Pirates Have Expressed Interest In Chris Archer
The Pirates have emerged as a somewhat surprising entrant into the market for Rays right-hander Chris Archer, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter). Fancred’s Jon Heyman hears the same (Twitter link), adding that his sense is that Pittsburgh’s interest in Orioles righty Kevin Gausman has been overstated. Then again, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette joined The Athletic’s Rob Biertempfel in reporting that the Pirates do have interest in both Gausman and Orioles reliever Mychal Givens (Twitter link).
While the degree of interest in Archer and Gausman likely has some level of variance, it seems clear that the Bucs are throwing their hats into the ring on some controllable assets that could help to fortify their rotation for the next few years. Archer is controlled through the 2021 season at a reasonable total of $27.5MM, while Gausman can be controlled through the 2020 season via the arbitration process.
Both right-handers have shown flashes of elite abilities at times in the past, but neither has emerged as a clear top-of-the-rotation arm despite that obvious talent. The Pirates, under pitching coach Ray Searage, have developed a reputation for tapping into such potential in recent seasons, though the organization has had its share of misses as well. Gerrit Cole, for instance, struggled to tap into his ace potential consistently in Pittsburgh but has dramatically improved following a trade to Houston.
Pittsburgh raced out to a brilliant start to the 2018 season but floundered in the season’s middle months. They’ve surged back into contention with a torrid hot streak in recent weeks though, now sitting at 55-52. They’re still seven games out of the NL Central lead, trailing both the Cubs and the Brewers, but they’re a more manageable four games back of the Wild Card race.
Between reported interest in Archer, Gausman, Givens and Rangers closer Keone Kela, it doesn’t seem like the Bucs have much interest in dealing prospects for rentals. But, each of those four right-handers is controlled for at least two seasons beyond 2018, so it seems that the Pirates are willing to part with some future assets if it means bolstering their chances of contending for the next several seasons.
Trade Talks On Chris Archer “Intensifying”
7:43pm: In an interview with Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Archer called the trade chatter surrounding him “unsettling.” Topkin again notes that the industry sense is that Tampa Bay is more willing than ever to trade Archer, and he adds that a young catcher and a power-hitting outfield prospect would be “a good start” to a package from the Rays’ vantage point.
July 29, 8:58am: The Padres are still regarded as the favorites to land Archer if the Rays deal him, Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets. The Braves are also interested, per the New York Post’s Joel Sherman, who adds that the Rays had a pair of scouts watching Yankees pitching prospect Justus Sheffield at Triple-A on Saturday. However, it’s “a long shot” that the Yankees will acquire Archer, Sherman writes.
July 28, 12:50pm: Add the Yankees and Dodgers to the list of teams who’re pursuing Archer, according to a recent tweet from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
10:43am: Chris Archer has been the subject of trade speculation all season, and now talks surrounding Tampa Bay’s prized right-hander are “intensifying”, per a report from ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick.
A trade isn’t quite imminent, it seems, as Crasnick notes that it’s difficult to judge whether or not a team will actually pay the Rays’ asking price. After all, Archer can be controlled through 2021 for an average of less than $8MM per season, and is unsurprisingly being donned with a “No. 1 starter type of price tag”. It’s certainly plausible that Archer could be a part of the next contending Rays ballclub considering the wealth of talent in Tampa Bay’s farm system (recently ranked the fourth-best in baseball by MLB.com), which boasts six players among MLB Pipeline’s top 70 prospects.
Then again, the Rays have seen a host of promising prospects go down with Tommy John surgery this season. Right-handers Brent Honeywell and Jose De Leon and lefty Anthony Banda were all considered to be about major-league ready this season before each sprained his UCL and had to go under the knife. While one would expect all three to be ready to pitch again by the middle of next season based on the normal Tommy John recovery timeline, we know by now that the surgery isn’t a sure thing, and can lead to deeply-diminished production (Brady Aiken comes to mind as an example). It wouldn’t be out of the question, then, for the Rays to attempt to acquire an upside young arm along with some other valuable pieces in a package for their ace.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports noted soon after Crasnick’s report that the Padres (who have already been connected to Archer this season) have made progress in talks with the Rays, in part because Tampa Bay has shown “a greater willingness” to deal him. But Passan adds a dissent in agreeing that the price remains high, which has the Padres “balking for now.” We already know that the Padres are unwilling to exchange either of their top two prospects (shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. and southpaw Mackenzie Gore), though they’ve shown a willingness to deal second baseman Luis Urias, right-hander Cal Quantrill and even recently-acquired catching prospect Francisco Mejia.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch adds that the Cardinals “remain interested” in Archer, noting that the club attempted to deal for the 29-year-old just this past winter. Goold’s sources tell him that the Cards believe they can line up a “competitive offer”. It’s no surprise that St. Louis would be checking in on all available options to patch their injury-ravaged rotation; the club’s seen right-handers Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez succumb to oblique injuries and can’t know what type of late-2018 contributions to expect from either at this point. Meanwhile, top prospect Alex Reyes, who was expected to play a big role in the club’s plans this year, suffered a season-ending lat injury at the tail end of May. Adam Wainwright continues to be injury-prone and can’t be counted on for any type of meaningful production. The club is currently placing its playoff hopes on the resurgent Miles Mikolas and a cast of rookies including Jack Flaherty, Luke Weaver and John Gant.
To be fair, it’s not clear whether Archer is truly worth the price of an “ace”. The right-hander has posted ERAs north of four in each of the past two seasons and currently sports a six-year high figure of 4.31. While it’s true that his FIP (3.62) suggests quite a bit of bad luck has been involved, the same can also be said of each of his previous three seasons- Archer has a reputation as a pitcher whose results consistently fail to keep up with his peripherals. Still, it’s easy to imagine him catching fire and putting together an impressive second-half run, a possibility which plenty of contenders would like to take a chance on.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/28/18
Saturday’s minor moves…
- Rays catcher Adam Moore has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Durham after clearing waivers, according to Bill Chastain of MLB.com. Moore, whom the Rays designated for assignment Wednesday, has only totaled six major league appearances this season. The 34-year-old has been more active at the Triple-A level, with 158 PAs, but has batted just .215/.259/.309.
Trade Chatter: Jones, Kela, Beltre, A’s, Gibson, Phillies
The Orioles haven’t yet approached Adam Jones about the possibility of waiving his no-trade clause, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. That doesn’t mean that the Orioles won’t be moving him, however, and Crasnick echoes previous reports in writing that both the Phillies and Indians have some degree of interest in Jones, who’d likely play right field for either club. Per Crasnick, there are some in the industry who feel Jones would want an extension in order to waive his full no-trade protection — Jones has 10-and-5 rights — though there’s been no firm indication of that from Jones’ camp, it seems.
Meanwhile, Jones himself chatted with MASNsports.com’s Steve Melewski about the possibility of being moved, calling reported interest from other teams “humbling” and “flattering.” The longtime Baltimore center fielder, though, says he has not yet discussed the possibility of approving a trade away from the Orioles with his family. “If the scenario is right, I want to win, I want play ball,” says Jones. “You look at these kind of scenarios and what is the best fit for you. When all the information comes and we get more information, I’ll be able to make a better decision based on the information.”
More trade chatter from around the league…
- With Cole Hamels on his way to the Cubs, pending medical reviews, the next player the Rangers move could be closer Keone Kela, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Per Passan, clubs that have spoken to Texas about Kela “get a sense they’re getting close to something.” The Pirates have been the team most prominently linked to Kela in recent days, though a hard-throwing, 25-year-old reliever who can be controlled affordably through the 2021 season clearly won’t have any shortage of interested parties. Kela might be the Rangers’ best trade chip, given that remaining club control, although that control also lessens the Rangers’ sense of urgency in finding a trade partner.
- Sticking with the Rangers, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reports that the Braves have emerged as somewhat of a longshot suitor for third baseman Adrian Beltre. Atlanta wouldn’t be looking to supplant Johan Camargo at third base, but Beltre would share some time at the hot corner with the much younger Camargo while deepening the Atlanta bench and providing some leadership on a youthful club. Beltre has the ability to veto any trade, of course, and reports have painted the possibility of a trade surrounding him to be remote. Sullivan also notes that, with regard to the Pirates and their interest in Kela, the Rangers could have some interest in starting pitching prospects Clay Holmes and Taylor Hearn.
- The Athletics remain on the hunt for a rotation upgrade, but Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that the A’s “haven’t sounded particularly enthusiastic” about that market. If the A’s can’t find a starter at a price point they deem acceptable, they could instead look to add to their bullpen as a means of shortening games and taking some pressure off the current members of their rotation.
- The Twins “have fielded inquiries” on right-hander Kyle Gibson, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, but they’re more interested in dealing their impending free agents than Gibson, who is controlled through 2019 and is in the midst of a breakout season. The former first-round pick was brilliant against the Red Sox last night, allowing one run over eight innings and lowering his ERA to 3.42 in the process. Through 129 innings, Gibson has averaged 8.8 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 and 0.91 HR/9. His fastball is up nearly a mile per hour over its 2017 average, and his 12.2 percent swinging-strike rate is easily a career-high. The Twins are currently seven games back of the division lead in the AL Central, but they’ve won four in a row. With three games in Boston and another hosting Cleveland before Tuesday’s non-waiver deadline, Minnesota faces a tough road to closing that gap.
- Sherman also reports that the Phillies, after missing out on Manny Machado, would at the very least like to add a defensive upgrade at shortstop. Interestingly, he notes that the Phils have at least had internal discussions about reacquiring Freddy Galvis from the Padres. He also lists the Rays‘ Adeiny Hechavarria and the Tigers‘ Jose Iglesias as players that the Phillies’ front office has considered. The Phils have also been tied to Eduardo Escobar since Machado went to L.A.
Braves Acquire Jonny Venters From Rays
The Rays have traded left-handed reliever Jonny Venters to the Braves in exchange for international bonus pool space, according to announcements from both teams. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports (on Twitter) that the Braves sent the minimum $250K to Tampa Bay in return for Venters.
Venters’ remarkably implausible return to the Majors after three Tommy John surgeries and a five-year absence was already among the best storylines of the 2018 season, but the fact that he’s now been reunited with his the organization for which he made his MLB debut only adds to the feel-good nature of his comeback.
The 33-year-old Venters broke into the Majors with Atlanta back in 2010 and immediately emerged as one of the better relievers in the National League, starring in a setup role for Craig Kimbrel from 2010-12 before going down with an elbow injury. Venters, incredibly, did not pitch in the Majors at all from 2013-17 before this season’s return as a member of the Rays.
So far in 2018, Venters has appeared in 22 games for Tampa Bay and been utilized as a left-handed specialist, as evidenced by the fact that he’s totaled just 14 innings. He’s posted a 3.86 ERA and an 11-to-6 K/BB ratio in that time, though one of those free passes was intentional. Venters’ 2011 season featured a 72.5 percent ground-ball rate — the eighth-highest mark in MLB history — and he’s been in vintage form so far this year, inducing grounders at a 70 percent clip. Venters has faced 26 lefties on the season and held them to an awful .167/.231/.292 slash, while the 32 righties he’s seen have hit him at a .250/.344/.357 pace.
Venters will give the Braves a fourth left-handed reliever, joining A.J. Minter, Sam Freeman and Jesse Biddle in the current relief corps for the time being. It’s not clear how the Braves will open a 25-man roster spot for Venters, though rookie Evan Phillips seems like a candidate to be optioned out.
The Rays’ return is minimal, though some of the motivation behind the deal may simply have been to do right by the veteran Venters. They’ll boost their 2018-19 pool enough to be able to pad their offer to some of the remaining talent on the international market or to make another few lower-priced signings. For the Braves, their pool allocations aren’t as important as they are to other clubs, as Atlanta is barred from signing any individual player for more than $300K anyhow.
NL West Notes: Padres, Archer, Giants, Shark, Evans, Dodgers
Reports yesterday indicated the Padres were checking around about a potential Chris Archer trade with the Rays, and MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi sheds a bit more light on those talks. San Diego is reportedly willing to move one or two of Francisco Mejia, Luis Urias, and Cal Quantrill in an Archer deal, though its top two prospects (Fernando Tatis Jr. and MacKenzie Gore) are not available. Even without Tatis or Gore on the table, dealing any of those other highly-touted prospects would be a major concession on San Diego’s part, and a big score for the Rays. Mejia was only just acquired by the Padres as the return for Brad Hand and Adam Cimber, so in my opinion, it could be that the team sees the young catcher as somewhat “found money” — put another way, the Padres would be essentially dealing Hand and Cimber for Archer, which is a deal the club would’ve happily made. Then again, the Padres are so deep in minor league talent that they can afford to move top names like Mejia, Urias, or Quantrill and still have one of the game’s better farm systems.
Scouts from the Padres and Diamondbacks (and, from outside the division, the Phillies and Cubs) watched Archer’s start last Sunday. A source tells Morosi that at least eight teams have recently been in touch with the Rays about Archer’s availability, and while there still isn’t clear sign Tampa is considering a trade, this deep interest is one of the reasons “a deal involving Archer is more likely now than at any point in recent memory,” Morosi writes.
Here’s more from around the NL West…
- There’s still no timetable for the Giants to welcome back righty Jeff Samardzija, though it’s not looking particularly promising. Per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, via Twitter, the veteran hurler is “not returning anytime soon.” Rather, he’ll continue to rest his ailing shoulder before heading out for some amount of rehab work. This continues to be a lost season for the 33-year-old, who owns a 6.25 ERA in 44 2/3 innings
- Though Samardzija’s ongoing injury issue is one of several less-than-promising signs for the Giants, indications are that they aren’t interested in packing up and waiting for next year. GM Bobby Evans says in a chat with Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the front office is “bent toward helping our current club.” Though Evans expressed at least some willingness to consider moving bullpen pieces, such a move wouldn’t really serve the team’s interests, particularly after the Giants previously gave up young talent to shed salary. While the team is still within reasonable striking distance in the NL West, its place in the trade deadline picture remains unclear — though Evans did shut down any thought that the team would make a last-minute decision to make star lefty Madison Bumgarner available.
- The Dodgers sent scouts to watch pitchers on both the Marlins and Rays when the two Florida rivals faced off last weekend, the Miami Herald’s Clark Spencer reports (Twitter link). L.A. could have interested in any number of relievers or perhaps even starting pitchers on either roster, given how many Miami and Tampa players have been cited in trade rumors. Interestingly, Spencer’s tweet was linked to a tweet from Michael J. Duarte of NBC Los Angeles, who said that the Marlins had scouts watching Yadier Alvarez‘s most recent Double-A outing. A consensus top prospect headed into the 2017 season, Alvarez didn’t crack the preseason top-100 lists for Baseball America or MLB.com this year (though Baseball Prospectus still had him 41st) in the wake of an unimpressive season. Alvarez has continued to struggle in 2018, with a 5.85 ERA and 25 walks in 20 frames for Double-A Tulsa, though he’s still missing a lot of bats with his 100-mph fastball.
Crasnick’s Latest: Moustakas, Ziegler, Ramos, Orioles, Hamels
“The Braves‘ interest in Mike Moustakas is minimal at best,” ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick writes in a tweet, following up on an earlier report which stated that Atlanta was looking at the Royals third baseman. Moustakas and the Braves have been linked in rumors even dating back to last offseason due to Atlanta’s lack of third base depth, though the team is reportedly satisfied with Johan Camargo at the hot corner. Interestingly, Crasnick notes that the Braves weren’t sure “how Moustakas would adapt to a bench role,” implying that the team would have platooned the duo at third base. Moustakas has long has problems against left-handed pitching, while the switch-hitting Camargo has crushed lefties (1.008 OPS in 156 PA) and struggled against righties (.701 OPS in 382 PA) in his brief Major League career.
Here’s more trade buzz from Crasnick in a pair of longer pieces (link one, link two)…
- The Mariners are one of the teams who have recently called the Marlins about Brad Ziegler. After a tough start to the season that saw him lose his closer’s job, Ziegler has pitched much better over the last two months and has reignited some trade interest. Ziegler is a free agent this winter and is still owed around $3.2MM of his $9MM salary for the 2018 season. Among other Miami relievers mentioned as trade candidates, interest in lefty Adam Conley is “picking up steam” since other southpaws like Brad Hand and Zach Britton are no longer available, according to one source.
- Wilson Ramos could be on the verge of a minor league rehab assignment, as the Rays catcher is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a hamstring strain. There’s still a chance Ramos could be moved before the July 31 trade deadline, if he continues to progress and is on pace for a return early in August.
- “The Orioles are willing to engage” teams in discussions about Kevin Gausman and Jonathan Schoop. We’ve heard both players be mentioned in trade talks, though this is the first confirmation that Baltimore is open to moving either. Schoop has one more year of arbitration eligibility remaining while Gausman has two, so these players have more value to the rebuilding O’s than other recently-moved stars like Manny Machado and Britton. As one scout tells Crasnick, Gausman and Schoop are “the real rebuild pieces.”
- The Rangers have only received “a couple of nibbles” in Shin-Soo Choo, and aren’t generating much more interest in either Cole Hamels or their bullpen trade chips. Part of the issue is that the Rangers’ players aren’t standing out amidst a deep market for relief options, and Hamels’ poor performance over his last five starts has raised concerns among rival evaluators. Some Rangers officials believe Hamels’ struggles may be influenced by stress over the trade rumors.
Rays To Designate Adam Moore
The Rays will designate catcher Adam Moore for assignment, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (Twitter link). The transaction will create room for newly-acquired catcher Michael Perez to join the Rays’ roster tomorrow.
Moore ended up playing just one game for the Rays after his contract was selected by the team earlier this week. That one game marked Moore’s first MLB action since 2016, as 2017 was the only season within the last decade that Moore didn’t get at least a cup of coffee in the Show. Moore only has 97 games and 295 PA to his big league resume, though the well-traveled veteran has seen time with the Mariners, Royals, Padres, and Indians before suiting up for the Rays.
The 34-year-old Moore has a .534 career OPS as a Major Leaguer. He signed a minor league deal with Tampa Bay last winter, and it looks like a decent chance Moore will clear waivers and remain in the organization as Triple-A catching depth.
Diamondbacks Acquire Matt Andriese
The Diamondbacks have acquired right-hander Matt Andriese from the Rays, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link). Robert Murray, also of The Athletic, was the first to report that Tampa and Arizona had a trade in place. The Rays will receive two minor leaguers in return — catcher Michael Perez (as per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) and righty Brian Shaffer (as Rosenthal was the first to report). In a corresponding move, the D’Backs announced that right-hander Randall Delgado has been designated for assignment to create a 40-man spot for Andriese.
Arizona was known to be checking in on the starting pitching market, though rather than splurge on a big name, the Snakes landed a versatile and somewhat underrated asset in Andriese. The 28-year-old has mostly been deployed as a swingman in his three-plus MLB seasons, with the Rays using Andriese as a starter and in both short and long relief roles. He has only started four of his 27 appearances this season, though that stat is somewhat misleading, as you might expect given Tampa Bay’s unconventional use of its pitching staff. Andriese has appeared multiple times as the second pitcher into the game after the likes of Ryne Stanek or Sergio Romo began things as the Rays’ “opener.”
Despite the ever-shifting roles, Andriese has been largely successful in Tampa, including a 4.07 ERA, 8.9 K/9, 50.6% grounder rate, and 3.28 K/BB rate this season over 59 2/3 innings, plus a career-best 11.4% swinging strike rate. It represents a nice rebound from an injury-filled 2017, as Andriese was limited to 86 innings (starting 17 of his 18 games) due to hip and groin problems.
The D’Backs have dealt with their own share of pitching injuries this season, though things have somewhat stabilized with a regular starting five of Zack Greinke, Patrick Corbin, Robbie Ray, Zack Godley, and successful bounce-back project Clay Buchholz. Still, with Ray and Godley both delivering inconsistent results, Andriese gives the Snakes some extra rotation depth, as well as a valuable durable arm for the bullpen.
Andriese will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter, and thus the D’Backs had to surrender a not-overwhelming but decent prospect package for Andriese’s three years of control. The 2018 Baseball America Prospect Handbook ranked Perez as Arizona’s 30th-best minor leaguer prior to the season, with MLB.com ranking Shaffer 23rd in their current top-30 ranking of the Snakes’ system.
Perez, 25, has long been heralded as a strong defensive catcher, and he has begun to make some strides at the plate over the last two seasons at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. In 250 career PA at Triple-A, Perez has a solid .291/.348/.445 slash line, though that is both a rather small sample size and perhaps a product of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Even without a big bat, however, Perez still projects as a potential glove-first backup catcher type, which is useful for a Rays team that has long looked for consistency behind the plate. Topkin reports that Perez will join the Rays’ roster on Thursday for his first taste of Major League action.
Shaffer was a sixth-round pick for the Diamondbacks in the 2017 draft. MLB.com’s scouting report cites the 21-year-old’s slider as his best pitch, and he also possesses a fastball that has touched 94mph. Shaffer has delivered good results in his brief pro career thus far, including a 2.70 ERA, 9.2 K/9, and only a 1.8 BB/9 over 106 2/3 frames at the A-ball level this year.
Between this trade and sending Nathan Eovaldi to the Red Sox earlier today, the Rays have continued to churn their roster, even while falling short of an actual rebuild. Indeed, after today’s win over the Yankees, the Rays are now 52-50 for the season, though they are still realistically out of the pennant race (8.5 games back of the last wild card slot). In the short term, Tampa finds itself short two valuable arms for its pitching mix, as it remains to be seen how the Rays’ pitching strategy will continue to evolve without Andriese and Eovaldi around to cover innings.
This represents the third major trade between the Rays and D’Backs in under a year, after the offseason deals that saw Brad Boxberger come to Arizona and the three-team deal (also involving the Yankees) that most notably saw Steven Souza go to Arizona and Brandon Drury head to New York.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Red Sox Acquire Nathan Eovaldi
The Red Sox have officially struck a deal to land righty Nathan Eovaldi from the Rays, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported (via Twitter). Young lefty Jalen Beeks will go to Tampa Bay in return, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).
This swap is the second in the last two days that sends rental pitchers between AL East rivals. Yesterday, of course, the Yankees got lefty reliever Zach Britton from the Orioles. The Yanks will temporarily dodge Eovaldi, who had been scheduled to start against them today, but will surely see him down the stretch.
For Boston, the move will add an intriguing arm to their roster. Eovaldi has worked as a starter almost exclusively in his career, and may well continue to do so over the final two months of the season as he helps to shore up a Red Sox rotation that is showing a few cracks. But his role in the postseason could end up being an interesting one. The Sox have an unusual number of southpaws among their rotation candidates, making Eovaldi an interesting pitcher to pair up with one or more lefties.
Eovaldi is a pure rental, and a cheap one at that. He’s earning just $2MM this year, with some affordable incentive pay also included. Though it took him quite a while to make it all the way back from Tommy John surgery, Eovaldi has returned with vigor thus far in 2018.
Over 57 frames in ten starts this year Eovaldi has pumped his customary 97+ mph heat while working to a solid 4.26 ERA. But that only tells part of the story. He’s sporting a career-best 20.1% K%-BB% while generating more swings and misses (11.0%) than ever before, though he has also been touched for 11 long balls. Eovaldi merited rather lofty placement on MLBTR’s latest ranking of the top trade deadline candidates and has certainly increased his stock heading into free agency.
It seems likely the Rays will have designs on using Beeks in a flexible manner, too, but on a more regular basis. The 25-year-old has been roughed up in two MLB outings this year, but has also turned in increasingly interesting results in the upper minors in recent seasons.
Over 16 Triple-A starts in 2018, Beeks carries a 2.89 ERA with 12.1 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 over 87 1/3 innings. That strong showing led Baseball America to rank Beeks the Sox’ sixth-best prospect in its most recent look at a thin Boston farm. While he’s considered likely to be a back-end rotation piece in the majors, he possesses an interesting four-pitch mix and seems a good fit for the Rays’ counter-culture approach to building a pitching staff.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.