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Mets clear some space now
Joey Bats traded to Philly[quote=jjgold;5683305]I win again like usual
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[quote=Whippit;7921056]miami won't lose a single eastern conference game through end of season[/quote]Comment -
The Phillies have officially worked out a deal with the Mets to acquire veteran outfielder/third baseman Jose Bautista, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports on Twitter. Philadelphia had claimed the veteran on revocable trade waivers.
New York will receive a player to be named later or cash to complete the deal, per Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia (via Twitter). Bautista is only earning the league-minimum salary, so he won’t cost the Phils much in dollars.
The Phillies have already managed to squeeze in one defensively-limited slugger onto their roster, acquiring Justin Bour earlier in the summer. Now, they’ll shoehorn Bautista into the mix.
Of course, active roster space won’t be an issue in a few days’ time, as rosters are set to expand on Saturday. The Phillies will need to tie up a 40-man spot in order to carry Bautista, though.
Bautista is no longer the feared slugger of yore, and owns a sub-Mendoza batting average, though he can still drive the ball out of the park and draw a walk. His overall output on the season — .196/.339/.364 with 11 home runs in 342 plate appearances — translates to roughly league-average productivity (98 OPS+; 99 wRC+).
Perhaps there’s an argument to be made, though, that Bautista’s exceptional plate discipline and remaining pop make him a particularly interesting late-game pinch-hitting option. And the organization no doubt knows that it’s infusing a fiery competitor into its clubhouse at a moment when the team seemingly needs a jolt.Comment -
Bautista is washed up, and Phillly not going to make playoffs.Comment -
If I could go on a nice run one time that would be great!Comment -
Matt Barnes came into a 4-1 Red Sox lead in the 8th and imploded, turning a 3 run lead into a 2 run deficit. Red Sox came back to lead 7-6, and then Kimbrel blew the save.Red Sox then walked it off on an error in the bottom of the 9th.
Yankees trailed 4-0 in the 6th and came back to win.[quote=jjgold;5683305]I win again like usual
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[quote=Whippit;7921056]miami won't lose a single eastern conference game through end of season[/quote]Comment -
Kris Bryant will play in one game of a doubleheader today at Triple-A as he continues to work on a new swing to protect his left shoulder which has kept him on the DL since July. No word on when he'll be activated but it's likely in the next couple days.
Addison Russell (shoulder/finger) is progressing as he threw on the infield this morning while Brandon Morrow (biceps) also threw, but only in the outfield, from 105 ft. Rehabbing lefty Drew Smyly (Tommy John) will throw an inning for Class-A South Bend on Thursday as he works his way back to the majors.Comment -
Duda to Atlanta
not sure if he's just a pinch hitter or if the Braves are going to try Freeman at third again[quote=jjgold;5683305]I win again like usual
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[quote=Whippit;7921056]miami won't lose a single eastern conference game through end of season[/quote]Comment -
Dodgers will take over the NL West now.Comment -
Fans and pundits alike were surprised when Daniel Murphy fell to the Cubs on revocable waivers, and that was the reaction of the Cubs’ front office as well, GM Jed Hoyer explains to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. Hoyer says the Cubs had been claiming anywhere from one to as many as “eight or nine” players per day without much to show for it and were indeed “surprised” to learn they’d been awarded the claim on Murphy. (Interestingly, Rogers notes that the Cubs also tried to claim Bryce Harper, though the Dodgers reportedly blocked other contenders from succeeding in that regard.) Hoyer delves into negotiations with the Nationals a bit and reveals that the Murphy trade came together all of two minutes before his waiver period was set to expire.
Rogers’ column gives interesting insight into the mechanics behind the waiver process from the team perspective, explaining how clubs go about placing claims and learning when they have or have not succeeded in claiming a player. Rogers also chats with Murphy himself about the waiver process and the transition from the Nationals to the Cubs. Those looking to learn more about August trade maneuverings and the nuts and bolts behind these claims will want to check out the column in full to gain some additional perspective. And, of course, we’d be remiss to not thank Murphy for his readership, as the veteran infielder tells Rogers he “frequents” MLBTR and first learned of his placement on waivers right here.
Here’s more from the division…
- The Reds announced this afternoon that lefty setup man Amir Garrett has been placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a bone bruise in his foot. Righty Jackson Stephens was activated from the 10-day DL and added to the roster in his place. As Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer examines, the situation illustrates just how far Brandon Finnegan’s standing within the organization has fallen. Interim skipper Jim Riggleman suggested to reporters that the team wouldn’t bring up a lefty in the short term and, asked specifically about Finnegan, wouldn’t commit firmly to a September call-up for the 25-year-old. Finnegan was very arguably the headliner of the 2015 trade that sent Johnny Cueto to Kansas City, but he’s struggled immensely in 2018 and, since being moved to the bullpen in Triple-A, has an ERA north of 7.00 with 19 walks against 20 strikeouts.
- Brewers fans are growing increasingly restless as they clamor for the team to make some kind of upgrade between now and month’s end, and general manager David Stearns addressed his lack of activity to this point in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM earlier today (Twitter link, with full audio). Stearns made clear that he has confidence in the Brewers’ current pitching staff and suggested that expanded September rosters will allow Milwaukee to take pressure off the rotation by shortening games, but he also plainly stated that he’s staying active in trade discussions as he seeks upgrades. “You generally know who has cleared waivers,” said Stearns. “At this point, most of the guys have gone through. We are having conversations. I think most contending clubs are having conversations.” Stearns added that the limited rental period for impending free agents acquired this time of season makes the cost of acquisition even more crucial but said the Milwaukee front office is still “out there looking to improve the team if we can find the right match.”
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Just posting here for poster BIGDAYComment -
The Brewers hold on for the 13-12 victory, pounding out 22 hits along the way. Christian Yelich becomes the 78th player since 1900 to go 6-for-6 in a game and the fourth player to get six hits while hitting for the cycle. He's now hitting .319/.380/.563Comment -
Albert Pujols out for the season after knee surgeryComment -
Cardinals must find the Pujols contract hilarious.Comment -
The first of the Padres blue chip prospects, Luis Urias, was called up the other day and yesterday got his 1st major league hit along with a 3 hit game. Urias plays 2nd base but can also play SS and is an advanced hitter with a good idea of the strike zone and high on base %.Comment -
Still 3 years and $87M left on Pujols deal after this season.Comment -
[quote=jjgold;5683305]I win again like usual
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[quote=Whippit;7921056]miami won't lose a single eastern conference game through end of season[/quote]Comment -
Apparently Ohtani is pitching on Sunday. I thought he wouldn't pitch again this season.[quote=jjgold;5683305]I win again like usual
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[quote=Whippit;7921056]miami won't lose a single eastern conference game through end of season[/quote]Comment -
Geez, Toronto doesn't want Josh Donaldson.
Gary Sanchez might be coming back.Comment -
10:04pm: There is a deal in place, per ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Twitter link).
9:50pm: The Yankees and Giants are trying to work out a trade that would send veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen to New York, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links). Per the report, there is not yet an agreement in place, but two prospects — including young infielder Abiatal Avelino — would head to San Francisco if the deal is completed.
McCutchen has reportedly cleared revocable waivers, meaning he can be dealt without restriction. Of course, that also suggests that no teams were willing to take on the remainder of his $14.75MM salary, less than $3MM of which remains to be paid. As Sherman notes, though, some of that is still being paid for by the Pirates. It’s not yet known how the teams are sorting the money out otherwise, but there’s something north of $2MM at issue.
We recently looked at some plausible landing spots for the veteran, with MLBTR readers pegging the Yanks as one of the likeliest suitors. McCutchen topped our most recent ranking of the top August trade candidates.
While the Yanks still are counting on top slugger Aaron Judge to return in time for the postseason, it’s increasingly worrisome that he remains sidelined by a wrist injury. And though the Yanks are all but certain to end up in a Wild Card play-in, the club still needs to prepare both to maximize its chances of winning that game and to be ready for a full postseason series of it does so.
Presently, the Yankees are utilizing long-time infielder Neil Walker in the outfield while also giving a roster spot to the light-hitting Shane Robinson. While Clint Frazier would be an appealing option, he’s just launching a rehab assignment. Under the circumstances, it’s not hard to see why there’s interest in McCutchen, who has produced solid offensive numbers this year despite failing to play to his once-great levels.
True, McCutchen’s batting line — .255/.357/.415 — doesn’t look all that appealing at first glance for a corner outfielder. But that works out to a 115 wRC+ when adjusted for context. McCutchen is drawing walks at a strong 12.9% clip and has perhaps been unfortunate only to carry a .160 isolated power that’s lower than any full-season mark in his career. Statcast credits him with a .364 xwOBA that lands well over his actual .339 wOBA output.
As he closes in on his 32nd birthday, McCutchen simply isn’t the player that he once was. But he’s still a solid performer who is still capable of playing on a near-regular basis. That said, he’ll surely be most effective when deployed somewhat selectively. McCutchen has hit more against lefties, for instance, and isn’t grading well on the bases despite 13 steals. He has generated average or better grades for his glovework in right, a welcome change after some rough seasons in center field.
For the Yankees, clearly, the optimal roster situation does not include McCutchen as an everyday presence. But, once Judge is back, he could potentially be quite a useful player by entering the mix with Aaron Hicks and Brett Gardner.Comment -
Can the nationals make a run??????Comment
