We’ve already heard about the Mets’ interest in Angels righty Joe Smith, but they aren’t alone in looking at the veteran reliever. The Indians, Mariners, and perhaps also the Cardinals all have some level of interest, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets. These teams, of course, have also been tied to a variety of other pen pieces — as have most organizations looking for relief help. Remember to check out MLBTR’s list of the top relief candidates to run down some possibilities.
Mariners Rumors
Latest On Jonathan Lucroy Sweepstakes
10:54pm: The Rangers could view a strike for Lucroy as a way to improve their pitching, given his highly-regarded work behind the plate, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. With Texas finding high asking prices on the pitching market, the report suggests, the club could make a move for a group of Milwaukee pieces that might include Lucroy, a quality reliever, and possibly even a starter.
3:41pm: There’s a mystery team involved on Lucroy, tweets Jon Heyman of Fan Rag, and it isn’t the Red Sox or the Mariners. Those two clubs would certainly have been among the plausible suitors for the veteran.
2:49pm: The Braves have inquired on Lucroy, according to Rosenthal (via Twitter). At present, though, it doesn’t appear as if the sides are likely to strike a deal. Atlanta’s interest is limited, it seems, because it would need to extend the veteran receiver in order to justify trading him.
The teams is “wary of paying twice” — first in the swap, then in a hypothetical extension — though certainly that’s the price of poker when just a fact of life for a club that would competing with teams that have a much higher present need for a top-quality backstop. It’s no sure thing, either, that Lucroy himself would agree to a new contract.
12:29pm: Yesterday, Milwaukee asked teams with interest to make offers of a certain “minimum standard,” Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). It’s not entirely clear whether the request was for best and final offers, but Rosenthal adds that discussions are still taking place.
Among several teams to put their chips on the table are the Mets, per the report. With the Brewers still evaluating their options, multiple teams remain in the hunt.
11:27am: Jonathan Lucroy is one of the most talked-about names on the trade market right now, and ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick adds some context to the complications in working out a deal, reporting the eight teams to which Lucroy can block a trade (Twitter link). Lucroy can block trades to the Twins, Angels, Athletics, Padres, Mariners, Nationals and, most interestingly, the Indians and Tigers. Both of the two latter teams have been connected to Lucroy in trade rumors this week, though both Crasnick and his colleague Jayson Stark were told this morning that the Tigers are no longer in the picture (links to Twitter).
Cleveland’s presence on Lucroy’s no-trade list certainly doesn’t preclude a deal from happening — Lucroy has candidly stated to the media that he wants to play for a contending team on multiple occasions in the past six months — but it does further complicate matters for the Indians. While Lucroy’s postseason aspirations could make him willing, to some extent, to waive his no-trade rights, he could also wield that clause as leverage in an attempt to coerce the Indians into an extension or, at the very least, restructuring his contract to give him a raise on next year’s wildly affordable $5.25MM salary.
The Indians are said to be discussing Lucroy and left-hander Will Smith with the Brewers, but they face competition even if the Tigers and Astros are out of the market, as has been reported recently. The Rangers, Red Sox and Mets — none of whom are on his no-trade list — have all still been linked to Lucroy, and a premium player of his value figures to draw widespread interest. (Indeed, FanRag’s Jon Heyman last night again mentioned a mystery team in the mix.) The Mets were said to offer a package centered around Travis d’Arnaud, which was quickly dismissed, but FOX’s Ken Rosenthal reported last night that the two side “re-engaged” on trade talks. ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin adds a bit more detail to that story this morning, reporting that the Brewers circled back with the Mets and proposed a counter-offer that “was not out-of-hand rejected.” The Mets, he notes, have no intention of dealing either shortstop prospect Amed Rosario or first base prospect Dominic Smith, though.
Dodgers Among Teams In Talks On Jay Bruce; Yasiel Puig May Be Involved
8:31pm: Morosi says the Rays are still a player; he tweets that the team could end up shipping out two starters, one to each of the two other teams.
It seems that the reason for the involvement of a third team is that Cinci prefers position-player prospects, per Heyman (via Twitter), while the Dodgers are somewhat more inclined to deal arms. Of course, an earlier report suggested that the Rays’ role could involve sending a pitcher to the Reds, so the entire situation still seems in flux at present.
8:08pm: Tampa Bay is actually not involved in any Dodgers-Reds scenarios, Stark tweets.
7:36pm: The Rays appear to be the potential third team, per a Morosi tweet. Tampa Bay has been chatting with Los Angeles about scenarios that “could link up” with the talks between the Reds and Dodgers.
7:23pm: Talks between the Reds and Dodgers involving Bruce and Puig “didn’t materialize,” according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). He adds, though, that there are other trade scenarios still being tossed around between the clubs.
6:59pm: Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig could be in play in the talks regarding Bruce, Stark tweets. He’d presumably be pushed out of a regular role if a significant corner outfielder is added, and Stark says that L.A. has been trying to move him in proposals with other teams.
6:24pm: The Reds and Dodgers could be putting together another three-team arrangement after joining up for such a deal over the winter, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com tweets. Details — including the would-be facilitator — remain unclear, but Bruce would end up in Los Angeles if it comes to fruition.
5:46pm: The Dodgers remain in the hunt for Bruce, with MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon tweeting that there’s dialogue between the clubs and Jon Heyman of Fan Rag adding (via Twitter) that he has heard the same. Los Angeles isn’t keen on the idea of giving up much in the way of prospects to make a deal, though, per C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).
Heyman also lists the Nationals, Orioles, Mariners, and Mets as teams with ongoing interest — many of whom have been tied to Bruce in recent days (if not for longer). Despite the report below suggesting that Seattle had left the Bruce market, Heyman’s report adds to another suggesting that he’s still in play. And while the Giants were also said to be out on Bruce, Nightengale tweets that they are still holding talks — even with Hunter Pence now set to return from the DL.
5:28pm: Two new entrants in the market have ratcheted up the bidding on Bruce, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link). The pair of mystery teams has been “aggressive,” per the report.
It remains somewhat difficult to guess where exactly the most focused interest could come from. Bruce, after all, would be a flexible addition for most AL contenders and could also fit with an NL team that is looking to add pop and has favorable scouting reports on his glove in right. With an added year of team control through an affordable-enough option, there’s also some future value — and the possibility of an offseason deal to return something different if Bruce isn’t needed past the present season in his new home.
2:16pm: The Mets are among the clubs that have spoken with the Reds about outfielder Jay Bruce, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (via Twitter). Among the other teams in dialogue with Cincinnati are the Dodgers, Nationals, and Orioles, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick adds on Twitter.
New York’s level of interest isn’t too great at the moment, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). And Crasnick adds that the Nats and O’s appear to have their sights set on other areas at present. Likewise, we’ve heard that the Dodgers have engaged on a number of other possibilities, including Josh Reddick.
Two other potential suitors — the Giants and Mariners — “appear to be out,” according to Crasnick. With Seattle and San Francisco apparently no longer in pursuit, and none of the teams listed above appearing to represent aggressive pursuers, it’s not hard to see why Cincinnati president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty expressed frustration yesterday over the response that Bruce has drawn on the market.
Bruce has put up quite a nice season after two straight duds. And he comes with control rights for 2017; though his $13MM option isn’t cheap, it looks more appealing than committing a similar annual amount for a longer term to an alternative on the free agent market this winter.
It has seemed at various times that Bruce’s big power numbers, added year of control, and eminent availability would make him a desirable and quite likely trade candidate. But Jocketty suggested a deal isn’t inevitable for a player that the Reds value quite highly.
Mariners Have Asked Reds About Zack Cozart
The Mariners have inquired with the Reds about the availability of shortstop Zack Cozart, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark (via Twitter). Seattle does expect Ketel Marte back from the DL somewhat sooner than had initially been feared, he notes, so it doesn’t appear as if Seattle’s need is all that great.
Of course, it’s certainly arguable that the M’s would be wise to pursue an improvement over Marte regardless, as he hasn’t been terribly productive. Though the youngster remains an important future piece, the veteran Cozart has been swinging a better stick and is a top-notch defender.
It’s still unclear whether the Mariners will be willing to part with prospects in order to upgrade in 2016. The team is just two games over .500, and while it doesn’t seem inclined to sell, it may also not go too far in the other direction.
Cozart is controllable for another year, though, so he’d at least have future function — though that’ll also increase the asking price. Stark also suggests that the Mariners are still interested in Jay Bruce, another player with an added season of control, which is contrary to other recent reports.
Dipoto: No Interest In Considering Taijuan Walker Trade
- Other teams may be looking at Mariners righty Taijuan Walker, but Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto says that he’s not interested in offers, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. “We’re not currently discussing Taijuan with anybody,” said Dipoto. “He’ll stay right where he is.” Dipoto says that the same holds with regard to lefty James Paxton, as SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets.
Taijuan Walker Drawing Interest
- Mariners righty Taijuan Walker is drawing “strong interest” around the game, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). It’s still somewhat difficult to imagine the organization parting with the talented hurler at this particular point in time, not least of which because he’s currently on the DL with a foot injury. Plus, GM Jerry Dipoto strongly suggested just recently that a sell-off shouldn’t be expected. But Nightengale says that Walker is scheduled for a bullpen on Friday at Wrigley Field that is expected to be watched by opposing teams’ scouts.
Mariners Pitchers Walker, Paxton Receive Inquiries From Cubs, Rangers
- The Cubs and Rangers have both called the Mariners about Taijuan Walker and James Paxton, but Seattle hasn’t shown any inclination toward moving either pitcher. Wade Miley is more likely to be moved, and Heyman adds that the Mariners are still open to adding some pieces for 2016 and have checked into Angels righty Joe Smith, whom GM Jerry Dipoto signed while serving as GM in Anaheim.
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Reds “Picking Up The Pace” On Jay Bruce Trade Talks; Mariners Interested
JULY 27: The Mariners are among the teams that have reached out the Reds to inquire about Bruce, Crasnick reports today (Twitter link). Seattle’s offseason addition of Nori Aoki has yet to pay dividends, causing the Mariners to rely more heavily on Franklin Gutierrez and Nelson Cruz in the outfield than the team initially expected.
JULY 26: The Reds have “picked up the pace” on trade talks surrounding slugging right fielder Jay Bruce and are talking to “at least” four teams, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link). Cincinnati is seeking a top prospect in exchange for Bruce, who is in the midst of an outstanding rebound campaign at the plate.
Bruce, 29, underwent arthroscopic knee surgery early in the 2014 season and never looked like himself upon his return that year or in 2015. Over those two seasons, Bruce batted a paltry .222/.288/.406 with a combined 44 home runs, submarining a great deal of his trade value in the process (though Cincinnati still nearly moved him to Toronto in Spring Training). The 2016 season, however, has yielded a revitalized version of Bruce that is slashing an excellent .272/.326/.564 with 23 homers, 22 doubles and six triples. His 20.6 percent strikeout rate is the second-lowest of his career, and 20.9 percent homer-to-flyball ratio and 37.5 percent hard-contact rate are the best single-season marks he’s ever posted.
Where Bruce has seemingly struggled, though, is on the outfield grass. Despite sporting a park- and league-adjusted batting line that is 29 percent above league average, per wRC+, and 32 percent above league average, per OPS+, defensive metrics feel that Bruce has mitigated the majority of the value provided by his bat. Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved both peg Bruce as 12 runs below the league average right fielder, dinging him for both his range and his arm. Bruce graded out as a serviceable, if not above-average fielder last season, though, and he rated among the game’s top defenders in right field back in 2013 as well (prior to his knee surgery). Scouts, of course, will have their own take on Bruce’s glovework, and it’s certainly possible that there are evaluators out there that find such metrics to overstate Bruce’s statistical deficiencies this season. And, even if on is to believe that Bruce’s defensive game has dramatically deteriorated, his resurgent bat makes plenty of sense for an American League club that can give him significant time in the DH slot.
Bruce is earning $12.5MM this season — of which about $4.71MM remains — and has what now looks to be a reasonably priced $13MM club option on his contract as well. Bruce’s six-year, $51MM extension provides him with the ability to block trades to eight clubs, but he’s reportedly willing to waive his no-trade protection in order to play for a contending club. He’s been connected to the Dodgers, Orioles, Giants, Nationals, Rangers and Indians in the past week, and Toronto has been mentioned multiple times as a potential fit. More recent reports, though, have indicated that Cleveland isn’t in the mix for Bruce at this time. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, acquired Melvin Upton Jr. earlier today.
Blue Jays, Mariners Swap Drew Storen, Joaquin Benoit
10:48pm: The cash considerations going to Seattle in the deal are simply to offset the difference between Storen’s $8.35MM salary and Benoit’s $8MM salary, reports Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune (on Twitter).
10:09pm: The Mariners announced tonight that they have acquired right-hander Drew Storen and cash considerations from the Blue Jays in exchange for right-hander Joaquin Benoit. Storen was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays over the weekend.
The trade represents a swap of struggling veteran setup men, as each has posted an ERA north of 5.00 this season. Storen’s struggles have been more pronounced, as the former Nationals closer has posted a 6.00 ERA in 33 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays this season after opening the year as the top setup man to sophomore closer Roberto Osuna. Storen has posted a very solid 32-to-10 K/BB ratio in that time and delivered a strong 47.2 percent ground-ball rate, but he’s also experienced a significant dip in his fastball velocity. After averaging 94 mph on his heater last season, Storen has checked in at 91.9 mph in 2016. He’s thrown his four-seamer less often, swapping it out for an increased reliance on his sinker — hence a nearly nine percent increase in his ground-ball rate — but home runs have plagued Storen this year. Over the life of his career, he’s posted an 8.2 percent homer-to-flyball ratio, but that number has more than doubled to a whopping 17.6 percent this season. The shift to the American League East and, more specifically, the homer-happy Rogers Centre, has perhaps contributed to some of the increase, but a rate that high is almost always due for some regression. Abandoning the current launching pad in which he pitches his home games should do Storen some good, especially when considering that he’ll move into the spacious confines of Seattle’s Safeco Field.
Benoit, meanwhile, has pitched to a 5.18 ERA across 24 1/3 innings in that decidedly more pitcher-friendly environment. Unlike Storen, his velocity is holding strong at age 39 (today is his birthday), but Benoit has seen a significant increase in his walk rate. Benoit experienced some control problems earlier in his career, but he averaged just 2.6 walks per nine innings from 2010-15 as he established himself as one of the game’s more reliable late-inning relievers. In 2016, however, he’s walked 15 batters (one intentional) in 24 1/3 innings and also hit a batter. Those 15 walks are just eight fewer than the 23 total walks he issued in 65 1/3 innings last year, and they’re actually greater than the 14 free passes handed out by Benoit in an excellent 2014 season that saw him throw 54 1/3 innings with the Padres. Benoit, too, has had some uncharacteristic struggles with the long ball, but the control and an inability to strand runners have been his biggest flaws.
From a contractual standpoint, each player is a free agent at season’s end. Benoit is earning $8MM to Storen’s $8.35MM this season, so the cash considerations that are exchanging hands in this deal are fairly minimal.
[Related: Updated Blue Jays and Mariners Depth Charts]
In some respects, this trade is reminiscent of a swap that Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto made in his days as GM of the Angels, sending struggling closer Ernesto Frieri to the Pirates in exchange for their own underperforming ninth-inning arm: Jason Grilli. Essentially, the trade boils down to a swap of comparably priced assets that had faltered in a similar role despite lengthy track records of success — albeit with other organizations. Both Storen and Benoit were in the first season with their respective, now-former teams, having each been acquired in an offseason trade. Toronto sent Ben Revere to the Nationals in order to acquire Storen, who had spent his entire career to date in Washington. The Mariners picked up Benoit in a trade that sent minor leaguers Enyel De Los Santos and Nelson Ward to the Padres.
Entering this season, Storen had a career 3.02 ERA with 8.6 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9 in 334 innings with the Nationals, who selected him 10th overall out of Stanford back in 2009. Benoit, on the other hand, reinvented himself with the 2010 Rays after shoulder surgery caused him to miss the entire 2009 season. From 2010-15, he pitched to a brilliant 2.35 ERA with 10.0 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9 in 379 innings for the Rays, Tigers and Padres.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jerry Dipoto Discusses Mariners’ Deadline Approach
Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto says that he’s not interested in acting as a seller at the deadline, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News-Tribune reports. Though the GM intends to “look into everything, that doesn’t mean he’ll consider parting with any major pieces from the major league roster.
“We’re not going to rip this thing down,” said Dipoto in a statement that would seem to take some of the more drastic possibilities off of the table. We haven’t heard any real chatter involving Seattle’s biggest names, but teams have at least asked about young pitchers James Paxton and Taijuan Walker. Certainly, parting with either of those potentially foundational arms would go beyond the organization’s apparent appetite for change.
That being said, Dipoto didn’t rule out some limited sales. He explained further:
“I’m not a big believer in moving the short-term player just because he’s a short-term player, but if there’s a way for us to get better — whether its in the present or the near future — we’ll do it. You’re not going to see us making trades for rookie-ball players and starting a full-scale rebuild. We are in a position to be very competitive. We feel like if we have one nice hot streak at the right time, we could be there.”
There are certainly some assets who could fit the bill for a change of scenery, with the M’s perhaps having a chance to recoup some value while parting with a piece that wasn’t of critical importance to the present season. Struggling veterans Adam Lind and Joaquin Benoit are examples cited by Dutton; both are pending free agents who are in the process of being replaced by younger options (Dan Vogelbach and Edwin Diaz, respectively).
Lefty Wade Miley comes with further control, but the Mariners may be ready to move on from some of his contract. One rival evaluator tells Dutton that he could imagine a late market coming together on the southpaw. If Seattle goes a step further, it could consider parting with players such as Seth Smith and Steve Cishek, but both are solid contributors who can be kept for another year.
Truth be told, with the organization still well within striking distance of both the AL West and the Wild Card race, there’s not much cause to break up the core, or even the non-core regulars assembled around it. As Dutton notes, there’s a real opportunity with the schedule set to ease up and some injured players filtering back from the DL. With a still-new front office and ownership group in command, there’s plenty of reason not to pack it in on the 2016 season at this juncture.
If anything, Dutton hints, the Mariners could consider looking to add if they’re able to tighten things up yet further over the next few days. There’s an argument to add arms, but the prospective returns of Walker to the rotation and Nick Vincent to the pen may obviate that need. Shortstop looks to be one area of concern, with Ketel Marte struggling even before being diagnosed with mononucleosis.
