Braves Acquire Chris Martin
The Braves added a new arm to their late-inning relief mix in advance of tomorrow’s trade deadline, announcing the acquisition of right-hander Chris Martin from the Rangers on Tuesday evening. Atlanta will send left-hander Kolby Allard to Texas in return. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the trade shortly before the teams announced the swap (Twitter link).
Martin, 33, bounced around the league as a minor league journeyman for much of the decade before reinventing himself in a stint with Japan’s Nippon Ham Fighters. The towering, 6’8″ righty emerged as one of the best relievers in Japan and parlayed that success into an affordable two-year pact with the Rangers prior to the 2018 season.
After a so-so first season in Arlington, Martin has turned in a very strong 3.08 ERA with an eye-popping 43-to-4 K/BB ratio in 38 innings of work. That fourth walk issued by Martin came in his most recent appearance — his most recent one had come nearly three months prior.
While Martin will only finish the season with two-plus year of MLB service time, he’s nevertheless a pure rental for Atlanta. The two-year, $4MM contract Martin signed upon returning to MLB stipulated that he can become a free agent at the end of the deal, so the Braves are only acquiring him for the current stretch run (barring some type of extension).
Martin will join, if not anchor a late-inning mix that currently looks nothing like the Atlanta front office expected heading into the season. Luke Jackson has emerged as the club’s primary closer, while former starter Sean Newcomb has become one of manager Brian Snitker’s more reliable setup men. Atlanta already added Anthony Swarzak in a minor trade that has paid big dividends earlier this season, and Josh Tomlin is still on board as a long reliever after only joining the organization late in Spring Training.
Dealing Allard will no doubt come as a shock to many Braves fans as the southpaw was Atlanta’s first-round pick (14th overall) back in 2015 and has ranked among baseball’s top 100 prospects in three different offseasons. Allard had back surgery in 2015 but has been relatively healthy since that time. However, his prospect star has dimmed in recent years.
Scouting reports have long touted Allard’s fastball control, which allows a fastball with rather pedestrian velocity to play up a bit. But he’s regarded more as a potential back-of-the-rotation starter at this point than the midrotation arm Atlanta may have once hoped. Baseball America and Fangraphs both dropped Allard to 12th among Braves minor leaguers on their summer re-rankings of the club’s farm system. In 110 innings with Triple-A Gwinnett in 2019 — his second full season at that level — Allard has pitched to a 4.17 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.23 HR/9 and a 50 percent grounder rate.
It’s nevertheless a strong return for the Rangers to receive in exchange for two months of a rental reliever. The Texas farm system has been starved for upper-level pitching, and even if Allard indeed tops out as a fourth or fifth starter, that’s precisely the top of serviceable asset the Rangers haven’t been able to squeeze out of their own farm system in recent years. The lack of such assets is what prompted Texas to (unsuccessfully) attempt to patch together the back of its rotation with the combination of Shelby Miller, Drew Smyly and Edinson Volquez this winter. Allard will give the team a potential immediate rotation candidate in the event of a Mike Minor trade or another injury among current starters. He may only have been considered to be the Braves sixth- or seventh-best pitching prospect but will quickly become one of Texas’ top overall farmhands.
Trey Mancini Drawing Interest
Orioles outfielder Trey Mancini hasn’t been a hot name in the run-up to the trade deadline, but MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweets that he’s coming up in late talks. The Astros, Rangers, and Rays are all said to have interest.
Mancini, 27, will be eligible for arbitration for the first time in the offseason to come. He’s off to an excellent start at the plate, putting a subpar 2018 season in the rearview mirror. Through 434 plate appearances, Mancini is slashing .280/.341/.532. He grabbed the 50th spot on our ranking of the top trade candidates based upon his evident talent and contractual upside.
For the O’s, nothing is bolted to the floor. But the Baltimore club surely isn’t in a rush to trade its best player, particularly since he’s a marketable figure at an organizational low point. Lovely as Camden Yards is standing alone, stars are needed to bring fans in and send merchandise out of the ballpark gates.
The slate of clubs with interest is itself both interesting and telling. It’s clear that Mancini isn’t a classic trade deadline piece, so much as a very good player with a great contract situation who is drawing teams that are interested in him from a talent standpoint. Roster fit and the situation in the standings are to some extent secondary considerations.
For the Astros, adding Mancini would mean putting another big bat into a lineup mix that’s already strewn with them. The priority in Houston is surely pitching. One wonders whether the connection is based upon some scenarios involving multiple other moving pieces.
The Rangers, meanwhile, are all but buried out of contention. But the team is looking to remain competitive and ramp right back up next year. Coming away with Mancini would mean adding a righty slugger to partner up with star Joey Gallo. The Texas org obviously wouldn’t be valuing Mancini for his late-2019 contributions, but for the three years of control thereafter.
It’s also a bit of an opportunistic possibility for the Rays, who have more immediate incentive than the Rangers but less than the Astros. The Tampa Bay club is always searching for value and has been connected to multiple righty outfield bats, so it isn’t surprising to see that they’ve propped open a door on Mancini. With loads of young talent, especially in the infield, it’s possible the Rays could come up with some creative packages in search of a match with their division rivals.
Edinson Volquez Hopes To Return In 2019, Retire Thereafter
Veteran hurler Edinson Volquez says he’d like to make it back to the MLB mound one last time this season, as MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan was among those to report. Regardless, the 36-year-old says he’ll hang up his spikes at season’s end.
Volquez has been rehabbing an elbow strain for most of the season. That came on the heels of a lengthy absence owing to Tommy John surgery, which cost him the second half of 2017 and all of 2018.
Having come this far, Volquez says, he’d like to get back on the bump. “I don’t want to go out like this,” he says. “If there is a chance, I can do it for two months or two weeks, why not.”
Volquez still has to progress to facing live hitters and embark upon a rehab assignment. While the stakes will be low, given his decision not to continue pitching beyond the present season, he’ll need to show he’s capable of holding up to game action.
Odds are, the Rangers will hang onto Volquez and give him a shot to get back to the majors. He agreed to continue working back in part due to the team’s desire to have him around its young players, and the Texas club may well need some serviceable arms down the stretch. That said, Volquez would make for a somewhat interesting, no-risk depth stash for a contender given his 60-day injured list status.
No matter how things shake out at the end of 2019, Volquez will ride off into the sunset as a proud participant in 14 seasons of MLB action, with over fifteen-hundred innings. There have been ups and downs, and Volquez never fully realized his early potential, but he has turned in some quality campaigns. From an ERA & innings standpoint, he was at his best in 2008 with the Reds (3.21 ERA, 196 IP), 2012 with the Padres (4.14, 182 2/3), 2014 with the Pirates (3.04, 192 2/3), and 2015 with the Royals (3.55, 200 1/3). Through 271 starts and 17 relief appearances at the game’s highest level, Volquez owns a 4.43 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9.
In addition to the aforementioned organizations, Volquez pitched for the Dodgers and Marlins. He’ll begin and end his career with the Texas organization … unless he really finds something at the very tail end of 2019. “Maybe if some team offers $10MM, I might change my mind,” says Volquez. “But I just want to come back this year and prove it to myself. I want to go out the front door. I don’t want to go out the back door.”
Rangers Outright Carlos Tocci
Rangers outfielder Carlos Tocci has been assigned outright to Triple-A Nashville after clearing waivers, the club announced over the weekend. Tocci was designated for assignment last week.
Tocci, 23, hasn’t appeared in the Majors this season, instead spending the entire year to date with the Rangers’ top affiliate in Nashville. Texas kept him on the big league roster as a Rule 5 Draft pick in 2018 but seldom used him, as he batted .225/.271/.283 in just 135 plate appearances over 66 games. Despite the explosive offensive environment in Triple-A this season, Tocci is hitting .246/.317/.312 in 360 trips to the plate.
Scouting reports on Tocci have credited him with above-average speed and defensive capabilities, including a plus throwing arm. He indeed landed in the 76th percentile among big leaguers in terms of average sprint speed in 2018, and Statcast tabbed him at four outs above average despite his limited time in the outfield. There have long been questions about Tocci’s bat, however, and this season’s poor showing at the plate has done little to abate them.
NL Trade Rumors: Gore, Padres, Mets, Leclerc, Nats, Braves, Jays
Some buzz from around the National League as we approach the deadline…
- The Mets‘ surprise acquisition of Marcus Stroman has sparked even more rumors about a possible Noah Syndergaard trade, with the Padres one of the teams (if pessimistically so) still in talks about Syndergaard. While the Padres have a deep farm system’s worth of prospects to offer, one name that isn’t available is top pitching prospect MacKenzie Gore, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi tweets. Gore has been mentioned as a possible trade chip in quite a few speculative deals since the offseason, though the Padres reportedly consider the young left-hander to be next to untouchable. Ironically, the Mets themselves may have contributed to the Padres’ stance on not including Gore in a Syndergaard trade — since the Mets didn’t have to give up even a top-100 MLB.com-ranked prospect for Stroman, San Diego can argue that a consensus top-10 arm like Gore is too much to give up for Syndergaard.
- Also from Morosi, the Nationals have interest in Rangers righty Jose Leclerc. Washington has been connected to a wide range of relievers, and Leclerc boasts a 3.99 ERA, 3.27 K/BB rate, and a huge 13.7 K/9 over 47 1/3 IP for Texas this season, not to mention a long-term contract that could keep him until team control through the 2024 campaign. Needless to say, all these attributes would require a big return to pry him loose from Texas, which could be tricky for a Nats organization that isn’t overly deep on minor league talent.
- The history between Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos and the Blue Jays led to some speculation that the Jays and Braves were resistant to trading with each other. Though The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal recently noted that Toronto’s “stance has softened,” it might not have dropped altogether, as The Athletic’s David O’Brien tweeted that “the word was that Toronto would deal with him [Anthopoulos], but would ask for more from [the] Braves” in talks involving Marcus Stroman than they would from other teams. Stroman is off the table now, of course, though it would be interesting to know if this reported stance from the Jays extends to other trade chips who could be on Atlanta’s radar, like Ken Giles.
Rangers Return Rule 5 Pick Kyle Dowdy To Indians
The Rangers have returned right-handed pitcher Kyle Dowdy, who was chosen in December’s Rule 5 Draft, to the Indians, per a club announcement. He had been designated for assignment on Thursday and was offered to his original club after clearing waivers.
Originally chosen by the Mets in the Rule 5 Draft, Dowdy was subsequently claimed off waivers by the Rangers. Before landing on the injured list with an elbow impingement, he contributed 22 1/3 innings, including one start, for the Rangers, striking out 17 batters but walking 18.
Dowdy, 26, will return to the Indians organization and has been assigned to Double-A Akron.
Rays Trade Ian Gibaut To Rangers
The Rangers have acquired right-handed pitcher Ian Gibaut from the Rays, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The Rays will receive cash or a player to be named later in return. Gibaut was designated for assignment last week, with today marking the last day for the Rays to make a decision on his future. The Rangers announced that he has been optioned to Triple-A Nashville, while left-handed pitcher Jesse Biddle has been transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Gibaut has appeared in just one Major League game in his career, but his impressive minor-league track record made him a popular trade target after he was designated. Gibaut, 25 was an 11th-round draft choice of the Rays in 2015, and in four seasons impressed the organization enough to warrant his addition to the 40-man roster prior to this season.
He began the season on the injured list before throwing 12 1/3 innings in Triple-A and earning a promotion to the big leagues. In 2018, Gibaut pitched 56 innings for Triple-A Durham, striking out 75 batters and walking 21. With a record of success at every minor-league level, he looks like a good bet to receive an extended look in the Texas bullpen over the final two months.
Twins, Rangers Have Discussed Mike Minor Trade
Mike Minor, one of the more heavily discussed trade targets of 2019, has apparently been the subject of conversations held between the Rangers and Twins, according to a tweet from Jon Morosi of MLB Network (Twitter link). Morosi adds that the “extent of progress in talks is unclear.”
We may not be aware of the degree of Minnesota’s interest in Minor, but we certainly know that Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and GM Thad Levine are keeping busy in advance of next week’s deadline. Just this evening, their club acquired Sergio Romo (the pioneer of the “opener” movement, it could be argued), and now we might presume they’re interested in additional staff reinforcements.
Minnesota has received a 3.88 collective ERA from its starters this year, with five of its rotation members–Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi, Kyle Gibson, Michael Pineda, and Martin Perez–having already posted WAR values north of 1.7 on the year. They may not make for the most obvious Minor landing spot, but the time-worn adage of “never having enough pitching” may be looming large in the mind of Falvey and Levine. Plus, the executives are surely mindful Berrios is their only lock to return in 2020. Odorizzi, Gibson and Pineda are soon-to-be free agents, and Perez has a $7.5MM club option (or a $500K buyout). Minor’s due to make $9.5MM next season to close out his contract.
While Falvey and Levine may be interested in welcoming Minor to the Twin Cities, it is uncertain if the player would share their enthusiasm. Minor has a 10-team no-trade list, but it’s unknown if the Twins are on it. Moreover, as a key part of a Rangers team that has defied expectations en route to an above-.500 record, Minor did not take kindly when pressed recently about trade rumors connected to his name. He said simply that, for players, such rumors, “make us mad”. Minor has made clear he does not want to be moved by Texas, but it remains to be seen if the team will comply with those wishes.
Rangers Haven’t “Seriously Engaged” Teams On Danny Santana
Rangers utilityman Danny Santana has been one of the most surprising success stories of the 2019 season. Santana’s career began with a flourish as a member of the Twins in 2014, but he then performed terribly over parts of the next four seasons divided between Minnesota and Atlanta. Booted from the Braves’ 40-man roster last year, Santana caught on with the Rangers on a minor league contract over the winter.
Since the Rangers promoted Santana to the majors in the middle of April, the switch-hitting speedster has slashed .316/.346/.567 (128 wRC+) with 14 home runs, 12 steals and 2.0 fWAR in 281 plate appearances. Despite Santana’s best efforts, including a three-hit, six-RBI showing in a win over the Athletics on Thursday, the Rangers have backslid in recent weeks after looking like contenders for a while. The club’s still a decent 53-51 overall, but at five games behind wild-card position, rallying for a playoff spot probably isn’t realistic.
The Rangers’ place in the standings could influence them to sell by Wednesday’s deadline, and the 28-year-old Santana has come up as a speculative trade candidate. Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported last weekend Santana has drawn interest from other teams, but that’s vague. There was no specification as to whether talks had gotten serious with anyone. Well, now we have an answer. According to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas has “heard from only a few teams” in regards to Santana, and it hasn’t “seriously engaged any club in trade talks” for him.
With the Rangers set to open a new ballpark in 2020, when perhaps they’ll be better equipped to contend, Santana could stay as an important part of their roster going forward. As Wilson notes, although Santana has little third base experience, it’s possible he’ll take over as the Rangers’ starter there next season for Asdrubal Cabrera, who’s set to become a free agent. Otherwise, Santana may continue to function as the Rangers’ version of a Swiss Army knife. Thus far in Texas, he has totaled between five and 35 appearances at all three outfield spots and every infield position but third.
Not only has Santana been terrific at the plate and extraordinarily versatile in the field, but he has done it for a league-minimum salary. Santana also won’t rake in a ton next year via arbitration, and he’ll still be controllable for another season after that.
While Santana’s affordable control counts as a reason to keep him, it could likewise be an argument for the Rangers to cash him in for a rich return during the upcoming week. There’s also the fact that we’ve been down a familiar road with Santana in the past. His stellar rookie-year production came in spite of an ugly K/BB ratio and an unsustainable .405 batting average on balls in play. Santana’s K/BB issues have worsened since then – he has fanned 28.5 percent of the time and drawn walks at a meager 3.9 percent clip – while his BABIP (.401) is once again flying way too close to the sun and sure to plummet.
It’s clearly going to be difficult for Santana to continue to perform anywhere near this well as a hitter. At the same time, though, his Statcast profile shows he has made legitimate strides this season. Santana’s .335 expected weighted on-base average does pale in comparison to his .386 real wOBA, but it’s nothing to scoff at coming from an inexpensive player who can line up all over the diamond. The positives outweigh the negatives in the estimation of the Rangers, who seem content to keep Santana.
Joey Gallo To Miss At Least Four Weeks After Hamate Bone Surgery
9:16pm: Gallo is “likely” to miss six weeks, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes.
5:38PM: Gallo underwent the surgery today and is expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks, Rangers executive VP of communications John Blake tweets. Willie Calhoun has been called up to replace Gallo on the 25-man roster.
2:07PM: Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo will undergo surgery to fix a broken hamate bone in his right hand, The Athletic’s Levi Weaver reports (Twitter link). Reports yesterday suggested that Gallo would likely require an injured list stint to recover from a nagging wrist injury.
Judging from the timelines associated to most players who have undergone hamate procedures, Gallo should miss roughly four-to-six weeks of time, though there’s obviously quite a bit of variance involved given the nature of hand injuries. If Gallo’s recovery time is on the longer end of that spectrum, the rest of his season could very well be in doubt, as the Rangers might ultimately opt to just shut Gallo down in September rather than bring him back for two or three weeks of what will likely be meaningless games.
Even if Gallo is able to return, his latest injury is the second major interruption in what began as a huge breakout season for the 25-year-old. Gallo was hitting .276/.421/.653 with 17 homers over his first 214 plate appearances of the season before an oblique sent him to the IL on June 2. After returning in late June, Gallo posted only a .197/.305/.465 slash line over his next 83 PA, as he had reportedly been battling wrist issues for several weeks in the leadup to his broken hamate diagnosis.
While always a big slugger in his two previous seasons, Gallo’s big steps forward as an all-around hitter (he had only a .203 career batting average and .317 career OBP prior to 2019) and his above-average defensive grades as a center fielder and left fielder have to make the Rangers feel like they’ve found a new face of the franchise. Gallo’s huge numbers were a big part of the Rangers’ surprisingly competitive performance over the first few months, and it isn’t any shock that the team’s recent slump has coincided with Gallo’s lack of production. With Gallo now on the IL, attention will turn to what names Texas is likely to deal away prior to the July 31 trade deadline.