- Speaking of NL West stars on the DL, Bruce Bochy provided some updates to the media (including Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News) about some notable Giants. Joe Panik is recovering well from concussion symptoms and could be back for the Giants’ series with the Red Sox that begins on July 19, while Hunter Pence could begin a minor league rehab assignment next week as he recovers from surgery to fix a torn hamstring. Matt Duffy’s strained Achilles tendon in his left foot is still causing him problems when he runs in a straight line, so his timeline is uncertain though Duffy can perform other baseball activities with no issues.
Giants Rumors
Giants Expected To Pursue Late-Game Bullpen Options
- The Nationals, Giants and Rangers are the three teams “poised to be most aggressive in pursuit of late-inning relief help” in the opinion of rival evaluators, ESPN’s Buster Olney writes (subscription required). The latter two clubs aren’t a surprise given how injuries and ineffectiveness have hampered both the San Francisco and Texas bullpens, but the Nats entered today with the fourth-lowest bullpen ERA (3.15) of any club in baseball. Despite good results overall, closer Jonathan Papelbon has outperformed his peripheral stats and seen a velocity drop, so Washington could be looking to make a midseason closer addition for the second straight year. All three teams have been linked to Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller if and when the Yankees make their star relievers available.
Royals Among Teams Interested In Josh Reddick
The Athletics and right fielder Josh Reddick have not restarted contract talks, thereby increasing the likelihood of a trade by the Aug. 1 deadline, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The A’s offered Reddick a three-year, $36MM contract extension during the spring, but his camp countered with $56MM over four years and might have been amenable to $50MM to $52MM, according to Slusser. As of now, Oakland is unwilling to give a four-year commitment to Reddick, who will turn 30 next February.
In the event the out-of-contention A’s do shop Reddick prior to the deadline, there should be no shortage of interest in the left-handed hitter. The Bay Area-rival Giants, Cubs, Dodgers, Blue Jays and Nationals are among the potentially playoff-bound clubs that have scouted Reddick, but the defending World Series champion Royals are following him the closest, per Slusser.
The 45-42 Royals, who are seven games behind AL Central-leading Cleveland and 3.5 out of the Wild Card, entered Saturday ranked 26th in the majors in runs scored (342) and tied for 19th in wRC+ (92). They’ve primarily relied on Paulo Orlando and Brett Eibner in right field, and both have posted above-average batting lines this year across a combined 264 plate appearances. Their track records fall well short of Reddick’s, however, so replacing them with Reddick and getting standout center fielder Lorenzo Cain back from a hamstring injury to team with left fielder Alex Gordon would give Kansas City an enviable trio of starting outfielders on paper.
Dating back to his first year in Oakland, 2012, Reddick has hit a solid .255/.320/.437 with 81 home runs in 2,300 plate appearances. Reddick has also graded out well on the base paths and (for the most part) defensively throughout his time with the A’s, though Ultimate Zone Rating has assigned him negative marks in the field going back to last season. A broken thumb suffered in May kept Reddick out of a large chunk of games earlier this year, but he returned late last month. Overall, he owns a .296/.371/.429 line with five homers and nearly as many walks (23) as strikeouts (25) in 213 trips to the plate this season.
It’s important to note that the A’s don’t necessarily have to trade Reddick, to whom they could extend a qualifying offer after the season ends. The A’s would then receive a first-round pick as compensation if he declines the QO – which should be worth in the $16MM to $17MM neighborhood – though they seem likely to land more enticing assets via trade from an outfielder-needy contender. Reddick is on an affordable $6.575MM salary this year, which could help to drive up the A’s potential asking price for him as Aug. 1 approaches.
Giants Place Cory Gearrin On 15-Day DL
- Things haven’t gone smoothly of late for the Giants’ bullpen, and now the club will be without righty Cory Gearrin for at least two weeks. As Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports, Gearrin has been diagnosed with a strained right shoulder, though the expectation is that he won’t miss much (if any) time beyond the minimum. It helps, too, that the club has welcomed back Sergio Romo, but all in all it wouldn’t be surprising if San Francisco chases a big relief arm over the coming weeks.
Padres Claim Jake Smith Off Waivers
The Padres have claimed righty Jake Smith off waiver from the division-rival Giants, per a team announcement. San Francisco had designated him for assignment and ultimately placed him on outright waivers.
Smith showed plenty of promise last year at the High-A level, spinning 84 1/3 innings of 2.35 ERA pitching and posting an impressive 12.2 K/9 versus 2.2 BB/9. But things have turned south in his age-26 campaign, as Smith has struggled after making the jump to Double-A.
Over his 20 1/3 frames thus far in 2016, Smith has been touched for 16 earned runs while permitting 23 free passes. On the positive side, he has struck out 26 batters and has only allowed 17 hits, so it seems that the control issues are the biggest problem.
Giants Designate Mike Broadway, Activate Sergio Romo
The Giants have designated righty Mike Broadway for assignment, the club announced (h/t Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, on Twitter). His 40-man spot was needed to activate veteran reliever Sergio Romo, with righty Albert Suarez being demoted to free up an active roster spot.
[Updated Giants Depth Chart]
Broadway, 29, was one of many inexperienced arms to start the year on the San Francisco 40-man, but the team has faced multiple roster needs over the season’s first half. Over the last two years, he has thrown 22 2/3 major league frames, posting a 6.75 ERA with 6.8 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9. After averaging just over 95 mph with his heater last year, though, Broadway had lost two ticks in his brief time in the majors in 2016.
San Francisco will hope that Romo can return to being a quality set-up man after missing several months with a forearm injury. He figures to provide a much-needed boost — particularly if he can pitch anything like he did in 2015, when he ran up a 2.98 ERA that undersold his true value. Romo posted 11.2 K/9 against 1.6 BB/9 over 57 1/3 innings a season ago.
Giants Facing Roster Crunch
- The Giants will be getting Sergio Romo, Joe Panik and other notable regulars back from the DL within the next couple of weeks, though as Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle notes, it will create a bit of a roster crunch due to the number of out-of-options players on the current 25-man. Schulman speculates that Ruben Tejada could be the first of the out-of-options crew to be designated for assignment since Tejada has cleared waivers twice this season.
Giants Searching For Starters
- The first-place Giants continue to hunt for starting pitchers, tweets the San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman, who reported two weeks ago that the team was searching for rotation help. Giants starters entered Saturday ranked sixth in the majors in both ERA (3.62) and fWAR (7.8), though nearly all of the rotation’s value has come from Johnny Cueto, Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija. With those three in the fold, odds are the Giants are only looking for a back-end type to improve on Jake Peavy, Albert Suarez and the currently injured Matt Cain.
Latest On Yulieski Gurriel
Yulieski Gurriel remains a fascinating piece of the transactional picture as the deadline approaches, and Jon Heyman of todaysknuckleball.com writes that his market is heating up. The Marlins held a workout with the Cuban star, per the report, with the Giants also showing “strong interest” — though they’ve yet to host him for an up-close look.
We’ve already heard of San Francisco’s possible involvement, which GM Bobby Evans downplayed in recent comments. Other reports have connected the infielder to the Dodgers, Astros, Mets and Yankees, all of whom have held workouts. Heyman notes also that the Red Sox have taken a look, though he adds that Boston isn’t seen as being a likely destination.
The 32-year-old Gurriel is a legend in his home nation, where he has been one of the best players since reaching Serie Nacional as a teenager. And he also showed well in a brief stint in Japan’s NPB two years back. With an advanced bat and polished glove that’s capable of slotting in at third, second, and perhaps the corner outfield, it’s not hard to imagine a fit with many organizations.
Gauging his value is another matter. While there’s some possibility that he’ll be viewed as a deadline addition of sorts, the expectation is that Gurriel will need a decent bit of time to get up to speed in the minors after a long layoff from competitive action. That uncertainty leaves some room for variability.
Rival executives tell Heyman that Gurriel is looking for a deal that would cover this season and four more thereafter. His camp seems to be seeking something in the range of $10MM to $12MM per year, with one source telling Heyman that it wouldn’t be surprising if the veteran could achieve between $40MM and $50MM in total guarantee over a three or four-year term.
MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk recently examined the possible market for Gurriel’s services, though that piece was written before the recent connections were reported. He and Steve Adams suggested that the contract given to Hector Olivera by the Dodgers (about $10MM annually) as a comparable. In this case, though, a shorter length (given his age) and perhaps a greater AAV (given his better pedigree and the market situation) are certainly possible.
Jay Bruce Willing To Waive No-Trade Clause In Deal To Contender
Reds outfielder Jay Bruce has a limited no-trade clause, but doesn’t intend to use that to hold up a deal to a contending club this summer, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reports. Bruce sits at the top overall spot on MLBTR’s most recent top trade candidates list.
The NTC would let Bruce reject deals to the Yankees, Red Sox, Athletics, Rays, Marlins, Twins, Indians and Diamondbacks. Jon Heyman of todaysknuckleball.com repored earlier today that Bruce would quite likely be willing to go to Cleveland, and it appears that he’d also be amenable to other hypothetical landing spots. Rumblings have connected Bruce to a variety of clubs, including the Dodgers, Giants, White Sox, and Royals since the start of the season.
Bruce, 29, tells Sheldon that he’s willing to “consider waiving the no-trade clause for all types of reasons,” with “no blanket reason I wouldn’t.” The veteran said he’d need to take each situation as it comes, with agent Matt Sosnick saying that such a choice has yet to be brought to their attention.
Bruce continued on to emphasize that he’d be quite interested in an opportunity to join an organization that has designs on contending. “If I am moved, which has seemed likely for the last year and a half, I’d like to go where the team is mostly likely to win,” he said. “Teams that want me are likely seeking somebody to help them win.”
Notably, Sosnick suggested that Bruce won’t necessarily be looking to utilize the clause for leverage with regard to his contract. “We’re not setting in stone any financial qualifiers,” he said. “If the deal is good for Jay and good for the Reds, he would consider anything — including waiving the no-trade. … There is no team that he would unequivocally not go to.”
Bruce has increasingly cemented his status as a premium trade piece, as he is once again hitting like the All-Star-caliber player he was from 2011 through 2013. The two intervening seasons are easier and easier to forget, as he carries a .279/.325/.568 slash with 17 home runs and a league-leading six triples into July. Bruce’s early-career extension is another asset: he’s earning $12.5MM this year and can be controlled for $13MM in 2017, which is particularly appealing with a dearth of young sluggers on the upcoming free agent market.
