hasn’t been favored in recent years, though perhaps that could create a bit of an opportunity for the Rays.

It remains to be seen how aggressively the Padres will market their corner sluggers. While the club has yet to resolve its general outfield crunch, it’s not as if the organization is desperate to clear a path for a can’t-miss prospect.

Closer Market Rumors: Diaz, Vazquez

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The Mets have numerous top trade chips on the market right now, including marquee offseason acquisition Edwin Diaz. The talented young closer remains highly valuable despite his 4.95 ERA, though it’s likewise true that there’s little chance the Mets would be able to recoup what they gave up to get him over the winter. Beyond the fact that Diaz is now just months away from arbitration, the Mets simply paid a hefty fee for Diaz at the outset. In addition to parting with rising prospects Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn, the club took on $64MM in new salary (after netting out the cash and salaries exchanged).

While that’s a particularly painful price in retrospect, the New York organization must now think primarily about what it wants its roster and payroll to look like moving forward. The latest on Diaz and the rest of the closer market:

  • Despite Diaz’s struggles in the earned-run department, there’s “significant” demand for his services, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (subscription link). At present, the Dodgers, Rays, Braves, and Padres are teams with active interest. Several of those teams have been linked clearly to Diaz of late.
  • While Rosenthal had also listed the Red Sox, who were connected yesterday to Diaz by ESPN.com’s Buster Olney, it seems that possibility has already fizzed. That match “remains unlikely,” Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports on Twitter. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand adds Raisel Iglesias of the Reds and Shane Greene of the Tigers as other top relievers unlikely to end up in Boston. (Twitter link.) The Braves, on the other hand, do indeed still seem to be in pursuit of Diaz. Per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, via Twitter, the Mets have continued to examine the Atlanta farm. From the Braves’ side, it seems Diaz is the top target, with starters Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler of ongoing but lesser interest.
  • If there’s a clear alternative to Diaz, it’s ace Pirates reliever Felipe Vazquez. The high-octane lefty has hit another gear in 2019, with 14.1 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 to go with his shiny 1.87 ERA on the season. We’ve seen him connected recently to the Dodgers, but there’s no indication the sides have momentum. Indeed, Rosenthal adds (in the above-linked column) that the Bucs are putting such a high price on Vazquez that he “essentially is not available.” That may be a bargaining ploy to see if a rival comes forward with a monster offer, but it’s certainly understandable that the Pirates aren’t just putting Vazquez up for auction. Rosenthal cites anonymous front office opinion that the Pittsburgh roster doesn’t have enough to compete in the near-term to justify keeping an asset such as Vazquez. That may well be the case, but it doesn’t mean the club should sell him short — particularly after seeing what the M’s were able to pry from the Mets for Diaz last winter.
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