Quick Hits: Domingo S., Rays, Molina, Red Sox, Jays
Although Mariners outfielder Domingo Santana has come up as a potential target for the Rays, it doesn’t look as if the two teams will reach a deal for the slugger. Tampa Bay has “cooled on” Santana, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports. Divish cites the elbow problems that have bothered Santana over the past few weeks as a potential reason the Rays have backed off their pursuit. The 26-year-old has endured his worst month of the season, perhaps on account of his elbow, having batted .246/.310/.354 with 25 strikeouts in 71 plate appearances. July has marred Santana’s offensive numbers to an extent, though he has still slashed a solid .273/.342/.475 with 20 home runs in 446 plate appearances.
More from around the majors…
- The hope was Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina would return at the beginning of August when he landed on the injured list July 11 with a right thumb tendon strain. We now know that won’t happen. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak announced Monday that Molina was just cleared for “light baseball activities,” which still puts him around two weeks from rejoining the Cardinals, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. Molina’s thumb has hampered him since May, which could at least partially explain his uncharacteristic .261/.286/.368 line in 276 plate appearances. Backup Matt Wieters has offered far better offensive production than Molina this season.
- Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon has hired The MAS+ Agency for representation, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. Leon, who’s earning $2.475MM this season, is slated to go through arbitration for the fourth and final time during the winter. Although Leon was the Red Sox’s best option behind the plate in 2016 – he slashed .310/.369/.476 with 2.3 fWAR in 283 plate appearances – he hasn’t come close to replicating that production since then. Dating back to 2017, Leon has hit .202/.263/.318 with 1.4 fWAR across 722 trips to the plate. The 30-year-old has largely done well behind the plate, including at framing pitches and throwing runners out, but his offensive decline has helped opened the door for Christian Vazquez to take over as Boston’s primary catcher over the past couple years.
- Shortstop Freddy Galvis was a late scratch from the Blue Jays’ lineup Monday, which led to speculation they were on the verge of trading the 29-year-old. That didn’t prove to be the case, though, as Galvis sat on account of lower back tightness (via Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star). Fortunately for Toronto, it doesn’t appear this issue will prove severe enough to kill Galvis’ trade value – which could be happening with Blue Jays closer Ken Giles and his balky elbow. Manager Charlie Montoyo said that Galvis should return Tuesday, per Scott Mitchell of TSN. Any kind of injury is a rare occurrence for Galvis, who came into the season with back-to-back 162-game campaigns under his belt. Galvis has missed more time than usual this year, but he has still appeared in 102 games and hit a career-best .265/.299/.435 with 15 homers in 421 PA.
Ken Giles Still Dealing With Elbow Inflammation
Blue Jays closer Ken Giles has long been considered one of the best relievers who could change hands by the July 31 trade deadline. However, there is now serious doubt that a Giles trade will come together this week. Giles continues to deal with elbow inflammation over a month after the issue forced him to the injured list on June 20, manager Charlie Montoyo announced to Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star and other reporters Monday. It was the second straight day the right-hander was unavailable to pitch.
Teams began crossing Giles off their wish lists when he couldn’t take the mound Sunday, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, who adds that “his trade value is gone until the winter.” If so, that would be a massive disappointment for the Blue Jays – who could have collected a sizable return for Giles – and for the playoff contender that may have added a dominant reliever to its bullpen for the next season-plus.
Giles, who’s making $6.3MM at the moment, will go through his last trip through arbitration over the winter. With that in mind, the Blue Jays don’t have to trade him this summer. However, considering what Giles has accomplished this season, now may have been the ideal time to move a healthy version of the flamethrowing 28-year-old. Giles has posted good to great production since he debuted with the Phillies in 2014, though this might be his top season yet. Through 35 innings, Giles has notched a near-spotless 1.54 ERA/1.60 FIP with 14.91 K/9, 2.83 BB/9, a sky-high 20.3 percent swinging-strike rate and 14 saves in 15 chances.
Toronto still has other relievers it could move, including Daniel Hudson and Joe Biagini, but nobody in Giles’ stratosphere. If the Jays truly aren’t in position to trade Giles in the next couple days, perhaps it’ll lead teams to step up their pursuits of the other premier relievers who could be available. The Pirates’ Felipe Vazquez, the Padres’ Kirby Yates, the Reds’ Raisel Iglesias, the Mets’ Edwin Diaz and the Tigers’ Shane Greene are among some of the prominent names in the rumor mill. Giants relievers Will Smith, Sam Dyson and Tony Watson looked like prime trade candidates earlier in the summer, but thanks to their team’s recent tear, all three could wind up staying put. Giles may be in the same boat.
Blue Jays Had Interest In Extending Marcus Stroman
The Blue Jays traded Marcus Stroman to the Mets on Sunday, ending a fruitful tenure in Toronto for the diminutive right-hander. The Jays did have interest in extending Stroman before they decided to part with him, though. General manager Ross Atkins said Monday (via Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet) that he had discussions “multiple times over the last couple of weeks” with Stroman’s agent in regards to a long-term contract. In the end, however, “It felt as though that gap was too big.”
It’s unclear how high Toronto was willing to go to keep Stroman, who remains on track to reach free agency after the 2020 season. The 28-year-old professed a love for Toronto and the country of Canada on several occasions during his Blue Jays career. Back in February, for example, Stroman stated he “embodies the city of Toronto” more than anybody else, adding he hoped to remain a Blue Jay “for a long time.” Stroman claimed at the time the Jays hadn’t offered him an extension, though, and expressed frustration about his lack of long-term security with the franchise.
Five-plus months later, Stroman is now with another organization. And whether New York will broach an extension with Stroman isn’t known, but it stands to reason the team will if it follows through on trading Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler in the near future. Should those two depart, ace Jacob deGrom and the inconsistent Steven Matz would be the Mets’ only current starters under control past 2020. Moreover, the Mets aren’t teeming with pitching prospects who are close to the majors, especially after trading 24-year-old left-hander Anthony Kay as part of the package for Stroman.
Since debuting in 2014, Stroman has made a strong case for a sizable contract by posting a 3.76 ERA/3.61 FIP, a 59.4 percent groundball rate and a 2.52 BB/9 in 789 2/3 innings (135 appearances, 129 starts). However, Strikeouts are one key element somewhat absent from Stroman’s game. He has fanned just over 7.2 batters per nine for his career and a bit under that figure this season. He’s also sporting a sub-10 percent swinging-strike rate in a league where the average mark has climbed all the way to 11.2. Stroman’s lack of high-end bat-missing ability may negatively affect the value of his next deal, though he could still be in line for a lucrative payday sometime before the 2021 season.
Poll: Grading The Marcus Stroman Trade
After weeks of trade rumors centering on longtime Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman, the club found a taker for the right-hander Sunday. Toronto sent him to New York, which many anticipated would happen, but not to the NYC-based team anyone was expecting. Instead of shipping Stroman to the World Series-contending Yankees, the Blue Jays dealt him to a Mets team that’s five games under .500 (50-55), six back of wild-card position and will have to jump over five other NL hopefuls down the stretch to earn a playoff spot.
In all likelihood, Stroman won’t be part of a postseason-bound franchise this season. Nevertheless, the Mets decided it was worthwhile to surrender two prospects from an already below-average farm system for Stroman. The Mets gave up Triple-A left-hander Anthony Kay and Single-A righty Simeon Woods Richardson to land Stroman and his remaining year and a half of team control. Now, the Mets could turn around by Wednesday’s trade deadline and make significant subtractions from the rotation Stroman just joined. They did send lefty Jason Vargas to the Phillies on Monday, but the Mets have two much bigger fish – righties Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler – who have frequented the rumor mill of late.
There shouldn’t be pressure to move Syndergaard, who’s under control through 2021. However, Syndergaard would surely bring back more in a trade than Stroman, enabling the Mets to somewhat reload their farm after taking more pieces from it Sunday. Likewise, it’s not a must for the Mets to wave goodbye to Wheeler. Although the 29-year-old’s a pending free agent, the Mets could keep him and try to work out an extension – which has at least come up as a possibility. Alternatively, the team could retain Wheeler through the season and issue him a qualifying offer if it’s dissatisfied with the trade offers that come in this week.
For now, the top of the Mets’ 2020 rotation looks like this: Jacob deGrom, Syndergaard, Stroman. On paper, that would be one of the game’s most formidable trios, but we may never see them in action together.
Unlike the Mets, the Blue Jays aren’t aiming to contend in 2020, which is a major reason why they traded Stroman. Expectations were Stroman would fetch at least one ballyhooed top 100 prospect in a trade, but that didn’t end up happening.
In Kay, the Blue Jays picked up a near-to-the-majors 24-year-old whom Baseball America (subscription required) ranked as the Mets’ fourth-best prospect prior to the trade. The Mets chose Kay 31st overall in the 2016 draft, but he dealt with an elbow injury that year and then underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017. As a result, Kay didn’t pitch competitively for the organization until last year. However, with help from a fastball that can reach 96 mph, Kay has quickly ascended since debuting in 2018. He thrived at the Double-A level to begin this season before earning a promotion to the top of the minors. Kay has struggled in his first action at Triple-A, though, having put up a 6.61 ERA/6.22 FIP with 7.47 K/9, 3.16 BB/9 and a 30.2 percent groundball rate in 31 1/3 innings. He is now the Blue Jays’ fifth-ranked prospect in MLB.com’s estimation, which posits that Kay could find his niche as a “mid-rotation-type starter” in the bigs.
Meanwhile, MLB.com places Woods Richardson seventh among Toronto’s prospects. Just 18, a year removed from going in the second round of the draft, Woods Richardson has logged spectacular strikeout and walk numbers (11.14 K/9, 1.95 BB/9) with a 4.25 ERA/2.56 FIP and a 49.3 percent grounder rate in 20 starts and 78 1/3 innings at the Single-A level this season. He possesses “premium stuff and mound demeanor to spare,” according to BA, which rated him sixth among Mets farmhands.
Although they’re not premier prospects at the moment, there is optimism in regards to Kay and Woods Richardson evolving into long-term major leaguers. The Mets opted for the surer bet in Stroman, however, and are now evidently hoping he’ll help them to a playoff berth in 2020 (if not a miraculous run this season). But it’s up for debate whether New York should have traded for Stroman, especially considering the team may now weaken the rotation it just strengthened by parting with Syndergaard and-or Wheeler.
How do you think the two teams made out in this deal? (Poll links for app users)
Grade the Mets' acquisition of Marcus Stroman
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B 35% (8,260)
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A 28% (6,627)
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C 19% (4,503)
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D 10% (2,378)
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F 8% (1,902)
Total votes: 23,670
Grade the Blue Jays' return for Marcus Stroman
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C 36% (8,035)
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D 25% (5,513)
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B 20% (4,432)
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F 13% (2,924)
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A 6% (1,238)
Total votes: 22,142
Braves Interested In Joe Biagini
There’s been plenty written about potential deals between the Blue Jays and Braves recently, but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (subscription required) that Atlanta’s trade talks with Toronto center around a different target than most would expect: right-handed reliever Joe Biagini.
That Biagini would be a trade candidate isn’t exactly a surprise. He’s controlled through the 2022 season via arbitration, and the Blue Jays are likely to willing to deal from anywhere outside their emerging core of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio and other young, pre-arbitration players. Still, for an Atlanta club eyeing bullpen help, a higher-end target like Ken Giles is likely the name that most would expect to hear when discussing potential deals with Toronto.
Biagini, 29, has been with the Blue Jays since he was selected out of the Giants organization in the 2015 Rule 5 Draft. Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos had already left the Toronto organization by the time Biagini was selected, but two of his assistant GMs with the Braves, Perry Minasian and Jason Pare, were with the Jays when that selection was made.
During the 2016 season, Biagini enjoyed one of the more successful Rule 5 seasons in recent memory. His rookie campaign featured 67 2/3 innings of 3.06 ERA ball with 8.2 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 0.40 HR/9 and a 52.2 percent ground-ball rate. However, the Blue Jays’ subsequent attempt to move Biagini into the rotation in 2017 proved an ill-fated mistake, and his 2018 season spent mostly back in the bullpen didn’t yield quality results, either (6.00 ERA in 72 innings).
The 2019 season has seen Biagini bounce back to the tune of a 3.75 ERA over the life of 48 innings. He’s been homer-prone — like most of the league — but is sporting a career-high 9.0 K/9 against an even 3.0 BB/9 with a 45.3 percent ground-ball rate. There’s reason to be optimistic about further improvement, too; Biagini’s 13.7 percent swinging-strike rate is easily a career-best, as is his 36.1 percent opponents’ chase rate on pitches outside the strike zone. The spin rate on his breaking ball is elite as well, ranking 21st of 399 big league pitchers to throw the pitch at least 100 times dating back to 2016.
Biagini avoided arbitration as a Super Two player this past offseason, settling on a $900K salary that’d be affordable for any interested party. He’ll go through arbitration another three times before reaching free agency in the 2022-23 offseason, but as a non-closing reliever, he won’t receive exorbitant raises through the arbitration process.
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.
Reaction & Analysis To The Marcus Stroman Trade
It was widely assumed that the Blue Jays were going to trade Marcus Stroman before the deadline, and many rumors suggested that he could eventually wind up in New York. Exactly where in the Big Apple Stroman landed, however, ended up being the surprise, as it was the Mets (they of the 55-60 record and the six-game deficit in the NL wild card standings) who landed the right-hander, rather than the AL-leading Yankees. The Mets acquired Stroman from the Jays for Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson, two of the Amazins’ top pitching prospects.
Today’s stunner of a deal has already led to quite a bit of reaction and speculation about what moves could come next. The highlights…
- The Mets have “hijacked the [pitching] market” with the trade, ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan tweets. The Mets’ plan is to keep Stroman, and “the likelihood is strong they deal at least one of” Noah Syndergaard or Zack Wheeler. Reports from earlier this week suggested that New York could try to sign Wheeler, a pending free agent, to a contract extension, though Passan feels a long-term deal with Wheeler is “increasingly unlikely.”
- The Padres have been heavily linked to Syndergaard since the offseason, though USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that San Diego is “not optimistic” about landing the righty, since the Mets’ trade demands for Syndergaard are so high. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweeted earlier today that Manuel Margot had been discussed as part of the Mets/Padres talks.
- Seth Lugo is another Mets pitcher “gaining late interest” in trade talks, the New York Daily News’ Deesha Thosar reports (Twitter link). Lugo has been the Amazins’ best reliever this season, posting a 2.77 ERA, 11.94 K/9, and 5.15 K/BB rate over 52 innings. Lugo is under control through the 2022 season, so he’d cost a hefty price in a trade, and one wonders if the Mets would even consider moving such a relatively inexpensive long-term asset since they’re planning to contend next year. (Plus, Lugo becomes even more valuable to the pen if the Mets were to deal Edwin Diaz.)
- Chris Hemsw….er, that is, Syndergaard himself poked fun at the trade speculation in a tweet of his own.
- Several of The Athletic’s baseball writers (subscription required) joined forces for a roundtable discussion about the Stroman trade, with Jayson Stark perhaps summing things up with this comment that “Nobody can confuse an entire industry like the Mets.” Multiple writers pointed out that the Mets’ poor infield defense doesn’t suit Stroman’s grounder-heavy attack. If Stroman is the first step to flipping Syndergaard, it’s still an odd tactic for a team in win-now mode — as Tim Britton puts it, “New York is replacing [Syndergaard] in 2020 with someone [Stroman] older, with less team control, and whose track record is not quite as good.” From the Blue Jays’ perspective, Kaitlyn McGrath notes that adding Kay and Woods Richardson meets Toronto’s desire for pitching depth, given the relative lack of young arms in the system.
- Today’s deal ends Stroman’s often-controversial tenure with the Jays, as the Toronto Star’s Gregor Chisholm chronicles the multiple instances when the “fractured relationship” between Stroman and the Jays become public. While a trade may have always been inevitable given the Blue Jays’ rebuild, “bad blood on both sides is one reason why a team desperate for pitching opted to trade one of its most talented arms,” Chisholm writes.
- Stroman (via his Twitter account) did leave with grateful words for fans in Toronto and Canada, while also expressing excitement at returning to play for his hometown team.
Mets Acquire Marcus Stroman
8:08PM: The deal has been officially announced. The Mets will also receive $1.5MM in cash considerations from the Jays, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets.
5:41PM: The Mets and Blue Jays have reached an agreement on a trade that will send Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman to New York, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. The deal is pending medical review. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, minor-league pitchers Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson will be sent to Toronto in the deal.
Stroman emerged as perhaps the most coveted starting pitcher on the market, with contenders like the Yankees, Braves, and Astros linked to the New York native. In a surprise development, though, the Mets entered the fray as a seemingly unlikely suitor given their competitive state. However, Mets brass have been staunch in their belief that the team, while likely out of the race this season, can contend in 2020 and beyond. For that reason, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and the front office have targeted controllable pitchers like Stroman, who will remain under team control next season.
At first glance, it’s a somewhat puzzling acquisition for a team that doesn’t boast an especially deep farm system and yet isn’t in a position to contend immediately. However, there may be more moves on the horizon. As has been speculated, Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, and Edwin Diaz will be in high demand for contenders, meaning that New York could strengthen the farm system by dealing away those assets. Adding Stroman affords increased flexibility to sell off Major League talent while remaining competitive.
Syndergaard in particular would likely command a more impressive prospect haul than Stroman, so perhaps the Mets’ thinking is that, in trading Syndergaard and acquiring Stroman, the improvements to its prospect pool will offset any dropoff in pitching and allow the team to remain comptetive while capitalizing on the value of existing assets. Of course, the Mets may demand Major-League ready pieces in exchange for Syndergaard, supporting the notion that the club plans to avoid a rebuild.
Wheeler is in his last year of team control and is slated to hit free agency at season’s end, making him perhaps the most obvious trade candidate from the Mets’ impressive crop of starters. It’s possible that, in hopes of contending next season, the team could hang on to Wheeler and vie to keep him around for the foreseeable future. If he departs in free agency, they can collect a compensatory draft pick, and if he stays, they would boast one of the National League’s most formidable starting rotations on paper, with Jacob deGrom, Wheeler, Stroman, and Syndergaard.
After a disappointing 2018 season in which injuries limited Stroman to making just 19 starts, he has bounced back considerably this season, returning to the form that he showed in 2017, his best season. In 124 2/3 innings this year, he’s posted a 2.96 ERA, good for fifth-best in the American League. The 28-year-old is undeniably not a strikeout machine, but he makes his living by inducing weak contact and ground balls: in 2019, he’s conceded just 0.7 home runs per nine innings, which is all the more impressive given the homer-happy league environment. That ground ball style has driven a solid 3.52 FIP despite average walk and strikeout numbers.
In Kay, the Blue Jays will receive the Mets’ 4th-ranked prospect and top-ranked pitching prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. The Mets’ first-round draft selection in 2016, Kay is a 24-year-old left-hander who is pitching in the upper minors, a proximity arm who could earn a promotion this season. After dominating Double-A and earning a promotion to Triple-A, he has encountered some difficulty, as evidenced by his 6.61 ERA after seven starts. Still, this is a prospect who is on the brink of cracking the Majors, and is viewed long-term as a back-end starter—a nice contrast with the second pitcher headed to the Blue Jays in the deal.
Woods Richardson, meanwhile, was the Mets’ No. 6 prospect and 2018 second-round draftee. Just 18 years old, he has risen up prospect lists after sriking out 97 batters in 78 1/3 innings at Low-A ball. His 4.25 ERA is not a sterling mark, but a 5.6 K:BB ratio in 2019 indicates that there is potential that perhaps has yet to be unlocked. MLB Pipeline touts his ceiling, noting that no “pitcher in the system can rival the young right-hander’s upside.” Between him and Kay, the Blue Jays will boost their minor-league pitching with a combination of Major-League readiness and high upside.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Rays Acquire Eric Sogard
6:16PM: The trade has been officially announced. Toronto will indeed receive two players to be named later.
1:20PM: The Blue Jays have traded infielder Eric Sogard to the Tampa Bay Rays, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sogard was a late scratch from Sunday’s game, with Jon Morosi of MLB Network first reporting that a trade was “imminent.” The deal is pending a physical.
According to Scott Mitchell of TSN Sports, it appears that the Blue Jays will receive two players to be named later in the deal, though he notes that the deal has not yet been finalized and details have yet to be confirmed. The Rays will need to clear a spot for Sogard on the 40-man roster.
As one of just a few utility options on the trade market, the 33-year-old attracted the interest of a number of teams, having been linked to the Cubs and Giants, though in the end it was the Rays who made the most compelling proposal. With the Blue Jays playing out the finale of a series against the Rays, Sogard won’t have to travel far to join his new team. He’ll depart the Toronto dugout and travel to Boston with his new teammates.
With more than eight years of MLB experience under his belt, Sogard is not an unknown commodity. That said, no one—perhaps not even the Blue Jays—could have expected the veteran to transform himself into a coveted trade target. The club inked Sogard to a minor-league contract in December after his market didn’t develop in free agency. Now, though, president Mark Shapiro and company will turn that small investment into a prospect that better fits their timeline for contention.
Though the Rays certainly don’t have a glaring need on the infield, depth and versatility are imperative for contending clubs as the postseason approaches. A number of injuries have already thinned the Tampa infield, with Brandon Lowe, Daniel Robertson, Yandy Diaz, and Christian Arroyo all currently on the injured list. With Joey Wendle struggling to replicate last season’s success and still no timetable for Lowe’s return, per Marc Topkin, Sogard looks like a solid candidate to fill in at second base for the time being, with the potential to slide into a depth/utility role when Lowe gets healthy. While Sogard has spent the bulk of his career at second base, he has played sparingly at shortstop, third base, and in the outfield in 2019.
Sogard has enjoyed a career year at the dish, turning in career-best power numbers and displaying on-base skills that have made him a viable leadoff option for Toronto. In 73 games, He’s posted a .300/.363/.477 slash line to go with ten homers and six stolen bases. Prior to this year, Sogard had never hit more than three home runs in a single season. Defensively, his -5 DRS paint him as a below-average second baseman.
For the Blue Jays, it seems likely that Sogard’s departure will usher in a frenzied couple of days as they look to sell off Major-League pieces before the trade deadline. Marcus Stroman is perhaps the crown jewel of this trade season, and Ken Giles should receive attention from nearly every contending team. Daniel Hudson won’t draw as big a return as the aforementioned pair, but teams that can’t afford big-name relievers could pursue Hudson instead.
Blue Jays To Promote Bo Bichette
The Blue Jays are calling top prospect Bo Bichette up to the majors, Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi reports (Twitter link). The promotion seemed imminent after multiple reports stated that Bichette was pulled from his Triple-A game today, and Toronto created an infield vacancy when Eric Sogard was dealt to the Rays this afternoon.
With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Cavan Biggio already in the big leagues, Bichette is the latest of the Jays’ top prospects to get his first taste of Major League action in 2019. A second-round pick in the 2016 draft, Bichette has developed into a consensus choice as one of the sport’s best minor leaguers — in midseason prospect rankings, Bichette received top grades from ESPN.com’s Keith Law (who ranked him fourth in all of baseball), Baseball America (sixth), MLB.com, and Baseball Prospectus (both eighth).
Bichette’s stock hasn’t dimmed even despite a somewhat abbreviated 2019 season, as he has been limited to just 55 Triple-A games (and four high-A ball rehab games) due to a broken hand. He was off to a slow start in April prior to the injury, though he has been heating up since his return to Triple-A, hitting .287/.343/.503 with seven homers and 12 steals (out of 15 chances) in 181 plate appearances. Had it not been for the broken hand, Bichette might have made his Jays debut much earlier, though Toronto first had to make some room in the middle infield since Sogard and Freddy Galvis were both playing better than expected.
While Galvis is still around at shortstop and Bichette has 30 minor league appearances as a second baseman under his belt, it seems likely that Bichette will be spending much of his time at short. MLB.com’s scouting report cites some difference in opinion amongst scouts as to whether Bichette will stick at shortstop over the long term, though he made strides with his defense last year and “he has the requisite above-average arm strength for the [shortstop] position.”
Hitting, however, is Bichette’s bread-and-butter. Baseball Prospectus describes Bichette as having “among the most [bat speed] in organized baseball, and he pairs it with plus barrel control to make his long, violent swing work despite not being the platonic ideal of a plus hit/plus power stroke.” On the 20-80 point grade system, Baseball America gave Bichette a 70 for his hit tool and a 55 for power. While he has yet to entirely break out at the Triple-A level, Bichette has hit .322/.380/.515 over 1443 total PA in the minors.
Service time-wise, Bichette is well past any possible Super Two cutoff point. Assuming he isn’t sent back to the minor leagues at any point, Bichette is under team control through the 2025 season, joining Guerrero and Biggio as what the Blue Jays hope will be the core of their next contending team.