Happy Friday, Mets fans! No hugs have been exchanged in the team clubhouse as far as we know, but with the deadline just four days away, possible suitors have definitely become clearer. Not to mention, a number of surrounding trades have only further materialized the market, particularly around some more controllable pitchers.
Brewers Continue to Look for Starters
The news surrounding a possible Zack Wheeler trade has inevitably found its way into Wisconsin newspapers as the Milwaukee Brewers desperately look for a back-end starter to keep a foot in the the NL Central race. However, the Brewers have also been engaged in discussions surrounding two other young starters, one far more familiar than another.
According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, there have been ongoing talks surrounding the Brewers and Reds’ reconstruction project Matt Harvey. Prior to an eight-run blowup in Pittsburgh, Harvey had put together a stretch of six starts, posting a 2.38 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and .565 opponent OPS without a single home run allowed through 34 innings.
Obviously, the low-strikeout figures have mostly kept Harvey in the middle-to-bottom tier of the current starting pitcher market, but Milwaukee has also focused on a much more formidable asset in Minnesota right-hander Kyle Gibson (also reported by Morosi). Currently the proud owner of a 3.42 ERA and career-high 8.8 K/9, Gibson has pitched to a 2.96 ERA dating back to May 29 with an average of 6.2 innings per start. Gibson has another year of team control, which could net the Twins a more desirable return, though it’s still unclear just how intensely they plan on rebuilding as Brian Dozier, Joe Mauer, Eduardo Escobar, Fernando Rodney, Lance Lynn, and Ervin Santana all file out.
Another name to keep an eye out for – as mentioned by Ken Rosenthal – is Baltimore righty Kevin Gausman. While the former first-round pick has struggled to make a name for himself the past two seasons in the rotation, he could certainly benefit from a change of scenery – potentially a la Jake Arrieta. Gausman isn’t a free agent until 2021, and would likely command a high price with the Orioles desperately looking to rebuild. Fortunately, Milwaukee does have the farm system to pull off such a deal, and has a clearer path to acquire an arm now that J.A. Happ and Cole Hamels‘ respective markets have closed.
Astros Improve at Catcher
The Houston Astros finally upgraded their catching corps, shipping unranked LHP prospect Patrick Sandoval (first reported by Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group) and $250,000 in international bonus money (add-on reported by the New York Post‘s own Joel Sherman) to the division rival Los Angeles Angels in exchange for defensive stud Martin Maldonado.
Maldonado, who earns $3.9M in his final year before becoming a free agent, has slashed just .223/.284/.332 in 78 games with Anaheim. Nonetheless, his 44% caught-stealing rate and RF/9 of 9.45 (about forty points above league average) will serve Houston well as it awaits the return of injured starter Brian McCann and bides its time with Max Stassi – who despite the .764 OPS, is a clear step down on the defensive side.
Nationals May Look to Sell
In a subscription piece for The Athletic yesterday, Ken Rosenthal touched upon the possibility that the Washington Nationals back up the truck on a roller-coaster year and sell off contracts at the twilight of the deadline. Currently 51-51 and seven games back in the division, the Nationals would likely hold on for two more months of Bryce Harper, but could otherwise begin dumping names at the end of the weekend, depending on the outcome of their next few games (as clarified by Jeff Passan).
In the event that their series in Miami ends on a sour note, Washington could find itself unloading a number of impending free agents – namely Mark Reynolds, Matt Adams, Daniel Murphy, Gio Gonzalez, Kelvin Herrera, Ryan Madson, Shawn Kelley, or even a more controllable, potentially attractive depth piece in Michael A. Taylor.
The primary intention, according to Rosenthal, would primarily be dumping salary and scooting beneath the luxury tax threshold. However, a frontline reliever like Herrera, breakthrough bench option like Adams, and mid-tier starter like Gonzalez could all net respectable prospect returns that Washington desperately needs if it plans on keeping up with the fledgling Braves and Phillies.
Judge Injured, Yankees Could Be Pressed for Reinforcements
After Aaron Judge fractured his wrist on a hit-by-pitch in last night’s contest against the Kansas City Royals, the Yankees are suddenly under pressure to keep their offense afloat as they drift out of contention in the AL East division.
While they claim to be more invested in internally patching up the hole left in their outfield (as reported by Joel Sherman earlier yesterday), there have been reports (also from Sherman) that New York is not expected to “sit idly by” and balk at opportunities to improve depth. Even with their acquisitions of J.A. Happ and Zach Britton, the Yankees are also in the market to improve their depth behind the plate. Nick Hundley of the San Francisco Giants seems an attractive option, as would Drew Butera of the Kansas City Royals and even our own Devin Mesoraco.
With regards to Judge, however, this motivation to fill a likely temporary void in their lineup that an injured Gary Sanchez has left implies that Brian Cashman could also scour the market for a right-handed outfielder like Cameron Maybin or Jose Bautista if the offense starts to wobble in the next few days. Our own Rob Piersall outlined the possible rental connections the Mets may have with their crosstown rivals in an article that you can check out here.
Venters Returns to Atlanta
The comeback season of left-handed reliever Jonny Venters just got even sweeter, as the Tampa Bay Rays traded him to his original team – the Atlanta Braves – in exchange for $250K in international slot money (first reported by Feinsand).
Primarily slotted as a one-out guy, Venters has pitched to a 1.21 WHIP while holding lefties to a .522 OPS in his first big-league season since 2012, when he first ran into elbow troubles that would reoccur over the next five years and sideline him intermittently through five full seasons.
With lefty Sam Freeman struggling in a set-up/matchup-specific role this year (5.7 BB/9, .711 lefty OPS), it made sense for Atlanta to pursue reinforcements at the deadline. While the price on Venters is minimal at best, the premise itself within an already surprising and riveting season is the major headliner here.
Brewers Pull in Soria
Another reliever was scooped off the trade market as well yesterday, as the Milwaukee Brewers agreed to acquire late-inning stalwart Joakim Soria from the Chicago White Sox, who received 20th-ranked prospect Kodi Medeiros (22-year old LHP currently stationed in Double-A) and unranked right-hander Wilber Perez in the deal.
MLB.com‘s Mark Feinsand broke both the initial news and final logistics of a trade, while MassLive‘s Chris Cotillo was the first to mention Medeiros as a piece headed to the south side. The White Sox also sent Milwaukee $1M in the event they decided to buy out Soria’s contract at the end of the season, but the Brewers are still set to pay him the $3.25M he is still owed this season (reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic).
Soria, who has a $10M mutual option at the end of the season, has enjoyed a resurgent year as closer for the White Sox. He has a 2.56 ERA and 2.15 FIP to his name, and is averaging over 11 K/9 for just the third time in his career (first since 2014). His last mid-season transition came in 2015, when the Detroit Tigers whisked him away to the Pittsburgh Pirates and he put up a 2.03 ERA with 11 holds. The veteran will undoubtedly strengthen a Milwaukee bullpen, even if the White Sox were able to grab a viable young pitcher in the deal.
Pirates Checking out Kela
The Pittsburgh Pirates have strung together a rather unlikely run across the past few weeks to launch themselves back into a competitive atmosphere, and could look to buy selectively at a deadline that gives them the opportunity to either retool or try competing. Texas closer Keone Kela would represent a solid middle ground for Pittsburgh, and Ken Rosenthal has reported that both teams have been in conversation about a potential trade.
Kela has a 3.28 ERA and 2.85 FIP in 37 appearances this season, but already has 23 saves to his name while cutting his walk and home run rates to 3.0 and 0.8 allowed per nine innings this season. Kela would come with four years of team control, and would as a result require quite a package to be pried from the Rangers’ rebuilding plans.
Texas has, per Rosenthal, researched a few interesting prospects, but it’s unclear as to how interested they are in acquiring them – much less making such a bid for them at this point in the season. Outfielder Jordan Luplow (22nd ranked by MLB Pipeline), shortstop Kevin Newman (ninth), right-hander Tyler Eppler (unranked), and reliever Dovydas Neverauskas (unranked) – all of whom are currently in Triple-A – have been a part of Texas’ background check, though not much else has been discussed.
