A pleasant good morning, Mets fans! With Manny Machado officially a Los Angeles Dodger, the heat of the trade deadline sweepstakes has finally been turned up a notch on the tenth day of our rumor roundup series.
Moustakas to the NL East?
With ballclubs of varying involvement and interest missing out on two to three months of Machado at either short or third, the conversation has shifted to the next third baseman on the market in Mike Moustakas. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN has added the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves to an already-contentious mix that includes the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees. While Moustakas’ 105 wRC+ is a far cry from Machado’s 156, he isn’t too likely to command a return package of the same magnitude.
Kansas City would benefit from young arms, given the two pitchers ranking in their top ten have compiled an ERA just short of 6 with a WHIP north of 1.60. The Braves, who are represented by five Top 50-ranking pitching prospects (Mike Soroka, Luiz Gohara, Kyle Wright, Ian Anderson, and Kolby Allard) grade out particularly well in a deal for Moustakas, who is hitting .249/.306/.466 with 19 homers and 42 RBI, and will return to the free agent market at the end of this season.
Hand Will Be Pricey
As the focus has shifted to relief pitchers, San Diego Padres’ closer Brad Hand has become quite the hot commodity. While Crasnick had reported interest in Cleveland yesterday (more info here), Dennis Lin of The Athletic has since added the Phillies to the mix. Although the asking price in San Diego is high – evidently a sign that they’re willing to eat some of the $13.5M he’s owed over the next two years – the Phillies could no doubt use a reinforcement in the ninth inning.
While Philly relievers have managed just a 4.66 ERA and .753 opponent OPS in the ninth inning, Hand has dominated, posting a 2.88 xFIP, averaging 13.2 K/9, and already setting a career-high with 24 saves in the first half alone. It’s not entirely clear what San Diego would need in exchange for the lefty, but, per one scout, Hand “would be an awesome addition to any pen.”
Dodgers Need Pen Help
Speaking of bullpen help, the Los Angeles Dodgers are still scouring the market in search of a complement to All-Star closer Kenley Jansen. While their situation just a few million dollars below the luxury tax threshold limits the possibility that they dump more of their farm system for Hand and salary relief, USA Today Sports‘ own Bob Nightengale has in fact confirmed that the Dodgers won’t let their $6.3M commitment to Machado get in the way.
Logan Forsythe, owed $9M, is a possible position player that the Dodgers could exchange for a pricier reliever, but the cheap alternatives aren’t necessarily too far a drop in terms of overall talent. Team-controlled arms such as Raisel Iglesias (Cincinnati Reds), Kyle Barraclough (Miami Marlins), and Kirby Yates (San Diego Padres) could both serve as solid complements to Jansen, whose current set-up man is Daniel Hudson (4.37 xFIP, 4.50 BB/9).
Angels Sale?
The Los Angeles Angels could also open up shop on relievers, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. While they intend to compete in 2019, and as a result are not interested in trading starters Andrew Heaney and Tyler Skaggs, they will reportedly listen to any offers for such controllable relievers as Blake Parker, Jose Alvarez, Justin Anderson, and Cam Bedrosian.
Rosenthal writes that the Angels will want “good returns to give up control,” and rightfully so. But even then, Parker (33) and Alvarez (29) may not fit into the future mold quite the same way as Anderson and injured fireballer Keynan Middleton.
Rangers Have Limited Assets
In other west news, the Texas Rangers find themselves in a bit of a pinch in an already crushing season that will most likely call for some degree of a rebuild. Looking for potential trade suitors who could send back young, upper-level pitching prospects, the Rangers unfortunately have little talent to exchange at the moment. A disappointing campaign from Cole Hamels has done little to separate him from names like J.A. Happ, Chris Archer, or even Tyson Ross, and consequently won’t net the promising return Texas had anticipated.
Adrian Beltre, despite a notable decline of his own, could still be sought after by teams in need of veteran presence, but the Rangers are bullish in this department as well, with GM Jon Daniels citing his “value to the organization [being] above how you typically view it,” and thus rendering a discussion involving Beltre “separate than most typical trade conversations.”
T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com brings up the potential trades surrounding younger, more controllable talent like outfielder Nomar Mazara as well as relievers Keone Kela and Jose Leclerc. Kela, 25, would most likely net the greatest return given his three years of experience, impending three years of team-control, and almost immortal potential as a hard-throwing closer who has started to come out of his shell.
Brewers Moving to Plan B
Rosenthal has also hinted that the Milwaukee Brewers could contact the Minnesota Twins about a possible trade involving second baseman Brian Dozier. Despite a disappointing .234/.314/.423 line in his contract year, Dozier has long boasted a solid track record as a power threat with a passable glove, and would certainly solidify a Brewer infield that has received minimal results from Hernan Perez, Eric Sogard, and Jonathan Villar at the keystone. Milwaukee is also set to look for pitching upgrades, most likely in the rotation.
Ramos Available in August
Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Rays received some discouraging news yesterday regarding ailing catcher Wilson Ramos, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list and will likely remain inactive through the deadline (per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). He is still likely to be shipped out on a waiver deal in August, but the sweepstakes surrounding one of the premier offensive catchers in the league has taken a huge hit. Tampa Bay may be more motivated to move Chris Archer now that they have been forced to prioritize prospect returns a tad differently.
Once enjoying perhaps the best season of his career with a .296/.346/.488 line and a pace to hit over 25 home runs and drive in 100 runs, Ramos will now nurse a left hamstring strain while more competitive teams set to be passed over in waivers (like the Houston Astros) will have to seek out less established alternatives, such as Russell Martin (Toronto Blue Jays), James McCann (Detroit Tigers), and possibly Yan Gomes (Cleveland Indians – who are looking for a way to play top catching prospect Francisco Mejia).
