Could Red Sox Target Edwin Diaz?

Buster Onley of ESPN reports that the Red Sox are confident that they will make a significant bullpen acquisition. Onley speculates that Edwin Diaz is a potential fit because of his cheap salary.

Onley adds that prospects Bobby Dalbec and Triston Casas would be players the Mets could target in a potential deal. Rafael Devers is blocking Dalbec at third base, and Casas, the Red Sox’s 2018 first round pick, 26th overall, is slashing .252/.346/.486 with 17 home runs in 390 Single-A plate appearances.

In 40 innings pitched this season, Diaz owns a 4.95 ERA with 61 strikeouts and 23 saves.

Cubs Shopping Martin Maldonado

The Athletic’s Robert Murray reported that after acquiring catcher Martin Maldonado from the Royals just two weeks ago, the Cubs are actively shopping the 32-year-old. With Wilson Contreras’ return from the injured list, and Victor Caratini backing him up, Maldonado is an expendable player for Chicago. Since the trade, he is 0-11 over 13 plate appearances.

The Astros are reportedly interested in acquiring the veteran. They were originally interested before the Cubs sent Mike Montgomery over to Kansas City in the original trade, per by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Maldonado is a familiar-face to Houston, as he was deadline acquisition from the Angels last July. The Astros failed to resign him, instead bringing in free agent Robinson Chirinos. Chirinos is slashing .232/.360/.433 compared to Maldonado’s .217/.285/.349, but is no where near as effective of a defensive backstop as the latter. After sending Montgomery for the 32-year-old in the first place, one wonders what Chicago will net in return for their trade chip.

Yankees Not Willing To Deal Deivi Garcia, Except For Thor

The Yankees are willing to consider trading Miguel Andujar and/or Clint Frazier in a deal for a starting pitcher, but are against dealing their top young pitching prospect, 20-year-old Deivi Garcia, except in a possible trade for Noah Syndergaard, per MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman.

Andujar appeared in just 12 games this season before being shut down for a season-ending surgery to correct a partially torn labrum in his right shoulder. In 2018, he was the American League Rookie of the Year runner-up, and hit .297/.328/.527 with 27 homers at third base.

Frazier was the No. 5 overall pick in 2013. The outfielder saw significant playing time this season with a string of Yankee injuries, and hit .283/.330/.513 over 209 plate appearances for the club before being sent back down to Triple-A.

Andujar and Frazier both have a very high upside, but the Yankees are willing to deal them because of their already stacked offense, and the pair’s signs of defensive concerns. New York’s true need is in their rotation. This past weekend, the club was swept by Boston- allowing 38 earned runs over three games for a 14.25 ERA. Domingo German has the team’s lowest ERA for a starter at 4.03, with James Paxton at 4.72, CC Sabathia at 4.78, Masahiro Tanaka at 4.79, and J.A. Happ at 5.23. Luis Severino should be returning from the injured list in time for the playoffs, but the club can’t depend on him to return to form after missing the entire season with lingering shoulder issues. The need for a starter is clear-cut, and the Yanks are willing to give up big names to plug the gaping hole in their rotation.

Three-Player Trade between Rays and Indians

The Cleveland Indians acquired right-handed pitcher Hunter Wood and infielder Christian Arroyo from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for minor league outfielder Ruben Cardenas and International slot money, per a team announcement. The Rays had to open up a 40-man roster spot for the newly-acquired Eric Sogard, and Tyler Glasnow who will be coming off of the 60-day injured list.

Wood has appeared primarily as a reliever, but occasionally as an opener in Tampa, and owns a 2.48 ERA over 29 innings pitched in 2019, with 24 strikeouts. He will compliment an already lights out tribe bullpen as the resurging club battle’s for the the Central with the Minnesota Twins.

Arroyo has been on the injured list since mid-June with an elbow injury, but prior to the setback was hitting .220/.304/.380 over 57 PA for the Rays. He was ranked as one of the more highly-regarded prospects, on MLB.com Top-90 Prospect list every year from 2016-2018. He was the centerpiece of the prospect package sent from the Giants in the 2017-2018 trade for Evan Longoria.

Ruben Cardenas was a 16th round draft pick for the Indians in 2018. Thus far in the minors, he has hit .292/.366/.469 with ten home runs over 524 plate appearances, primarily with the club’s single-A affiliate in Lake County, Ohio.

O’s Looking To Deal Trey Mancini

Inthe final 72 hours before the trade deadline, Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported that Trey Mancini trade talks are active for the Orioles with several different teams.

Mancini has raked through 2019, hitting .280/.339/.534 over 425 plate appearances this season with 24 homers. His value is extremely high because the 27-year-old isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2022 season. The rebuilding Orioles will likely look for highly-touted prospects and young talent to help build their future crop in return.