Padres and Rays Trade Outfielders

In a late-night blockbuster, the Padres have agreed to send Hunter Renfroe and Xavier Edwards to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Tommy Pham and IF/P Jake Cronenworth, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

There’s a lot to unpack here. The Padres have looked for center-field help for the last several seasons and they’ll hope Pham’s their long-awaited solution. In 2019, Pham slashed .273/.369/.450 (121 wRC+) with 21 home runs. Defensive metrics remained mixed on his work in the grass, with Savant’s Outs Above Average Metric rating him as one of the worst defenders in the sport.

Hunter Renfroe has shown lighting-tower power at times, but hasn’t shown well in the on-base department. This deal looks like it’ll spell the end of Avisail Garcia‘s time with Tampa Bay as Renfroe’s expected to fill a corner outfield spot. Also heading to Tampa Bay is Xavier Edwards, the 38th pick of the 2018 draft. Edwards is a few years away from the Majors, but is regarded as one of the fastest players in Minor League Baseball.

The Yankees Have Prioritized Cole

Dan Hayes of The Athletic broke the news that the Yankees have made signing Gerrit Cole a top priority, with the owner granting permission for GM Brian Cashman to explore giving the 29-year-old hurler a record-setting contract.

Cole, long considered to the gem of this year’s free-agent class, has finally developed him the ace that many projected him to be when he was taken No.1 overall in the 2011 draft. After four middling years with the Pirates, he was sent to the Houston Astros in December 2017 trade.

He posted a 2.68 ERA, a 2.67 FIP, and was worth 13.4 Wins Above Replacement during his two-year stint with the ‘Stros, finishing second in the 2019 Cy Young award voting. If the Yankees can sign Cole, he’d upgrade a talented rotation that currently consists of Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, Luis Severino, and either J.A. Happ or Jordan Montgomery.

Dodgers Looking at Treinen 

Jorge Castillo of the LATimes.com reported that the Dodgers have interest in the recently-DFA’d Blake Treinen.

At this time last year, Treinen was coming off a season where he authored one of the most dominant relief campaigns in the history of Major League Baseball. A year later, the 2018 ERA leader finds himself without a job on the heels of a disastrous follow-up campaign. While the stuff was still there (97 mph average fastball velocity), his xwOBA, wOBA, and walk rate all trended the wrong way.

With a pretty strong relief corp already, it’s unclear how Treinen would fit into the mix, but he’d certainly get more high-leverage opportunities if he can rediscover his 2018 form. He represents the most extreme example of the high-risk, high-reward reliever available on the market.

Interest in Lindblom Heating Up

Jon Morosi of MLBNetwork tweeted out that multiple teams have offered Josh Lindblom multi-year pacts.

After a few uninspiring seasons in the Majors, Lindblom headed west as a way to reinvent his career. After spending the past three seasons pitching for the Lotte Giants and Doosan Bears, Lindblom is hoping to find a job back in the States. Teams have certainly taken notice of former Major Leaguer hurler; while his fastball only averaged 91 mph, his slider and splitter spin rates have been superb.

Lindblom’s hoping to follow the journey that players such as Miles Mikolas and Chris Martin have taken, parlaying success in Asia into multi-year deals with Major-League organizations.

He’d be a solid addition for a team like the Mets that needs affordable starters that can fit into a backend of a rotation. Morosi also mentioned that teams like the Angels and Tigers have discussed adding the right-hander. With the starting pitching market heating up in recent days, it’s not unreasonable to think that Lindblom could sign before or during next week’s Winter Meetings.

Kendrick Returning to Nationals

Postseason hero Howie Kendrick is returning to the Nationals according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. It’s a one-year deal worth $6.25 million.

Kendrick, 36, hit .344/.395/.572 with 23 doubles, 17 home runs, and 62 RBI for the Nats in 2019. He was then the NLCS MVP after going 5-for-15 with four doubles and four RBIs.

Japanese Slugger Drawing Interest

Morosi also reports that fellow Asian import Yoshitomo Tsutsugo is receiving interest from a quintet of teams, the White Sox, the Blue Jays, the Tigers, and the Twins.

Tsutsugo has emerged as one of the premier hitters in the Nippon Professional Baseball League over the last several years, averaging 35 home runs over the last four seasons. With his 6″0′, 209-pound frame, he’d appeal to AL team in need of a DH, first-baseman, or a corner outfielder.

On paper, it’s easy to see where the slugging Tsutsugo would fit in each team’s lineups. Although Twins set a record for home runs in a season in 2019, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind shifting Marwin Gonzalez to his familiar super-utility role to fit the slugger into their lineup. The Jays, Tigers, and Sox could all stand to improve from their current DH/1B.