Guardians Trade Aaron Civale To Rays
3:30pm: The Guardians and Rays have both formally announced the trade. It’s a straight one-for-one swap.
2:33pm: The Rays and Guardians are in agreement on a trade sending right-hander Aaron Civale from Cleveland to Tampa Bay, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Top first base prospect Kyle Manzardo is headed back to Cleveland in the deal.
Civale, 28, is in the midst of a fine season and earning just $2.6MM with another two years of club control remaining beyond the 2023 season. The Guardians have been mulling the idea of shopping him, given their need for offense, their rich stockpile of pitching talent, and the general demand for rotation help throughout the league.
The Rays, needing rotation help with Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen falling to season-ending injuries — Tommy John surgery and flexor surgery, respectively — have been in the market for rotation help throughout the month. They previously had interest in Jordan Montgomery before his trade to the Rangers and in Cubs righty Marcus Stroman before Chicago won eight straight games and went from expected seller to potential buyer.
Civale will fill that need for the Rays, stepping into the rotation alongside Shane McClanahan, Tyler Glasnow, Zach Eflin and Taj Bradley. The Rays have been regularly deploying bullpen games and using openers since Springs and Rasmussen went down, but Civale will give them a conventional — and quite strong — five-man rotation moving forward. He’s sitting on a 2.34 ERA in 77 innings this season, and while the right-hander’s below-average 19% strikeout rate, tiny .242 average on balls in play and huge 82.7% strand rate all make that ERA seem bound for some regression, he’s nonetheless a solid big league starter.
In 433 career innings, Civale touts a 3.77 ERA, 21.1% strikeout rate, 6.1% walk rate and 42.4% ground-ball rate. While he doesn’t throw hard, averaging just 91.8 mph on his heater, Civale has long boasted excellent command, limited hard contact well enough and posted enough swinging-strikes with his versatile repertoire to find plenty of success. He uses a cutter as his primary fastball but also has a traditional four-seamer and a sinker in his quiver.
Civale’s go-to breaking pitch has been a curveball that has graded as an excellent offering throughout his career. Opponents have batted just .182/.215/.299 in the 358 times the right-hander has finished off a plate appearance with that pitch — including a .186/.205/.302 showing in 2023. A hefty 36.3% of those plate appearances have yielded a strikeout. Civale will throw very occasional sliders and changeups as well, but his curve functions as far and away his most frequent offspeed/breaking offering.
Civale is a clear upgrade to the Rays’ staff and could help them through the 2025 season, but he’s not without his own red flags and durability concerns. He’s avoided major injury and hasn’t had any surgeries, but Civale has never topped the 164 2/3 innings he pitched in the minors back in 2017 — his first full season as a professional. Since that time, he’s been on the injured list (minors and majors alike) with a litany of issues, including a lat strain, shoulder tightness, a wrist sprain, a finger sprain, forearm inflammation and an oblique strain (earlier this season).
There’s little doubting that he’s a quality performer when healthy, but Civale has only reached 100 innings in one Major League season and has only twice reached 20 starts. On the other hand, Civale’s frequent trips to the injured list have stunted his earning power in arbitration. He’s earning just $2.6MM this season, and his subsequent pair of arbitration raises will be based off that sum, which should tamp down his earnings a bit further (at least relative to other starters throughout the game).
In exchange for those two and a half seasons of affordable control, the Rays will part with one of the top bats in their system. Manzardo, 23, was Tampa Bay’s second-round pick in 2021 and quickly hit his way onto top-100 prospect rankings throughout the sport. He’s had a rough go in his first run at Triple-A as a 22-year-old, hitting just .238/.342/.442 with 11 homers in 313 plate appearances. Manzardo is walking at a huge 13.4% clip, however, and has a lower-than-average 20.8% strikeout rate despite facing older and more experienced competition. He’s also just one season removed from hitting a combined .327/.426/.617 with nearly as many walks (59) as strikeouts (65) between High-A and Double-A.
Manzardo entered the season as a consensus top-100 prospect, and even with a lackluster showing in Triple-A so far he’s still quite highly touted. He ranks as the game’s No. 31 prospect at FanGraphs, No. 37 prospect at MLB.com and No. 69 at Baseball America on each publications midseason, post-draft rankings. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen writes in his scouting report that “every aspect” of Manzardo’s profile at the plate is plus, with the exception of his raw power, which is closer to average. He’s lauded for keen strike zone knowledge, consistent hard contact, an all-fields approach, his bat control and a potentially plus-plus hit tool that should allow him to hit for a high average with high-end on-base percentages.
It’s not yet clear when Manzardo will get his first big league opportunity, but it won’t be immediately. He’s been on the minor league injured list since early this month with a shoulder issue, though Cleveland clearly doesn’t believe it to be a major concern. He’ll be a candidate for a call-up late in the season and certainly will have a chance to break the Opening Day roster for the Guardians in 2024.
Since Cleveland isn’t getting an immediate big leaguer in return, there’s little doubting that this move hurts their chances of squeaking out a postseason berth in 2023. The American League Central has been the game’s most feeble division all year, and Cleveland made this trade of one of its best starters despite the fact that Shane Bieber was recently placed on the 60-day injured list and despite the fact that the Guards are only a half-game behind the Twins in the standings. That speaks volumes about how the front office views the club’s chances of faring in a potential postseason series even if they’d managed to overtake a middling and de facto first-place Twins club.
With Civale out of the picture, the Guardians’ rotation will consist of Noah Syndergaard and rookies Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen. The latter trio has all found immediate success in the Majors, and each is generally living up to his own top prospect billing. The hope for Cleveland will be that righty Cal Quantrill can return from his current bout of shoulder inflammation sooner than later. Both Bieber and right-hander Triston McKenzie are on the 60-day IL and aren’t expected back anytime soon. Depth options in Triple-A include Cody Morris, Joey Cantillo, Hunter Gaddis and Chris Vallimont — all of whom are on the 40-man roster.
The acquisition of Manzardo also has some implications for breakout Guardians star Josh Naylor, who’s turned in an excellent .308/.347/.504 slash and 15 homers this year. Naylor has spent the bulk of his time at first base, but he could well be pushed to an outfield corner whenever Manzardo is called up for his debut. Manzardo is widely regarded as a first-base-only prospect, whereas Naylor has his share of experience in the outfield. It’s possible the two could eventually split the first base and designated hitter duties, but Cleveland also has veteran Josh Bell currently playing on a two-year deal. Bell can turn down a player option for 2024 and return to free agency this winter, but his underwhelming .233/.319/.385 slash makes that feel rather unlikely.
Positional alignment to the side, the Guardians have clearly been focused on adding a controllable bat to their system for some time now, just as the Rays have been looking for some quality, affordable innings to round out the rotation behind a strong quartet. In that sense, today’s one-for-one swap fills a goal for both parties and allows each to deal from a position of depth in order to satiate that need. The Rays get the more immediate boost to their roster, but the hope among Cleveland brass is surely that Manzardo will be holding down a key spot in the lineup long after Civale would’ve otherwise reached free agency in the 2025-26 offseason.
Astros Claim Jake Cousins From Brewers, Designate Blake Taylor
The Astros have claimed right-hander Jake Cousins off waivers from the Brewers, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. There had been no prior indication Cousins had been removed from Milwaukee’s 40-man roster, so this will drop their count to 39. The Astros have now announced the claim, with left-hander Blake Taylor designated for assignment in a corresponding move and Cousins optioned to Triple-A.
Cousins, 29, was first added to Milwaukee’s roster in June of 2021. He made 30 appearances for them the rest of the way, allowing 2.70 earned runs per nine innings. He struck out 35.2% of batters faced and kept 47.4% of balls in play on the ground, but also issued walks at a 15.2% clip. In 2022, he missed most of the year with a right elbow effusion, or a build up of fluid in the area. He was only able to make 12 appearances with the big league club.
Here in 2023, Cousins was frequently optioned to Triple-A and recalled for the first few months of the season. He made nine appearances with the big league club, posting a 4.82 ERA. He’s also made 13 Triple-A appearances with a 7.30 ERA, though a .533 batting average in balls in play and 58.3% strand rate are clearly inflating that number in the small sample.
The Brewers evidently tried to quietly sneak Cousins through waivers to open a roster spot, though the Astros swooped in to stop that from happening. He’s struck out 31.4% of major league hitters he’s faced in his career but has also walked 16.2% of them. They will surely try to help him better harness his stuff as he provides them with some bullpen depth. He has a pair of option years remaining, one of which he’s burning here in 2023, but can be sent to the minors for one more season in the future.
In order to take a shot on Cousins, the Astros are risking losing Taylor, who originally came to Houston in the 2019 trade that sent Jake Marisnick to the Mets. Taylor spent most of 2020 to 2022 with the big league club in Houston, making 92 appearances with a 3.06 ERA, 19.1% strikeout rate, 12.6% walk rate and 44.3% ground ball rate. Here in 2023, he began the season on the injured list due to a left elbow strain. He was activated in mid-April and immediately optioned to Triple-A. He’s made 35 appearances at that level with a 5.15 ERA. His 43.7% ground ball rate there has been solid but his 14.9% strikeout rate and 13.1% walk rate are both well worse than average.
The Astros will now have a week to trade Taylor or pass him through waivers, though the timeline on the trade option is much tighter with tomorrow’s deadline. Left-handed relief tends to always be in demand and Taylor still has an option year beyond this one, though time will tell if his poor results this year dampen the interest from rival clubs.
Rockies Activate Brendan Rodgers From 60-Day IL
The Rockies announced Monday that they’ve reinstated infielder Brendan Rodgers from the 60-day injured list. Rodgers has yet to play in a game this season after suffering a shoulder injury during spring training. Colorado also recalled infielder Coco Montes from Triple-A Albuquerque. That pair of moves will fill the roster spots vacated by last night’s trades of Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron (both to the Angels in the same deal). Rodgers also fills one of what had been three vacancies on the 40-man roster.
Originally, there was concern that Rodgers’ injury would prove to be season-ending in nature. Ultimately, it’ll still end up costing him about two-thirds of the 2023 campaign, though that’s surely a preferable result for the 26-year-old, as opposed to an entirely lost season. Rodgers has been on a minor league rehab assignment for a couple weeks now and has hit particularly well (7-for-20 with a homer and two doubles) since moving up from Class-A to Triple-A. He appeared in 10 minor league games and tallied 38 plate appearances before being deemed ready to go.
Rodgers, the third overall pick in 2015, has tallied 996 plate appearances from 2021-22 as the Rockies’ primary second baseman, turning in a solid .274/.326/.434 slash with 28 homers, 51 doubles, six triples and strong defense at second base. Defensive Runs Saved credited Rodgers with a whopping +22 mark at the position in 2022, and while metrics like Ultimate Zone Rating (7.9) and Outs Above Average (3) weren’t quite as bullish, he universally graded as an above-average defender and was recognized as such when he captured his first Gold Glove Award last year.
It’s deadline season and the Rockies are sellers, so it’s technically plausible that the Rox could be surprised by an over-the-top offer for Rodgers in the 26 hours between now and tomorrow’s trade deadline, though that seems quite unlikely. Rodgers has another two years of affordable club control remaining beyond the current season, and the Rox surely aren’t keen on trading away such a major piece of their roster when his value is down fresh on the heels of a season-long IL stint. Given the general state of the Rockies, however, Rodgers could emerge as an offseason trade candidate if he performs well in the final two months and sufficiently proves that the shoulder injury is behind him.
Braves Designate Charlie Culberson For Assignment
The Braves made a series of roster moves this morning, per a club announcement. The club designated infielder Charlie Culberson for assignment to create room on the 40-man and active rosters for newly-acquired infielder Nicky Lopez. Meanwhile, left-hander A.J. Minter was activated from the 15-day injured list. Minter claimed a roster spot that was vacated by right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver when he was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett last night.
Despite the fact that Culberson was selected to the Major League roster on June 30, he appeared in only one game with the Braves and tallied a single plate appearance on July 16, during which he delivered a base hit. He’s otherwise been on-hand as bench depth but hasn’t been plugged into a game. This is the second time this season Atlanta has designated the veteran utilityman for assignment; he cleared waivers, elected free agency and quickly re-signed on a new minor league deal last time around.
Culberson, 34, has also appeared in 24 Triple-A games this season, batting .204/.234/.255 through 107 trips to the plate. It hasn’t been a strong year on the whole, but he’s beloved in the Braves organization, from the clubhouse to the fanbase, for his prior stints there in 2018-20. During that three-year period, Culberson delivered roughly league-average offense on the whole and appeared at every position other than catcher and center field. His penchant for clutch hits and walk-offs endeared him to Braves fans during that time, and Culberson enjoyed a career-best season with Atlanta in 2018 when he hit .270/.326/.466 with a dozen homers in 322 plate appearances.
The Braves will have until tomorrow evening’s trade deadline to trade Culberson if they choose, but it seems likelier that they’ll hope to pass him through outright waivers. He’d have the ability to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency once again, but given how quickly he re-upped with the Braves on a new minor league deal last time around, the same sequence could play out following his second DFA of the season.
Rangers Acquire Jordan Montgomery, Chris Stratton
The Rangers continue to bolster their pitching ranks, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan (Twitter links) reports that Texas and St. Louis have completed a trade to send Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton to Arlington. The Cardinals will receive left-hander John King, as well as infield prospect Thomas Saggese and right-handed pitching prospect Tekoah Roby. In the Rangers’ official announcement of the deal, it was noted that Texas also received an international bonus pool slot from the Cardinals. To create roster space, Texas designated right-hander Joe Barlow for assignment.
With the Cards in seller mode, Montgomery and Stratton were seen as two of the likeliest players to be moved prior to the deadline, as both pitchers are free agents after the season. Between this swap with the Rangers and the Cardinals’ move to send Jordan Hicks to the Blue Jays earlier this afternoon, it’s fair to guess that Jack Flaherty (another pending free agent) might also soon be headed elsewhere, and St. Louis could also look to some surplus position players with more team control as the Cards look to reload for 2024.
As for the Rangers, acquiring Max Scherzer on Saturday and now Montgomery today throughout reinforces the team’s rotation. Despite season-ending injuries to Jacob deGrom and Jake Odorizzi, Texas had gotten solid results from its starters for much of the year, but some cracks have begun to show. Most prominently, Nathan Eovaldi hasn’t pitched since July 18, and was placed on the 15-day injured list today due to a forearm strain.
It’s an ominous diagnosis for a pitcher who already has two Tommy John surgeries on his health history, and the Rangers obviously aren’t taking any chances with Eovaldi’s recovery or in their pitching staff’s ability to thrive without Eovaldi in action. Manager Bruce Bochy told reporters (including MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry) today that the team is “pretty confident” Eovaldi will be able to return after just the minimum 15 days, though Eovaldi will visit with a doctor for precautionary purposes.
Scherzer and Montgomery now join a rotation that also includes Martin Perez, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, and Dane Dunning, though it remains to be seen if Texas will stick with a six-man staff. Keeping an extra starter might be useful to help keep everyone fresh for the pennant race (and, the Rangers hope, through October), yet moving Dunning back to a relief role might also be an option. On the other hand, Dunning has pitched quite well since his return to starting work, whereas Perez and Heaney have been much more inconsistent and Gray has been struggling over the last month.
Montgomery was already part of a notable deadline trade last year, when the Yankees sent the left-hander to the Cardinals in a one-for-one trade for Harrison Bader. In his first full year with the Cardinals, Montgomery has a 3.42 ERA over 121 innings, though his SIERA is a less-impressive 4.30. The southpaw has done his usual above-average job of avoiding free passes (6.9% walk rate) and limiting hard contact, though Montgomery now has a second straight season of a below-average strikeout rate (21.2%). While Montgomery has never been a huge strikeout pitcher, his whiff rate has also taken a tumble to 24.1% in 2023 after years of much more solid results.
If Scherzer is expected to be more of a front-of-the-rotation arm, then Montgomery represents a mid-rotation starter who can be relied on to take the ball every fifth (or sixth) day and deliver respectable results. Likewise, Stratton won’t be displacing Will Smith as the Rangers’ closer or even taking over a top set-up role, but he gives Texas another good arm for higher-leverage situtions late in games.
Montgomery and Stratton will each be reuniting with Mike Maddux, who was the Cardinals’ pitching coach from 2018-22 before moving on to join the Rangers’ coaching staff this year. Stratton is also a known quantity to skipper Bruce Bochy, as Stratton broke into the majors in the Giants organization back when Bochy was managing the team in 2016.
Stratton is also on the move for the second straight year at the deadline, as the Pirates sent Jose Quintana and Stratton to the Cardinals last August. Stratton’s 2022 numbers picked up considerably after that deal, and he has somewhat continued that form this season, even if his bottom-line results haven’t been reflective. Stratton has a 4.36 ERA in 53 2/3 innings, though a 3.48 SIERA and 3.06 FIP indicate some bad luck on Stratton’s part, perhaps due to an unusually low 61.6% strand rate.
The right-hander doesn’t have the high-velocity arsenal associated with most relievers, nor are his hard-contact or walk rates anything special. However, Stratton does bring durability in his ability to pitch multiple innings, and he has some of the most elite fastball and curveball spin rates of any pitcher in baseball.
Without any reports of money changing hands between the two teams, it looks like the Rangers will be absorbing the remainder of the 2023 salaries for Montgomery (roughly $3.5MM) and Stratton (around $1MM). It’s not a big financial commitment to a team that has already been splurging on big-name talent over the last two seasons, and Roster Resource projects that Texas is still just barely under the $233MM luxury tax threshold. The Rangers reportedly don’t have any issue crossing the tax threshold, so if another upgrade presents itself before Tuesday’s trade deadline, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the front office make another deal or two.
Among the players going back to the Cardinals, King is the best-known name to fans, as the lefty has a 4.27 ERA over 126 1/3 innings out of the Texas bullpen since he made his big league debut in 2020. A grounder specialist who has a very impressive 61.7% career groundball rate, King is naturally more susceptible than most to batted-ball luck, so his huge .379 BABIP over 18 2/3 innings has been the main factor in his 5.79 ERA.
The Rangers have sent King back and forth from Triple-A on a couple of occasions this season, and he is under team control through the 2026 campaign. The Cardinals will have the rest of the year to take a look at King and see if he might be an option for their bullpen going forward, plus in a more immediate sense King will add some left-handed depth to the St. Louis relief corps.
That said, Roby and Saggese are the bigger parts of this trade from the Cards’ perspective, as they join the three youngsters obtained in the Scherzer and Hicks deals as part of the sudden reload of the St. Louis farm system. MLB Pipeline ranked Roby as the Rangers’ 11th-best prospect and Saggese 14th, while Baseball America had a similar tack in placing Roby 13th and Saggese 15th.
Roby was a third-round pick for Texas in the 2020 draft, and he has a 5.05 ERA over 46 1/3 innings and 10 starts at Double-A Frisco this season. While he has cut back on his walks and home runs allowed, Roby’s strikeout rate has also tumbled during his three pro seasons, though his 25.6% mark this year is still respectable. The scouting reports from both Pipeline and BA pinpoint Roby’s command as his biggest issue, as his overall arsenal is solid. Pipeline gives a 55 grade (on the 20-80 scale) to all four of Roby’s pitches, though their report notes that the 21-year-old “may not have a true plus pitch” as a go-to offering.
Adding Roby will help St. Louis restock the minor league pitching ranks, while Saggese seems to fit the Cardinals’ preferred profile of a multi-positional infielder. Saggese has mostly played second and third base over his three pro seasons, while also getting a good chunk of action as a shortstop. He isn’t necessarily a standout defender at any position, but Pipeline liked his ability to stick at second base, and Saggese’s versatility is surely an asset as he climbs the ladder towards the big leagues.
The 21-year-old was also a 2020 draft pick (taken in the fifth round), and Saggese has done nothing but hit in the minors, including a .314/.380/.514 slash line and 15 homers over 417 plate appearances at Double-A in 2023. The pundits note that Saggese’s aggression at the plate can sometimes backfire, yet he has shown a bit more patience this season with an 8.2% walk rate.
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Angels Acquire Randal Grichuk, C.J. Cron From Rockies
The Angels have acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk and first baseman C.J. Cron from the Rockies, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link). Right-hander Jake Madden and left-hander Mason Albright will be headed to the Rockies. The Angels have officially announced the deal, adding that they will also receive some cash considerations in return. Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports that infielder Kevin Padlo has been designated for assignment and Taylor Ward has been shifted to the 60-day injured list to create some space on the Angels’ roster.
The four-player swap is the latest move in what has been already been a busy month for an Angels team determined to contend. With Shohei Ohtani possibly departing in free agency after the season, the Angels are desperate to make the playoffs, and have added Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Eduardo Escobar, and Mike Moustakas in other trades to address roster needs.
Tonight’s trade also brings a pair of familiar faces back to Anaheim. Cron was selected 17th overall by the Angels in the 2011 draft, and he spent his first four Major League seasons with the club. The Halos had back-to-back picks in the first round of the 2009 draft and notably picked Grichuk 24th (one selection ahead of Mike Trout), but Grichuk never saw any MLB action for Anaheim, as he was dealt to the Cardinals as part of the November 2013 trade that brought David Freese to the Angels.
Colorado’s tendency to try and retain players it particularly likes in free agency has created some doubt about obvious trade candidates in the past, but on paper, Grichuk and Cron both looked like clear candidates to be moved prior to Tuesday’s deadline. Grichuk is in the last year of the original five-year, $53MM extension he signed with the Blue Jays back in 2019, and about $3.11MM remains in owed salary before the end of the season. Cron is in the final year of his own extension with the Rockies, and has roughly $2.42MM still owed in 2023 salary.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the cash considerations from the Rockies amount to $2MM, thus putting approximately $3.53MM extra onto the Angels’ books. This puts Los Angeles a bit further over the $233MM luxury tax threshold, as the Halos look poised to pay the tax for the first time since 2004 (the first year of Arte Moreno’s ownership). The actual dollar value of a first-time tax penalty is pretty minor, but it does underscore the Angels’ commitment to finally ending their string of losing seasons and non-playoff baseball.
This desire to win has been hampered by a number of significant injuries up and down the roster, so in a sense the Angels have had to be aggressive just in order to patch holes. Grichuk has experience at all three outfield positions, but figures to mostly play left field in place of Ward, whose season is probably over after he suffered facial fractures after a scary hit-by-pitch incident in Saturday’s game. In the best-case scenario, Ward is able to fully recover and get back to the lineup by late September, just in time to be available for what the Halos hope will be some playoff baseball.
Once Mike Trout returns from his hamate surgery and Jo Adell returns from his oblique strain, the Angels might even have an outfield surplus, considering that Ohtani has the DH spot locked up. Still, that’s a problem Los Angeles will happily face down the road if it means their lineup is finally back at something resembling full strength.
Grichuk is enjoying one of his best seasons at the plate, hitting .308/.365/.498 with eight homers over 263 plate appearances after missing most of April recovering from offseason surgery for a sports hernia. Turning 32 years old in a couple of weeks, Grichuk’s career hasn’t lived up to his first-round potential, as his propensity for strikeouts and an inconsistent overall offensive profile has limited his production. From 2019-22, Grichuk had only a 90 wRC+ over 1942 PA and totaled 1.8 fWAR, with a sub-replacement -0.2 mark in 2022.
It’s far from certain that Grichuk has turned a corner, as his .367 BABIP and some significant home/road splits are warning signs that some regression is inevitable once Grichuk is out of Coors Field. That said, at a relatively low acquisition cost and a pressing need for offense, it is a risk the Angels are willing to take.
Cron figures to step right in as a regular first baseman, possibly solidifying a position that has been a revolving door all season in Anaheim. It remains to be seen how the rest of the field might shake out once the injured players start returning, but for now, Moustakas will probably take most of the time at third base while Escobar plays second. Zach Neto will presumably remain the regular shortstop unless he also needs to visit the IL after missing a few games with back soreness. Brandon Drury might be back from the 10-day IL within the next week, further bolstering the infield ranks and maybe moving Cron into a part-time role.
Cron has himself been dealing with a bad back, both within the last week and in the form of a trip to the injured list earlier this season that cost hm about six weeks of action. The 33-year-old has hit .260/.304/.476 with 11 homers in 224 PA, and Cron’s 93 wRC+ puts him on pace for his first below-average offensive season since 2017 (his final year with the Angels).
However, Cron has been hitting much better over the last month, with a .319/.347/.565 slash line in his first 72 PA since his IL stint. His three seasons at Coors Field led to some pretty drastic home/road splits, and the Angels will have to hope that he can both hit outside of the thin air and remain healthy enough to play first base, since Ohtani’s presence removes the safety net of the DH spot.
MLB Pipeline and Baseball America had something of a split opinion on Madden’s potential, as while Pipeline ranked the right-hander as the eighth-best prospect in the Angels’ farm system, BA rated him only 21st. Madden was a fourth-round pick for the Halos in 2022 and was getting his first taste of pro ball this season, with a 5.46 ERA over 64 1/3 innings for the Angels’ A-ball affiliate. His 12.9% walk rate underlines the issues that Baseball America’s scouting report had with his control and command, yet Madden’s big fastball can hit 98mph and his slider also looks like an above-average pitch. A Tommy John surgery limited Madden’s experience late in high school and in junior college, but Pipeline in particular likes his upside once the 21-year-old gets more experience on the mound.
Albright fell just inside the Angels’ top 30 rankings from Pipeline (28th) and Baseball America (29th), and the 20-year-old southpaw has posted a 3.62 ERA, 25.7% strikeout rate, and 6.0% walk rate over 79 2/3 innings with A-level Island Empire. A 12th-round pick for Los Angeles in 2021, Albright’s numbers have improved after a mechanical change, so some interesting upside exists if he continues to thrive after altering the arm action on his delivery. Pipeline puts a 50-grade on all four of Albright’s pitches, but while he doesn’t have a signature plus pitch, he can throw everything in his arsenal for strikes.
In short, the Rockies have now brought two new young arms into the organization, as Colorado continues its ever-lasting search for pitchers who can thrive at Coors Field. The 2023 season in particular has only underlined that need, as the Rox have been crushed by rotation injuries ever since Spring Training, leaving the team struggling just to find another healthy pitchers to eat innings. While the Rockies were seen as longshots to contend anyway, the team’s 41-64 record has put them at the bottom of the National League standings.
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Angels Place Taylor Ward On 60-Day IL With Facial Fractures
8:20PM: Ward has been moved to the 60-day IL to create some roster space for the Angels’ acquisitions of Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron from the Rockies. The move to the 60-day IL puts Ward out of action until late September at the earliest, and likely means that he isn’t expected to return this season.
9:30AM: The Angels announced this morning that outfielder Taylor Ward has been placed on the 10-day injured list with facial fractures. In a corresponding move, the club selected the contract of infielder Kevin Padlo. Padlo will take the 40-man roster spot vacated by left-hander Tucker Davidson, who was designated for assignment earlier in the week.
Ward’s injury stems from a scary moment during the club’s loss against the Blue Jays last night. As noted by MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger, Ward was struck in the face by a sinker from right-hander Alek Manoah. The 29 year old had to be carted off the field after the incident and was evaluated at a local hospital. Per The Athletic’s Sam Blum, Ward has since been released from the hospital but will not travel with the team to Atlanta for the series against the Braves, which begins tomorrow.
In 409 trips to the plate this season, Ward has posted a solid .253/.335/.421 slash line, 8% better than league average by measure of wRC+. While that slash line is a departure from the 137 wRC+ Ward offered last year, he’s caught fire in July, slashing a whopping .304/.424/.623 in his last 85 plate appearances. The loss of Ward for what figures to be an extended period is a crushing blow to an Angels club that is already dealing with injuries to Mike Trout, Logan O’Hoppe, Gio Urshela, Anthony Rendon, Brandon Drury, Max Stassi, and Jo Adell among its position player corps.
With Ward on the shelf, the club figures to rely on an outfield of Mickey Moniak, Hunter Renfroe, and Trey Cabbage for the time being. Between the club’s significant injury woes on the position player side of things and their recent blockbuster deal to acquire right-handers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez from the White Sox, it seems reasonable to expect the Angels to investigate additions to the club’s offense. They’ve already discussed a Jeimer Candelario deal with the Nationals, and it’s possible that Ward’s injury could push them to explore the outfield market as well. Tommy Pham, Mark Canha, and Adam Duvall are among the outfielders who could potentially be on the move ahead of the trade deadline on August 1.
Ward’s trip to the IL makes room on the active roster for Padlo, a 27-year-old journeyman who has played for five teams in the majors since making his big league debut in 2021. Padlo briefly came up to the big league club earlier this season, slashing .125/.125/.250 in just eight plate appearances before being designated for assignment to make room for veteran infielder Mike Moustakas after he was dealt from the Rockies to the Angels. Aside from that short stint in the majors, Padlo has spent this season primarily with Anaheim’s Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City, where he’s slashed a solid .257/.385/.464 in 51 games. Padlo, who has experience at first base, second base, third base, and left field, figures to provide a bat-first utility option to the Angels for the corner spots, complementing the glove-first work of Andrew Velazquez up the middle.
Twins Notes: Gray, Maeda, Keuchel, Larnach, Kirilloff, Thielbar
A five-game losing streak has dropped the Twins’ record to 54-53, and their AL Central lead has shrunk to a half-game advantage over the Guardians. Caught in an unusual position of both trying to win the division and perhaps reload the roster for a better shot at contending in 2024, the Twins appear to be flexible with their plans heading into the trade deadline, as The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reports that the club is at least listening to offers about starters Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda. However, “they’d need to be blown away to make a deal that potentially harms their own postseason chances,” Hayes writes, since starting pitching has been such a key plank of the Twins’ success this year.
Reports from earlier this week suggested that Minnesota had at least considered moving Maeda, and that the Twins were getting interest in general about their rotation depth. Since it would count as a major shock if any of Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez, and Bailey Ober were traded, pending free agents Gray and Maeda seem like far more viable trade candidates, even if the odds of either moving don’t seem too high.
As Hayes notes, there’s no harm for Minnesota in testing the market for Gray or Maeda, just in case a team desperate for starting pitching is willing to overpay as other options are removed from the board as the deadline approaches. Re-signing both Gray and Maeda this winter doesn’t seem likely whatsoever, and it seems quite possible that the Twins might let both veteran pitchers walk in free agency. Ergo, exploring trade opportunities now is a logical tactic, especially if another team is willing to offer the right-handed hitting or bullpen help that the Twins are currently looking to obtain.
Dallas Keuchel has looked great for Triple-A Saint Paul since signing a minor league deal with the Twins back in June, as the former AL Cy Young Award winner has a 1.13 ERA over 32 innings. Since Keuchel has an opt-out clause in his contract on August 1 (trade deadline day), some kind of decision is coming soon, and Keuchel could be the logical replacement if Minnesota did move Gray or Maeda. In terms of Keuchel himself as a trade chip, Hayes writes that there is only “minimal interest” from other clubs, which isn’t surprising given how Keuchel’s MLB results have so badly tailed off in the last two seasons. The southpaw has a 6.35 ERA over 222 2/3 Major League innings since the start of the 2021 campaign, and he has yet to see any big league action in 2023.
Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said earlier this week that the club’s left-handed hitting outfielders were drawing interest, and Hayes reports that Trevor Larnach in particular has been on the radar of the Mets and Padres. Larnach is only a couple of years removed from being a top-100 prospect, though he has a modest .223/.315/.380 slash line over 669 career plate appearances. This lack of performance and a season-ending core muscle surgery in 2022 have kept Larnach from really establishing himself in the majors, not to mention how the Twins’ outfield depth has led to Larnach spending a lot of extra time at Triple-A.
Since Larnach is only 26 and has a limited sample size of MLB experience, it makes sense why the Padres, Mets, and probably several other teams would want to bet on a post-hype breakout. It’s worth noting that Larnach hadn’t hit very much in Triple-A prior to this season, and even his .234/.363/.431 slash line over 157 PA for Saint Paul in 2023 is only decent, rather than a clear sign that Larnach has nothing more to prove in the minors.
With the Mets already looking ahead to 2024, a hypothetical New York/Minnesota trade package could include a right-handed hitting outfielder like Tommy Pham or Mark Canha, or reliever Brooks Raley. All would essentially be rental pickups, though Canha and Raley are controllable through club options for the 2024 season. Raley has pitched well enough that his $6.5MM club option ($1MM buyout) looks like a good bet to be exercise by the Mets, Twins, or whatever team might own his rights after the deadline.
Of course, injuries can always change the equation for any team as the deadline approaches, and the Twins placed Alex Kirilloff on the 10-day injured list today due to a right shoulder strain. Caleb Thielbar was activated from the 15-day IL in the corresponding move, with the left-hander returning after missing close to two months with an oblique strain. This came on the heels of a previous IL stint due to another oblique problem, resulting in Thielbar making only one big league appearance since May 6.
Kirilloff has been trying to play through the injury for several days, as manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters (including Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune) that Kirilloff was hurt diving for a ball. Kirilloff is “just not able to swing the bat right now because he’s feeling some weakness in his shoulder,” Baldelli said, so the decision was made to put the first baseman on the IL for a full rest.
Wrist problems have plagued Kirilloff in the past, and his recovery from a wrist surgery last year delayed his 2023 debut until May 6. Finally healthy and given an extended chance to play, Kirilloff looked to be having a bit of a breakout season, with a very solid 124 wRC+ to show from his .270/.357/.442 slash line over 258 plate appearances while mostly playing as Minnesota’s regular first baseman. Donovan Solano and Joey Gallo are likely to be platooned at first base while Kirilloff is out, and if the Twins get any indication over the next two days that Kirilloff might be facing an extended absence, first base help might be added to the club’s deadline checklist.
Yimi Garcia Reaches Vesting Threshold, Guarantees 2024 Salary
Yimi Garcia‘s appearance in the Blue Jays’ 3-2 loss to the Angels today marked the right-hander’s 49th game of the season, and his 110th game of his two seasons with Toronto. As a result, Garcia triggered a vesting option in his contract that now guarantees him a $6MM salary in 2024. The Jays had previously held a $5MM club option on Garcia for 2024, with a $1MM buyout.
The contract news provides some silver lining to an otherwise forgettable day for Garcia, as he allowed a two-run homer to Hunter Renfroe in the tenth inning that ended up being the game’s deciding run. It was a blemish on what has otherwise been a solid season for Garcia, who turns 33 in August. Garcia entered Sunday’s action with a 4.30 ERA over 44 innings, though a .369 BABIP may be responsible for that inflated ERA, as his SIERA is a far more impressive 3.01.
Though Garcia has had a few high-profile meltdowns this season, he has largely gotten back on track after a much shakier opening. With a 6.46 ERA over his first 23 2/3 frames, Garcia then rebounded for a 1.77 ERA in his next 20 2/1 innings. For 2023 as a whole, Garcia’s advanced metrics are quite strong, as he ranks above the league average in just about every Statcast category. His 5.2% walk rate is the highlight, ranking Garcia in the 90th percentile of all pitchers.
Toronto signed Garcia to a two-year, $11MM free agent deal in the 2021-22 offseason, which now becomes a three-year/$17MM pact due to the vested option. Given his success thus far in 2023, it was becoming increasingly likely that the Jays would’ve exercised that club option anyway, but now Garcia is locked into a guaranteed salary for next season. Several other Jays relievers are also controlled through at least 2024, though not via a guaranteed contract — the likes of Jordan Romano, Erik Swanson, Trevor Richards, Tim Mayza, and Genesis Cabrera are all still in their arbitration years.
Braves, Royals Swap Nicky Lopez, Taylor Hearn
The Braves have acquired infielder Nicky Lopez from the Royals in a one-for-one swap that will send left-hander Taylor Hearn to Kansas City. The Braves have officially announced the deal, and MLB.com’s Anne Rogers was the first to report that Lopez was on his way to Atlanta.
Like most Royals players this season, Lopez has had an underwhelming year with the bat, hitting .210/.322/.280 over 187 plate appearances. Lopez’s hitting has never been as much of a calling card as his defense, and he has delivered his usual above-average glovework backing up the infield at second base, third base, and shortstop.
He’ll bring that same versatile depth to the Braves, though Lopez’s playing time figures to be at a premium since Atlanta generally keeps its starters (including the infield core of Ozzie Albies, Orlando Arcia, and Austin Riley) in the lineup at all times, even to the point of usually foregoing late-game defensive substitutions. Still, with a big lead in the NL West, the Braves might look to give their regulars some extra rest going into the postseason, and Lopez at least provides some experienced depth if case an injury situation does arise.
Now in his fifth MLB season, Lopez has largely been a glove-first player who has seemed like a bit of a placeholder as Kansas City waited for its next wave of prospects (such as Bobby Witt Jr.) to reach the Show. However, Lopez worked his way into a larger share of playing time, particularly after his quietly outstanding 2021 campaign. Lopez had the 11th-best fWAR (6.0) of any player in baseball that season, pairing spectacular defense and baserunning with an above-average .300/.365/.378 slash line over 565 plate appearances.
In hindsight, the Royals perhaps might have looked at selling high on Lopez in the wake of that big season, though it’s understandable why K.C. would’ve also wanted to hang onto a possible hidden gem of a breakout player. Moving the 28-year-old now officially turns the page on Lopez’s era in Kansas City, even though he was still under team control through the 2025 campaign. It’s not a bad pickup for the Braves to land a depth option who can help now and potentially in future years, though Lopez will be due a raise on his $3.7MM salary this winter, and might be a non-tender candidate if Atlanta wants to trim its list of arbitration-eligibles.
Hearn finds himself on the move for the second time in less than a week, as the Braves just picked up the southpaw on July 24 in another trade that sent cash considerations to the Rangers. Given that Texas had designated Hearn for assignment prior to working out the deal with Atlanta, it is a little curious that the Royals are surrendering Lopez to acquire him now rather than acquiring him at a lower cost shortly after his first DFA. It’s possible this could be a precursor to another move. Hearn’s ability to work as a reliever or a starter could allow him to fill several holes in Kansas City’s pitching staff should the Royals be on the verge of dealing from their rotation or bullpen before Tuesday’s trade deadline. Austin Cox is the only other left-hander in the Royals’ bullpen, so Hearn also fits a more immediate need.
Hearn’s tenure in Atlanta ends after a single ignominious appearance, as he allowed four runs in one-third of an inning in Saturday’s 11-5 win over the Brewers. That gives him a 14.73 ERA in 7 1/3 total innings in 2023 with the Braves and Rangers, though Hearn’s 3.66 ERA in 39 1/3 innings for the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate is far more palatable.
Prior to Saturday, all of Hearn’s previous MLB experience had come with Texas, as he posted a 4.95 ERA over 222 innings from 2019-22 while starting 25 of his 88 games. The lefty’s numbers as a reliever have been much better than his work out of the rotation, so a long relief role might be Hearn’s best option for the future. Hearn doesn’t miss many bats (21.6% career strikeout rate), nor has he been great at limiting free passes, with a 10.5% walk rate over his time in the big leagues.