The 2017 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread.

[yisman]

Royal have bases loaded, two outs, bottom of the ninth, game tied at three and three, Lo-Cain who is like 1 for his last 1000 lifts a fly ball to medium-deep right field, sky is 100 percent sunshine, 100 percent blue in Kansas City, Choo fighting the sun, fighting the sum, fighting the sun, never really gets comfortable, drops the ball.
Walk off (call it what you want, error I guess) winner.

Those are the types of games my beloved Royals used to win in 2915, and need to win more of in 2017.

Part of me wants to feel bad for Choo, because anybody who has ever played any type of organized baseball knows how difficult that is, but the other part of me says if you play outfield for a living in Major League Baseball, the show of all shows, then you have to make that catch, especially in that situation.

have to make that catch

I understand it's sunny but you'd figure guys have played enough day games to figure out something that works for them, whether it's eyeblack, different kinds of shades, etc.


very odd way for a game to end

oh, and in today's Nationals game:

1)Guy scores from second on a sacrifice fly
2)Raburn doubles off the wall, except Duvall picks the ball up and doesn't throw it in. Held it for like 4 seconds. He watched Raburn go to third and then finally threw the ball in.

As an OF, you're taught to get the ball back to the IF as quickly as possible.

I don't know what the hell Duvall was doing. Just stood there holding the ball.

It was the first batter of the inning too.


And a bizarre play yesterday in Reds/Nationals. Bailey struck out swinging. Catcher throws it around the horn, Bailey jogs to first, then heads to the dugout.

Ump claims ball hit the dirt and tells Bailey to come back to first base and he's safe. Cost Roark a run.

[El Nino]

Saw that sac fly from 2B...just weird. Guy lost the ball and was falling down. Trainwreck.

[koz-man]

oh, and in today's Nationals game:

1)Guy scores from second on a sacrifice fly
2)Raburn doubles off the wall, except Duvall picks the ball up and doesn't throw it in. Held it for like 4 seconds. He watched Raburn go to third and then finally threw the ball in.

As an OF, you're taught to get the ball back to the IF as quickly as possible.

I don't know what the hell Duvall was doing. Just stood there holding the ball.

I was freaking out when Duvall was holdin the ball...like WTF..throw it in!!!
My Reds r falling apart!!!

[BigSpoon]

2 weeks away from the non-waiver trade deadline.

[Cross]

Lol, not going to happen Peavy. Too much talent.

[EmpireMaker]

Even after acquiring Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson from the A’s yesterday, the Nationals remain interested in bolstering their bullpen, FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets. Tigers lefty Justin Wilson is of particular interest to them, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (also via Twitter), and Morosi notes that the Nats could also yet add a starting pitcher in the wake of Joe Ross’ season-ending injury.
The addition of Madson and Doolittle to the Washington relief corps undoubtedly strengthens the group, but with young righty Koda Glover on the shelf, Blake Treinen shipped to the A’s as part of yesterday’s trade, and Shawn Kelley’s health currently in limbo, the Nats have plenty of room for further reinforcements. Treinen, Glover and Kelley were counted upon heavily to anchor the ’pen headed into the season, but that group has clearly underwhelmed, as has offseason pickup Joe Blanton, whose ERA sits at 7.04 even after tossing 6 1/3 scoreless frames across his past eight appearances. The Nats reportedly had “substantive” talks with the Marlins about David Phelps and AJ Ramos before acquiring Madson and Doolittle, though it’s uncertain if they’ll circle back on either of those arms.
It’s also not yet clear exactly how much of a priority rotation help will be for the Nats. It’s worth noting, however, that two of their top internal options, A.J. Cole and Austin Voth, have posted an ERA north of 6.00 in Triple-A this season despite track records of vastly superior performance at that level. The struggles of both 25-year-olds may have factored into the decision to give Edwin Jackson the first look in Ross’ vacant rotation spot tomorrow. Beyond the injury to Ross, the Nats have watched Tanner Roark struggle to a 4.98 ERA through 106 2/3 innings this season, so the back end of the rotation is hardly a strength at the moment.
There should be a handful of rental options available — Marco Estrada, Jaime Garcia, Trevor Cahill, Clayton Richard, Jhoulys Chacin among them — but with Ross out for most of the 2018 season as well, the Nats could conceivably look a bit longer-term if they wish. Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg are locked up to guaranteed deals next season, while Roark is arbitration-eligible and Gio Gonzalez looks like a lock to see his $12MM option vest, barring injury. (Gonzalez is 58 1/3 innings shy of the requisite 180 frames he’ll need.) The Nats could look short-term for now and reassess their needs this coming winter, but Rizzo didn’t part with any of his top-tier prospects in landing Madson and Doolittle, so he should still have the firepower to think bigger and do some offseason shopping in advance (so to speak) — if there’s a longer-term asset that the Nationals covet.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

2 weeks away from the non-waiver trade deadline.

looking forward to seeing what the Padres can get for a lot of their bullpen arms.

[Otters27]

I was freaking out when Duvall was holdin the ball...like WTF..throw it in!!!
My Reds r falling apart!!!

Watched a bit of that game. Pros rarely make that many mental errors. Might have to start sending guys to AAA for a breif scare

[koz-man]

Watched a bit of that game. Pros rarely make that many mental errors. Might have to start sending guys to AAA for a breif scare

Agree...feel like some of these guys r taking things for granted....Need a wake-up call...

[stevenash]

looking forward to seeing what the Padres can get for a lot of their bullpen arms.

I got the extra inning package, I get every team, every game, real time.
I watch SD every now and then, they are actually a fun team to watch with all the kids.
That guy Asuaje looks like he belongs up here.
I like Jankowski too, wish he can stay on the field though.
Renfoe too looks like a keeper.

Here's the problem, SD is in the division of the big boy arms.
Kershaw, Greinke, Bumgarner, SD has not enough hitting, promising kids are not going to solve Kershaw's curve ball right away.
Will Myers is the only real veteran bat you have, him any Aybar, I like his glove but he can't hit his way out of a paper bag.

SD has to address that rotation too.
Pedormo looked like he was going to be a good one for awhile, not so sure now.
I thought Chacin when he came over was going to be better too.
Look at all the HR's the starters have given up.

Trevor Cahill is the most reliable starter, you need rotation help too.

The lineup shows some promise, figure out a way to get two solid starters.
Is that right? Stammen has given up 11 home runs in 51 innings???
Holy Mother of God I never spotted that before.
That's like roughly two HR's per nine innings.
I'm almost afraid to look at his OPS against. it's got to be four figures.
(not quite four figures, lefties kill him I see)
Dude, the Pads give up way too many gopher balls. Reds are the worst at that though, SD is ninth.
You ain't winning if the teams you are playing are hitting 2 baseballs that aren't coming back over the fence to your one.

SD is a smaller market team, like my Royals.
You got to di by trades, SD should sell off the relievers for long inning starters.
It took KC 5 years to do it, expect five years. It took five years to develop KC's version of the core four
(Gordon, Hoss, Moose, Perez)

It'll be never as long as Preller is the GM, the guy is a certified nut job.

It all started for KC when they traded Greinke (another nut job) to the Brewers for Lorenzo Cain, and Escobar, and Odorizzi.
Great trade, Cain had a solid post season in 2015, and Escobar made every play at SS, plus he hit that lead off inside the park HR in the WS.
Odorizzi went to Tampa for Shields, who's pretty much a shit bum now, but helped KC that one year, gave up a live arm, Finnegan, to the Reds for Cueto, who only pitched one of the best WS games I've seen in awhile, one bat pitch the whole nine inning game to Duda for a double, other than that, perfect.

KC has to pay Moose, he's the 30 HR a year threat Alex Gordon will never give you, but Gordon is an elite outfielder though.
KC has to pay Hosmer, well they don't have to pay Hoss, but he's the draw, he's the absolute fan favorite, he puts butts in the seats, he's beloved. Sal Perez is an elite catcher, you don't lose those.

So looks like Cain and Escobar and probably Herrera are going to leave.

That's the route SD needs to take.

Oh, one last thing, Orsillo is a great listen, my wife hated to see him leave Boston.

[Chi_archie]

trade rumor mill heating up!

[BigSpoon]

D-Backs acquire J.D. Martinez from the Tigers in exchange for 3 prospects: http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/2...a-diamondbacks

[yisman]

Todd Frazier just traded, apparently

scratched

[stevenash]

Todd Frazier just traded, apparently

scratched

Just guessing here.
Boston.

[BigSpoon]

White Sox officially announce the trade sending Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees for touted prospect Blake Rutherford, reliever Tyler Clippard and two other minor-leaguers: Tito Polo and Ian Clarkin.

[EmpireMaker]

The White Sox announced following tonight’s blockbuster trade that they will promote minor league infielder Yoan Moncada to the Majors tomorrow. Acquired in the team’s offseason trade of Chris Sale, Moncada is widely regarded as one of the game’s top overall prospects and ranks as MLB’s No. 1 prospect according to Baseball America, MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus.

Moncada, 22, is off to an excellent start in Triple-A Charlotte, hitting .285/.381/.452 with a dozen homers, nine doubles, three triples and 17 steals (in 24 attempts). He should get everyday at-bats for the Sox at second base, where he’s played exclusively thus far in Triple-A this season.
This won’t be Moncada’s first exposure to the Majors, as he appeared with the Red Sox late in the 2016 campaign but looked overmatched by big league pitching at the time. In a tiny sample of 20 plate appearances, Moncada was able to notch four hits but also struck out a whopping 12 times. Strikeouts remain an issue for Moncada in Triple-A, though he’s made modest improvements in both his strikeout and walk rates this season.
Reports on the switch-hitting Moncada tout him as a potential five-tool player — one who can hit for high average with power, speed, and above-average defense at second base for years to come. His left-handed swing has drawn comparisons to that of Robinson Cano. Baseball America’s report on Moncada marvels at his athleticism, touting that he “possesses the size and strength of a linebacker and he runs like a runaway locomotive.”
If there are any questions about Moncada, they’re largely about his hit tool, though not to the point where many evaluators are too concerned about his future. ESPN’s Keith Law isn’t quite as high on Moncada, but even as a slightly more skeptical observer, he pegged him as baseball’s No. 13 overall prospect earlier this month. Law writes that Moncada still profiles as an above-average regular at second even if his discipline never fully comes around.
Moncada entered the season with just 31 days of Major League service time, and given the timing of his promotion, there aren’t enough days left on the calendar for him to reach the requisite 172 days of service to notch his first full year. The best he can do is wrap up the season with 106 days of service, which would eventually leave him shy of Super Two status after the 2019 campaign (assuming no further demotions to alter his service time trajectory). Moncada, then, wouldn’t be eligible for arbitration until after the 2020 season and wouldn’t qualify as a free agent until the 2023 season wraps up.
Of course, financial considerations aren’t necessarily as great a concern for Moncada as they are for most young players. After leaving Cuba, Moncada signed with the Red Sox for a record-shattering $31.5MM signing bonus (that came with a full dollar-for-dollar penalty, meaning he cost Boston $63MM).

[EmpireMaker]

The White Sox and Yankees have agreed to a blockbuster deal that will send Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to New York in exchange for outfield prospect Blake Rutherford, left-handed pitching prospect Ian Clarkin, outfield prospect Tito Polo and veteran right-hander Tyler Clippard. The White Sox have formally announced the deal.

While Frazier has been primarily a third baseman in his career, he does bring 740 innings of experience at first base to the table. That’s a clear area of need for the Yankees, who have seen injuries ruin the seasons of Greg Bird and Tyler Austin, while offseason acquisition Chris Carter has been twice designated for assignment and now cut loose back to the open market.
The 31-year-old Frazier is set to hit free agency at season’s end, and while his production this year hasn’t been up to par, he’s turned things on since the the calendar flipped to June. Over his past 37 games, Frazier has batted .234/.361/.508 with nine homers and eight doubles. For a Yankees team that has seen its first basemen bat a collective .208/.295/.391, even Frazier’s overall .207/.328/.432 batting line represents a marked improvement, but if he can sustain his recently increased production, it’ll be a particular boon for manager Joe Girardi’s lineup.
And, in fact, there are plenty of signs that point to some positive regression for Frazier. The slugger has upped his walk rate to a career-high 14.3 percent in 2017 while also cutting his strikeout rate by more than three percent — from 24.5 percent in 2016 to 21.2 percent in 2017. Beyond that, Frazier has cut his infield-fly rate and seen increases in his line-drive and hard-contact rates. As such, it stands to reason that he could continue to improve upon a .214 batting average on balls in play that is currently the second-worst mark among all qualified Major League hitters. Frazier is earning $12MM in 2017, and there’s about $4.92MM of that sum remaining on his contract.
[Related: Updated New York Yankees depth chart and Chicago White Sox depth chart]
Robertson, of course, is a known commodity to the Yankees. The righty spent the first seven years of his career in the Bronx, working to an excellent 2.81 ERA with 12.0 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9. Most of his career in New York was spent setting up for future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera, but Robertson thrived in the ninth-inning spotlight in his final season with the Yanks (following Rivera’s retirement), setting him up to sign a four-year, $46MM contract that was at the time one of the five largest contracts ever inked by a reliever.

Now 32 years of age, Robertson is halfway through the third year of that contract and is in the midst of his best season with the Sox. Through 33 1/3 innings on Chicago’s South Side, Robertson has worked to a 2.70 earned run average with 12.7 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and an even 40.0 percent ground-ball rate. Like Frazier, Robertson is still owed $4.92MM of a $12MM salary this season. He, however, is signed through next year and is set to earn $13MM in 2018.
As for Kahnle, the 27-year-old was also once property of the Yankees, having risen through their minor league ranks before eventually making his big league debut in Colorado. The flamethrowing righty has long displayed a propensity for missing bats, but he’s taken that skill to new heights in 2017 while also dramatically slashing his walk rate. Through 36 innings in 2017, Kahnle has posted a ridiculous 15.0 K/9 rate to go along with a 41.1 percent grounder rate. The resulting 2.50 ERA looks impressive on its own, but metrics like FIP (1.47), xFIP (1.63) and SIERA (1.62) all feel that he may actually be unfortunate to be sporting an ERA even that high.
Further adding to Kahnle’s value is that he very much comes with long-term potential. If this proves to be a breakout rather than an aberration, he’d be controllable through the 2020 season via the arbitration process. Kahnle entered the year with just over two years of big league service time, so he’ll wrap up the 2017 campaign with three-plus years of service and be arbitration-eligible for the first time.

Adding Robertson and Kahnle to a bullpen that already features both Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances gives the Yankees a powerhouse relief corps to work with not only in 2017 but also through at least 2018, after which Robertson will be eligible for free agency. That group will be joined by an excellent multi-inning weapon in the form of Adam Warren as well as 26-year-old Chad Green, who is in the midst of his own breakout season — one that closely resembles that of Kahnle (1.75 ERA, 12.3 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 in 36 innings). Chasen Shreve is in the midst of a solid season and seems likely to stick as a left-handed option.
Clippard’s inclusion in this deal is primarily a means of offsetting some of the salary that the Yankees are taking on. Signed to a two-year, $12.25MM deal prior to the start of the 2016 season (by the D-backs), Clippard was a solid midseason pickup for New York last year but has struggled to a 4.95 ERA this year thanks to a recent spike in his home run rate. He’s still owed about $2.5MM of this season’s $6.125MM salary, so his inclusion will negate about a quarter of the $9.85MM that the Yankees are adding to their 2017 payroll in acquiring Frazier and Robertson. He’ll also give the ChiSox a veteran option at the back of a very inexperienced bullpen.
Clippard’s inclusion may have helped sway the Yankees into parting with a bit more in a what is essentially a three-player package that is headlined by Rutherford. The 20-year-old Rutherford was New York’s first-round pick in 2016 (No. 18 overall) and is off to a .281/.342/.391 start with Class-A Charleston. While those numbers don’t immediately jump out, he ranked as the game’s No. 36 overall prospect on Baseball America’s midseason update less than two weeks ago.
Rutherford entered the year as MLB.com’s No. 30 overall prospect, though his unspectacular start to the season may well cause that ranking to dip a bit. (He did not, for instance, rank on the midseason Top 50s of ESPN’s Keith Law or Baseball Prospectus.) Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo noted that he has the potential to hit for average and power, though their report notes that he’s likely to end up in an outfield corner — probably left field due to an arm that is more average than great.
The Yankees dealt from an area of depth in moving Rutherford, as Aaron Judge has cemented himself in right field, while Clint Frazier is doing his best to cement himself as a big leaguer right now. Beyond that, Aaron Hicks is controlled through 2019, Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner both remain under contract, and the team is obviously hoping for a full recovery from Dustin Fowler, who suffered a severe knee injury in his MLB debut.
Clarkin, meanwhile, ranked 19th in a stacked Yankees farm system this winter, per Callis and Mayo, while ESPN’s Keith Law had him 13th. peg him as a possible mid-rotation starter if all goes according to plan, praising a fastball that sits 90-93 mph and reaches 95 mph. Clarkin commands the pitch well, and Baseball America gives him a chance to have an above-average curveball. He’s repeating Class-A Advanced and has impressed with a 2.61 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 53.7 percent ground-ball rate. With 175 1/3 innings under his belt in High-A, the former first-round pick (No. 33 overall, 2013) could conceivably be in line for a promotion to Double-A this summer.
Polo, 22, is hitting .298/.358/.446 with five homers, 13 doubles, seven triples and 25 steals through 316 plate appearances between Class-A Advanced and Double-A this season. The former Pirates farmhand went to the Yankees as part of last season’s Ivan Nova trade with Pittsburgh but didn’t crack the team’s top 30 prospects this offseason.

[El Nino]

Judge breaks out of his slump.

[Otters27]

Dodgers game unbelievable. 1-0. Left so many RUNNERS on base

[JAKEPEAVY21]

I got the extra inning package, I get every team, every game, real time.
I watch SD every now and then, they are actually a fun team to watch with all the kids.
That guy Asuaje looks like he belongs up here.
I like Jankowski too, wish he can stay on the field though.
Renfoe too looks like a keeper.

Here's the problem, SD is in the division of the big boy arms.
Kershaw, Greinke, Bumgarner, SD has not enough hitting, promising kids are not going to solve Kershaw's curve ball right away.
Will Myers is the only real veteran bat you have, him any Aybar, I like his glove but he can't hit his way out of a paper bag.

SD has to address that rotation too.
Pedormo looked like he was going to be a good one for awhile, not so sure now.
I thought Chacin when he came over was going to be better too.
Look at all the HR's the starters have given up.

Trevor Cahill is the most reliable starter, you need rotation help too.

The lineup shows some promise, figure out a way to get two solid starters.
Is that right? Stammen has given up 11 home runs in 51 innings???
Holy Mother of God I never spotted that before.
That's like roughly two HR's per nine innings.
I'm almost afraid to look at his OPS against. it's got to be four figures.
(not quite four figures, lefties kill him I see)
Dude, the Pads give up way too many gopher balls. Reds are the worst at that though, SD is ninth.
You ain't winning if the teams you are playing are hitting 2 baseballs that aren't coming back over the fence to your one.

SD is a smaller market team, like my Royals.
You got to di by trades, SD should sell off the relievers for long inning starters.
It took KC 5 years to do it, expect five years. It took five years to develop KC's version of the core four
(Gordon, Hoss, Moose, Perez)

It'll be never as long as Preller is the GM, the guy is a certified nut job.

It all started for KC when they traded Greinke (another nut job) to the Brewers for Lorenzo Cain, and Escobar, and Odorizzi.
Great trade, Cain had a solid post season in 2015, and Escobar made every play at SS, plus he hit that lead off inside the park HR in the WS.
Odorizzi went to Tampa for Shields, who's pretty much a shit bum now, but helped KC that one year, gave up a live arm, Finnegan, to the Reds for Cueto, who only pitched one of the best WS games I've seen in awhile, one bat pitch the whole nine inning game to Duda for a double, other than that, perfect.

KC has to pay Moose, he's the 30 HR a year threat Alex Gordon will never give you, but Gordon is an elite outfielder though.
KC has to pay Hosmer, well they don't have to pay Hoss, but he's the draw, he's the absolute fan favorite, he puts butts in the seats, he's beloved. Sal Perez is an elite catcher, you don't lose those.

So looks like Cain and Escobar and probably Herrera are going to leave.

That's the route SD needs to take.

Oh, one last thing, Orsillo is a great listen, my wife hated to see him leave Boston.

we have a lot of talent in the lower minor league levels, so they are still a few years away.

I hope they trade all the bullpen guys and continue to stock the farm system with talent and upside.

[Chi_archie]

The White Sox announced following tonight’s blockbuster trade that they will promote minor league infielder Yoan Moncada to the Majors tomorrow.

awesome! hope he is there in time to start tonight! i'll be there!

[koz-man]

Clint Frazier is now wearing No. 77. Frazier had been wearing 30. But this is the re-acquired David Robertson's number. Frazier had been linked to No. 7 when a radio report claimed he asked if the Yankees ever hand out retired jerseys. Mickey Mantle wore No. 7. The report was later retracted. Frazier said he wanted a number with 7 and since Judge is 99, he thought 77 would be cool, though, he said it had nothing to do with Mantle.

[stevenash]

Oh yeah, now I remember why I drafted Nolan Arenado in the first round (4th overall) in the NFBC draft !!!

http://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=370719127

[Cross]

When is last time a rookie won MVP?

[EmpireMaker]

It’s tough to imagine at this point that the Mets won’t end up selling a few players at the deadline, but just how many will move remains to be seen. The uncertainty doesn’t really involve the team’s willingness to deal away controllable assets — all indications are it won’t, perhaps barring a surprising offer. Instead, as explored below, there are some questions regarding the short-term veterans that the team is almost certainly willing to trade.
The Mets have received only tepid interest thus far in veteran outfielders Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network. Perhaps that’s unsurprising, given the inability of the Tigers to draw top-tier prospect talent for elite slugger J.D. Martinez. Both Bruce and Granderson are performing rather well, but neither is to Martinez’s standard and each earns at a higher rate ($13MM and $15MM, respectively).
All that being said, it’s still hard to imagine that these two players wouldn’t represent upgrades for many teams. Both are producing at quality rates — Bruce for the entire season, Granderson since a terrible opening month (though he has been limited by injury of late). Notably, too, New York is amenable to paying down some of their remaining salary obligations, per Rosenthal, if that means enhancing the prospect return.
One interesting element of the Mets’ decisionmaking is the possibility of issuing a qualifying offer to Bruce after the season, as Rosenthal suggests could be the case. If the team is indeed willing to pay him at a steep one-year rate, were he to accept (or recoup draft compensation if not), then that would suggest a higher barrier to a trade. Retaining Bruce does appear to be a plausible strategy given the club’s evident hopes of bouncing back in 2018, particularly since the team’s other top left-handed bat, first baseman Lucas Duda, will enter free agency (and may yet be traded away first). Dealing Granderson instead might help the team avoid an awkward playing time scenario; according to the report, the Mets are telling these two veterans, as well as long-term assets Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto, that the reps will be split evenly at least until the deadline.
Granderson doesn’t appear likely to factor in the Mets’ plans beyond the current season regardless. And he suggests Howie Kussoy of the New York Post that retirement is at least a possibility as soon as the coming offseason. “I’ve made my peace with it,” Granderson says of the eventual end of his playing career. “I’m going to enjoy this season. If an opportunity presents itself for me to play, that’s great. If not, I’ve had a great run and I enjoyed it. … We’ll see what happens, but there are other things I know I want to do.” That statement is hardly a clear sign, given that Granderson is sure to draw interest, but it does bear watching as his next stint on the open market draws near.
As the outfield situation awaits resolution, the team is also surely weighing its options with some veteran infielders. Second baseman Neil Walker is finally ready for a rehab assignment to test his hamstring, beginning on Friday, per MLB.com’s Chris Bumbaca. If all goes well, it seems that Walker could be back in the majors in time to prove his health in advance of the deadline. Though Walker’s $17.2MM salary makes him a possible August trade chip as well, that’s still of note. After all, teams considering second base upgrades may need to make final decisions on alternatives by the end of the month.
Meanwhile, the return of Walker will presumably push Asdrubal Cabrera off of the position that he reluctantly took over recently. According to Newsday’s Marc Carig, Cabrera will prepare to shift over to third base (with Jose Reyes presumably remaining at short, at least until the team decides it’s time to promote Amed Rosario). That’s a nod to the logistics, but perhaps will also allow possible suitors an opportunity to evaluate Cabrera at the hot corner, which he has manned just once previously in the majors. It’s also possible that the Mets could weigh Cabrera as a candidate there for 2018, given that the team could still pick up his option.
Finally, Carig also touches upon the status of two other Mets infielders, T.J. Rivera and Wilmer Flores. Both have drawn some trade inquiries, but it seems the Mets are rather uninterested in trading the controllable options. Indeed, Adam Rubin tweets that a source tells him the Mets “asked for an obscene return” when approached by another organization.

[Otters27]

Nolan Arenado had hit 3 homers by the 6th inning yesterday. Thought he had a chance to hit 5. Think a guy in AA hit 5 in a game once.

[Chi_archie]

Nolan Arenado had hit 3 homers by the 6th inning yesterday. Thought he had a chance to hit 5. Think a guy in AA hit 5 in a game once.

I didn't know that about the 5 in the minor leagues

[BigSpoon]

Pablo Sandoval to sign a minor league deal with the Giants. The only team that makes sense for him really to salvage his career.

[yisman]

Play in Fenway:Fly ball dropped by Pearce, Leon on third, when he sees the drop, he breaks for home. Throw home hits the runner and deflects to the catcher, who tags out Leon.

[yisman]

Brock Holt drops a popup, two runs scorethey had the runner dead to rights at third to end the inning, but Marrero drops the ball when he was trying to tag out the runnerwow


should be two errors on the play, but many official scorers make terrible rulings

[koz-man]

The Mets have several veteran hitters (Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson, Asdrubal Cabrera and Lucas Duda) attracting varying degrees of interest as the trade deadline approaches. But closer Addison Reed is generating the widest range of inquiries and is the Mets player most likely to be moved by July 31, sources say. Reed is having a strong year and is eligible for free agency in November.

[stevenash]

Tigers make 3 errors in the first inning. KC goes up 4-0
Nobody can play defense anymore, just like the NBA

[Cross]

Brew crew choking that lead away like you knew they would.

[EmpireMaker]

1. Sonny Gray, SP, Athletics (LR: 2): Gray has been strong in his last five starts. At this point, it may be a surprise if he makes another in an A’s uniform.
2. Addison Reed, RH Reliever, Mets (LR: 3): As an experienced late-inning arm who can get a strikeout and doesn’t issue many walks, Reed would instantly upgrade every bullpen in baseball. He’s a pure rental and is unsurprisingly drawing wide interest. Dealing Reed ought to give the Mets a chance to pad their farm heading into an offseason that promises to be full of intrigue.
3. Justin Wilson (Tigers) & Brad Hand (Padres), LH Relievers (LR: 6, 8): These power lefties could be major weapons in the postseason. Detroit doesn’t have to trade Wilson, strictly speaking, but the demand is there and the team is clearly ready to pile up some youthful assets. Meanwhile, the Padres are justified in putting a high asking price on Hand and his future control. Question is: will they really keep him if they don’t get their price or is this just the maneuvering at the start of a deadline auction?
5. Pat Neshek, RH Reliever, Phillies (LR: 11): Neshek has put up blanks in all but two of his outings this year and is perhaps the quintessential rental reliever.
6. Yonder Alonso (Athletics) & Lucas Duda (Mets), 1B (LR: 8, 14): With Alonso falling off a bit at the plate, these two are in much the same position as rental sluggers that can only play first base. That creates an interesting market dynamic. It’s still conceivable that either could be held as qualifying offer or even extension candidates, but the likelier scenario still seems to be that both are dealt.
8. Zack Cozart (Reds), Jed Lowrie (Athletics) & Eduardo Nunez (Giants), INF (LR: 8, 9, INJ): While Cozart is outperforming the other two and is a stellar shortstop, there’s just no contender that has a clear need at the position. The other two players have greater experience elsewhere in the infield. All three could help contenders and ought to be wearing new uniforms as of August 1st (if not sooner).
11. Trevor Cahill, SP, Padres (LR: 17): His last outing was a very good one, with eight strikeouts and just one earned run over 6 2/3 innings. Teams that want to make a run but aren’t sure they want to give up the farm (or take on much salary) to do it may see quite a lot of upside in adding Cahill.
12. Alex Avila, C, Tigers (LR: 12): The veteran backstop has not hit all that much in July, but that’s a tiny sample and he’s still drawing gobs of walks. He’s an ideal second catcher since he hits from the left side; the bat has been good enough that he could function as quite a useful bench bat in a postseason series.
13. Jay Bruce & Curtis Granderson, OF, Mets (LR: 14): All three are hitting even as the Mets’ season collapses. Granderson is banged up but hasn’t required a DL stint.
15. Anthony Swarzak, RH Reliever, White Sox (LR: NR): You may have noticed that the White Sox are open to trades. Swarzak is a pending free agent with a 2.45 ERA and a cheap salary. While he had fallen into a lull for a stretch, he’s now back to posting clean innings with lots of strikeouts and few walks.
16. AJ Ramos, RH Reliever, Marlins (LR: 19): Though the Marlins are evidently not interested in marketing controllable position players, they are obviously willing to deal relievers. Ramos isn’t exactly a lock-down option, but he has plenty of late-inning experience and has 45 strikeouts in his 35 1/3 innings on the year.
18. Zach Britton (LH Reliever) & Brad Brach (RH Reliever), Orioles (LR: 39): Much like the Marlins, the O’s are said to be listening on their quality late-inning arms while showing much more reticence on other players that come with future control. Britton could be a difference maker from the pen, though his health questions and still-shaky form limits his value. Brach, meanwhile, has been a steady force over the past two years and should command a high price.
20. Melky Cabrera, OF, White Sox (LR: 17): He has been on fire of late, boosting his appeal — though clearly the Sox will still need to chip in a lot of money to move the contract. Cabrera could be a useful platoon piece for the right contender.
21. Yu Darvish, SP, Rangers (LR: 55): The Rangers’ poor recent play is beginning to make a Darvish trade seem more plausible. But this ranking reflects both the remaining doubt about his availability and the huge value that he could have if he is put on the block. While 2017 hasn’t been his most dominant season, Darvish would represent a front-line rotation piece that could significantly change a team’s trajectory (and even, perhaps, give an acquiring organization an edge in pursuing him in free agency).
22. Marco Estrada & Francisco Liriano, SP, Blue Jays (LR: 48, NR): The Jays are fading and these two veterans just aren’t performing. But each comes with his share of upside and would be fairly easy to move (so long as Toronto eats a decent bit of salary) as rental assets. Teams destined for the postseason likely won’t view these pitchers as likely playoff rotation pieces, but more marginal contenders could roll the dice on the talented hurlers.
24. Justin Verlander (Tigers) & Jeff Samardzija (Giants), SP (LR: 25, 41): Neither of these pitchers is cheap, and neither has a particularly appealing earned run average. But their power arsenals are still intriguing and reporting suggests there’s real interest.
26. Ian Kinsler (2B) & Justin Upton (OF), Tigers (LR: 36): With Detroit moving assets, these two have to be up for consideration. Actually making deals will be complicated due to Kinsler’s limited no-trade clause and Upton’s opt-out provision, and demand is in question, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see something end up being worked out for either player.
28. Drew Storen (RH Reliever), Tony Cingrani (LH Reliever), Reds (LR: 29): Both were bombed in their most recent appearances but have generally been quality relievers over the course of the season. Storen is the more obvious trade piece — he’ll be a free agent this winter, while Cingrani can be retained for two more years — but the Reds are surely willing to listen on both pitchers.
30. Sergio Romo, RH Reliever, Dodgers (LR: NR): Romo is in DFA limbo and has no reason to accept a minor-league assignment, so he’s all but certain to change teams — either by trade/claim or through free agency. It’ll be interesting to see what happens here; while Romo owns an ugly ERA and has given up too many home runs, he’s still getting hitters to flail at his slider as much as ever and is owed just $3MM on the year. Perhaps the Dodgers will also take some interest (however limited) in directing him away from potential NL competitors.
31. Hunter Strickland (Giants) & Jim Johnson (Braves), RH Relievers, Giants (LR: NR): We’ve seen some interest begin to materialize in the power righty, who owns a 1.85 ERA on the year — though he has also walked 19 batters in his 34 innings (to go with 36 strikeouts). Strickland will be a Super Two next year; while the Giants can surely afford him, this may represent an opportunity to get some assets — and there’s also the question of his standing in the organization after a high-profile altercation with Bryce Harper. Johnson has been much better than his results and is under contract for just $4.5MM next year. Atlanta will likely keep a fairly steep price on the veteran, though, since he’d likely play a prominent role in the team’s pen next year as they look to ramp up for a real run at contention.
33. Jaime Garcia (Braves), Jeremy Hellickson (Phillies) & Jhoulys Chacin (Padres), SP (LR: 50, 50, NR): Garcia appears to be on his way to the Twins, but I figured I’d leave him where he would have been — particularly since that deal isn’t yet final. Hellickson and Chacin have both been serviceable and would also represent useful innings for the right team. The former is vastly more expensive than the latter, which will impact the way this plays out.
36. Asdrubal Cabrera (Mets) & Freddy Galvis (Phillies), INF (LR: 35, 60): This could be a shade low for Cabrera, as he can still hit and there’s a fair bit of demand in the utility infield market. But he’s not considered a very good defender, hasn’t played third in ages, and could still be kept by the Mets. Galvis has been hitting rather well this year and is a quality shortstop who can also line up elsewhere in the infield. We also haven’t really seen his name come up much in trade rumors.
38. Seth Smith (Orioles), Matt Joyce (Athletics) & Daniel Nava (Phillies), OF (LR: 47): Smith and Joyce are the more appealing players among this trio of lefty corner outfielders, but they’re also paid like it. Each could hold appeal to an organization looking to shore up its bench or find a platoon option.
41. Rajai Davis, OF, Athletics (LR: 58): Davis is also a veteran rental outfielder, albeit of quite a different kind. Speed and defense make him a plausible target as a reserve, if the A’s are willing to cover some of his salary.
42. Welington Castillo (Orioles) & Jonathan Lucroy (Rangers), C (LR: 32): Both of these receivers could be available, but the demand situation is unclear. Lucroy’s struggles are well documented, but his track record still makes him an interesting target.
44. Brandon Maurer, Craig Stammen & Kirby Yates, RH Relievers, Padres (LR: NR): If it seems the Padres’ entire pitching staff is up for sale … well, that’s mostly the case. We’ve heard little about Ryan Buchter, who’s perhaps the team’s second-best reliever after the above-mentioned Hand. Then again, that honor could go to Yates, who’s now through 29 1/3 innings with a 1.84 ERA and 13.5 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 — despite the fact that he was added through a waiver claim earlier this season. Whether rivals will buy into that sudden rise enough to pique the Padres’ interest isn’t clear. With three more years of control, no deal is needed. The same holds true of Maurer, who can be offered arbitration twice more. His ERA lags his peripherals, but the underlying numbers are impressive (8.9 K/9 vs. 1.7 BB/9, etc.). And then there’s Stammen, the resurgent bulldog who is giving the Pads’ quality multi-inning appearances much as he once did for the Nationals. Excepting a rough start and recent drubbing in a long relief appearance, he has been excellent. While Stammen isn’t as interesting as the other two arms, he’s a rental.
47. Carlos Gomez, OF, Rangers (LR: NR): If the Rangers start dealing, they’ll surely take offers on the 31-year-old, who’s earning $11.5MM this year. Gomez has played well, with a .247/.332/.460 slash and a dozen home runs. He’s also still capable of manning center field and providing some value on the bases, though there’s not a lot of outfield demand.
48. Bud Norris, Yusmeiro Petit & David Hernandez, RH Relievers, Angels (LR: NR): All of these veteran journeymen are cheap, pending free agents who are throwing well for the Halos, making them plausible targets if the club decides to try to recoup some prospect value.
51. Julio Teheran (Braves), Lance Lynn (Cardinals), Alex Cobb (Rays), J.A. Happ (Blue Jays), SP (LR: NR, NR, NR, 41): Teams are eyeing all of these pitchers, and all could conceivably be available. But it’s far from clear that trades can be found at reasonable prices. Teheran and Happ are both valued by their organizations for their future control, while Lynn and Cobb will be hard to deal away even if their respective clubs feel there are viable in-house replacements.
55. Yunel Escobar, INF, Angels (LR: NR): Escobar continues to hit for average and reach base at a solid clip. Though he doesn’t move well on the bases and is no longer a great defender, he’d be another player to be considered for teams looking at infield additions and is earning a palatable $7MM this year.
56. Jerry Blevins, LH Reliever, Mets (LR: 26): Blevins has shown signs of wearing down and the Mets have given indications that they’d rather hold onto him for 2018 regardless. But he’d still surely be available at the right price.
57. Juan Nicasio (RH Reliever) & Tony Watson (LH Reliever), Pirates (LR: 18, 27): With the Bucs suddenly back in the race, they won’t feel compelled to deal these pending free agent relievers. But the club could still explore deals that would bring back more controllable MLB assets. That feels less likely to come to fruition than it was in the case of Mark Melancon, who was traded last summer for exciting lefty Felipe Rivero.
59. Raisel Iglesias (Reds) & Roberto Osuna (Blue Jays), RH Relievers (LR: 57, NR): Both pitchers would be highly valued. Given the volatility of relievers as long-term assets, their teams will surely be willing to listen. But it’s far from clear that any contenders will offer up enough to pry these live right arms loose.
Honorable Mention: Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich & Giancarlo Stanton, OF, Marlins; Josh Donaldson, 3B, Blue Jays; Manny Machado, 3B, Orioles: All indications are that these high-quality players aren’t being shopped, even though their respective organizations seem to be out of the postseason race. Still, all are worth keeping an eye on in the event that a significant offer comes rolling in.
Recently Traded
Jose Quintana (White Sox to Cubs); Sean Doolittle & Ryan Madson (Athletics to Nationals); J.D. Martinez (Tigers to Diamondbacks); Todd Frazier, David Robertson & Tommy Kahnle (White Sox to Yankees); David Phelps (Marlins to Mariners)
Disabled List
Nate Jones (White Sox), Neil Walker (Mets), Howie Kendrick (Phillies), J.J. Hardy (Orioles), Yangervis Solarte (Padres), Mark Melancon (Giants), Brad Ziegler (Marlins), Joe Smith & Chris Coghlan (Blue Jays), Hector Santiago (Twins), Arodys Vizcaino (Braves), Scott Feldman (Reds), Martin Prado & Edinson Volquez (Marlins), Cameron Maybin (Angels), Johnny Cueto (Giants)
Also Considered
Angels: J.C. Ramirez, Jesse Chavez, Ricky Nolasco
Athletics: Santiago Casilla, John Axford, Khris Davis
Blue Jays: Jose Bautista, Justin Smoak, Aaron Loup
Braves: Jim Johnson, R.A. Dickey, Matt Kemp, Nick Markakis, Brandon Phillips, Kurt Suzuki, Matt Adams
Cardinals: Michael Wacha, Trevor Rosenthal, Seung-hwan Oh, Jedd Gyorko
Giants: Nick Hundley, Hunter Pence, Matt Cain, Denard Span, George Kontos, Joe Panik
Marlins: Dan Straily, Kyle Barraclough, Adam Conley, Junichi Tazawa, Tom Koehler
Mets: Fernando Salas, Josh Edgin, Jose Reyes, T.J. Rivera, Wilmer Flores
Orioles: Manny Machado, Hyun Soo Kim, Wade Miley, Mychal Givens, Darren O’Day
Padres: Ryan Buchter, Jose Torres, Clayton Richard
Phillies: Joaquin Benoit, Hector Neris, Vince Velasquez, Cesar Hernandez, Tommy Joseph
Pirates: Josh Harrison, Ivan Nova, Wade LeBlanc, David Freese, Jordy Mercer, Andrew McCutchen, Gerrit Cole
Rangers: Mike Napoli, Carlos Gomez, Adrian Beltre, Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, Jeremy Jeffress
Reds: Billy Hamilton, Blake Wood
Tigers: Miguel Cabrera, Jose Iglesias, Alex Wilson, Victor Martinez, Anibal Sanchez, Shane Greene, Michael Fulmer
White Sox: Avisail Garcia, Jose Abreu, Miguel Gonzalez, James Shields, Mike Pelfrey, Derek Holland

[Chi_archie]

Brew crew choking that lead away like you knew they would.

wow what an intense rollover