- One source for a quality reliever could be the White Sox, who still have closer David Robertson under contract for two more years. There’s a “real possibility” he could be moved, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports on Twitter. The Nationals, Rangers, and division-rival Indians are among the rival organizations who have some interest. While Robertson is carrying an uncharacteristic 4.35 ERA on the year, driven in large part by a huge spike in his walk totals and a barrage of home runs, he’s still getting swings and misses on 11.9% of his pitches and working with his typical 92 to 93 mph fastball. Robertson is working in the zone as much as usual, and has tamed the control problems in the month of July. Plus, much of the damage has been limited to a few bad outings — Robertson has only allowed earned runs in eight of his forty outings on the season.
Nationals Rumors
Latest On Jonathan Lucroy Sweepstakes
10:54pm: The Rangers could view a strike for Lucroy as a way to improve their pitching, given his highly-regarded work behind the plate, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. With Texas finding high asking prices on the pitching market, the report suggests, the club could make a move for a group of Milwaukee pieces that might include Lucroy, a quality reliever, and possibly even a starter.
3:41pm: There’s a mystery team involved on Lucroy, tweets Jon Heyman of Fan Rag, and it isn’t the Red Sox or the Mariners. Those two clubs would certainly have been among the plausible suitors for the veteran.
2:49pm: The Braves have inquired on Lucroy, according to Rosenthal (via Twitter). At present, though, it doesn’t appear as if the sides are likely to strike a deal. Atlanta’s interest is limited, it seems, because it would need to extend the veteran receiver in order to justify trading him.
The teams is “wary of paying twice” — first in the swap, then in a hypothetical extension — though certainly that’s the price of poker when just a fact of life for a club that would competing with teams that have a much higher present need for a top-quality backstop. It’s no sure thing, either, that Lucroy himself would agree to a new contract.
12:29pm: Yesterday, Milwaukee asked teams with interest to make offers of a certain “minimum standard,” Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). It’s not entirely clear whether the request was for best and final offers, but Rosenthal adds that discussions are still taking place.
Among several teams to put their chips on the table are the Mets, per the report. With the Brewers still evaluating their options, multiple teams remain in the hunt.
11:27am: Jonathan Lucroy is one of the most talked-about names on the trade market right now, and ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick adds some context to the complications in working out a deal, reporting the eight teams to which Lucroy can block a trade (Twitter link). Lucroy can block trades to the Twins, Angels, Athletics, Padres, Mariners, Nationals and, most interestingly, the Indians and Tigers. Both of the two latter teams have been connected to Lucroy in trade rumors this week, though both Crasnick and his colleague Jayson Stark were told this morning that the Tigers are no longer in the picture (links to Twitter).
Cleveland’s presence on Lucroy’s no-trade list certainly doesn’t preclude a deal from happening — Lucroy has candidly stated to the media that he wants to play for a contending team on multiple occasions in the past six months — but it does further complicate matters for the Indians. While Lucroy’s postseason aspirations could make him willing, to some extent, to waive his no-trade rights, he could also wield that clause as leverage in an attempt to coerce the Indians into an extension or, at the very least, restructuring his contract to give him a raise on next year’s wildly affordable $5.25MM salary.
The Indians are said to be discussing Lucroy and left-hander Will Smith with the Brewers, but they face competition even if the Tigers and Astros are out of the market, as has been reported recently. The Rangers, Red Sox and Mets — none of whom are on his no-trade list — have all still been linked to Lucroy, and a premium player of his value figures to draw widespread interest. (Indeed, FanRag’s Jon Heyman last night again mentioned a mystery team in the mix.) The Mets were said to offer a package centered around Travis d’Arnaud, which was quickly dismissed, but FOX’s Ken Rosenthal reported last night that the two side “re-engaged” on trade talks. ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin adds a bit more detail to that story this morning, reporting that the Brewers circled back with the Mets and proposed a counter-offer that “was not out-of-hand rejected.” The Mets, he notes, have no intention of dealing either shortstop prospect Amed Rosario or first base prospect Dominic Smith, though.
Dodgers Among Teams In Talks On Jay Bruce; Yasiel Puig May Be Involved
8:31pm: Morosi says the Rays are still a player; he tweets that the team could end up shipping out two starters, one to each of the two other teams.
It seems that the reason for the involvement of a third team is that Cinci prefers position-player prospects, per Heyman (via Twitter), while the Dodgers are somewhat more inclined to deal arms. Of course, an earlier report suggested that the Rays’ role could involve sending a pitcher to the Reds, so the entire situation still seems in flux at present.
8:08pm: Tampa Bay is actually not involved in any Dodgers-Reds scenarios, Stark tweets.
7:36pm: The Rays appear to be the potential third team, per a Morosi tweet. Tampa Bay has been chatting with Los Angeles about scenarios that “could link up” with the talks between the Reds and Dodgers.
7:23pm: Talks between the Reds and Dodgers involving Bruce and Puig “didn’t materialize,” according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). He adds, though, that there are other trade scenarios still being tossed around between the clubs.
6:59pm: Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig could be in play in the talks regarding Bruce, Stark tweets. He’d presumably be pushed out of a regular role if a significant corner outfielder is added, and Stark says that L.A. has been trying to move him in proposals with other teams.
6:24pm: The Reds and Dodgers could be putting together another three-team arrangement after joining up for such a deal over the winter, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com tweets. Details — including the would-be facilitator — remain unclear, but Bruce would end up in Los Angeles if it comes to fruition.
5:46pm: The Dodgers remain in the hunt for Bruce, with MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon tweeting that there’s dialogue between the clubs and Jon Heyman of Fan Rag adding (via Twitter) that he has heard the same. Los Angeles isn’t keen on the idea of giving up much in the way of prospects to make a deal, though, per C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).
Heyman also lists the Nationals, Orioles, Mariners, and Mets as teams with ongoing interest — many of whom have been tied to Bruce in recent days (if not for longer). Despite the report below suggesting that Seattle had left the Bruce market, Heyman’s report adds to another suggesting that he’s still in play. And while the Giants were also said to be out on Bruce, Nightengale tweets that they are still holding talks — even with Hunter Pence now set to return from the DL.
5:28pm: Two new entrants in the market have ratcheted up the bidding on Bruce, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link). The pair of mystery teams has been “aggressive,” per the report.
It remains somewhat difficult to guess where exactly the most focused interest could come from. Bruce, after all, would be a flexible addition for most AL contenders and could also fit with an NL team that is looking to add pop and has favorable scouting reports on his glove in right. With an added year of team control through an affordable-enough option, there’s also some future value — and the possibility of an offseason deal to return something different if Bruce isn’t needed past the present season in his new home.
2:16pm: The Mets are among the clubs that have spoken with the Reds about outfielder Jay Bruce, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (via Twitter). Among the other teams in dialogue with Cincinnati are the Dodgers, Nationals, and Orioles, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick adds on Twitter.
New York’s level of interest isn’t too great at the moment, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). And Crasnick adds that the Nats and O’s appear to have their sights set on other areas at present. Likewise, we’ve heard that the Dodgers have engaged on a number of other possibilities, including Josh Reddick.
Two other potential suitors — the Giants and Mariners — “appear to be out,” according to Crasnick. With Seattle and San Francisco apparently no longer in pursuit, and none of the teams listed above appearing to represent aggressive pursuers, it’s not hard to see why Cincinnati president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty expressed frustration yesterday over the response that Bruce has drawn on the market.
Bruce has put up quite a nice season after two straight duds. And he comes with control rights for 2017; though his $13MM option isn’t cheap, it looks more appealing than committing a similar annual amount for a longer term to an alternative on the free agent market this winter.
It has seemed at various times that Bruce’s big power numbers, added year of control, and eminent availability would make him a desirable and quite likely trade candidate. But Jocketty suggested a deal isn’t inevitable for a player that the Reds value quite highly.
Nationals, Multiple Others Inquiring On Mark Melancon
2:33pm: The Indians and Giants are among the other club showing interest, per Rosenthal (Twitter links). Pittsburgh is willing to consider proposals that include not only prospect value, but also a current major league reliever that would provide a solid set-up option for Pittsburgh.
11:07am: The Nationals and multiple other clubs are inquiring with the Pirates on closer Mark Melancon, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Washington is known to be in pursuit of a late-inning relief arm, particularly in the wake of Jonathan Papelbon’s recent implosion (seven earned in his past three appearances, spanning one inning).
Melancon, 31, is earning $9.6MM in his final year before hitting the open market. A three-time All-Star with the Pirates, he’s sporting a stellar 1.51 ERA in 41 2/3 innings this season, averaging 8.2 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 to complement a 48.2 percent ground-ball rate. The notion of Pittsburgh trading its closer may sound counter-intuitive at first, but there’s some logic behind the thinking, as I discussed earlier this week with Josh Taylor of TribLive Radio in Pittsburgh (audio link). The budget-conscious Pirates may be wary of extending a qualifying offer to Melancon in an offseason where he’ll be heading into his age-32 campaign and face competition from the likes of Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen on the free-agent market. Beyond that, the thought of losing Melancon for nothing certainly can’t be an appealing one to Pittsburgh GM Neal Huntington and his staff, so it makes sense for bullpen-hungry clubs to at least see if the Bucs are willing to consider the possibility.
Then again, there is not yet any indication as to how willing the Pirates are to actually part with Melancon. The team does possess an excellent setup man in Tony Watson and a bevy of young arms that could conceivably shift to the bullpen late in the season in order to limit their rising innings totals, but subtracting Melancon from the bullpen would weaken the club to some degree as it looks to secure a Wild Card playoff spot. Rosenthal does say that the Nats are talking to the Pirates, so Huntington is seemingly at least willing to listen, though most GMs will approach the trade deadline with an open mindset.
If made available, Melancon would presumably draw interest from the same collection of teams that have demonstrated interest in Royals closer Wade Davis and Yankees closer Andrew Miller. In addition to the Nationals, we’ve seen the Dodgers, Cardinals, Indians, Rangers and Giants linked to top-tier bullpen help over the course of the week (though Cleveland, it seems, is more focused on a lefty, and an intra-division trade to the Cardinals is of course unlikely).
Latest On Andrew Miller
1:15pm: A straight-up swap of Giolito wouldn’t be enough to get the Yankees to budge on Miller, Heyman tweets.
12:53pm: We’ve long heard about the Nationals’ interest in Yankees ace reliever Andrew Miller, but it has never quite been clear what the team would be willing to do to make that happen. Per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi, via Twitter, “sources who have spoken with the [Nationals] believe” they’d do a one-for-one swap of Miller for top pitching prospect Lucas Giolito.
That language certainly still leaves a bit of wiggle room, and it’s not clear that a firm offer has been proposed. There’s no question, though, that the towering righty would represent a tantalizing offer for New York — if he is in fact being placed on the table.
New York is looking for a massive return for its star lefty, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports (Twitter links). The club is said to want three times the total value it achieved in its trade of Aroldis Chapman, who netted one very good prospect in Gleyber Torres along with three other pieces with real value. While Chapman is a pure rental piece, Miller comes with two added years of club control at a reasonable (though not cheap) price tag of $9MM annually. Heyman also notes that it still seems unlikely he’ll change hands, though perhaps New York is open to being blown away by an offer.
Joining the Nats with ongoing interest in Miller are the Cardinals, Indians, Rangers, and Giants, according to Heyman. Certainly, all of those clubs could put together appealing packages, though none has a rotation prospect that quite reaches Giolito’s standing — with the Cards’ Alex Reyes being the closest thing (though, to be clear, we’ve heard no indication to this point that he could be had). Texas also has some premium assets that it could dangle, though they land mostly on the position-player side. And it’s far from clear whether those teams’ best pieces are on offer for Miller.
If Giolito is, in fact, available, it would seem to make the Nats a favorite to acquire Miller. Giolito is widely regarded as one of the game’s truly premier starting pitching prospects, and he has already reached the majors for D.C. Truth be told, he would represent a rather stunning return, even for a reliever of Miller’s undeniable excellence.
The Nats were said not to be willing to give up Giolito, or even some lesser prospects, in a deal for Chapman. But there’s obviously good reason to cough up more assets for the controllable Miller, and the team has a deep stock of appealing young arms. Plus, Washington’s need for a premium late-inning pen piece only continues to grow, with incumbent closer Jonathan Papelbon struggling more than ever.
Kilgore: Nationals Should Be Willing To Deal Prospects For Upgrades
- After missing on Aroldis Chapman, the Nationals should only step up their efforts to upgrade, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post opines. While GM Mike Rizzo has undeniably been a shrewd dealmaker, he and the organization have largely resisted major in-season additions, and Kilgore says that this is not the year to be stingy with prospects. Washington has been tied mostly to relief targets, and finding a big-time late-inning arm surely remains a priority. That said, things still seem rather wide open for the Nats, who aren’t overrun with needs but seem interested in a big addition. After all, the club even reportedly asked the Blue Jays whether star outfielder Jose Bautista might be available, per Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post (Twitter link).
Details On Nats' Failed Pursuit Of Chapman
- The Nationals turned down proposals centered around both Lucas Giolito and Joe Ross when negotiating with the Yankees about Aroldis Chapman. From there, the Yankees shifted to younger players and asked for a four-prospect package centered around pitching — though it’s not clear just who New York was targeting. Washington never got close on a Chapman trade despite quite a bit of talk with the Yankees, per Heyman.
[SOURCE LINK]
Nats Ramping Up Pursuit Of Bullpen Arm
- The walk-off loss suffered by the Nationals last night following a blown save from Jonathan Papelbon has only intensified their pursuit of a dynamic late-inning relief arm, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB.com. Washington has been tied to a number of bullpen arms as of late, including Davis, Andrew Miller and David Robertson. FOX’s Ken Rosenthal writes that the Nats considered Joe Ross, Lucas Giolito, Trea Turner, Reynaldo Lopez and Victor Robles untouchable in Chapman talks, so one can imagine that they’d be reluctant to part with any of those names in other trade talks (though Miller’s two years of control beyond 2016 might at least make such an idea more palatable).
- The walk-off loss suffered by the Nationals last night following a blown save from Jonathan Papelbon has only intensified their pursuit of a dynamic late-inning relief arm, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB.com. Washington has been tied to a number of bullpen arms as of late, including Davis, Andrew Miller and David Robertson. FOX’s Ken Rosenthal writes that the Nats considered Joe Ross, Lucas Giolito, Trea Turner, Reynaldo Lopez and Victor Robles untouchable in Chapman talks, so one can imagine that they’d be reluctant to part with any of those names in other trade talks (though Miller’s two years of control beyond 2016 might at least make such an idea more palatable).
- ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets that given the high asking price for impact relievers and the desire of clubs like the Nationals and Giants to acquire such an arm, it makes sense for the Pirates to listen to offers on Mark Melancon. Left-hander Tony Watson could step into the ninth inning in his stead, and Melancon would be a highly sought-after commodity that could bring back a significant return for the Bucs. Earlier this morning, I discussed that very possibility with Josh Taylor of TribLive Radio in Pittsburgh (link), suggesting that the Pirates have the pitching depth to absorb the loss and could recoup greater value right now than through a potential qualifying offer, which seems unlikely from the budget-conscious Pirates anyhow. There’s yet to be any concrete word that Pittsburgh will market its closer, however.
Nationals Sign Justin De Fratus
- Righty Justin De Fratus signed a minor league deal with the Nationals after being released by the Rangers. Now 28, De Fratus was a source of quality innings for the Phillies not long ago. Entering the 2015 season, he had thrown 114 major league innings of 3.08 ERA pitching with 8.1 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9. Things went south from there, however, as De Fratus scuffled to a 5.51 ERA in his ensuing campaign and hasn’t seen the majors since. He had not shown well since moving from the Mariners’ to the Rangers’ top affiliate, walking more batters than he struck out over 9 1/3 innings.
[SOURCE LINK]
Latest On Nationals’ Search For Late-Inning Reliever
The Nationals were in the mix for Aroldis Chapman right up until the end of the Yankees’ negotiations with the Cubs, reports ESPN’s Jayson Stark, and general manager Mike Rizzo and his staff are still on the hunt for a relief ace that could anchor the back of the bullpen and provide an upgrade over Jonathan Papelbon. Citing rival clubs that have spoken with the Nationals, Stark reports that Andrew Miller, Wade Davis and David Robertson are all on the radar for the Nats.
The asking price on Miller and Davis is said to be otherworldly, of course, as evidenced by a recent report from Yahoo’s Jeff Passan which stated that the Royals kicked around Lucas Giolito’s name when internally discussing the notion of trading Davis. Beyond that, Stark reported yesterday that the package sent from the Cubs to the Yankees in exchange for Chapman — Gleyber Torres, Adam Warren, Billy McKinney and Rashad Crawford — wouldn’t have pried Davis away from Kansas City. The price on Miller, as has been the case since discussions about potentially trading him surfaced back in May, is exceptionally high. The Yankees were said to be fixated on Kyle Schwarber in talks pertaining to Miller, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports again emphasizes that the Yankees would want MLB-ready talent from the Nationals in exchange for Miller, suggesting that names like Giolito and Joe Ross could surface in talks.
According to Stark, the Nationals aren’t willing to part with Giolito, Trea Turner or Reynaldo Lopez in their quest to upgrade the bullpen, which makes the addition of either Miller or Davis seem decidedly unlikely. Robertson, on the other hand, would perhaps be another story given the facts that he’s owed roughly $29.15MM through the end of his contract and hasn’t seen his results with the White Sox match up with his otherwise pristine track record.
Robertson has managed an excellent strikeout rate both this year and last, and his 2016 ground-ball rate of 46.7 percent is the second-best of his career. However, he’s sporting a troublesome 4.46 ERA with the Sox this season and has a 3.82 mark since signing with the team. Robertson has struggled with location, leading to an increase in walks (4.7 BB/9) and home runs (1.3 HR/9, 14.3 percent homer-to-flyball ratio) in 40 1/3 innings this year. Optimists can point to the fact that 16 of the 20 runs yielded by Robertson since Opening Day have come across just four disastrous outings and he’s been otherwise excellent, but the bottom-line results haven’t been as consistent as the ChiSox would hope.
Beyond the prospects the Nationals would have to surrender, finances also have to factor into the equation. Washington reportedly struggled to attract free agents this offseason because the club had to factor deferred money into nearly all of its offers, in part due to the longstanding dispute with the Orioles over the shared MASN television network rights fees. (The Nats also convinced Papelbon to take a slightly lesser 2016 salary than his club option called for in exchange for exercising it immediately upon completion of last summer’s trade.) Robertson’s salary is the most prohibitive, but Davis is slated to earn $10MM next season via a club option, and Miller is owed $9MM in each of the next two seasons. None of the three is an insurmountable sum, but the finances involved with each reliever in question add another layer to the calculus of negotiating a trade.
