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Yankees Acquire Andrew McCutchen

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The Yankees and Giants have struck a trade that will send veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen to New York, the teams announced on Friday. Minor league infielder Abiatal Avelino and minor league right-hander Juan De Paula are heading to the Giants in exchange.

McCutchen has reportedly cleared revocable waivers, which freed the Giants to shop him around the league without restriction. We had recently looked at some plausible landing spots for the veteran, with MLBTR readers pegging the Yanks as one of the likeliest suitors. McCutchen also topped MLBTR’s most recent ranking of the top August trade candidates.

While the Yanks still are counting on top slugger Aaron Judge to return in time for the postseason, it’s increasingly worrisome that he remains sidelined by a chip fracture in his wrist. And though the Yanks are all but certain to end up in a Wild Card play-in, the club still needs to prepare both to maximize its chances of winning that game and to be ready for a full postseason series of it does so.

Presently, the Yankees are utilizing long-time infielder Neil Walker in the outfield while also giving a roster spot to the light-hitting Shane Robinson. While Clint Frazier would be an appealing option, he’s just launching a rehab assignment after a lengthy DL stint of his own. Under the circumstances, it’s not hard to see why the Yankees held interest in McCutchen, who has produced solid offensive numbers this year despite failing to play to his once-great levels.

True, McCutchen’s batting line — .255/.357/.415 — doesn’t look all that appealing at first glance for a corner outfielder, though it’s roughly 15 percent better than that of a league-average bat when adjusting for his cavernous home park (by measure of wRC+). McCutchen is drawing walks at a strong 12.9% clip and has perhaps been unfortunate only to carry a .160 isolated power that’s lower than any full-season mark in his career. There’s a statistical argument to be made that his overall numbers are worse than should be expected of someone who makes the quality of contact McCutchen has made so far in 2018; Statcast credits him with a .364 xwOBA that lands well over his actual .339 wOBA output.

Nonetheless, as he closes in on his 32nd birthday, McCutchen simply isn’t the player that he once was. But he’s still a solid performer who is still capable of playing on a near-regular basis. McCutchen has hit more against lefties and isn’t grading well on the bases despite 13 steals, however, so once the Yankees’ roster is at full strength, he could potentially be deployed more selectively. He has generated average or better grades for his glovework in right, a welcome change after some rough seasons in center field.

For the Yankees, the optimal roster situation does not include McCutchen as an everyday presence. But, once Judge is back, he could potentially be quite a useful player by entering the mix with Aaron Hicks and Brett Gardner.

For the Giants, there isn’t much reason to hold onto McCutchen at this point. The club isn’t going to make the postseason regardless, barring a miracle. And the veteran likely won’t be worth a qualifying offer. If the Giants want him back, they can still pursue him on the open market.

Meanwhile, the Giants will pick up some new assets. Avelino, 23, raked at Double-A to open the year but has fallen back to earth upon ascending to the highest level of the minors. He’s struggling to reach base and hasn’t sustained the power burst he showed earlier in the year, though it’s still notable that he has hit 15 home runs in 501 plate appearances after never previously even reaching double digits in a full season.

Avelino also runs well and has mostly played shortstop as a professional, though he also has seen significant time at second and third. He rated 23rd among Yankees prospects on MLB.com’s midseason ranking of the Yankees’ best prospects, so the scouting community has recognized his intriguing recent developments. While Avelino will need to be added to the 40-man roster to be protected from Rule 5 draft consideration, the Giants likely won’t find that too onerous and may consider allowing him to compete for a job in camp next spring.

In De Paula, the Yanks will add a hard-throwing 20-year-old who has spent the summer playing with the Yankees’ short-season Class-A affiliate in Staten Island. In 47 1/3 innings (nine starts, one relief appearance), he’s worked to a 1.71 ERA with 8.8 K/9 against 4.9 BB/9 and a 48.5 percent ground-ball rate. De Paula ranked 26th among Yankees prospect, per MLB.com, drawing praise for a curveball and changeup that give him a chance for three above-average pitches.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported that a deal was close and that Avelino would head to the Giants (Twitter links). ESPN’s Buster Olney reported an agreement had been reached (Twitter link). Ken Rosenthal and Jim Bowden of The Athletic added financial details and that De Paula would be the second prospect in the deal (Twitter links).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Giants Place Steven Duggar On DL, Select Gregor Blanco

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The Giants announced Wednesday that they’ve placed rookie outfielder Steven Duggar on the 10-day disabled list due to a shoulder injury and selected the contract of veteran outfielder Gregor Blanco in his place. Buster Posey, who underwent season-ending hip surgery earlier this week, was moved to the 60-day DL to open roster space for Blanco.

The exact nature of Duggar’s injury isn’t yet clear, as he’s headed for an MRI for further evaluation, per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic (Twitter links). The 24-year-old sustained the injury while diving back into second base in yesterday’s game and appearing to dislocate the shoulder (before having it popped back into place). Baggarly notes that it could be a subluxation — an injury that could put an end to the young outfielder’s debut season.

Through 152 plate appearances on the season, Duggar has batted .255/.303/.390 with a pair of homers, 11 doubles, a triple and five steals (in six tries). Though the Giants are all but eliminated from postseason contention, a season-ending injury to Duggar would sting all the same. San Francisco’s hope is that the former sixth-round pick (2015) can be its center fielder of the future, and the month of September would’ve been an important evaluation period for the promising prospect.

In Blanco, the Giants will welcome a familiar face back to the roster. The 34-year-old spent time with the Giants earlier this season and was also a mainstay on their roster from 2012-16. In all, he’s strode to the plate 2183 times as a Giant (excluding postseason play), hitting a combined .258/.335/.359 along the way.

Buster Posey Undergoes Season-Ending Hip Surgery

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AUGUST 27: The surgery has been completed as expected, the club announced.

AUGUST 25: Posey will wrap up his 2018 season in time to undergo hip surgery on Monday, as Henry Schulman of the San Francico Chronicle was among those to report on Twitter. He’ll have work done to his labrum and also have some bone spurs removed, as Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic adds on Twitter. Posey is said to be  hoping to be prepared for Opening Day 2019, though that seems to be on the optimistic side give that there’s a six-to-eight month timetable.

AUGUST 24: Sabean said in an appearance on KNBR-680 AM in San Francisco last night that after Posey received a second opinion on his hip in New York, surgery is “imminent.” The Giants are in the process of scheduling the procedure.

“Health-wise they say it’s a very common surgery, more so maybe in football,” Sabean explained. “Recovery time is what it is, it’s six-plus months, and if you hit the mark well enough you should be able to perform in spring training and hopefully start the season on time.”

Aug. 21, 9:05pm: Posey tells reporters that he’s known his hip will ultimately require surgical repair for awhile now (Twitter link via Pavlovic). He’s discussing the situation with the Giants’ medical staff on a daily basis and is confident he’ll be ready for Spring Training.

7:25pm: The Giants and Buster Posey are weighing the possibility of hip surgery that would end the catcher’s season, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. No determination has been made just yet, but Posey has been plagued by hip issues for much of the season and it seems the organization is resigned to the fact that he will need to go under the knife.

Executive vice president of baseball ops Brian Sabean tells Shea that it’s a “safe assumption” that Posey will eventually require surgery, and the report cites skipper Bruce Bochy in adding that the surgery would “address” Posey’s labrum and also remove some bone spurs. The timeline remains unclear, however; Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area writes that he hears Posey will indeed require eventual surgery but is expected to play in tomorrow’s game.

Posey himself tells Shea that the hip has been bothering him for some time but says that there are some days that are better than others. With the Giants currently clinging to the fringes of the NL West picture (seven and a half games out) and the second NL Wild Card spot (seven games out), it’s understandable that Posey would want to continue playing to the extent that his injury allows.

The Giants, though, appear to be taking a fairly practical approach to their dwindling playoff aspirations. Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reported last night that Andrew McCutchen has been placed on revocable trade waivers, tweeting that there’s a “very good chance” he’s moved later this week. If that’s the route the Giants plan to take, then it’d only be reasonable to eventually shut Posey down in order to give him the best chance possible to be ready for the 2019 season. He already elected to forgo this year’s All-Star festivities in order to receive treatment on his ailing hip, and there’d be little sense in delaying the inevitable if the organization ultimately raises the metaphorical white flag.

While Posey has still enjoyed a solid season at the plate, hitting .286/.350/.386, he’s managed just five homers and a total of 28 extra-base hits. For a player who has averaged 47 extra-base hits per year and never posted an ISO (slugging percentage minus batting average) south of last year’s .142, that lack of power production represents a precipitous decline in his power output.

Giants Notes: Samardzija, Posey, Bart, Catching

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The latest from San Francisco…

  • Jeff Samardzija will get a second opinion on his bothersome throwing shoulder, The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly reports (Twitter link).  Samardzija has been out of action since mid-July with shoulder inflammation, and he most recently suffered a setback in his rehab process.  Shoulder issues also required Samardzija to serve another DL stint earlier in the year, and given the lack of time remaining in the season, the Giants could very well decide to simply shut the right-hander down.  The injuries have surely contributed to Samardzija’s poor numbers (6.25 ERA over 44 2/3 IP) in what has become a lost season for the veteran.
  • There aren’t many past instances of a catcher undergoing hip labrum surgery, as Fangraphs’ Jay Jaffe explores, so the Giants can’t really be sure of what to expect from Buster Posey going forward after the longtime star returns from his imminent procedure.  Undergoing this surgery could certainly help Posey regain some of his power, though since he’s entering his age-32 season, Posey might be due for something of a natural decline in any case.  The Giants can’t explore a full-time move to first base for Posey due to Brandon Belt’s presence, and because Posey’s defense behind the plate is such a big plus for the team, Jaffe explains.
  • The long-term answer for the Giants at catcher, of course, looks to be second overall pick Joey Bart.  In a subscription-only piece for The Athletic, Baggarly looks at the prospect’s first pro season, which has already been an impactful one.  Bart has already been promoted to low-A ball, and has a combined .306/.367/.589 slash line over 199 PA at the rookie league and low-A levels.  It wouldn’t be a shock to see San Francisco aggressively promote Bart in 2019, given that Posey himself took a quick route to the majors (drafted fifth overall in 2008, made his big league debut in 2009).  If Bart keeps up his progress, it will be interesting to see how the Giants manage the situation, given that Posey and Belt are both signed to big-money contracts through the 2021 campaign.

Giants Promote Aramis Garcia

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SUNDAY: Both Garcia’s promotion and Posey’s DL placement are now official, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic was among those to tweet.

SATURDAY: The Giants are expected to promote Aramis Garcia to the major-league club, as Robert Murray of The Athletic was first to report. The move will likely come tomorrow, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.

News of Garcia’s first call-up to the big leagues coincides with the news that franchise icon Buster Posey is scheduled to undergo season-ending hip surgery on Monday. Though Posey is presumably available to pinch-hit in today’s game, the Giants are all but out of the playoff hunt and have accepted the fact that they need to turn an eye towards the ensuing seasons. That means making sure Posey has a shot at returning in time for Opening Day 2019, and as such there’s a void to fill behind the plate beside current backup Nick Hundley.

It wouldn’t be fair to expect Garcia to perform to Posey’s level, or even the watered-down version we’ve seen this year. After all, he’s not exactly lighting the world on fire at Triple-A so far this season. The former second-rounder has hit .237/.286/.263 in 41 plate appearances at that level so far, and even at Double-A this year he only managed a wRC+ of 88 to go along with a .682 OPS. On the other hand, he showed a bit more potential last season when he posted a 116 wRC+ with 17 homers across two levels of the minor leagues.

MLB Pipeline ranked Garcia as the Giants’ 15th-best prospect in their most recent update, citing his strength and the loft in his stroke as reasons to be optimistic about his power potential. There’s plenty of reason to be concerned about his floor, though; the publication believes he’s becoming too aggressive at the plate and will need to tighten up his strike zone in order to have a shot at success against major-league pitching. His defensive skills are merely average as well.

Despite the concerns about him, the Giants aren’t exactly white-knuckling it in regards to hopes that Garcia can become an everyday catcher. Rather, he’ll only need to develop into a serviceable backup in order to fill a future organizational need. Posey will likely return in time to play most if not all of 2019, and San Francisco has their catcher for the future in the form of this past draft’s number two overall pick, Joey Bart. Still, Garcia can win himself a major-league job as a part-time player if he makes good use of his 2018 audition.

Cafardo’s Latest: Posey, Braves, Bumgarner, Yanks, O’s, Jones

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Some San Francisco-heavy rumblings from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe:

  • Giants catcher Buster Posey drew trade interest from the Braves prior to the July 31 non-waiver deadline, Cafardo reports. Moreover, “there was talk” Boston was interested in Posey, but a team source shot down that, Cafardo adds. Regardless, it’s no surprise the Giants didn’t trade Posey, a franchise institution who remains a high-end catcher at the age of 31. It was revealed this week, however, that Posey will undergo season-ending hip surgery – a procedure which could also prevent him from being ready to start next year on time. The 2019 campaign will be the third-to-last guaranteed season of the nine-year, $167MM extension Posey signed in 2013.
  • Like Posey, Giants ace Madison Bumgarner isn’t someone who has been seen as a realistic trade candidate to this point. But that didn’t stop the Yankees from being “in the hunt” for Bumgarner around the deadline, per Cafardo, who notes that “the price was too high” for the Bombers’ liking. Although San Francisco hasn’t been willing to part with Bumgarner, its control over the 29-year-old is running out. As of now, he’s slated to rake in a $12MM club option in 2019 and then reach the open market during the ensuing offseason.
  • The Orioles won’t trade center fielder Adam Jones this month, according to Cafardo, who writes that the 33-year-old “was open to going elsewhere.” Jones’ apparent willingness to leave Baltimore runs counter to various reports from last month, when he would not waive his 10-and-5 rights to join a contender for the stretch run. Now, having cleared revocable waivers this month, Jones is eligible to be traded anywhere, but it appears the longtime Oriole will end the season with them. After that, he’s scheduled to reach free agency.

NL Notes: Harper, Giants, Wacha, Cardinals, Marlins

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The Giants have been long-rumored suitors for Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, who’s expected to reach free agency in the offseason and sign one of the richest contracts in baseball history. While Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle opines that the deep-pocketed Giants should go after Harper, he casts doubt on the possibility of the soon-to-be 26-year-old superstar signing with them. Giants CEO Larry Baer said this week that the club should “lean more toward the development” side of things in the immediate future, Schulman points out, adding it’s doubtful Harper would select San Francisco over teams in better position to contend immediately. Schulman also suggests that the Giants’ stadium, pitcher-friendly AT&T Park, could work against them during the Harper sweepstakes. It’s worth noting, then, that the Giants’ venue currently ranks 19th among 30 parks in HR factor for left-handed hitters, per Baseball Prospectus.

A couple more notes from the National League…

  • Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha is slated to rejoin the team’s rotation during the first week of September, manager Mike Shildt told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other reporters Saturday. Wacha will first need to get through a Double-A rehab outing on Tuesday, when he could throw 75 to 80 pitches, per Goold. A left oblique strain has kept Wacha out since June 21, before which he made 15 starts and tossed 84 1/3 innings of 3.20 ERA/4.21 FIP ball. Meanwhile, reliever Dominic Leone is also on track to return to the Cardinals early next month, Joe Trezza of MLB.com tweets. The offseason trade acquisition from Toronto landed on the DL on May 5 with a nerve issue in his right biceps – an injury which has prevented Leone from properly following up the excellent 2017 he had with the Blue Jays.
  • Marlins first baseman Garrett Cooper suffered a setback during a rehab assignment on Wednesday and is “likely” done for the season, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com writes. Cooper has been dealing with right wrist problems since the second game of the season, when the Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks hit him with a pitch, and hasn’t played since July 20. With the Marlins having traded former starting first baseman Justin Bour to the Phillies earlier this month, a healthy Cooper perhaps could have made a case for the job heading into 2019. Instead, it appears the 27-year-old’s season will end with a .212/.316/.242 batting line over just 38 major league plate appearances.

Injury Notes: Smith, Samardzija, Tulo, Pineda

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The Rays had a scare yesterday in regards to outfielder Mallex Smith, who was hospitalized due to a viral infection and has since been placed on the 10-day DL. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times has the full details here, noting that the infection doesn’t seem gravely serious and is a far cry from the severity of the bacterial infection that ended Indians outfielder Leonys Martin’s season. Smith was hitting .307 and functioning as the Rays’ leadoff hitter prior to being hospitalized, so the club will be keeping a close eye on his recovery. For the time being, right-hander Andrew Kittredge will take his spot on the active roster.

Other injury news and updates from around baseball…

  • Though recent trends would have led Giants fans to believe Jeff Samardzija would be making a return to the mound in 2018, a new development has made that significantly less likely. Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle hears that Samardzija has suffered a setback in his rehab from a shoulder injury. “There is a little concern there, to be honest,” manager Bruce Bochy said of the right-hander’s shoulder. “There’s some soreness. He’s not real close.” Samardzija has only taken the mound for ten starts so far this season, posting a nauseating 6.25 ERA.
  • The Blue Jays don’t expect Troy Tulowitzki to make a return to the field this season, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca tweets. The message comes courtesy of manager John Gibbons. That means Tulo will have missed the entirety of the 2018 season after undergoing surgery on both of his heels at the outset of April. Even last season, Tulo played at replacement level by measure of Fangraphs’ WAR formula. With the shortstop’s lengthy injury history, it’s fair to wonder whether his playing career is in jeopardy.
  • Though Michael Pineda was set to make a rehab start on Monday for the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate, Phil Miller of the Star Tribune reports that it’s been canceled in favor of a trip to the doctor. Pineda will undergo an MRI to get to the bottom of the irritation in his right knee. Pineda signed a two-year pact with Minnesota this offseason, even though it was well-known that he wouldn’t pitch for most of the season while recovering from a Tommy John surgery he underwent in 2017.

Giants’ Leadership Addresses Organization’s Plans

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With it becoming increasingly apparent that the Giants won’t be mounting a late run at the postseason, the team’s top organizational figures have spent some time giving their impressions of the current season and the future outlook. CEO Larry Baer chatted with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic (audio/subscription link), while president of baseball operations Brian Sabean spoke with John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Both men made clear that they don’t see the ballclub as being in the midst of a massive transition. “I don’t characterize it as a rebuild,” said Baer. Sabean, the club’s top baseball decisionmaker, said much the same: “We’re used to winning. We don’t feel we’re in a position, as a result of that, to have, quote, a complete face-lift.”

At the same time, there was certainly an acknowledgement that change will be needed. Sabean noted that the front office will “have to probably be ready to make some tough decisions.” And Baer acknowledged that, in applying what he described as Sabean’s “win and develop” approach to staying competitive while building for the future, it may be necessary to “”lean more toward the development” side of the fence.

If there’s a clear plan, it’s not clear from these interviews just what it is and how it’ll be implemented. When asked whether he expects to acquire a big-money player — which Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle argued today could be pursued even if the club otherwise doesn’t really expect to contend — Baer said it’s just too soon to know. His top baseball ops mean, though, said the club “still want[s] to put the most productive product on the field that we can,” which seems to keep the door open.

Certainly, it’s tough to see how the Giants would manage to embark upon anything like a true rebuilding effort with so many hard-to-move obligations on the books. That wasn’t necessarily the case last winter, when several veterans on long-term deals held greater trade value than they do now.

While the decision to push for a return to contention in 2018 hasn’t resulted in a postseason trajectory, that doesn’t mean the organization regrets it. Sabean says there was value in having “distanced ourselves from how last year went.” Both men suggested that the organization is pleased with having unearthed some young talent, too.

Of course, expectations were that this roster would struggle to keep pace in the division, just as has occurred. Some might have been higher on the Giants heading into 2018 had the team landed Giancarlo Stanton. In Baer’s estimation, the organization failed to convince the slugger to waive his no-trade protection to come to San Francisco mostly because Stanton was already frustrated with “the process” the Marlins undertook to try to deal him. Anyway, Baer says, the near-term payroll space that would have been locked up by Stanton was “re-expressed” in veterans Andrew McCutchen, Evan Longoria, and Tony Watson — a fact that actually left the club “very content” this spring, Baer says.

Longoria’s contract now looks to be another underperforming asset, further clogging the future balance sheets after the club so diligently stayed below the luxury tax line this year. But those are the risks it takes to acquire or keep established veterans. And the Giants obviously believe in their approach, having seen it result in three recent World Series titles.

It seems that, most broadly, the organization will back off the throttle in some respects — McCutchen could certainly be traded in the coming days, for example — but will otherwise push forward with its tried and true methods of roster building. Certainly, there’s every indication that Sabean and skipper Bruce Bochy will remain in their posts, with Baer telling Kawakami that the pair has an unmatched pedigree and expressing confidence in them with one more season left on their most recent extensions.

Andrew McCutchen Clears Revocable Trade Waivers

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Giants outfielder Andrew McCutchen has cleared revocable trade waivers and is now eligible to be traded to any team, reports Robert Murray of The Athletic (on Twitter). It’s at least a mild surprise to see McCutchen clear, though he’s still owed a fairly notable $3.155MM of this season’s $14.75MM salary. He landed atop MLBTR’s most recent list of the top 20 remaining August trade candidates.

At the time he was placed on waivers, The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly tweeted that there was a “very good chance” that the Giants would deal McCutchen, given the team’s increasing deficit in the NL West and the Wild Card race. McCutchen isn’t in the starting lineup for the Giants tonight, though skipper Bruce Bochy told reporters prior to first pitch that it was just a standard day off for the outfielder (link via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area).

McCutchen, 31, has turned in a .255/.353/.412 slash with 14 homers, 26 doubles and a pair of triples in his first and quite possibly only season with the Giants. That’s a far cry from the brilliant production that earned him National League MVP honors a few years back, though his bottom-line numbers have undoubtedly been weighed down a bit by his extremely pitcher-friendly home park. Context-neutral stats like OPS+ (108) and wRC+ (113) suggest he’s been anywhere from eight to 13 percent better than a league-average offensive player.

With McCutchen free to be traded anywhere, the Giants should find multiple teams with interest, and they’ll now be able to include some cash considerations to help offset a partial portion of his remaining salary. The Indians are reported to be in the market for outfield upgrades but are already well north of their franchise-record payroll, so perhaps they opted to pass on claiming him for fear of being stuck with an additional $3MM+.

The Yankees, meanwhile, are currently without Aaron Judge and are unable to play Giancarlo Stanton in the outfield due to hamstring issues that are limiting him to DH. Neil Walker has been playing right field for the first time in his career given that pair of injury issues. While both Judge and Stanton are expected back healthy by season’s end, adding McCutchen would give the team another solid bat and provide some cover while Judge, Gary Sanchez and Didi Gregorius mend.

That’s just a pair of clubs with obvious outfield needs, of course, and there could certainly be additional interest in McCutchen throughout the league. The Athletics stand out as another speculative on-paper fit, and yesterday’s trade of Daniel Murphy from the Nats to the Cubs serves as a reminder that teams are more keen than ever on stockpiling depth even if it means a short-term acquisition of a player who may not look like a clear fit when his new team’s roster is at full strength.

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