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Hoops Rumors: The Best Source For NBA Trade Deadline Coverage

By Tim Dierkes | February 7, 2017 at 4:30pm CDT

The NBA trade deadline is just 16 days away, and our sister site Hoops Rumors is on top of all the latest news and rumors for each of the league’s 30 teams.

Will the Carmelo Anthony era come to an end in New York, given the trade rumors surrounding the Knicks star? Will the Sixers clear their logjam at center by trading Jahlil Okafor and/or Nerlens Noel? Will the Magic trade Serge Ibaka less than eight months after acquiring him in a draft-day blockbuster? Is this the year that Danny Ainge and the Celtics finally cash in some of their assets to make a major trade? Bookmark Hoops Rumors today, and follow us on Twitter @hoopsrumors.

Candidates For The Reds’ First MLB Deal Of The Offseason

By Jeff Todd and Steve Adams | December 25, 2016 at 8:40pm CDT

The Reds have been busy on the waiver wire, but quiet elsewhere. Beyond picking which young players upon which to make dice rolls, GM Dick Williams has largely held his hand thus far. That’s not terribly surprising, for a variety of reasons.

The club’s most obvious potential trade chips come with no-trade protection (Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips) or play positions that aren’t in huge demand (Phillips, Zack Cozart). There was never a strong prerogative to deal from among the Reds’ other controllable assets, such as righty Anthony DeSclafani and center fielder Billy Hamilton. At the same time, after spending about two years compiling prospects, the organization has plenty of young players who are ready to compete for major league opportunities in 2017, so there aren’t a lot of needs.

Still, it would be surprising if the team makes it through the winter without striking at least one major-league contract. Cincinnati nearly did so a winter ago, giving MLB deals only to Blake Wood and (in mid-March) Alfredo Simon. While the Yankees actually did manage to avoid handing out a 40-man spot to a free agent in 2015-16, it’s a rarity.

And it isn’t as if the Reds are fully loaded for 2017, particularly if they hope to have an outside chance at turning into a contender. In particular, the bullpen appears ripe for an addition. That’s especially true of the open closer role; while Raisel Iglesias, Michael Lorenzen, or even Tony Cingrani would represent internal options, giving any of those youngsters the opportunity would also mean boosting their expected arbitration earnings. Cincinnati might as well make the investment to add another arm, while utilizing them in set-up roles. Alternatively, or additionally, the Reds could look to add some veteran arms — either swingman types or pure relievers — to provide depth.

So, what are the options should Cincinnati decide to open up one of its prized 40-man roster spots? Let’s run down a few of the remaining bullpen arms that could make sense…

Joe Blanton: After a pair of resurgent seasons split between the Royals, Pirates and Dodgers, it’s very possible that Blanton will be too expensive for Cincinnati’s tastes. He’s posted a 2.65 ERA across his past 165 MLB innings with good control and better than a strikeout per inning. He could find a high-leverage spot on a contending club, though Cincinnati could entice him by offering a ninth-inning role.
Santiago Casilla: If Casilla wants to continue closing, his age and his September meltdown in 2016 might limit his opportunities. However, Cincinnati could offer him that type of opportunity with an eye toward flipping him in July if he performs well. His poor finish aside, Casilla has a 2.42 ERA in 394 2/3 regular-season innings dating back to 2010 and has whiffed better than a batter per inning in each of the past two seasons.
Neftali Feliz: The former AL Rookie of the Year had a resurgent season in the Pirates’ bullpen this past season and could command a high-leverage role with Cincinnati (or another club) if his medicals check out. Feliz ended the season on the shelf but there’s been no word of any arm issues lingering into the offseason. He posted a 3.52 ERA with 61 strikeouts against 20 unintentional walks in 53 2/3 innings this past season.
David Hernandez: Hernandez crashed and burned when given a short leash as Philadelphia’s closer early last season, but he rebounded to pitch quite well over the remainder of the season. The 31-year-old posted a 3.53 ERA and punched out 69 hitters against 28 walks in his final 66 1/3 innings of the 2016 campaign. As a presumably low-cost veteran arm with closing experience, he’d be a nice add to a Cincinnati bullpen that could develop into a trade chip down the line with a good full season.
Greg Holland: Perhaps the highest-upside arm left on the market, Holland could potentially be lured to the Reds with a guarantee of pitching in the ninth inning from day one. Contending clubs may be wary to make such a commitment, but a rebuilding team like the Reds has little to lose. And while Holland may prefer to sign with a contender, he could also sign in Cincinnati with the guarantee of save opportunities and with the understanding that he’d be likely to be flipped to a contender come July if he rediscovered the form he showed from 2011-15 prior to Tommy John surgery (2.15 ERA, 12.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 in 301 innings).
Yusmeiro Petit: The Reds don’t have anyone locked into a multi-inning role, but Petit could be had on an affordable one-year deal and fill that role while also serving as a safety net for an inexperienced rotation. The Nationals didn’t use him much down the stretch in 2016, and he struggled when he did take the hill, but he’s worked to a very solid 3.83 ERA with 8.5 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9 between the rotation and bullpen across the past five seasons (307 2/3 innings).
Sergio Romo: The former Giants closer lost his ninth-inning role to the aforementioned Casilla late in his San Francisco tenure, but he’s been rock solid in terms of bottom-line results virtually every year in the Majors since debuting in 2008. The 33-year-old has only posted an ERA north of 3.00 in two MLB seasons and has a lifetime 2.58 ERA with 10.2 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9 in the Majors. He doesn’t throw hard, but Romo would bring loads of late-inning experience to a Reds team that is lacking in that area.
Joe Smith: Like so many others on this list, Smith comes with some closing experience but has also worked in a setup capacity for a number of years. Set to turn 33 in March, Smith is a ground-ball specialist with a history of limiting the long ball — a trait that’d be appealing to the Reds, who play in a homer-happy home park. A 2.64 ERA over his past 389 MLB innings only adds to the appeal.
Drew Storen: It’s been a stark downward spiral for Storen since the Nationals acquired Jonathan Papelbon in July 2015. Storen was demoted to a setup role, performed poorly, and found himself flipped to the Blue Jays, where his results weren’t any better. A midseason trade to the Mariners in 2016 didn’t improve his results, either. Rough stretch aside, the former No. 10 overall pick has a career 3.31 ERA and posted a 2.91 ERA with solid control and nearly a strikeout per inning from 2011-15. On a short-term deal, the upside for the Reds would be tantalizing.
Shawn Tolleson: In 2015, Tolleson emerged as a surprise closer for the Rangers, saving 35 games and logging a 2.99 ERA in 72 1/3 innings — his second straight year with 70-plus innings and a sub-3.00 ERA. Tolleson imploded in 2016 and saw his strikeout rate plummet while his home-run rate skyrocketed. There are a number of reasons for interested suitors to have skepticism, but the Reds could offer a low-base one-year deal with the promise of a high-leverage role. If Tolleson returns to form, he’d be a summer trade chip at the very least. However, he’s also controllable through 2018, so the Reds could simply enjoy his services for a full year and reassess next winter if he rebounds in 2017.

Quick Hits: Rule 5, Reliever Usage, International Draft

By Jeff Todd | October 19, 2016 at 2:29pm CDT

Yesterday, we took stock of the results of the most recent Rule 5 draft, which resulted in five players sticking with their new organizations by holding a roster spot all year long (and three others staying around by other means). Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper puts those results in context, explaining that it was a fairly typical success rate by historical measure, though the last four years all saw a higher percentage of players kept. He also looks at some of the players who had substantial major league impact in 2016 despite being passed over in the draft last winter. Cooper’s BA colleague Matt Eddy also takes a close look at some of the minute details of Rule 5 eligibility, focusing on the case of Mariners lefty Luiz Gohara — who won’t need to be protected by being added to Seattle’s 40-man roster because he was assigned to the now-defunct Venezuelan Summer League upon signing. Eddy goes on to explain the importance of future Rule 5 eligibility to the international market, where players sign at a much younger age — often forcing tough, early decisions on their organizations.

Here are a few more notes from around the game:

It’s tough to deny that relievers are playing an ever-more notable role in this year’s postseason, as Rob Arthur of FiveThirtyEight and Dave Cameron of Fangraphs explore. Though Arthur notes that the run-scoring gap between the postseason and regular season isn’t much different than usual, Cameron argues that hitters are performing worse than ever thanks to aggressive bullpen usage.
As Arthur suggests in his piece, postseason trends can be reflected in regular seasons that come thereafter. (Of course, as Orioles reliever Zach Britton explains in an interesting chat with Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com, it’s much easier to push high-leverage arms in the postseason because there are more built-in off-days.) In this case, the value of employing a variety of high-octane pen arms might be reflected on a free agent market that offers several top-end relievers. ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden argues, further, that there may be a related impact on free agent starters. Obviously, the weak crop of rotation pieces available this winter will lead to a much lower overall outlay on starters than we saw in the last free agent class. Beyond that, though, Bowden says that a shift northward in relievers’ value, along with improved defensive positioning, will weaken market demand for back-end starters whose primary appeal lies in the ability to gobble up innings.
The looming idea of an international draft has led to many warnings about its possible ramifications, and Latin American “trainers” are among the groups who are most concerned. Ben Badler of Baseball America looked at the subject a few years back. It isn’t a universal viewpoint, Badler noted, but many trainers, agents, and also team personnel have expressed worry that a draft is being negotiated by a union that doesn’t truly represent the young amateur players whose future will be impacted by any decision. Badler’s piece represents a worthwhile look at some of the viewpoints of people who live and work in the areas that will be directly impacted by any changes to the system, focusing on the trainers who exercise significant influence over players who seek opportunities with major league organizations.

Follow @pfrumors For The Latest NFL News This Weekend

By Zachary Links | September 3, 2016 at 9:54am CDT

This weekend is absolute madness in the NFL world. By 3pm CT today, all 32 teams will have cut their rosters down from 75 to 53, meaning that more than 700 transactions will take place. Luckily, you can keep up with every cut and every trade by following @pfrumors on Twitter and staying tuned to ProFootballRumors.com.

The day is already off to a huge start with the Vikings’ acquisition of Sam Bradford from the Eagles. On Friday, the Titans’ new regime cleaned house, getting rid of notables like wide receiver Justin Hunter, versatile athlete Dexter McCluster, and running backs David Cobb and Bishop Sankey. In San Francisco, Colin Kaepernick is making headlines for unexpected reasons, but it sounds like the Niners are leaning towards keeping him on the roster. In non-deadline news, Patriots defensive lineman Rob Ninkovich was slapped with a four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on banned substances.

There will be a dizzying amount of news today concerning your favorite team. In fact, we often see big names get cut on deadline day, and some moves can even impact your fantasy team. Don’t miss on a single piece of news – follow @pfrumors on Twitter today!

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Submit Your MLBTR Mailbag Questions

By Jeff Todd | August 30, 2016 at 11:04am CDT

With August nearing an end, it’s last call for teams to add players from outside their organizations who’ll be eligible to play in the postseason. It’s also time we put in a call for another mailbag. Submit your questions via email to mlbtrmailbag@gmail.com.

Wondering about final roster tweaks? Questions about arbitration decisions that are right around the corner? Have thoughts on how the free agent market might be shaping up? Send ’em our way!

2017 Vesting Options Update

By Jeff Todd | August 23, 2016 at 1:59pm CDT

It has been a while since we checked in on the 2017 vesting options that will be decided by the 2016 stat sheets. With all quiet elsewhere, it seemed like an opportune time for an update:

Coco Crisp ($13MM option vests at 550 plate appearances or 130 games played in 2016): It has been an up and down year for the veteran, who currently owns an adequate but ultimately just-below-average .235/.301/.406 batting line on the year. He has reached 420 plate appearances in 98 games, so it would take something approaching everyday playing time for the option to vest. Crisp recently accused the A’s of tamping down his playing time to avoid just that possibility. From an outside perspective, it does seem that there are legitimate reasons unrelated to the vesting clause to justify less-than-regular action for Crisp — he hasn’t played all that well and the team reasonably hopes to see younger players in action — though the A’s undoubtedly have that consideration in mind as well. Regardless of the precise reason, it’s all but inconceivable to think that Oakland will allow that stack of cash to become guaranteed.
Matt Holliday ($17MM option vests with Top 10 finish in MVP voting): This one was always a longshot to vest, and it became increasingly apparent over the year that Holliday was posting a solid — but hardly MVP worthy — campaign. Still, his recent injury put the final nail in the coffin for all but theoretical chances at landing inside the top ten. Accordingly, the Cards will face a difficult decision on the veteran outfielder, who is still an above-average hitter but has shown signs of decline.
Chris Iannetta ($6MM option vests with 100 games started in 2016): Iannetta’s option was trending strongly towards vesting when we last looked, but things have changed with the re-emergence of Mike Zunino in Seattle. Iannetta would need to start 22 games to pick up the $6MM guarantee, but he has only appeared in seven contests thus far in the month of August. Iannetta has also seen his production drop; he currently owns a .218/.310/.343 batting line. Whether or not Seattle has any interest in picking up that tab remains to be seen, but it probably won’t make it to the club’s books by operation of the vesting provision.
Yusmeiro Petit ($3MM option vests with 80 innings pitched in 2016): The likeliest path to this option vesting was for a need to arise to utilize Petit as a temporary rotation piece. While he has made one spot start and some other lengthy appearances, though, Petit has only compiled 55 frames to date — making it quite unlikely that the clause will vest. (Realistically, it would probably take multiple rotation injuries.) That being said, he has done everything the Nats hoped he would, carrying a 3.27 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9, and still seems rather likely to have the option exercised regardless.
CC Sabathia ($25MM option vests if he does not end season on DL with shoulder injury or miss 45+ games in 2016 due to shoulder injury): Sabathia’s season has taken a turn for the worst since the last time we checked in about two months ago. His results are looking more like those of disappointing recent years than the bounceback first half. But Sabathia has still shown no signs of shoulder problems, so with less than 45 days left to go on the season, it doesn’t seem there’s any way for the Yanks to get out from under this big tab.
Kurt Suzuki ($6MM option vests with 485 plate appearances in 2016): The 32-year-old has 303 plate appearances of league-average offensive production, which bodes reasonably well for his free agent case but doesn’t set him up for another year in Minnesota by way of the vesting clause. It is all but official: Suzuki is headed to the open market.

As noted in the original update, both Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn had vesting options for the 2017 season as well, but those options were negated when each was released from the four-year contracts they initially signed with the Indians.

Submit Your MLBTR Mailbag Questions

By Jeff Todd | August 16, 2016 at 6:25pm CDT

The August trade market is as tricky to navigate for observers as it is for teams, so we thought now would be an opportune time to re-start the MLBTR mailbag. You can submit your questions about team needs, possible trade targets, and even the offseason to come by shooting an email to mlbtrmailbag@gmail.com.

While we can’t get to all the inquiries that we receive, rest assured we read them all and do our best to answer those of greatest interest. We’ll run our responses tomorrow, and you can keep a look out on Mondays for future iterations of the mailbag.

Pirates News & Rumors: Happ, Huntington, McCutchen

By Mark Polishuk | August 7, 2016 at 10:22pm CDT

Here’s the latest from the Steel City…

While J.A. Happ is enjoying a strong season with the Blue Jays, Pirates GM Neal Huntington (via Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) didn’t express too much regret over not re-signing the southpaw after his turnaround performance in Pittsburgh. “We wanted to re-sign J.A. We weren’t able to meet the financial asks, or chose not to. Toronto was aggressive and came and got him,” Huntington said. While noting that “hindsight always gives you the opportunity to wish you had done something differently,” Huntington also mentioned that Happ is still not even a full season through the first year of the three-year deal, so it could be too early to judge the signing.
Huntington also told reporters (including MLB.com’s Adam Berry) that the Pirates are actively scouring the waiver wire for possible additions, though he cited the inherent difficulties of landing players through the unpredictable August waivers process. Some of the salary saved in the Francisco Liriano trade could help the Bucs make claims on pricier players, Huntington said, whether it’s to actually obtain the players themselves or simply block them from going to rival teams.
If the Pirates were willing to sell low on Liriano just to get his contract off the books, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wonder if the club would consider the same with Andrew McCutchen this winter. The former NL MVP is owed $14MM in 2017, and the Bucs have a $14.5MM club option ($1MM buyout) on his services for 2018. McCutchen’s contract has long considered one of the game’s most team-friendly deals given how the outfielder emerged as a superstar after signing the extension, so while it seems wild to now consider it a financial burden, McCutchen is suffering through the worst season of his career, hitting just .241/.314/.404 with 15 homers through 443 PA. Despite these struggles, you would figure that the modest contractual commitment, McCutchen’s relative youth (he’s 29) and excellent track record would still figure to make him a sought-after trade chip if Pittsburgh indeed made him available. Highly-touted prospect Austin Meadows is also waiting in the wings for the Pirates as a possible outfield replacement.

Updated MLB Depth Charts At Roster Resource

By Jason Martinez | July 31, 2016 at 7:54pm CDT

Whether you need to refer to the current state of a team’s roster or farm system in the midst of an interesting trade rumor or want to have a look at an updated lineup projection immediately after a roster move is announced, Roster Resource has got you covered.

Now under the Trade Rumors umbrella, Roster Resource has a number of great improvements planned for the near future that will make your browsing experience even better. At this time, we offer up-to-the-minute rosters and depth charts with a ton of additional information to help give you a solid understanding of each organization.

Below, I’ve linked to depth charts for each of the 30 teams — with all of the recent trades and other transactions reflected — along with links to some other useful features to check out as the deadline draws near.

MLB Team Info Tracker (40-man roster counts, “how acquired” breakdown, projected payroll)
MLB Team Info Pages (Team Payroll, Service Time, etc.)
MLB Transaction Tracker (official roster moves and future expected moves)
MLB Injury Report (DL’d players, retroactive date, rehab assignments, injury updates)

Trade Market For Relievers

By Jason Martinez and Jeff Todd | July 29, 2016 at 8:35pm CDT

Pitching is the priority for most contenders. Starting pitchers, however, are costly and there aren’t many good ones available right now unless a team has and is willing to trade away an elite prospect or possibly even two.

The alternative is to trade for a reliable reliever or two, which could help a team who isn’t getting enough quality innings out of their starting pitchers. As the Royals have proven, you don’t need six or seven innings from your starting pitchers to succeed as long as your bullpen can pick up the slack. Three dominant relievers to cover the 7th, 8th and 9th innings helped in their case, but they also had several others who made a strong contribution to the team’s success.

This is the time for a contender to assess how much help their bullpen needs and ensure that they’re stocked up for the stretch run. Here are some relievers who are likely available on the trade market.

Premium Relief Arms

Andrew Miller (Yankees), Wade Davis (Royals), Mark Melancon (Pirates), David Robertson (White Sox), Alex Colome (Rays), Arodys Vizcaino (Braves), Jeremy Jeffress & Will Smith (Brewers)

Miller and Davis represent the top of the class, but much like the many controllable starters we’ve heard so much about, it’s not clear that either is available for anything less than a true haul. The Yankees already dealt away Aroldis Chapman, and have seemingly put an immense price tag on Miller, who is now unquestionably one of the very best relievers in baseball. The same can be said of Davis, though he hasn’t been quite as excellent this year as last and has one less season of control on his contract, which runs out after 2017.
There were rumblings before the year that the Bucs could look to swap out Melancon and his $9.65MM salary. The cash probably isn’t a major concern at this point, but the Pirates are in a somewhat difficult position for contention and have reportedly considered a deal for a pending free agent. Melancon is still trucking along with a 1.51 ERA and 8.2 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9, all within range of the new standard he set for himself beginning in 2013. Since Pittsburgh is still a plausible post-season threat, it seems that the team would be looking for a somewhat unique scenario — the ask is for a solid set-up arm to plug onto the MLB roster as well as a prospect haul to make up the difference in value and bolster the organization’s future.
Robertson is having a fine season and is surely a late-inning upgrade for some contenders. But he’s still due close to $30MM through the 2018 season and he’s just not the same pitcher he was when he signed his current deal with the White Sox. If the Sox were willing to take on some of Robertson’s remaining salary, however, they could well generate a solid return — especially if the names just listed prove too expensive to change hands.
If the Rays are willing to trade away one of their controllable starting pitchers, as the rumors indicate, then they’d certainly trade All-Star closer Colome. Even with four years left of club control remaining after 2016, Colome won’t have as much value to the Rays until they’re ready to contend again. Still, the price will be high for the 27-year-old and the Rays won’t be motivated to move him unless they’re blown away with an offer.
Jeffress and Vizcaino are in the same boat as Colome with their respective teams. Young, controllable and talented closers with teams that aren’t competitive now and might not be for at least a couple more years. The price is high, but these guys are definitely available. The question with Jeffress is whether another team will value his groundball-driven approach as highly as do the Brewers. As for Vizcaino, some recent stumbles and a DL stint have significantly reduced the likelihood he’s dealt.
That leaves Smith, who missed a big chunk of time earlier this year and has been more solid than great since returning. The 27-year-old southpaw owns a 3.60 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 over twenty innings, representing a drop-off from the 3.79 K/BB ratio he ran up a season ago. With three remaining seasons of arbitration eligibility, Milwaukee may choose to see if he can build up value over the next several months before exploring a deal in earnest.

Click to read below for the rental relievers and other pen arms with future control:

Pure Rentals

Righties Joe Smith (Angels), Daniel Hudson (Diamondbacks), David Hernandez (Phillies), Jim Johnson (Braves), Ross Ohlendorf (Reds)

The 32-year-old Smith isn’t nearly as effective as he once was, but he’s a pending free agent and one of the Halos’ few obvious trade pieces. Smith’s K rate has fallen off a cliff, but he still gets groundballs and has turned in seven appearances running without allowing a run (or recording a single strikeout or walk).
Hudson’s chief appeal at this point is velocity, as he continues to run up a consistent mid-nineties heater. But the results haven’t been there (6.08 ERA with 7.5 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9 over 37 frames) after a solid bounceback 2015 following years of arm troubles. Hudson is an obvious trade piece as a soon-to-be free agent for a disappointing D-Backs club that will probably just need to get what it can for him.
There was a point earlier in the year where Hernandez was looking like he might be a nice trade piece for the Phils, but he has come back down to earth as the season has gone on. Over 47 1/3 innings, he owns a 4.37 ERA that largely mirrors his career results. The double-digit strikeouts per nine is appealing, as is a fastball that sits around 94 mph, but Philadelphia won’t expect a ton in return.
Johnson may or may not be traded within minutes of this post going live. He’s not producing like the closer of yore, and his fastball velocity continues a slow decline, but he’s still generating a 56.4% groundball rate.
Though he’s over-extended in his current late-inning role in Cincinnati, Ohlendorf is recording more than a strikeout per nine, bringing a mid-90s fastball, and carryig a usable 4.27 ERA in 46 1/3 innings. Plus, given his history as a starter, teams could conceivably use Ohlendorf for multiple innings if needed.

Lefties Boone Logan (Rockies), Marc Rzepczynski (Athletics), Eric O’Flaherty (Braves)

Logan looks to be the prime rental LOOGY on the market, with a rather remarkable 17.0% swinging strike rate and — finally — the results to match. Those numbers have been mostly achieved against same-handed hitters, as Logan has nibbled against righties and put on too many via the walk, but he could be a nice weapon down the stretch.
At thirty years of age, “Scrabble” (that’s Rzepczynski) carries a 3.19 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9. He has always been deployed mostly against lefties, but has actually been better against right-handed hitting thus far in 2016.
O’Flaherty has posted some of the game’s ugliest earned-run marks over the last two years, but ERA estimators think he’s been much better this season. Over 22 2/3 innings, he has struck out 6.8 and walked 2.0 batters per nine with a 53.8% groundball rate, with a .355 BABIP and 55.2% strand rate telling heavily in his results.

Future Control

Righties Jeanmar Gomez (Phillies), Huston Street (Angels), Tyler Clippard (Diamondbacks), Brandon Kintzler (Twins), Tyler Thornburg (Brewers), Erasmo Ramirez & Brad Boxberger (Rays), Ryan Madson (Athletics), Brandon Maurer (Padres), Blake Wood (Reds)

It’s unlikely that any contending team would view Gomez as their closer. As effective as he’s been for the Phillies, he has a 5.6 K/9 and throws his fastball in the low 90’s. Not exactly the prototypical late-inning reliever. There should be solid interest, though reports suggest Philadelphia isn’t terribly interested in moving Gomez with another year of control remaining.
Street has been injury-prone the past few years and hasn’t been very good in 2016. With a 4.79 ERA, 11 walks and 11 strikeouts in 20.2 innings, it’s doubtful that there will be a ton of interest even if the Angels were to keep a majority of the estimated $13MM remaining on his contract. In all likelihood, he’ll be kept in hopes of a turnaround.
Clippard may have hit a wall at 31 years of age after years of heavy usage. He’s striking out batters right at his career-peak rate of around 11 per nine, but he’s giving up more line drives and less lazy flyballs than he used to, leading to a dramatic rise in the batting average on balls in play against him. He’s available, but is also expensive with a $6.15MM salary on the books for 2017.
In a down year for the Twins, Kintzler has been a nice surprise. He is outperforming his peripherals with a 1.99 ERA, and doesn’t get many strikeouts, but he also basically doesn’t walk anyone and draws a ton of worm-burners (63.6% groundball rate). Kintzler will be entering his last year of arbitration at an appealing price tag, so he’s a solid piece.
Thornburg has worked his way into the elite class of setup men and appears destined to be a closer in the near future. With three years left of club control, that opportunity will probably come with the Brewers once they trade Jeffress. But you also can’t rule out a team being more aggressive to acquire Thornburg, who has a 2.21 ERA, 18 holds and a 12.6 K/9 in his 42 appearances.
The Rays have already drawn calls on Ramirez, who offers a swingman option and three years of cheap future control. He’s carrying a 3.90 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9, all right at his career numbers. It’s quite a different situation for Boxberger, who has missed almost all of the season with arm issues but was just activated from the DL. The 28-year-old offers plenty of upside with his typically high whiff rate and three years of arb years to come, but he’s a big injury risk and we haven’t really heard him mentioned as a trade candidate.
Madson was great in a setup role with the Royals in 2015, but has struggled as the A’s closer this season. If a team thought he’d be more effective once moved back into a setup role, they’d better be very confident about it because he’d be one of the highest paid setup men in the game. He’s due close to $20MM through the 2018 season.
Long an intriguing arm, Maurer has shown new life and recently took over the closer’s role in San Diego. If you look behind his 4.59 ERA, you’ll see a useful 10.5 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 in 49 innings. Better still, his velocity is moving in the right direction. Maurer comes with three arb-eligible years.
Though he isn’t drawing any headlines, Wood has checked in with a 3.42 ERA over 47 1/3 innings. Thing is, he’s also coughing up 5.3 free passes per nine, which makes his 8.6 K/9 mark decidedly less appealing than it would be in isolation.

Lefties Fernando Abad (Twins), Zach Duke (White Sox), Jake McGee (Rockies), Xavier Cedeno (Rays), Ryan Buchter & Brad Hand (Padres), Ian Krol & Hunter Cervenka (Braves), Tony Cingrani (Reds)

Abad is one of the prime trade pieces on this market, though Minnesota doesn’t have to deal him with another year of cheap control left to go. The 30-year-old carries a 2.53 ERA on the year, though his once sparkling peripherals have fallen off a bit (7.9 K/9 vs. 3.9 BB/9).
Though Duke isn’t cheap — he’s earning $5MM this year and $5.5MM next — he should hold solid appeal. Since his reinvention began in 2014, he’s running a 2.88 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9. While he struggled against righties last year, moreover, the former starter has returned to posting neutral platoon splits this season.
It’s been a struggle for McGee since he arrived in Colorado, with notable declines in virtually every area. In particular, he is striking out about half as many hitters he did last year (with a career-low 7.8% swinging strike rate) and has lost a tick on his already-diminished fastball. With a $4.8MM salary for 2016 and a raise coming, he’s nothing close to the asset he once was.
With arbitration beckoning, the 29-year-old Cedeno could become a trade piece for the Rays. He hasn’t been quite as good in the results department this year as he was last, but Cedeno is still putting up a 3.62 ERA with impressive peripherals — 8.9 K/9 with 2.5 BB/9. He has allowed less than a hit per inning and just one home run. Cedeno has to have the game’s best 88 mph heater; he’s racked up about a 14% whiff rate over the last two campaigns while relying heavily on his cutter, mixed in oft-changing ratios with a hook.
Buchter has been a revelation since getting a chance with the Friars, but with gobs of control remaining he won’t come cheap. Hand, meanwhile, has long been a useful swingman, but he has been a different pitcher since changing homes. Over 55 1/3 innings, he’s running up a 3.09 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 — both of which are much higher than he has typically shown. Hand has relied more on his two-seamer and, especially, his curve while largely dropping his change, with generally promising results.
With arbitration beckoning, the 25-year-old Krol has impressed. He’s sitting with a 3.14 ERA and 10.1 K/9 vs. 3.1 BB/9 to go with a 51.3% groundball rate over 28 2/3 frames. Teams will still be wary of the track record — control has long been fleeting — but Krol is sitting at a career-best 94.0 mph with his average fastball, carries a double-digit whiff rate, and has managed to get his first pitch over for a strike much more frequently than he has in the past. Cervenka is actually a year older than Krol, but only just debuted. His double-digit punches per nine is impressive but he’s also walking more than five batters per regulation game. Brandishing a slider in over half of his pitches, Cervenka has permitted just 20 hits in 31 1/3 innings and owns a 2.87 ERA. With a full slate of control remaining, though, Atlanta has little reason to deal him — and teams probably won’t pay much of a premium in hopes of slotting him into their pen down the stretch given the risks.
Though he has a 3.20 ERA on the year and a solid prospect pedigree behind him, Cingrani has recorded just 6.4 K/9 against 4.6 BB/9 in his 45 innings on the year. His results are propped up by a .238 BABIP, though it’s fair to note that Cingrani is not permitting a ton of hard contact or line drives. He’s also pushing 94 mph with his average fastball, well above his velo as a starter; that’s particularly important since he uses the pitch over 80% of the time. Cingrani will reach arb eligibility after the year, and the budget-conscious Reds could see this as a reasonable time to try to cash him in — if another organization has interest.

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