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Trade Chatter: A’s, Giants, Yankees, McCutchen, Avila, Dodgers

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Though Sonny Gray has garnered most of the headlines in Athletics trade rumors, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that Jed Lowrie, Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson are all drawing interest as well. The A’s are hoping to move Lowrie to clear a spot for prospect Franklin Barreto to play in the Majors on a full-time basis, she notes. Barreto is currently getting at-bats, but Oakland also has Marcus Semien on the mend and returning perhaps in a week or more. Doolittle and Madson are both in the midst of strong seasons, although the injury-prone Doolittle has been limited to 14 2/3 innings. Madson, meanwhile, looks even better than he did in his 2015 comeback; he’s averaging 9.8 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9 with a 54.4 percent ground-ball rate, leading to a 2.35 ERA. Of course, he’s also earning $7.5MM this year and next, and his contract calls for incentives for finishing games, which could make the price even more steep. The Rangers, Cubs, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Braves and Astros have all been scouting Oakland recently, according to Slusser.

Some more trade chatter from around the game…

  • The Giants aren’t looking to rebuild so much as they’re looking to reload, president Larry Baer tells Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area. Baer acknowledged that the 2017 campaign hasn’t been anything close to what the organization had hoped, but he also indicated that even if the front office moves some veterans this summer, the ultimate goal will be to return to contention in 2018. “Directionally it’s, ‘How can we get right back there in 2018,” said Baer. “It’s not how can we get right back there in 2022 or 2021.” Pavlovic notes that it’s possible the Giants could try to trade Johnny Cueto and still re-sign him this winter if he exercises his opt-out clause with a new team, and Baer wouldn’t rule out that possibility, simply stating that it was “possible” but declining to speculate too heavily.
  • The Yankees are looking for bullpen help “right now,” writes FanRag’s Jon Heyman as part of his weekly American League Notes column. The duo of Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances is formidable in the late innings, but the recent struggles of Tyler Clippard and others have GM Brian Cashman on the lookout. Cashman told Heyman that the Yankees aren’t looking for a first baseman at the moment, though recent injury news regarding Tyler Austin and Greg Bird, of course, could change that line of thinking in a hurry.
  • There’s been no serious talk between the Pirates and other clubs regarding Andrew McCutchen just yet, reports MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. Part of the reason for that is the parity that exists in Wild Card races, as many teams that could eventually add some veteran pieces remain uncertain that they’ll be in the hunt a month from now.
  • Also via Morosi, Tigers catcher Alex Avila is “on the radar” of the Cubs and the Blue Jays. Avila has had a staggering turnaround in his return to Detroit, hitting a ridiculous .315/.431/.586 with 11 homers while earning just a $2MM salary on a one-year deal. While many fans are understandably skeptical of Avila’s turnaround, I’ll point out that Avila’s 57 percent hard-hit rate leads all players with at least 190 plate appearances, and he entered play Thursday tied with teammate J.D. Martinez for the third-highest average exit velocity in baseball (93.7 mph), trailing only Aaron Judge and Miguel Sano. Avila has always had a massive walk rate, as well, and that’s been the case once again in 2017 (16.4 percent). There’s some regression coming, of course, as even with his batted-ball profile he’s probably not going to sustain a .426 BABIP.
  • One more from Morosi, who notes that the Dodgers’ primary focus remains on starting pitching at this time. They’re considering controllable options rather than rental pieces, with Morosi linking Los Angeles to the the Tigers’ Justin Verlander, the Athletics’ Sonny Gray, the White Sox’ Jose Quintana and the Pirates’ Gerrit Cole.
  • For those still looking for more trade-related content to peruse, Heyman penned a column highlighting nearly 100 possible trade candidates, ranging from valuable-but-unlikely-to-move names (e.g. Josh Donaldson, Gerrit Cole) to bad contracts that current teams would like to escape in a potential salary dump (e.g. Junichi Tazawa, Matt Cain). There are some quotes from scouts, general managers and other league execs mixed in throughout.

Deadline Notes: Red Sox, Giants, Relievers, Torres, Verlander, Cozart, Cabrera

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The Red Sox do not need to stay under the luxury tax line in making their deadline moves, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in an appearance today on WEEI (h/t to Rob Bradford, on Twitter). Recent estimates put Boston about $9MM shy of the threshold, which has added implications under the new CBA since the tax escalates when it is owed in consecutive seasons. While the Sox will no doubt weigh that factor in assessing possible trades, it’s notable that the organization doesn’t feel compelled to stay within those limits. Boston is likely to be involved in the market for third basemen — I looked at possible targets recently — and could also add pitching.

Here’s more …

  • The Giants are clearly in position to deal a few veterans, but it’s not yet known just how significant the moves will be. Signs are, though, that San Francisco is willing to listen to offers on just about any player, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi writes. The Giants are not interested in moving Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey, and Brandon Crawford, per the report. That could leave some other interesting names available, with Morosi even suggesting that first baseman Brandon Belt could be available. He calls the Angels a potentially “intriguing fit” — though it’s not clear whether there’s any firm interest from Los Angeles — while noting that several other buyers will be looking at a variety of left-handed-hitting first basemen on what seems still to be a wide-open market.
  • Unsurprisingly, interest in relief pitching will be robust at this year’s deadline, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com writes. Executives suggest that there’ll be a premium on pen arms, as usual, though the expectation remains that none will fetch the kind of immense returns that Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller commanded last year.
  • The Padres have inquired with the Yankees about elite shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag. That said, there’s no indication the Yanks have any interest in parting with the talented youngster — even though he is expected to miss the remainder of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. That injury doesn’t really change his long-term value, of course, and it’s not altogether clear what Padres players the Yankees might target that could command that kind of trade value. Lefty Brad Hand and former New York infielder Yangervis Solarte may well be of interest, as Heyman notes, but it’s tough to imagine the Yankees parting with such an elite prospect for either or both of them.
  • Heyman also weighs in on veteran Tigers hurler Justin Verlander, who has seen his name begin to come up in trade rumors. At this point, a deal seems less than likely, a source tells Heyman, but there is a real possibility that the righty (and his contract — which promises $56MM over 2018 and 2019) could end up on the move. Three or four teams are said to have participated in exploratory talks on Verlander, per the report, though any deal would require Verlander to waive his no-trade protection.
  • Reds shortstop Zack Cozart, a clear trade candidate with his strong play and expiring contract, tells Heyman that his preference would be to remain in Cincinnati. While he says he understands and accepts that a deal “is more than likely to happen,” Cozart noted that he has informed the front office that he’d be amenable to exploring a long-term contract instead. It’s not terribly surprising, particularly given their internal options, that the Reds haven’t yet made an offer to the 31-year-old.
  • Mets infielder Asdrubal Cabrera is walking back his recent call to be traded after being moved from short to second, as Dan Martin of the New York Post writes. Cabrera explains: “In that moment when I said that, I wasn’t saying I want to get traded. I was just saying it didn’t seem like they had a plan for me. … If they’ve got a plan, they should tell me.” He went on to say that he is “fine with playing second base,” saying that his complaint related more to a lack of communication. In any event, it remains unclear just how much demand there’ll be for the veteran, and also how inclined the Mets are to bring him back next year at a $8.5MM price tag (versus a $2MM buyout).

Giants Place Mark Melancon On 10-Day DL

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The Giants have placed closer Mark Melancon on the 10-day DL, per a club announcement. He is dealing with the same pronator issue that forced him out earlier this year. Dan Slania will take the open roster spot.

Melancon, 32, has not quite looked himself since joining the Giants on a four-year, $62MM deal over the winter. Through 20 2/3 innings on the year, he has allowed ten earned runs on 25 hits. Though he still maintains typically strong strikeout and walk numbers — 8.3 K/9 against 1.3 BB/9 — the veteran has also coughed up three long balls and seen his groundball rate drop to 50.8% with his swinging-strike rate falling to 9.7% (both far lower than in recent seasons).

Despite enduring a bit of a rough stretch, Melancon could still feature as a trade candidate over the summer. That all depends upon just how interested the Giants are in shedding from future salary — while also embarking upon another search for a closer. (Interestingly, recently acquired righty Sam Dyson will take over closing duties for the time being after washing out of that role with the Rangers.) Though San Francisco is buried in the standings, the organization still has an extensive array of high-priced veteran players and seems likely to attempt to contend again in 2018.

The injury, though, functions as a major bit of uncertainty. It’s still possible that he could be dealt if he’s able to return and pitch effectively before the deadline. And Melancon’s contract is big enough that he could also be moved in August. But the forearm certainly enhances the risk in the hefty remaining value on the deal, particularly in the case of an older relief pitcher.

Giants Promote Jae-Gyun Hwang, Place Conor Gillaspie On DL

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TODAY: Conor Gillaspie will hit the DL in a corresponding move, with the team announcing the purchase of Hwang’s contract. It seem a 40-man move will also be needed, though that hasn’t been announced (and could conceivably involve shifting a player to the 60-day DL.)

YESTERDAY: The Giants are promoting infielder Jae-gyun Hwang from Triple-A Sacramento, reports Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (via Twitter). The former Korea Baseball Organization star signed a minor league deal with San Francisco this offseason and was likely to exercise a July 1 opt-out clause if he was not brought up to the Majors in the next few days.

Through 279 Triple-A plate appearances, Hwang was hitting at a strong .287/.333/.476 clip with seven homers, 19 doubles, four triples and five steals (in five attempts). While that’s a fair ways off the eye-popping .335/.394/.570 batting line that Hwang posted in his final season in Korea, the 29-year-old’s very solid Triple-A performance certainly seems to merit a look at the big league level.

Eduardo Nunez has handled the majority of the Giants’ third base responsibilities in 2017, but he’s currently on the DL with a minor hamstring issue. Third base has been Hwang’s primary position, but he’s also played first base in the minors and seen a couple of games in left field. With veteran Aaron Hill recently being cut loose, there’s a bench opportunity for Hwang to claim, at the very least, and it’s possible that he could be entrusted with a larger role if the Giants ultimately trade Nunez.

2018 Vesting Options Update

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We already took a preliminary look at the vesting option scenarios playing out around the game, but we’ve now gained quite a bit of clarity over the last six weeks. Generally, vesting options are club options that can become guaranteed based on the player’s health and/or performance. Typically, achieving contractually defined thresholds (such as for plate appearances or games finished) takes the decision out of the team’s hand, with some clauses also requiring certain health standards to be triggered.

Here’s where things stand at present:

Already Vested

  • Greg Holland: That was fast! Holland has already racked up thirty games finished, meaning that what was a $10MM mutual option for 2018 has been converted into a $15MM player option. With a league-leading 25 saves in the bank, along with 29 1/3 innings of 1.53 ERA pitching, it seems unlikely that Holland will take that cash rather than testing the open market — though he could also have to turn down a qualifying offer and hit free agency weighed down a bit by draft compensation. (Notably, too, Holland is cracking into some hefty contract incentives. He is on track to earn most or all of the $11MM in available bonus money.)

On Track To Vest

  • Gio Gonzalez: While Gonzalez is pitching well enough to make it a foregone conclusion that the Nationals would pick up his 2018 option at $12MM, that step won’t be necessary if he ends the regular season with 180 innings on his ledger. Working deep into games has been an issue for Gonzalez in recent years, but he has already topped 100 frames through just 16 starts thus far in 2017. Barring an injury, this one looks quite likely to vest.

Unlikely To Vest

  • Ricky Nolasco: The 34-year-old faces an uphill battle, but he’s at least keeping it interesting. Nolasco can turn a $13MM club option ($1MM buyout) into a player option if he gives the Halos 202 1/3 frames this year. That’s a big number, but Nolasco has managed to log 90 2/3 innings through 16 outings, leaving 111 2/3 left to achieve. Even if he takes the ball another 16 times the rest of the way, he’d need to go seven innings per start — a pace typically achievable only by a few top aces around the game. (Currently, Max Scherzer and Chris Sale top the leaderboard with 113 2/3 frames.)
  • Matt Cain: The Giants are sure to pay Cain a $7.5MM buyout rather than picking up his $21.5MM option for the 2018 campaign. But the veteran righty could take that decision out of the team’s hands if he’s able to reach 200 innings this year and stay off of the DL at season’s end. Cain has made all 16 of his starts so far, but he has accumulated only 84 innings. While it’s a theoretical possibility, then, it’s all but certain that this option won’t vest — and the Giants have every incentive to see that it doesn’t.
  • Hisashi Iwakuma: When the season started, it seemed reasonably likely that Iwakuma would trigger his second vesting season — as he did last year with the first. After compiling 199 innings in 2016, he needed to accumulate only 125 more (and avoid an unspecified injury) to lock up a $15MM payday. But Iwakuma is currently parked on the DL with just 31 frames in the bank; even if he is able to work deep in most of his remaining starts, he almost certainly won’t have enough to accumulate the 94 additional innings he needs. If he doesn’t get there, then Seattle will decide between a $10MM salary and a $1MM buyout.

Will Not Vest

  • Andre Ethier: Ethier’s $17.5MM club option vests upon 550 plate appearances in 2017. He has been shelved for the entire first half of the season, so he’ll have to take home a $2.5MM buyout as a consolation prize.
  • Matt Garza: This one is complicated, but here’s the bottom line: Garza cannot possible make enough starts to reach 110 in total from 2014-17 (he’s currently at 82), so his option cannot vest at $13MM. At the same time, it’s no longer possible for him to miss 130 or more days of action to the DL this year, so the club won’t get a shot at a $1MM option for his 2018 rights. Instead, the deal reverts to a club option at $5MM. See? It’s simple.
  • J.J. Hardy: The extension that Hardy signed with the O’s a few years back includes a $14MM club option (or a $2MM buyout), but that would vest if Hardy ended the 2017 campaign with 600 plate appearances on his stat sheet. That always seemed a stretch, but with his recent DL placement it’s no longer even possible.

Jae-gyun Hwang Likely To Opt Out Of Giants Deal If Not Promoted

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Third baseman Jae-gyun Hwang suggested in an interview with Korean media that he expects to opt out of his contract with the Giants if he is not added to the major league roster in the coming days (via Jee-ho Yoo of Yonhap News Agency). Hwang’s deal allows him to force the team to promote or release him on July 1st.

There have been indications at times that the Giants would like to see Hwang in the majors, but recent events raise questions about the team’s current intentions. San Francisco promoted prospect Ryder Jones to handle third base, adding him to the 40-man roster in the process. He has struggled in his first three games, but the Giants seem inclined to give Jones and other young players (including, perhaps, previously promoted infielder Christian Arroyo) a chance in the majors with the club buried in the standings.

Hwang, 29, inked a split contract over the winter in hopes of reaching the majors after years of starring in his native Korea. He has put up solid overall numbers at Triple-A, thriving in particular since an early-season swoon. Since hitting his first home run in the middle of May, Hwang has produced at a .287/.348/.566 clip and added six more long balls to his ledger. He has also made strides in the plate-discipline department, drawing 14 walks against 31 strikeouts in that span.

Defensively, the longtime KBO star has plenty of experience at third base. But there were prior suggestions that he might be afforded a chance to increase his versatility by spending time in the corner outfield. That hasn’t been forthcoming thus far — he lined up in left twice earlier in the year — and Hwang has mostly played first base for Sacramento over the last month or so.

Given that Hwang is slated to return to the open market at the end of the season regardless, it’s not clear how much incentive the Giants have at this point to add him to the roster. The organization would need to create 40-man space and also pay Hwang at a $1.5MM annual rate, in addition to any incentives he might trigger.

If Hwang does end up returning to the open market, he’d likely find opportunities with other organizations. While the bat is obviously interesting, though, it’s still not clear whether there’ll be a big league opening for him in 2017. Given his status as one of Korea’s top sluggers, Hwang could also presumably end up returning to the KBO at some point.

Bryan Morris To Elect Free Agency

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Right-handed reliever Bryan Morris, who was designated for assignment by the Giants over the weekend, has cleared waivers and will elect free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A, reports FanRag’s Robert Murray (Twitter link).

The 30-year-old Morris was a quality bullpen piece for the Marlins from 2014-15 but suffered a back injury that ultimately required surgery and ended his season early in the 2016 campaign. Miami cut him loose this offseason, at which point he inked a minor league pact with San Francisco. Morris opened the year in the Giants’ minor league ranks but surfaced in the Majors early in the month of May.

In 21 innings with San Francisco this year, Morris has been tattooed for a 6.43 ERA. The vast majority of the damage against him has been confined to a handful of unsightly outings, though, including a five-run shellacking at the hands of the Braves in his final appearance with the Giants. Morris was a ground-ball machine with the Pirates and Marlins from 2013-15, racking up grounders at a nearly 59 percent clip. This year, though, that rate is down to 47.4 percent. Morris has also seen his K/9 rate dip to 6.4 (though he’s never been a big strikeout pitcher) while his BB/9 rate is up to 4.7.

Despite his poor numbers in 2017 and recent surgical procedure, Morris’ track record should garner some degree of interest on the open market, even if it’s only on another minor league deal. He did, after all, pitch to a 2.80 ERA with enormous ground-ball tendencies over the life of 215 big league innings from 2012-16.

Quick Hits: Seager, Rangers, Young, Morse

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Corey Seager won’t be in the Dodgers starting lineup for what could be several games due to a mild right hamstring strain, as reported by Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times and other media.  Seager suffered a Grade 1 strain, the lowest level of hamstring injury, and the team is hopeful Seager can avoid a DL stint; Seager said that this current issue isn’t nearly as bad as hamstring injuries he has suffered in the past.  Manager Dave Roberts suggested Seager could be available for key pinch-hitting situations, and the team will wait until Tuesday or Wednesday before deciding if the disabled list is necessary for the star shortstop.

Here’s more from around baseball….

  • Relief pitching will be a deadline priority for the Rangers at the deadline, though the team is still committed to Matt Bush as the closer, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan writes.  “We’ve got to continue to develop Matt in that spot.  One of the challenges is finding him consistent work in different situations,” manager Jeff Banister said, noting that Bush is still pretty new to pitching in his professional career.  The Rangers also want to see what they have in Ernesto Frieri and Tanner Scheppers before deciding on their specific deadline needs for the bullpen.
  • Veteran right-hander Chris Young tells MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan that he intends to continue his career after being released by the Royals.  “Physically, I feel good,” Young said. “My arm feels good. I don’t foresee this being the end. I’m still capable of competing at a high level. Possibly a change of scenery might help.”  Young, who turned 38 last month, has suffered through a pair of rough seasons in 2016-17, posting a 6.52 ERA over 118 2/3 IP.  Young also praised the K.C. fans and the Royals organization, noting that GM Dayton Moore told him the news of his release in person.
  • Mike Morse is still suffering from lingering symptoms almost a month after going on the seven-day concussion DL, the veteran slugger tells Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Morse has openly talked about this stint with the Giants being something of a last ride in his career, though what could potentially be his final season has been hampered by a hamstring injury and now this concussion.  Morse has a .556 OPS over 40 PA for the Giants this year, and he isn’t sure when he’ll be healthy enough to return to action.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Cueto, Puig, Adams, Blevins, Chatwood

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Some hot stove buzz from FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, courtesy of two Full Count videos (link one, link two)…

  • A rival general manager describes Johnny Cueto’s potential trade value as “lower than a rental’s” due to the added complication of Cueto’s opt-out clause, which could make it hard for the Giants to find a trade partner.  If a team were to acquire a normal pending free agent at the deadline and that player got injured or performed poorly, the two sides would likely just part ways after the year.  If such a scenario happened to Cueto, however, he might not opt out, so the new team would be taking on a potentially diminished asset for the remaining four years/$84MM on Cueto’s contract.
  • The offseason trade buzz about Yasiel Puig has died down since he is playing well, so it doesn’t seem like the Dodgers would move the controversial outfielder unless they get full value in return.  Interestingly, Rosenthal notes that Puig’s clubhouse reputation is still a work in progress, as “many” Dodgers teammates view Puig “as an annoyance.”
  • Matt Adams is drawing trade interest, which isn’t a surprise given how he has been crushing the ball since joining the Braves.  Whether Atlanta looks to move Adams or not will depend on whether Freddie Freeman is capable of playing third base, thus allowing Adams to stay at first base.  Moving Adams into a corner outfield spot is problematic since the Braves would then have to deal Matt Kemp or Nick Markakis, not to mention the defensive shortcomings Adams displayed while playing the outfield for the Cardinals earlier this season.
  • While the Mets are reportedly open to dealing veterans, Rosenthal says that Jerry Blevins is maybe the least likely of those players to switch teams.  Blevins is enjoying his second consecutive excellent year in the Mets bullpen, and since the team plans to contend again in 2018, exercising the $7MM club option on Blevins would be a good way to lock up some reliable left-handed relief.
  • A Tyler Chatwood trade “would be difficult for the [Rockies] to make,” a source with knowledge of the team’s thinking tells Rosenthal.  If anything, Colorado will be looking to add pitching rather than move a solid rotation arm.  Chatwood has a 4.08 ERA, 7.4 K/9 and a very strong 57.6% ground ball rate over 90 1/3 IP this season.  He is a free agent this winter and he has a strong track record (career 3.10 road ERA) away from Coors Field, plus he may not be a prime candidate for a long-term deal given that Chatwood has twice undergone Tommy John surgery.  Despite those factors, Chatwood probably has more value to the Rockies as a player than as a potential trade chip as the team battles in the competitive NL West.

Giants Designate Aaron Hill

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The Giants have designated veteran utilityman Aaron Hill for assignment, as Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area was among those to tweet. Prospect Ryder Jones has had his contract purchased to take the open roster spot, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported on Twitter.

Like their neighbors in Oakland, the Giants are in the midst of a mid-season roster transformation with contention out of reach. San Francisco has already called upon several young players for their first MLB stints, and Jones now joins that group.

Hill, 35, has struggled mightily in the early going. Through eighty trips to the plate, he carries a .132/.250/.235 batting line — though he has managed 11 walks against just 13 strikeouts. He had earned a roster spot after joining the organization on a minors deal, but has never found a groove while also spending time on the DL.

It seems likely that other organizations will show some interest in Hill, though his $2MM annual salary will be something of an impediment to a trade. It’s perhaps more likely at this point that he’ll end up heading to free agency and signing another minor-league pact.

As for Jones, a second-round pick back in 2012, the current season has represented a big step forward. He had largely struggled to do much at the plate on his way up the ladder, but showed well in the Arizona Fall League and has broken out at Triple-A. Through 228 plate appearances, Jones owns a robust .299/.390/.553 slash withten long balls.

Jones is expected to line up at third base for the Giants while Eduardo Nunez is sidelined. Given that Nunez is also a trade candidate, that could be a signiicant opportunity for the 23-year-old. Of course, San Francisco previously gave a shot to young infielder Christian Arroyo, who struggled in his first call-up but surely factors into the long-term plans somewhere on the diamond.

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