Cubs Acquire Jose Quintana
In a stunning development, the Cubs have acquired lefty Jose Quintana from the crosstown rival White Sox, per club announcements. Top prospects Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease are going in return, with first baseman Matt Rose and infielder Bryant Flete also included in the package.
On its face, the deal is rather a straightforward one: The defending champion Cubs needed starting pitching, with a controllable arm making obvious sense. And the White Sox have marketed Quintana since last fall, holding out for a big prospect return.
But that hardly accounts for the true drama inherent in this transaction. There has been chatter of late as to whether the two Chicago stalwarts would do business with each other; clearly, any such questions have been answered.
The scuffling Cubs have said the main focus is on internal improvements, but have now acted forcefully in advance of the deadline. As for the White Sox, they now possess a bevy of elite prospects after swinging yet another significant trade. And those wondering about Quintana’s trade value now have their answer as well.
This time last year, the Cubs were lining up another deal that sent out an elite prospect (Gleyber Torres, in the Aroldis Chapman deal) in hopes of spurring a World Series run. This time, though, the piece coming back isn’t a rental. Quintana is just 28 years old and will remain under the Cubs’ control through 2020. His extension includes a $8.85MM guarantee for 2018 and successive options ($10.5MM and $11MM, respectively) for the ensuing two years. In addition to bolstering the Cubs’ staff now, Quintana will also help cover the organization as starters Jake Arrieta, John Lackey, and Brett Anderson reach free agency after the season.
Quintana has not been quite at his best in 2017, with a 4.49 ERA over 104 1/3 innings thus far. But most indicators suggest he has mostly been his usual self, and his recent good form helps support that view. Quintana owns a 15.5% K%-BB% mark on the year, just as he has in recent years while consistently posting low-3 ERAs. And he has racked up 45 strikeouts with a 2.70 ERA over his last forty innings.
The deeper history is yet more promising, of course. Since landing with the South Siders as an utterly unheralded free agent, he has done nothing but produce results. Quintana carried a 3.41 lifetime ERA entering the 2017 season and has not missed a start over the past five seasons. With the contract control baked in, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs just ranked Quintana the 42nd most valuable trade asset in the game.
Understandably, then, the Cubs paid a hefty price to draw the southpaw up town. Jimenez, clearly, is the headliner. A consensus top-ten prospect leaguewide, the twenty-year-old corner outfielder is viewed as a future middle-of-the-order bat. He has impressed thus far in his first attempt at the High-A level, posting a .271/.351/.490 batting line with eight home runs over 174 plate appearances.
The package doesn’t end there, though. Cease is also generally valued as one of the game’s hundred best pre-MLB players, making him arguably the Cubs’ second-best overall prospect and most promising young hurler. While he’s seen as something of a risky asset, given his injury history and relative lack of polish, Cease is tabbed with top-line upside. He carries a 2.79 ERA with 12.9 K/9 against 4.5 BB/9 at the Class A level.
Rose and Flete aren’t without their interest, either, though neither registers as a significant prospect at this stage. The former is a corner infielder who has slashed .227/.281/.481 with 14 long balls through 254 plate appearances this year as a teammate of Jimenez at Myrtle Beach. The 24-year-old Flete has also played there, putting up the best season (.305/.355/.425) thus far in his minors career while playing all over the diamond (including at shortstop).
The move leaves quite a few other teams still looking for controllable starters, with one key asset now off the market. Sonny Gray of the Athletics is perhaps the clearest alternative trade candidate, while quality arms such as Gerrit Cole, Michael Fulmer, and Chris Archer do not appear to be as readily available. Organizations such as the Yankees, Brewers, Twins, and Astros will be looking hard at those and other possibilities over the next two-and-a-half weeks. Today’s big intra-city swap sets an important market marker for those talks.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/12/17
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves from around the league…
- Catcher Ryan Lavarnway has cleared waivers and been outrighted to the Athletics‘ Triple-A affiliate, as first noted on the team’s transaction page at MLB.com. The 29-year-old Lavarnway played in just one game with Oakland in his recent call-up, though he’s spent parts of six seasons in the Majors. In 409 big league plate appearances, the former Red Sox farmhand is a .197/.257/.315 hitter. He carries a considerably better Triple-A track record and has hit at a .274/.362/.378 clip through 232 PAs with Oakland’s Nashville affiliate in 2017.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/11/17
Here are the day’s minor moves…
- The Orioles announced that infielder Paul Janish and first baseman/outfielder David Washington have both cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Norfolk. The veteran Janish has the option to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, though he’s accepted a number of outrights from the O’s in the past and figures to do so once again. The 34-year-old Janish has appeared in exactly 14 games for the Orioles in each of the past three season but went just 2-for-26 at the plate in this year’s run. Janish has never offered much with the bat but is an excellent defensive shortstop and will continue to provide depth in Triple-A. Washington, meanwhile, made his Major League debut with Baltimore this season. The 26-year-old collected six plate appearances and punched out five times in a brief cup of coffee. The longtime Cardinals farmhand has a strong track record in Triple-A, though, where he’s hit .267/.343/.518 with 38 homers in 682 plate appearances.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/10/17
Here are the latest minor moves from around the game:
- The Yankees have released first baseman Chris Carter, per the MLB.com transactions page. While Carter accepted one outright assignment from the club previously, with the Yankees calling him back up shortly thereafter, he’ll return to free agency this time around. Despite his struggles — a .201/.284/.370 slash over 208 plate appearances on the season — there ought to be a fair bit of interest in the 30-year-old. After all, Carter mashed 41 long balls last year and carried a .221/.318/.474 batting line over the five prior seasons. For organizations interested in getting ahold of some righty pop off the bench, Carter ought to hold appeal — particularly since the Yankees are paying his $3.5MM salary.
- The Dodgers have acquired outfielder Todd Cunningham from the Cardinals, also per the transactions page. Cunningham, a 28-year-old switch-hitter, has seen brief MLB action in three seasons but has spent the bulk of his time at Triple-A in recent years. Since joining the Cards as a minor-league deal over the winter, he has slashed .270/.401/.400 with as many walks as strikeouts (37 apiece) over 286 plate appearances at Triple-A Memphis.
Tigers Outright Matt den Dekker To Triple-A
TODAY: den Dekker has been outrighted to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports (via Twitter).
WEDNESDAY: The Tigers have designated outfielder Matt den Dekker for assignment, per a club announcement. Alex Presley will take his roster spot after being activated from the concussion DL.
It ended up being a short stay in Detroit for den Dekker. The 29-year-old outfielder saw just four games of action, though that was enough to make this the fifth straight year in which he has cracked the majors. He has been hitting well at Triple-A on the season, with a .258/.331/.490 slash over 176 total plate appearances.
Detroit came into the year expecting to give Presley a shot, but he hit the DL after just 54 plate appearances. He’ll work into the outfield mix, most likely joining some kind of platoon with center fielder Mikie Mahtook.
It’s possible that some additional playing time could come available in just a few weeks, depending upon what the Tigers do at the trade deadline. Presley and den Dekker (if he clears waivers and decides to stay) are just two of the left-handed-hitting outfielders in the organization.
Jim Adduci was just optioned after being activated from his own DL stint, and the Triple-A Toledo roster also lists Tyler Collins and Jason Krizan as southpaw swingers who can play some center field. The Double-A outfield is made up entirely of lefty bats, with former top prospect Steven Moya joined by current top-ten prospects Christin Stewart and Michael Gerber.
Marlins Outright Jeff Locke
JULY 9: The Marlins announced that Locke has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A.
JULY 4: The Marlins have designated left-hander Jeff Locke for assignment, the team announced. Righty Drew Steckenrider has been called up from Triple-A New Orleans in a corresponding move.
[Updated Marlins depth chart at Roster Resource]
Locke signed a one-year, $3.025MM deal with Miami last winter to add some depth to the back of the Marlins’ rotation, though his tenure with the club simply hasn’t gotten on track. Locke missed most of Spring Training with bicep tendinitis and didn’t make his season debut until June 1. In seven starts and 32 IP, Locke has an ugly 8.16 ERA, though ERA indicators (4.55 FIP, 4.99 xFIP, 5.04 SIERA) are somewhat more forgiving considering Locke’s .365 BABIP and 52.5% strand rate. The low point was last night’s disastrous start against the Cardinals that saw Locke charged with 11 earned runs in 2 2/3 innings.
Never a big strikeout pitcher, Locke’s 7.31 K/9 is actually a career high, though he hasn’t helped his cause with a 4.22 BB/9. Locke’s grounder rate is also down from his career norms, and he is on pace for both a career-high in hard-hit balls allowed (35.1%) and a career low in soft contact (12.6%).
Locke entered the season with a decent track record as an innings-eater during his previous stint with the Pirates, though his performance took a sharp decline in 2016 and he lost his job in Pittsburgh’s rotation. The Marlins had considered using Locke in a bullpen role this season, so it’s possible another team (or even Miami, should Locke stay in the organization) could look into adding him as some left-handed or long relief depth. Locke has just under $1.5MM owed to him for the year, so interested teams could wait until he clears waivers, which would leave the Marlins responsible for that remaining salary (minus the prorated MLB minimum, which would be covered by a new team).
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/8/17
Here are the latest minor league moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…
Latest Moves
- Right-hander Ernesto Frieri has accepted an outright assignment to the Rangers‘ Triple-A affiliate, the team announced. Frieri cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week. The veteran righty signed a minor league deal with Texas a month ago and he pitched seven innings out of the Rangers bullpen, his first taste of MLB action since 2015. Frieri issued six walks against just five strikeouts in that brief stint, continuing to display the control problems that have plagued him in recent years. In 22 combined Triple-A innings in the Rangers and Yankees farm systems this year, Frieri has a 2.86 ERA, 10.6 K/9 and 2.89 K/BB rate.
Earlier Today
- The White Sox outrighted right-hander Michael Ynoa to Triple-A, the team announced. Ynoa was designated for assignment on Thursday. Ynoa has a 5.90 ERA over 29 relief innings for the Sox this season, with almost as many walks (22) as strikeouts (23).
- The Indians have released first baseman Chris Colabello from his minor league deal, the club announced. Colabello inked his deal with the Tribe in the offseason and hit .225/.324/.333 with six homers over 296 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. It was less than two years ago that Colabello emerged to help the Blue Jays win the 2015 AL East title, though a failed PED test in April 2016 put a sour twist on that breakout season. After the subsequent 80-game suspension, Colabello didn’t return to the Jays’ MLB roster and he managed just a .547 OPS over 173 minor league PA last year.
Pirates Designate Antonio Bastardo For Assignment
The Pirates have designated left-hander Antonio Bastardo for assignment, according to a team media release. Infielder Phil Gosselin was called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
Bastardo has only made nine appearances out of Pittsburgh’s bullpen this season after spending two months on the disabled list with a quad strain. Even in his limited action, the southpaw has been very ineffective, posting a 15.00 ERA thanks to five homers and nine walks over just nine innings pitched. It’s perhaps unfair to extrapolate too much given this small sample size (and Bastardo’s less-than-healthy status), though the lefty is also coming off a rough 2016 campaign that saw him post a 4.52 ERA and a 1.5 HR/9 over 67 2/3 IP for the Pirates and Mets.
Bastardo has always countered somewhat shaky control (career 4.4 BB/9) with big strikeout totals, though his average fastball velocity has dropped a full mile per hour from last year, down to 90.5 mph. By contrast, he was averaging 92.8 mph on his heater in 2015, Bastardo’s last effective season.
After signing a two-year, $12MM deal with the Mets in the 2015-16 offseason, Bastardo is owed approximately $3.15MM for the rest of this season. The Pirates are on the hook for that amount unless someone claims Bastardo or a trade is worked out, and given Bastardo’s lack of effectiveness, one would think any interested team could wait to see if Bastardo is released after his DFA period expires. Bastardo carried some pretty solid career numbers prior to 2016, so he could certainly draw some looks from clubs in need of left-handed relief depth.
Athletics Option Franklin Barreto to Triple-A, Designate Ryan Lavarnway
The Athletics have announced a series of roster moves, including the demotion of top prospect Franklin Barreto to Triple-A. Catcher Ryan Lavarnway has also been designated for assignment. The two moves create roster space for Josh Phegley (back from the paternity list) and right-hander Chris Smith, who had his contract purchased from Triple-A so he could start today’s game against the Mariners.
[Updated A’s depth chart at Roster Resource]
With Marcus Semien back from the DL, Barreto will be sent back down to the farm to get everyday playing time. Ranked as Oakland’s top prospect and considered one of the better minor leaguers in all of baseball, the 21-year-old Barreto hit .190/261/.381 with two home runs over his first 46 career MLB plate appearances. Barreto is likely to get a more extended look later this season, either as a September callup or if Jed Lowrie is traded at the deadline.
Lavarnway signed a minor league contract with the A’s in the offseason and has appeared in one game this season, representing his first taste of big league action since 2015. Formerly a well-regarded prospect in Boston’s system, Lavarnway has been part of six different organizations since December 2014. He has a strong .280/.371/.459 career slash line over 3117 Triple-A plate appearances, so Lavarnway will continue to provide the A’s (or another team) with some solid minor league depth.
Smith, 36, will become the oldest pitcher in Athletics franchise history to make his first career MLB start. (Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle details the amusing story of how Smith got the news from his Triple-A manager.) It has been a long journey for the veteran, originally a Red Sox draft pick in 2002 who appeared in 50 games for Boston and Milwaukee in 2008-10 before bouncing around the minors and even stepping away from the game for a year. Smith signed a minors deal with Oakland in November 2015 and he made 13 appearances for the A’s last season.
Orioles Designate Paul Janish For Assignment
The Orioles have designated infielder Paul Janish for assignment, the club announced. The move creates roster space for Chris Tillman, who was reinstated from the paternity list.
[Updated Orioles depth chart at Roster Resource]
This is the fourth time that Janish has been designated for assignment in his two-plus seasons in the Orioles organization, and he was also outrighted off the 40-man roster last June. Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun tweets that the Orioles are hoping Janish will continue to remain in the organization, as this latest DFA was something of a roster crunch. Janish still has a minor league option remaining, while fellow utility infielder Ruben Tejada does not.
Janish has appeared in 42 games in an O’s uniform, serving as bench depth at shortstop, third base and second base in various short-term stints while amassing just 99 plate appearances since the start of the 2015 season. Known more for his defense and versatility than his bat, Janish has a .212/.280/.284 slash line over 1305 career PA with the Orioles, Braves and Reds since 2008.