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Minor MLB Transactions: 7/23/16

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Saturday’s minor moves from around baseball:

  • Blue Jays right-hander Dustin Antolin cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo, reports Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star (Twitter link). The Jays designated Antolin for assignment Friday after he threw just two innings for them, but he previously tossed 38 frames of 2.37 ERA ball in Buffalo, where he also struck out 9.95 batters per nine innings. He offset that somewhat with a lofty walk rate, though (5.45).
  • Left-hander Nick Lee, whom the Nationals designated for assignment Wednesday, cleared waivers and was sent outright to Double-A Harrisburg, tweets Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. The 25-year-old Lee put up a 4.54 ERA, 9.1 K/9 and 7.6 BB/9 over 35 2/3 innings with Harrisburg this year before his designation.

Prospect Erick Fedde Could End Up With Yankees

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  • Nationals right-handed pitching prospect Erick Fedde could headline a package for Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, and Rosenthal says landing the 23-year-old would be “a coup” for a team that covets young starters. Fedde, the 18th overall pick in the 2014 draft, is BA’s 61st-ranked prospect and has put up a 0.69 ERA in his last eight starts at the High-A level, per Rosenthal.

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Nationals Among Teams Checking In On Wade Davis

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The Nationals and other teams have called the Royals about star closer Wade Davis, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports.  Kansas City is weighing the possibility of selling at the trade deadline, Heyman reported yesterday, though even if the Royals did decide to reload for next season, it would take quite a bit to convince them to part with Davis.  The Royals are asking for more for Davis than the Yankees are for Aroldis Chapman, which makes sense given that Davis has an extra year of control.

Washington is known to be looking for bullpen help, either to set up closer Jonathan Papelbon or to supplant Papelbon entirely as the team’s ninth-inning option.  Chapman and Miller have both been targeted by the Nats, though they aren’t willing to give up one of their top prospects for two months of Chapman’s services.  (It’s worth noting that Miller is signed through 2018, though presumably the Nats have some reservations about dealing one of their elite minor leaguers for any relief pitcher.)

Davis has a $10MM club option ($2.5MM buyout) for 2017 that looks like a no-brainer to be exercised, though there are a few minor red flags about his performance.  Davis has a 1.14 ERA over 31 2/3 IP, though he has posted his lowest K/9 (8.5) and K/BB (2.5 K/BB) in his three years as the Royals’ closer, plus his fastball velocity has dropped from 95.9 mph last season to 94.9 mph this year.  These aren’t exactly steep declines, of course, and it may speak more to just how dominant Davis was in 2014-15 that his current excellent numbers count as a dip in form.  Davis recently spent time on the DL with a right forearm strain, though that ominous-sounding injury ended up being rather minor, and Davis is already back in action.

Nationals Pursuing Aroldis Chapman, But Won’t Give Top Prospects

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The Nationals do indeed “want in” on the budding Aroldis Chapman sweepstakes according to Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post (via Twitter). We’ve heard of this connection previously — assuming, of course, that the Yankees finally commit to a sale.

But while Washington’s interest is real, it doesn’t seem that the club is prepared to give up its best young talent to get a deal done. According to Svrluga, the Nats are unwilling to deal away top prospects Lucas Giolito, Trea Turner, Victor Robles, or Reynaldo Lopez for the opportunity to rent Chapman.

Those are exactly the types of players that the Yankees are surely hoping to get back in a deal for a pitcher who could change the entire post-season picture. Giolito and Turner are considered among the best prospects in the game, and both have appeared in the majors already. Robles, too has attained that status with his sky-high ceiling, though he’s still a few years away.

If anything, it seems like Lopez could be a player the Nats might be willing to give up, as he’s not quite as highly valued by prospect hounds amid questions whether he can stick in the rotation. Several observers have noted him as a possible piece that could change hands in a deal for Chapman, Andrew Miller, or another major trade acquisition. But he too was recently deemed ready for his first MLB action and remains a near-term option in D.C., so it seems there’s not a lot of inclination to give him up either.

Washington expects there to be plenty of competition for Chapman, per the report. And that’s no surprise, as he’s a truly elite player who is a pure rental asset. We’ve mentioned before that it could be a game of chicken on the high-powered southpaw, with the Yankees and every team with interest looking to see who’ll blink first, and it looks as if the Nats are sending a message that it won’t be them.

That’s not to say that the D.C. farm is otherwise devoid of talent. Righty Erick Fedde is perhaps the next-best pre-MLB player in the Nats system, and there are some other intriguing chips. It’s also possible to imagine the Nationals parting with Michael Taylor and one of several controllable relievers if the right scenario emerges, so there’s some possibility for creative packages that don’t include the blue chip prospects. We’ll find out whether that’s enough to entice the Yanks.

Nats Linked To Rays' Starters

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  • The Rays are in a powerful position on the trade market, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. With so few options on the market for starting pitching, they’re poised to ask for lofty demands for any of Jake Odorizzi, Matt Moore or even Chris Archer, though the common refrain on Archer is that he won’t be moved. The Dodgers and Rangers are both following the Rays’ starters closely, and Topkin lists the Pirates, Astros, Marlins, Nationals and Red Sox as teams with serious interest. Topkin adds Pearce, right-hander Erasmo Ramirez and left-hander Xavier Cedeno to the list of possible trade options for president of baseball operations Matt Silverman and his staff. Notably, the Marlins were recently tied to left-handed relief help, so they could be interested not only in Tampa Bay’s starters but Cedeno as well.

Nationals Designate Nick Lee For Assignment

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The Nationals have designated lefty Nick Lee for assignment, the club announced. His 40-man spot was needed for the promotion of young righty Koda Glover, who’ll ascend to the big leagues for the first time. An active roster slot was cleared by optioning fellow rookie Reynaldo Lopez.

[Related: Updated Nationals Depth Chart]

Lee, 25, had worked to a 4.54 ERA with 9.1 K/9 against 7.6 BB/9 on the year over 35 2/3 Double-A frames. He has shown big strikeout potential during his minor league career, but has obviously yet to rein in his control.

Meanwhile, the promotion caps a stunning run from Glover, who was chosen in the eighth round of the 2015 draft and opened the year at High-A. He earned successive promotions in short order, and now will make it all the way to the majors. Over his 45 1/3 minor league frames on the year, the 23-year-old owns a 2.18 ERA with 10.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9.

Rizzo Denies That Nationals Have Interest In Charlie Blackmon

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TODAY: The report on Blackmon “is not accurate,” Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said this morning in an interview with 106.7’s The Sports Junkies (via 106.7’s Pete Medhurst, on Twitter).

YESTERDAY: The Nationals are showing interest in Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com (via Twitter). While it’s not yet clear whether Colorado will deal the center fielder, we heard recently that the club was open to fielding interest on players such as Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez.

It’s not difficult to see the connection here, as Washington has received marginal production out of center fielders Ben Revere and Michael Taylor. Both are controllable for 2017 — Taylor for much longer — but neither have performed to expectations, leaving the Nats with a unit that is playing at replacement level on the year.

The Nationals recently gave top shortstop prospect Trea Turner some time at center at the Triple-A level, and he is currently on the big league roster, but it doesn’t seem that he’s the first choice at present. Otherwise, the organization seems mostly set in terms of its lineup, with the bullpen representing another key area of need.

Blackmon, who just turned 30, is performing at career-best levels. Even after adjusting for the effects of altitude, his .305/.368/.481 batting line checks in at a 110 wRC+. While his glove has never rated particularly well up the middle, that could be due in part to playing at Coors. Plus, strong baserunning helps to make up any lost value in the field.

As a controllable asset, Blackmon won’t come cheap. He’s playing on a $3.5MM deal this year and is eligible for arbitration for two more seasons to come. Though a hefty raise is surely in the cards, Blackmon will no doubt remain quite affordable for a solid, everyday player.

If it’s easy to see why the Nationals would open talks on Blackmon, it also isn’t tough to guess at what the Rockies might target in return. Colorado has been stockpiling young arms, and could certainly look to further bolster the pitching ranks. Baseball America’s just-released, updated prospect ranking for the Nats includes several notable hurlers. Lucas Giolito is surely unavailable; it’s less clear whether that’s the case with regard to high-upside youngster Reynaldo Lopez, though he is now set to make his big league debut as well. Other names that could hold appeal include Erick Fedde, A.J. Cole, and Austin Voth. It seems fair to note, too, that the addition of a new center fielder could make Taylor expendable; other organizations might like a crack at refining his obvious talent.

Giants Prioritizing Relief Additions

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Giants GM Bobby Evans suggested yesterday that his organization is looking hard at relievers, in an appearance on the podcast of ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (audio link). Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, the organization is said to be “blanketing” the market for bullpen arms, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link).

The Phillies and Brewers are among the rival teams being eyed by San Francisco scouts, per Crasnick’s report. It appears that the Giants are paying particular attention to Philly’s Jeanmar Gomez and David Hernandez, as well as Milwaukee’s Will Smith and Jeremy Jeffress. All of those players have featured on MLBTR’s breakdown of the top trade candidates, though only Jeffress has consistently cracked the ranking itself.

Notably, Crasnick adds that the Giants are mostly “lingering” in the market for Yankees’ relief aces Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller. The expectation seems to be that other National League contenders — namely, the Cubs and Nationals — are likely to be bigger players for those two high-octane lefties.

Evans had hinted that there’s a lot of demand to contend with on the market. That was a significant factor in the team’s decision to rely on some younger arms this year, he suggested. “We didn’t realize that half of baseball would be also looking for the same relievers and that the market would be so limited,” he said of the winter’s free agent market, “but that’s where we are.”

The San Francisco GM went on to note that his organization will not just be looking to build out depth in its relief corps. “We have a pretty strong bullpen in the sense of guys that are pretty hard to replace,” he said, “so you’re really trying to replace one guy, and we’ve got to be sure it’s an upgrade. So we won’t be getting a reliever just to get a reliever.”

Evans also touched upon the idea of adding an outfielder, which has often been noted as a possible need. With Hunter Pence nearing a return, the veteran executive indicated that the position isn’t a high priority. It seems that a depth addition could be considered, but isn’t viewed as essential.

Yankees Discussing Chapman Trade Scenarios With Other Clubs

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The Yankees are “going full bore in shaping possible deals” with other clubs regarding Aroldis Chapman, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney (via Twitter). According to executives to whom Olney has spoken, the Nationals, Rangers and Indians are a few of the involved parties at this time.

Reports out of New York and recent quotes from president Randy Levine to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports have indicated that the Yankees have yet to determine whether they’ll sell off veteran pieces at the deadline, but there’s long been speculation that Chapman, a free agent at season’s end, could be moved even if the team hangs onto more controllable pieces like Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances.

All three clubs listed by Olney have been linked relief help over the past couple of weeks, with left-handed relief help in particular said on many occasions recently to be Cleveland’s top priority of late. The Rangers are known to be seeking rotation help, but they also currently sport the second-worst bullpen ERA of any club in baseball, at 5.08. The Nationals, meanwhile, have been said to be in pursuit of a top-tier bullpen arm dating back to last summer’s trade deadline and have been linked to Chapman on more than one occasion in the past. Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that Chapman was the Nationals’ “most likely” target on the trade market.

Yahoo’s Jeff Passan wrote earlier this week that the Yankees “are going to trade” Chapman prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, though a full roster tear-down is unlikely. There’s been some word that the Yankees are internally discussing the possibility of trying to extend Chapman, though the reports from Passan and now Olney would certainly seem to indicate that a long-term pact isn’t an overly likely possibility.

The 28-year-old Chapman, who is owed about $4.64MM of his $11.325MM salary through season’s end, has pitched to a 2.22 ERA with 12.7 K/9 and a much improved 2.5 BB/9 rate since returning from a 30-game suspension under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy earlier this season.

Reds Claim Abel De Los Santos

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The Reds have claimed righty Abel De Los Santos off waivers from the Nationals, per an announcement from Washington. The Nats needed a 40-man spot to make way for the promotion of Reynaldo Lopez, who’ll take the active roster spot of the DL’ed Sammy Solis.

De Los Santos is a 23-year-old righty who came to the Nats in the 2014 trade that sent Ross Detwiler to the Rangers. He did reach the major league level briefly last year, but has spent most of his time in the last two campaigns in the upper minors.

This year, De Los Santos owns a 3.67 ERA with 10.2 K/9 against 6.0 BB/9 across 34 1/3 frames split between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. His walk rate has been creeping up as he has ascended the ranks, but generally he seems like a useful potential future reliever. Cincinnati will start him off on optional assignment to Double-A.

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