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MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: Pete Alonso’s Future, Yankees’ Rotation Troubles and Should the Trade Deadline Be Pushed Back?

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss:

  • Should the trade deadline be moved back, as has been considered by some? (1:15)
  • Mets need to pick a lane with Pete Alonso (9:35)
  • Yankees’ rotation is dealing with injuries again (14:15)

Plus, we answer your questions, including:

  • How can the Cardinals get in shape this offseason? (20:05)
  • Can the Mariners line up on a trade with the Cards? (24:10)
  • What will be the biggest needs for the Diamondbacks this winter? (27:00)
  • What does Mitch Garver’s free agency look like this winter? (28:30)

Check out our past episodes!

Mariners Select Brian O’Keefe

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The Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of catcher Brian O’Keefe. He will take the active roster spot of fellow backstop Tom Murphy, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left thumb sprain, retroactive to August 14. The club already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster.

O’Keefe, 30, gets called to join the Mariners for the second time in his career. He was selected in late September last year, getting into two games before being non-tendered in the offseason and re-signing on a minor league pact. He’s spent all of this year with Triple-A Tacoma in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Despite hitting 22 home runs and drawing walks in 11.1% of his plate appearances, his .240/.325/.511 batting line amounts to a wRC+ of just 91.

He will slide into the backup role behind starter Cal Raleigh, taking the place of Murphy, who has an uncertain timeline but will be officially out for more than a week. Murphy has generally been an above-average hitter in his career but health has been an impediment. He’s never reached 100 games played in a season and was limited by a dislocated shoulder to just 14 contests last year. He’s played 47 games this year, hitting a huge .290/.335/.538 for a wRC+ of 142, but will now have to put that strong season on pause.

Dating back to his debut in 2015, Murphy is a career .244/.313/.456 hitter, which translates to a wRC+ of 106. Despite almost a decade in the bigs at this point, he’s played just 315 games but has generally succeeded when on the field. He’s set to reach free agency at season’s end.

Marco Gonzales To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

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Mariners left-hander Marco Gonzales will undergo season-ending surgery for the nerve issue in his forearm, per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. The lefty says the recovery time is a matter of months and he will be able to begin his offseason preparations on schedule with the hope of being ready for Spring Training. He is already on the 60-day injured list.

Gonzales, 31, began the year in Seattle’s rotation but landed on the IL in early June due a forearm strain. He didn’t seem to get on a track towards a return, having been shut down in late June and never getting sent on a rehab assignment. It appears that he and the club have exhausted any non-surgical options they explored and he will now have to go under the knife. He will finish 2023 with an ERA of 5.22 over 10 starts and 50 innings pitched.

It will ultimately go down as a disappointing and frustrating year for Gonzales, but it seems there’s some light at the end of the tunnel since he expects to have a fairly normal offseason and Spring Training. 2024 will be the final guaranteed season of the extension he and the club signed in 2020, with the southpaw set to make $12MM next year, with the club having a $15MM option for 2025 with no buyout.

The Seattle rotation has lost two of its Opening Day fivesome, as Robbie Ray required Tommy John surgery in May and Gonzales ended up missing most of the year. The club has fared well despite those losses, as Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert have been joined by rookies Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller and Emerson Hancock. Woo is on the injured list but isn’t expected to miss much time. Even without him, the club still has a strong front five and is in the thick of a playoff race.

All of those players are either under contract or club control next year, which should give the club a strong on-paper rotation going into next year. If Gonzales is healthy, they have seven viable rotation members, even before counting a midseason return of Ray. Their starters already drew trade interest prior to the summer deadline but the Mariners ended up hanging onto them. Perhaps they could revisit those talks in the offseason if everyone is healthy and they have a chance to upgrade another part of their roster, though they could also opt for retaining the rookies as optional depth.

Mariners Outright Juan Then

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The Mariners announced that right-hander Juan Then has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma. It had not been previously announced that he was designated for assignment, so this move drops their 40-man roster count to 39.

Then, 23, was added to the Mariners’ roster in November of 2020 to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. A starting pitching prospect at that time, he posted a 6.46 ERA over 14 High-A starts in 2021 and then missed most of 2022 due to injury, only logging 12 innings in the minors.

This year, he’s been used primarily as a reliever. He tossed 11 innings in the majors with a 4.91 ERA, only striking out 10.4% of batters faced but keeping the ball on the ground at a 63.4% clip. But in 26 minor league frames, his ERA is an unsightly 10.04.

Since Then was added to the roster almost three years ago, he’s in his final option season and will be out of options next year. That fact, combined with his poor results of late, likely led to him passing through waivers unclaimed. This is his first outright and he has less than three years of service time, meaning he won’t have the right to reject this assignment in favor of free agency. He’ll stay in the organization without occupying a roster spot but will qualify for minor league free agency at season’s end if not added back onto the roster.

Mariners Place J.P. Crawford On Injured List

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The Mariners announced that shortstop J.P. Crawford has been placed on the seven-day concussion injured list, retroactive to August 10. He’s eligible to return by next Thursday but the team hasn’t provided a firm timetable. Players can go on the concussion list whether they’re officially diagnosed with one or simply have concussion-like symptoms. Sam Haggerty was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to take the active roster spot.

Crawford was injured on Wednesday when he collided with third baseman Eugenio Suárez while playing a softly-hit grounder in the hole. The shortstop remained in the game initially but came out a couple innings later after informing the coaching staff he wasn’t feeling well. The team sent him for testing postgame and apparently found the injury significant enough to rule him out for a week.

It’s a rare bit of unfortunate news for MLB’s hottest team. Seattle has rattled off seven straight wins, pulling within a game and a half of Toronto for the last Wild Card spot in the American League. Crawford has been an excellent table setter at the top of the order, reaching base at a career-best .379 clip while starting 106 of the club’s 114 games at shortstop.

Seattle is turning to Dylan Moore at the position tonight against Orioles starter Kyle Gibson. Moore and José Caballero are the only players aside from Crawford to play there for the M’s this season.

Mariners Outright Zach Muckenhirn

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August 11: The Mariners announced today that Muckenhirn cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma.

August 9: The Mariners have officially selected the contract of prospect Emerson Hancock, a move that was reported yesterday. In corresponding transactions, the M’s optioned right-hander Devin Sweet to Triple-A and designated left-hander Zach Muckenhirn for assignment.

Muckenhirn, 28, made his major league debut with the Mets earlier this year, tossing six innings over three appearances with four earned runs allowed. He was designated for assignment in July and then promptly traded to the Mariners as part of the deal that sent Trevor Gott and Chris Flexen to Queens. Flexen was released by the Mets shortly thereafter, highlighting the fact that they were taking on Flexen’s contract in order to effectively buy Gott.

The M’s saved some money in that deal but also added Muckenhirn to their system, sending him to Triple-A Tacoma. He’s thrown 8 2/3 innings for that club with a 9.35 ERA in that small sample, which likely helped loosen his grip on a roster spot. But he had a much more palatable 0.88 ERA in 30 2/3 innings for the Syracuse Mets prior to the trade, giving him a combined 2.75 ERA at Triple-A this year. He’s only struck out 14.8% of opponents at that level but has kept the ball on the ground on close to half of the balls in play he’s allowed.

With the trade deadline now in the rear-view mirror, the M’s will have a week to put Muckenhirn on outright waivers or release waivers. Left-handed relief tends to always be in demand and Muckenhirn can serve as a long-term depth option since he has just a few days of service time and a full slate of options. His strikeouts haven’t been there this year but he punched out 23.8% of minor league hitters last season, in addition to consistently solid ground ball rates.

If the lefty were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the M’s since he lacks the necessary service time or previous career outright that’s necessary for the right to elect free agency. But if he’s still not on the roster at season’s end, he would qualify for minor league free agency.

MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: The Streaking Mariners, the Struggling Angels and Injured Aces

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss:

  • The scorching hot Mariners (2:15)
  • The ice cold Angels (6:20)
  • The Rangers will be without Josh Jung for a while, impacting them and the Rookie of the Year race (8:45)
  • Shane McClanahan could be out for the year and maybe part of 2024 as well (13:15)
  • Yankees put Carlos Rodón back on the injured list (18:35)
  • Red Sox get Trevor Story back (21:35)

Plus, we answer your questions, including:

  • Any chance that the Cubs try to sign Cody Bellinger to a long term deal? (24:35)
  • Of all the players on the Dodgers’ injured list, which will have the most immediate impact both now and for the postseason not named Clayton Kershaw? (30:15)
  • Are the Angels’ manager and general managers jobs respectively in jeopardy if they fail to make the playoffs? (33:25)

Check out our past episodes!

Mariners Claim Ryan Jensen, Release Matt Festa

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August 9: The Mariners announced that Festa has indeed cleared waivers and become a free agent.

August 8, 9:56pm: Festa’s transaction log at MLB.com indicates he has been placed on release waivers, as required. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll be a free agent later in the week.

3:20pm: The Mariners announced a series of transactions today, claiming right-hander Ryan Jensen off waivers from the Cubs and recalling righty Ryder Ryan from Triple-A. Jensen will report to Triple-A Tacoma. Righty Bryan Woo was placed on the 15-day injured list with right forearm inflammation, retroactive to August 5, while righty Matt Festa was designated for assignment in corresponding moves.

Jensen, 25, was a first-round pick of the Cubs, getting selected 27th overall in 2019. He quickly became considered one of the top 10 prospects in the club’s system though his stock has fallen since then thanks to some mediocre results.

After the pandemic wiped out the minor leagues in 2020, Jensen split 2021 between High-A and Double-A with a 4.16 ERA. Last year, he made 17 Double-A starts with a 4.25 ERA, striking out 23.2% of batters faced while walking 15.1% of them. Nonetheless, the Cubs still had enough belief in him to give him a 40-man roster spot in November, to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft.

Here in 2023, things haven’t gone much better. He made six Double-A starts at the beginning of the year but had a 5.31 ERA in those. In early May, he was moved to the bullpen and has since been promoted to Triple-A, but he has a combined 6.06 ERA in 32 2/3 innings since that time. He has struck out 26.2% of opponents since that bullpen move but given free passes at a 17.7% rate.

It had not been publicly reported that the Cubs removed Jensen from their roster, but they evidently tried to quietly sneak him through waivers with the M’s swooping in to snap him up. They will presumably try to get him to rein in his recent control issues and get him back on a good track.

In order to grab Jensen, the M’s are risking losing Festa, who has now been removed from the roster. He has 89 major league appearances from 2019 to the present season, posting a 4.32 ERA in those. He struck out 29.2% of batters faced last year but also allowed 10 home runs and finished the year with a 4.17 ERA.

Here in 2023, he’s spent most of the season in Triple-A, with a 0.53 ERA in 34 innings. That’s come with a .114 batting average on balls in play and 91.9% strand rate, both of which are unsustainable. His 21.9% strikeout rate and 12.5% walk rate are both subpar, leading to a 4.81 FIP at that level.

According to his transactions tracker at MLB.com, he was placed on the minor league injured list last week. Since injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers and the trade deadline has passed, Festa should be released in the coming days. He’ll be out of options next year but has less than two years of service time, meaning he could be controlled for five future seasons by a club that gives him a roster spot.

Ryan, 28, was just added to the club’s 40-man roster last week. Despite getting that roster spot, they kept him in the minors initially though he will now get a chance to make his major league debut. He’s thrown 40 2/3 innings in Triple-A this year with a 3.54 ERA, 23.3% strikeout rate, 8.7% walk rate and 46% ground ball rate.

As for Woo, the severity of his injury isn’t known, but this sheds some light on the earlier report that the M’s are promoting pitching prospect Emerson Hancock. It had been speculated by some that the club could potentially use a six-man rotation for a while, but now it seems a more straightforward situation where Hancock will step in for Woo.

Mariners To Promote Emerson Hancock

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The Mariners are calling up pitching prospect Emerson Hancock for his big league debut, reports Robert Murray of Fansided. Hancock, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 draft, is not yet on the 40-man roster and will need to have his contract selected.

Hancock, 24, has tossed 98 innings in Double-A this season, working to a 4.32 ERA with a career-best 26% strikeout rate, a 9.2% walk rate and a 42% ground-ball rate. He’s been prone to nightmare outings this season, twice being tagged for nine runs in a start and serving up seven runs in another. Outside those few hiccups, he’s generally been excellent; dating back to June 1, he’s sitting on a 2.97 ERA — despite the fact that one of those nine-run drubbings occurred along the way. Over his past four outings, Hancock has a 1.44 ERA and 26-to-4 K/BB ratio in 25 innings.

Widely regarded as one of the Mariners’ top five prospects, Hancock sits in the mid-90s with his heater and has a trio of secondary offerings — all of which garner average or better ratings on MLB.com’s scouting report on the right-hander. FanGraphs touts Hancock’s changeup as his best bat-missing offering, while his slider also draws above-average grades.

Hancock will become the latest in a growing line of homegrown pitching talent to join the Mariners’ roster. Seattle also drafted and developed George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo, all of whom ranked among the sport’s top 100 prospects prior to their respective debuts. Hancock might not be quite as highly touted as some of those arms were at the time of their own promotions, but he’s nevertheless a former top-10 pick with some success at the Double-A level and a good chance at laying claim to a spot in the Seattle rotation.

It’s an increasingly crowded starting staff in Seattle — hence ample trade interest in the Mariners’ young, controllable arms at this year’s deadline — as the staff also features ace Luis Castillo and injured veterans Robbie Ray and Marco Gonzales. Ray will be out well into next year after undergoing Tommy John surgery, however, and Gonzales has been limited to just 10 starts this season. It’s an enviable wealth of pitching talent — one that figures to draw interest again in the offseason.

For now, Hancock’s promotion will give the club six starters, though it’s possible one of Woo or Miller could see their workload reduced in the near future. The former only tossed 57 innings in the minors last year but is already up to 99 this season between the majors and minors. Miller got to 133 2/3 last year and is up to 105 1/3 here in 2023. Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reported yesterday that the club has been considering deploying a six-man rotation, in light of those concerns about their younger hurlers. Hancock logged 98 1/3 frames last year and is up to an even 98 this season, which may put a ceiling on how many innings he has to give as well. In the short term, an injured list stint for Woo keeps the rotation at five players.

The club has been hot lately, winning six in a row and nine of their last 11. That’s helped them leapfrog teams like the Red Sox and Yankees and put the M’s in the top spot among American League teams not currently in playoff position. They’re still two games back of the Blue Jays for the last Wild Card spot but they are firmly in the mix for a playoff run, with Hancock hopefully giving them a boost in that regard.

Mariners Release Kolten Wong

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The Mariners announced Friday that infielder Kolten Wong has cleared waivers and been released. Seattle had designated the veteran second baseman for assignment in the waning hours before the trade deadline.

That DFA officially ended a disappointing Seattle tenure. The M’s acquired Wong from the Brewers last offseason, sending Jesse Winker and Abraham Toro to Milwaukee in a change-of-scenery deal that hasn’t worked for anyone involved. Wong opened the season as the M’s second baseman but played his way to the bench with a career-worst showing.

Over 67 games, the veteran hit .165/.241/.227 with just a pair of home runs. His walk and strikeout numbers each went in the wrong direction, while his rate of hard contact plummeted by ten percentage points. Wong’s bat-to-ball skills and strike zone awareness remained slightly above-average, but he rarely made an impact when he put the ball in play.

While power has never been Wong’s strong suit, he’s topped double-digit homers on five occasions — including each of his two years in Milwaukee. He’s stolen only one base after swiping 17 last season. The Mariners have turned to rookie José Caballero as their primary second baseman of late and acquired left-handed hitting Josh Rojas as a versatile infield piece in the Paul Sewald deal.

Wong’s defense has also dropped over the past couple seasons. A two-time Gold Glove winner, he was one of the sport’s top keystone defenders at his peak. Public defensive metrics rated him well below-average last season, however. Wong said late in the year he’d been playing through a leg issue that sapped some of his mobility. That offered some hope for a defensive rebound that hasn’t really materialized. Wong logged 513 1/3 innings at second base for Seattle. Defensive Runs Saved pegged him five runs below par, while Statcast estimated him one run worse than average.

In the immediate aftermath of Wong’s DFA, reports suggested the Red Sox had engaged the M’s in trade talks. No deal came to fruition by the deadline, making a release an inevitability. Wong long surpassed the five-year service threshold which allows players to refuse a minor league assignment while retaining the guaranteed money on their contract.

Wong is playing on a $10MM option, which the Brewers had exercised before trading him. Seattle took on that money in the deal. He is due around $3.12MM through season’s end. The M’s will pay virtually all of that sum. Any team that signs Wong would owe him the prorated $720K minimum rate for time spent on the big league roster, which comes out of Seattle’s obligations.

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