Mets Acquire AJ Ramos
10:08pm: The Marlins have announced the trade.
10:02pm: The Mets are sending minor league right-hander Merandy Gonzalez and minor league outfielder Ricardo Cespedes to the Marlins to complete the trade, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter).
9:48pm: In a surprising development, the Mets have struck a deal to acquire closer AJ Ramos from the Marlins, reports MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal (on Twitter). The Mets are sellers at this year’s deadline, but Ramos remains under control through the 2018 season, and the Mets have reportedly been intent on contending next season, so Ramos will help in that regard.
The Mets are likely to trade closer Addison Reed, an impending free agent, between now and Monday’s non-waiver deadline, so they stood to lose their top 2018 setup option either to free agency or trade. Ramos could actually close for the Mets until Jeurys Familia is healthy enough to return, then ultimately settle into a setup role. He’s earning $6.55MM in 2017 and will be eligible for arbitration once more this winter before hitting the open market after the 2018 season.
Ramos has a solid, if unspectacular 3.63 ERA through 39 2/3 innings this season, but he’s been a generally dominant option out of the Miami ‘pen dating back to 2014. Over the past four seasons, Ramos has pitched to a combined 2.61 ERA with 10.6 BB/9, 4.7 BB/9 and a 40.6 percent ground-ball rate through 238 innings. His lack of control, of course, isn’t ideal for a late-inning reliever, but Ramos has consistently been able to strikeout between 10 and 11 batters per nine frames, which has helped to mitigate many of those free passes.
With Ramos in the fold for the 2018 campaign, next year’s Mets bullpen looks like it’ll be anchored by Familia, Ramos, Jerry Blevins and perhaps rookie right-hander Paul Sewald, who has averaged 11 K’s per nine innings himself through 41 innings in his first taste of big league action.
Gonzalez and Cespedes rank ninth and 22nd, respectively, on the Mets’ midseason top 30 prospects list over at MLB.com. Through a combined 106 innings between two Class-A levels, the 21-year-old Gonzalez has worked to a 1.78 ERA with 7.6 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 41 percent ground-ball rate. MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo write that his fastball sits around 93 mph but can reach 96-97 mph when needed, and the young righty also has an above-average curveball with an improving changeup. Gonzalez is listed at 6’0″ and 216 pounds, so he’s a bit short for a starter, though that frame is hardly any sort of clear indicator that he’s better suited for a relief role.
The 19-year-old Cespedes has been facing much older competition across short-season Class-A and full-season Class-A ball this year, but he hasn’t fared well at the plate against his more experienced opponents. Through 108 plate appearances — he’s spent a fair bit of time on the minor league DL — Cespedes has batted .255/.283/.294. Ugly numbers aside, Cespedes was inked for a fairly sizable $725K bonus out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old and draws praise from Callis and Mayo for his yet untapped tools.
MLB.com’s report notes that while he’ll need a lot to go right to reach his ceiling, the upside for Cespedes is a five-tool right fielder. He’s playing center field right now but has the arm for right along with bat speed, occasional pop and at least average speed. Cespedes will join fellow 19-year-old Brayan Hernandez, acquired in the Marlins’ David Phelps trade with Seattle, as a toolsy outfielder with plenty of upside that could be several years from the big leagues but gives the team plenty to dream on as he develops.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nationals Acquire Howie Kendrick
9:33pm: The teams have announced the trade. Philadelphia is sending Kendrick and cash to the Nats in exchange for Mills and additional international bonus money.
9:23pm: The Nationals have struck a deal to acquire infielder/outfielder Howie Kendrick from the Phillies in exchange for minor league left-hander McKenzie Mills, reports PhillyVoice.com’s Ryan Lawrence (Twitter links). Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network first reported that the Nats were working on a deal to land Kendrick (on Twitter).
The 34-year-old Kendrick hasn’t had his healthiest season, but he’s been extremely productive when on the field. Through 156 plate appearances, he’s posted a brilliant .340/.397/.454 batting line with a pair of homers, eight doubles, a triple and eight steals (in 11 attempts). Once a pure second baseman, Kendrick took on more of a super utility role with the Dodgers in 2016 and has played corner outfield with the Phillies in 2017. Over the past two seasons, he’s spent time at second base, third base, first base and in left field.
Kendrick is earning $10MM this season, though $5MM of that is deferred until 2019, per Cot’s Contracts. The Phillies are paying Kendrick’s contract down to the pro-rated league minimum, tweets Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post, so the Nats are only taking on the hook for about $187K for Kendrick, who will hit free agency following the 2017 season.
The Nationals are banged up at the moment, with left fielder Jayson Werth, Michael Taylor, Ryan Raburn and Chris Heisey all on the disabled list. That’s pushed Brian Goodwin into center field and Adam Lind into left field, so Kendrick will provide the club with an option in left as well as some veteran bench depth — and a postseason upgrade over the likes of Raburn and Heisey — once everyone is healthy down the stretch. Kendrick is currently dealing with a bruised left hand after getting hit by a pitch, though clearly Washington isn’t concerned that the injury will have any long-term effects.
Mills, 21, ranked as the Nationals’ 18th-best prospect on the recently released midseason top 30 list of Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo at MLB.com. He’s pitched to a 3.01 ERA with a ridiculous 118-to-22 K/BB ratio (10.1 K/9, 1.9 BB/9) through 104 2/3 innings for Class-A Hagerstown this season. Callis and Mayo peg him for an above-average fastball and curveball with an average changeup. Their report gives him a back-of-the-rotation ceiling but also noted that some in the Nats organization felt there was more upside than that with Mills.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dodgers Acquire Luke Farrell From Royals
The Dodgers announced on Friday that they’ve acquired right-hander Luke Farrell from the Royals in exchange for cash. Farrell was designated for assignment earlier this week when Kansas City acquired the trio of Trevor Cahill, Brandon Maurer and Ryan Buchter from the Padres. The Dodgers moved lefty Adam Liberatore to the 60-day disabled list to create space on the 40-man roster.
Farrell, 26, made his MLB debut with K.C. this season but was shelled for five runs on seven hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings. Unsightly as that spot start was, Farrell has produced some solid results with Triple-A Omaha in each of the past two seasons, working to a combined 3.92 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and roughly a 36 percent ground-ball rate. He comes from a good baseball family as well, given that his father, John, currently manages the Red Sox.
Farrell has never ranked among the Royals’ top echelon of prospects, though Fangraphs prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen did mention him when profiling the Royals’ farm system this offseason. Per Longenhagen, Farrell works 90-92 mph with his fastball and has an average cutter and fringe curveball.
Mariners Designate Tyler Smith For Assignment
The Mariners announced today that infielder Tyler Smith has been designated for assignment to clear a spot on the roster for right-hander Cody Martin, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Tacoma. Seattle also optioned righty Andrew Moore to Tacoma and recalled right-hander Casey Lawrence.
Smith, 26, made his Major League debut with the Mariners this summer and appeared in 10 games, though he totaled just 19 plate appearances with a .188/.263/.250 slash in that minuscule sample. The second baseman/shortstop was hitting .239/.330/.347 with six homers and four steals through 330 PAs with Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma at the time of his DFA.
As for Martin, he’ll rejoin the Mariners’ 40-man roster outrighted back in January. Seattle claimed Martin, 27, off waivers from the division-rival A’s in 2015, and he tossed 25 2/3 innings for them in 2016 before being removed from the 40-man roster this offseason. Through 28 1/3 innings out of the Tacoma bullpen, Martin has a 3.81 ERA with an impressive 11.8 K/9 mark against 2.5 BB/9. After logging a 47.1 percent ground-ball rate with the Mariners last year, he’s been an extreme fly-ball pitcher in 2017, inducing grounders at just a 29.7 percent clip in Tacoma.
Twins Outright Anthony Recker
The Twins have outrighted veteran catcher Anthony Recker off of the team’s 40-man roster, as LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune tweets. It is not clear if the team anticipates a corresponding move at this time.
Recker, 33, went to Minnesota along with Jaime Garcia just days ago. Since that time, it seems, the club may have reevaluated its deadline posture, though perhaps it was never anticipated that Recker would necessarily hold down a roster spot for the rest of the year.
As he has previously been outrighted (including once this year), Recker can elect free agency rather than taking the assignment. His priority will surely be finding a place where he can obtain another opportunity in the majors; after a nice run in 2016, he has received just seven MLB plate appearances this season.
For Minnesota, Recker becomes the second backstop to depart the organization in short order, as John Ryan Murphy was dealt away yesterday. With today’s move, the Twins now have a pair of open 40-man spot, as Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press tweets.
Nationals To Sign Neil Ramirez
The Nationals have agreed to terms on a minor-league deal with righty Neil Ramirez, according to multiple reports. Eric Garment of NumbersMLB appears to have first tweeted the news.
Ramirez, 28, seems destined to provided some depth to the organization’s top affiliate as it continues to work out its MLB relief unit. He had just been released by the Mets after failing to hold down a job in New York.
Though he continues to show an ability to miss bats, Ramirez has struggled through his 31 1/3 major league innings this year. He owns a 7.18 ERA with 12.6 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9; in addition to the free passes, Ramirez has been hurt by permitting six home runs.
Rays Acquire Lucas Duda
The Rays have officially struck a deal to acquire veteran first baseman Lucas Duda. In return, the Mets have added right-handed relief pitching prospect Drew Smith.
[RELATED: Updated Rays & Mets Depth Charts]
Duda is playing on a $7.25MM salary this year, just over $2.6MM of which remains and all of which will be absorbed by his new team, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). To create 40-man roster space, the Rays have designated outfielder Shane Peterson for assignment, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times first reported (via Twitter).
Duda, 31, has posted compelling offensive numbers this year after an injury-riddled 2016 season. Through 291 plate appearances, he has slashed .246/.347/.532 and delivered 17 home runs, largely matching the output he provided in his excellent 2014 and 2015 campaigns.
Clearly, the slugger has his limitations, beginning with the fact that he only plays first base (where he has graded as an average defender). He strikes out in about a quarter of his trips to the plate and carries a .246 batting average both this year and in his career. And he’s definitely better against right-handed pitching, though Duda has been better than usual against southpaws this year. But the power is obviously legitimate — Duda has knocked 125 career dingers — and he knows how to draw a walk (12.7% BB rate on the year).
Though the Rays have their own breakout offensive performer at first in Logan Morrison, the team has room for another big left-handed bat. With outfielder Colby Rasmus hanging up his spikes mid-way through the year, the Rays could utilize Corey Dickerson in the outfield to allow Duda to step in at DH.
For the Mets, the move helps to alleviate an immediate roster logjam by opening the door for Jay Bruce to play first base. Of course, that’s not likely to last long, as he and others could yet be on the move. New York will ultimately provide top prospect Dominic Smith his first taste of the majors; with the departure of Duda, that could come in short order.
Meanwhile, New York picks up a pitcher who could be a contributor in New York as soon as the present season — though the Mets likely won’t be in a rush to add him to the 40-man roster. Smith, 23, was a third-round pick in the 2015 draft. He made his way to the Rays as the player to be named later in the winter deal that sent Mikie Mahtook to the Tigers.
With a big fastball and quality curve, Smith looks as if he could turn into a steady and affordable MLB relief asset. The MLB.com prospect team ranked him 30th on the Tampa Bay farm, noting that his upside is as a setup arm. Smith threw 28 2/3 innings of 2.20 ERA ball at the High-A level upon landing with the Rays organization and recently ascended to Triple-A after a quick stop at the penultimate level of the minors.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported that a deal had gained momentum (Twitter links) after Marc Carig of Newsday reported earlier that Tampa Bay had shown some interest in Duda. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) had Smith’s inclusion. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweeted that the deal was complete.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Diamondbacks Acquire John Ryan Murphy
The D-backs announced that they’ve acquired minor league catcher John Ryan Murphy from the Twins in exchange for minor league left-hander Gabriel Moya. In a corresponding move, Yasmany Tomas has been transferred from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL to clear a spot on Arizona’s 40-man roster.
Murphy’s tenure with the Twins will come to a disappointing end after roughly a season and a half. Acquired prior to the 2016 season in a straight-up swap for outfielder Aaron Hicks, Murphy floundered in his first season with the Twins in ’16 and has yet to see the Majors in 2017. Hicks, meanwhile, finally broke out and delivered on his former top prospect status as a member of the Yankees in 2017, though he’s been sidelined for about a month due to an oblique injury.
The 26-year-old Murphy showed plenty of promise in 2015, hitting .277/.327/.406 in his first extended look in the Majors as a member of the Yankees. With a long-term need behind the plate and a glut of outfield depth in his system, former Twins GM Terry Ryan moved the out-of-options Hicks to New York in exchange for Murphy with the hope that he could succeed Kurt Suzuki as the Twins’ starting catcher in the long run.
Murphy, though, logged just 90 plate appearances with the Twins in 2016 and hit .146/.193/.220. He posted a .609 OPS at the Triple-A level last year as well and hasn’t been much better in 2017, hitting just .222/.298/.330 with four home runs through 218 plate appearances. The Twins inked Jason Castro to a three-year pact this winter and have backup catcher/mop-up reliever extraordinaire Chris Gimenez controlled through 2018, while 26-year-old Mitch Garver‘s strong minor league play has easily vaulted him over Murphy on the organizational depth chart. The inclusion of journeyman Anthony Recker in this week’s Jaime Garcia swap gave the Twins yet another experienced option at catcher and likely made Murphy all the more expendable in their eyes.
For all of his flaws at the plate, Murphy has halted 39 percent of stolen base attempts against him and has delivered superlative framing marks both this season and last in Triple-A Rochester. For a Diamondbacks organization that has placed a clear emphasis on catcher defense — highlighted by the signing of light-hitting Jeff Mathis to a two-year deal — the interest in Murphy is understandable. He’s probably behind Mathis, Chris Herrmann and Chris Iannetta on the depth chart for now, but Iannetta is a free agent at season’s end while Herrmann (also a former Twin) is a clear non-tender candidate, if not a DFA candidate.
In Moya, the Twins will pick up a left-handed arm that ranked as the 25th-best asset in a thin Diamondbacks farm system, per Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. The 22-year-old Moya has served as the closer with the D-backs’ Double-A affiliate this season and posted a gaudy 0.82 ERA with 14.0 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 42.5 percent ground-ball rate. He’s saved 17 games at that level, though Callis and Mayo suggest that he doesn’t have the stuff to close at the game’s top level. They do note that unlike many relievers, Moya has four useful pitches, highlighted by a changeup and also featuring an average fastball and slider.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rays Acquire Dan Jennings From White Sox
The Rays have begun to bolster their bullpen, announcing on Thursday that they’ve acquired lefty reliever Dan Jennings from the White Sox in exchange for first base prospect Casey Gillaspie. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rays designated right-hander Diego Moreno for assignment.
[Related: Updated Chicago White Sox depth chart and Tampa Bay Rays depth chart]
Tampa Bay has been known to be interested in picking up a left-handed reliever, and they’ve reportedly checked in on the likes of San Diego’s Brad Hand and Detroit’s Justin Wilson in recent weeks. Both relievers are reportedly attached to exorbitant asking prices, however, which likely prompted the Rays to shift to another southpaw that they can control beyond the current campaign. Notably, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets that the Rays are still looking at bigger names on the relief market, so there could yet be further additions to the Tampa Bay bullpen.
Jennings, 30, has been a solid bullpen piece for the Sox since being acquired prior to the 2015 season in a shrewd trade by Chicago GM Rick Hahn. (The Sox sent righty Andre Rienzo to Miami in exchange for Jennings.) Jennings has totaled 161 1/3 innings out of the South Siders’ bullpen in the past three seasons, and while his 7.3 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 marks don’t stand out, he’s used a 59.1 percent ground-ball rate and a paltry 23.7 percent hard-contact rate to help him to a 3.12 ERA in that time.
While he’s long been effective against lefties, Jennings has been flat-out lethal against southpaw swingers in 2017, limiting them to a feeble .164/.286/.211 batting line through 85 plate appearances. He’s also earning just $1.4MM in 2017 and can be retained for another two years via arbitration, making him a nice longer-term piece for the Rays’ bullpen.
Jennings becomes the second reliever that the White Sox have flipped in a one-for-one swap involving a solid offensive prospect in as many days. (Anthony Swarzak officially went to the Brewers in exchange for outfielder Ryan Cordell yesterday.) Gillaspie, 24, was the Rays’ first-round pick in the 2014 draft and entered the season ranked as the game’s No. 74 overall prospect in the eyes of Baseball America. That ranking came on the heels of a strong .286/.387/.482 batting line in 555 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A in last year’s age-23 campaign.
The 2017 season has been a struggle for Gillaspie, however. He’s slumped to a .227/.296/.357 slash through his first 395 PAs with Triple-A Durham and had slipped from fifth to tenth on MLB.com’s rankings of the organization’s top 30 prospects. That said, MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo still placed a solid 50 grade (on the 20-80 scouting scale) on Gillaspie’s overall potential moving forward, praising the switch-hitter’s “untapped power potential” and touting him as at least a league-average defender at first base.
CSN Chicago’s Chuck Garfien tweets that Gillaspie, the younger brother of former White Sox third baseman Conor Gillaspie, is currently dealing with a broken toe and is expected to be out for another one to two weeks. He’ll then report to Triple-A Charlotte.
Losing his roster spot as a result of the trade will be the 30-year-old Moreno, who has tossed 5 2/3 frames out of the Rays’ bullpen this season and allowed three earned runs on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts. Moreno’s biggest claim to fame is being one of the two players traded by the Pirates to the Yankees in the 2012 swap that sent A.J. Burnett to Pittsburgh. He has just 16 innings at the big league level but has posted a more palatable 3.70 ERA with 8.3 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 through 165 1/3 career innings in Triple-A.
ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick first reported that the Rays were closing in on a trade for a left-handed reliever (Twitter link). Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported the specifics (also on Twitter).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
A’s Designate John Axford For Assignment
The Athletics announced that veteran right-hander John Axford has been designated for assignment as part of a series of roster moves. Catcher Ryan Lavarnway‘s contract has been selected from Triple-A, and he’ll take Axford’s spot on the 40-man roster. Lavarnway will step into the 25-man roster spot of fellow catcher Josh Phegley, who is headed to the 10-day DL with a strained left oblique muscle. Right-hander Ryan Dull, meanwhile, has been activated from the 10-day disabled list. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser suggested last night that Axford could be designated for assignment to upon Dull’s return.
The 34-year-old Axford posted solid results in the first season of a two-year, $10MM contract with the A’s in 2016, but his longstanding struggles with control have resurfaced in a significant manner in 2017. Axford has issued 17 walks in 21 innings this season, and he’s paired those control troubles with his highest home-run rate since 2013. He’s still averaged a strikeout per inning with a 50 percent ground-ball rate and an average fastball velocity of 95 mph, but his overall ERA rests at 6.43. ERA alternatives such as FIP (5.73), xFIP (5.31) and SIERA (5.17) don’t paint a much rosier picture for Axford’s work in 2017.