TheRotofeed

Detmers and the Deadline, Opportunity Knocks for Lucky Fantasy Stocks

The Itch — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 07:00:12 +0000

A lot of the MLB trade deadline coverage I’ve seen has been comprehensive, or given the old college try at such, but I will do neither. Instead, I will zero in on the things I’ve taken away for fantasy function. Even so, I will miss things and obscure the reality of a player’s potential at times for the sake of finishing a sentence. Baseball is so limitless it’s really all we prospect few ever really do: obscure reality’s unknowable potential so we can take our snapshots and hit our deadlines. In accepting and embracing this chaos, I hope to stay a step ahead of the competition, and I hope you’ll join me like two wild runners in Pamplona gambling with their blood.

Padres Place Fernando Tatis Jr, Chris Paddack On 10-Day IL

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 04:24:08 +0000

11:24PM: Season-ending shoulder surgery “would be on the table” for Tatis if he doesn’t show improvement during his 10-day IL stint, Tinger told The Athletic’s Dennis Lin and other reporters. However, Tatis is intent on playing again this year.

6:01PM: The Padres have placed shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. and right-hander Chris Paddack on the 10-day injured list. Tatis is on the IL with left shoulder inflammation, after leaving last night’s game with a shoulder problem following a slide into third base. Paddack has been sidelined with a left oblique strain, and his placement is retroactive to July 28.

In corresponding moves, the Padres also optioned righty Nabil Crismatt to Triple-A while calling up right-handers Miguel Diaz and Reiss Knehr, and newly-acquired outfielder Jake Marisnick was added to the active roster.

This is the second time Tatis’ bothersome left shoulder has sent him to the injured list this season, as he suffered a slight labrum tear back in early April but ended up missing only a minimal amount of time. Tatis has since missed a couple of games with mild shoulder soreness, but Padres manager Jayce Tingler told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter links) and other reporters that Tatis’ shoulder was “more sore” in the aftermath of this injury than in his past shoulder aggravations.

According to Acee, there isn’t yet any indication that the Padres are considering shutting Tatis down in the wake of these recurring injuries. If surgery is the only way to fully correct the problem, that would obviously sideline Tatis for the rest of this season and potentially into 2022, depending on the extent of the procedure and the severity of the shoulder damage. The fact that Tatis has been able to bounce back multiple times this year and still produce at a superstar level provides some hope that he’ll also be able to recover from this latest setback, though it would seem to appear that Tatis will require more than just the minimum 10 days of recovery time.

There is no way to actually replace Tatis, of course, though San Diego’s acquisition of Adam Frazier last week now looks all the more important. Jake Cronenworth can slide over to shortstop while Frazier takes over as planned at second base, but that scenario also interrupts the Padres’ initial plan — using Cronenworth at first base and Frazier as a super-utilityman around the diamond, providing cover for and depth behind Eric Hosmer and Wil Myers. Ha-Seong Kim and Jurickson Profar are also on hand as utility options.

Losing Paddack is also no small matter for the Padres, who have been consistently hampered by rotation injuries all season. San Diego was rumored to be looking at multiple starters prior to the trade deadline, but reliever Daniel Hudson ended up being their only new arm. Paddack was scheduled to start on Sunday, but the Padres might now turn to Knehr or another option for tomorrow’s game.

Paddack has pitched better (3.92 SIERA) than his 5.13 ERA would indicate, though he has allowed a lot of hard contact. Perhaps the key stat is 93 innings pitched, as Paddack has been a reliably durable member of the starting staff apart from a 10-day COVID absence early in the season. The right-hander has a below-average strikeout rate but he has been one of the best at limiting free passes; Paddack’s walk rate is only five percent.

Jed Hoyer Discusses Cubs’ Deadline Moves

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 03:28:08 +0000

The Cubs were one of the busiest teams of deadline season, moving many of their veteran players in a series of trades that officially closed the curse-breaking era of Wrigleyville baseball. However, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer feels the next window of contention will open sooner rather than later thanks to these deals, telling The Chicago Tribune’s Meghan Montemurro and other reporters that “we did everything we could today and over the last week to try to reset this organization and to try to make the best decisions possible.”

Citing the recent examples of the Phillies, Tigers, and Giants, Hoyer wanted to avoid a scenario that would’ve seen the Cubs perhaps wait too long to make that “reset,” as Hoyer said those other clubs “basically ran to the end of the cliff and they fell off and they had to rebuild.” While Hoyer said that the organization was “willing to go to that point if this was a winning team this year,” the team’s 11-game losing streak from June 25 to July 6 essentially ended the Cubs’ chances of competing in the NL Central, especially since the Brewers got hot and broke out to a big lead.

Rather than seeing impending free agents like Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, or Anthony Rizzo all potentially leave for nothing this winter, the decision was made to move them at the deadline. “We were able to, in my mind, speed that process up dramatically because we’re able to acquire a lot of young talent, some on the major-league team, some that’ll be in the minors,” Hoyer said.

Of course, there was no shortage of “real emotion” that went into trading some of the iconic Cubs figures of recent years, and Hoyer didn’t rule out pursuing reunions with any of these now-former stars in free agency this winter. As Montemurro notes, however, such re-signings are perhaps a little unlikely, given how the Cubs had extension talks with several of their top players dating back to 2020, yet couldn’t come to terms on a long-term deal.

There don’t appear to be any hard feelings on at least Baez’s side, as the newly-minted Mets infielder told Russell Dorsey of The Chicago Sun-Times that “I think the communication here has been really good between the players in the [Cubs’] front office. They talked to us straight up told us what the chances were. We understand the business side. It happens. Hopefully happens for the best for the organization.”

Catcher Willson Contreras (controlled through the 2022 season) is one of the few notable stars remaining on the roster, and it stands to reason that the Cubs might explore trading Contreras this winter, after discussing some potential deals with teams last offseason. For Contreras’ part, however, he would “love to stay here….This is the only team I’ve played for, and if they want to rebuild around me, I’m happy to talk.”

Marlins Discussed Trades Involving Bryan Reynolds, Brandon Marsh

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 02:45:11 +0000

Prior to the trade deadline, the Marlins were looking for outfield help, and explored what would have been a pair of major deals. Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of The Miami Herald report that the Marlins checked in with the Pirates about All-Star center fielder Bryan Reynolds, and also discussed a fascinating deal with the Angels that would have seen Miami acquire outfielder Brandon Marsh in exchange for Max Meyer, the third overall pick of the 2020 draft.

It’s probably safe to assume that almost every team in baseball at least asked the Pirates about Reynolds, who has delivered great results in two of his three MLB seasons. Reynolds has rebounded from a sophomore slump to hit .309/.388/.525 with 18 homers over 425 plate appearances this season, with an .385 xwOBA that ranks among the league’s best.

Reynolds turns 27 in January and is controlled through the 2025 season, making him one of the few assets that the rebuilding Pirates weren’t looking to move in general, and certainly not for anything short of a huge return. “Pittsburgh wanted more than the Marlins were willing to consider,” Jackson/Mish write, so talks ultimately didn’t pan out.

As for the negotiations with the Angels, other players may have been involved in the proposed deal, so it wouldn’t have been only a straight Marsh-for-Meyer swap. Such major trades of top prospects are rare, though this particular move would have addressed needs for both clubs. It isn’t any secret that the Angels are looking to add young arms, as evidenced by their two deadline day trades that netted five minor league pitchers, or their 20-player draft class consisting of nothing but hurlers.

Meyer might already be pretty close to the majors, after throwing three years of college ball and making his pro debut this year at Double-A. The right-hander has a 1.93 ERA over 70 innings for Double-A Pensacola and ranks 38th on Baseball America’s midseason top 100 prospects list.

As impressive as Meyer has been, he is only one of several impressive pitchers at both the MLB and minor league levels of Miami’s organization. With this surplus in mind, Jackson/Mish write that the Marlins are looking to deal a pitcher for “a front-line offensive prospect” like Marsh, who made his Major League debut earlier this month.

Marsh had an even higher placement on BA’s midseason list, ranking as the 26th-best prospect in all of baseball. His first taste of Triple-A ball was limited to 24 games due to shoulder inflammation, but he hit well over that limited playing time and earned his first look at the MLB level. Seen as a center fielder of the future, Marsh would be a natural replacement for Starling Marte up the middle in Miami, and the Angels might be willing to move such a player for premium pitching talent since L.A. has another big outfield prospect in Jo Adell.

Between Marte, Adam Duvall, and Corey Dickerson, the Marlins have traded three veteran outfielders in a little over a month’s time, making the position a target area for the offseason. Jesus Sanchez and the newly-acquired Bryan De La Cruz will be in the mix as potential starters, though Jackson/Mish write that Lewis Brinson and Monte Harrison aren’t seen as long-term options. For Harrison, “his future with the organization is uncertain” after an internal matter that reportedly involved Harrison having to be restrained after an argument with Marte.

Injury Updates: Brito, Marte, Kershaw, Sale

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 01:59:29 +0000

Phillies Triple-A prospect Daniel Brito collapsed in the first inning of today’s game, and had to be taken off the field via ambulance. According to a statement released by the team, Brito is currently undergoing surgery at a local hospital, but no other details were provided. (Sal Maiorana of The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle has a fuller account of the on-field situation.)

Brito is in his sixth pro season, all in the Phillies organization, and he earned his first promotion to Triple-A after hitting .296/.363/.457 in 275 PA for Double-A Reading this season. We at MLB Trade Rumors wish all the best for Brito in the wake of this terrifying incident, and we hope he has a full recovery.

More on injury situations from around baseball…

The Diamondbacks reinstated Ketel Marte off the 10-day injured list today. Marte missed just over a month due to a left hamstring strain, and between this injury and a right hamstring strain earlier in the season, Marte has appeared in only 37 games in 2021. On the plus side, Marte had been hitting extremely well (.370/.419/.556 in 148 PA) when he was able to play, so he still has two months to salvage something positive from what has been a lost season for the D’Backs. Since Arizona had no intention of dealing Marte or any other core players, the IL stint seemingly didn’t scuttle any potential Marte trades prior to the deadline.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle) that Brandon Belt and Tommy La Stella are hopefully within 7-10 days of rejoining the team. Belt has missed a little over a month with a knee injury, while La Stella hasn’t played since May 2 due to both a hamstring injury and a fractured hand.
There is some doubt as to whether or not Clayton Kershaw will make his 60-pitch sim game tomorrow, as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times) that the star left-hander has “some residual soreness” in his throwing elbow. A bout of forearm inflammation sent Kershaw to the IL on July 7, and while he was expected back in August, this development could possibly throw a wrench into that timeline. To be clear, Roberts indicated that Kershaw might still throw the 60-pitch anyway, just that it wasn’t set in stone that the sim game would indeed take place as planned.

Injury Updates: Brito, Marte, Belt, La Stella, Kershaw

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 01:59:29 +0000

More on injury situations from around baseball…

The Diamondbacks reinstated Ketel Marte off the 10-day injured list today. Marte missed just over a month due to a left hamstring strain, and between this injury and a right hamstring strain earlier in the season, Marte has appeared in only 37 games in 2021. On the plus side, Marte had been hitting extremely well (.370/.419/.556 in 148 PA) when he was able to play, so he still has two months to salvage something positive from what has been a lost season for the D’Backs. Since Arizona had no intention of dealing Marte or any other core players, the IL stint seemingly didn’t scuttle any potential Marte trades prior to the deadline.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle) that Brandon Belt and Tommy La Stella are hopefully within 7-10 days of rejoining the team. Belt has missed a little over a month with a knee injury, while La Stella hasn’t played since May 2 due to both a hamstring injury and a fractured hand.
There is some doubt as to whether or not Clayton Kershaw will make his 60-pitch sim game tomorrow, as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times) that the star left-hander has “some residual soreness” in his throwing elbow. A bout of forearm inflammation sent Kershaw to the IL on July 7, and while he was expected back in August, this development could possibly throw a wrench into that timeline. To be clear, Roberts indicated that Kershaw might still throw the 60-pitch anyway, just that it wasn’t set in stone that the sim game would indeed take place as planned.

Taylor Rogers’ Season In Jeopardy Due To Finger Injury

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 00:59:10 +0000

Taylor Rogers is hoping to avoid a season-ending surgery in the wake of his recent finger injury, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told The Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Phil Miller and other reporters. Baldelli initially thought that Rogers’ injury would indeed keep the left-hander out of action for the remainder of the 2021 season, though Rogers received a second opinion that could allow him to heal his tendon problem without surgery.

Rogers seems to be considering that second option for now, but it isn’t clear whether or not this non-surgical rehab route might take too long for Rogers to get back on the mound before the season is through. The other factor could be the Twins themselves perhaps stepping in to shut Rogers down for the season, considering the team is out of the pennant race and might not want to risk Rogers coming back for meaningless games in late September.

The injury was officially termed a left middle finger sprain, though Miller notes that the injury specifically involved the pulley tendon within Rogers’ finger. While the extent of the tendon damage isn’t known, the fact that surgery appears to be a consideration isn’t a good sign, and there could possibly even be some uncertainty about Rogers’ readiness for the start of the 2022 season. Given how finger surgeries can often carry unclear timelines, it isn’t surprising that Rogers would prefer to explore any possible avenues to avoid going under the knife.

Were it not for this finger issue, it is quite possible Rogers might no longer be a Minnesota Twin, as the southpaw was drawing a lot of attention prior to the trade deadline. Given how the Twins are reportedly planning to reload and attempt a return to contention in 2022, it doesn’t seem like Rogers will be shopped this offseason, regardless or whether or not he is healthy.

Rogers has been generally excellent over his six years with Minnesota, and his performance this season (3.35 ERA, 35.5% strikeout rate, 4.8% walk rate over 40 1/3 innings) earned him his first career All-Star nod. Rogers has one remaining year of arbitration eligibility before hitting free agency in the 2022-23 offseason.

Dodgers Place Tony Gonsolin On 10-Day Injured List

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 22:52:18 +0000

The Dodgers have placed right-hander Tony Gonsolin on the 10-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation, and also sent right-hander Brusdar Graterol and outfielder Luke Raley to Triple-A. The trio of moves clears the way for Max Scherzer to be activated onto the Dodgers’ roster, while righty Edwin Uceta and southpaw Garrett Cleavinger were called up from Triple-A.

More to come…

Angels Notes: Deadline Trades, Minasian, Cobb, Ward

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 22:46:56 +0000

The Angels acted as sellers rather than buyers at yesterday’s trade deadline, moving Andrew Heaney to the Yankees and Tony Watson to the Giants in a pair of deals. However, these were the only moves made, as “we were not focused on tearing down this team by any stretch,” GM Perry Minasian told The Los Angeles Times’ Jack Harris and other reporters. The club also explored adding players (including “higher-salary players,” as Minasian put it) to the big league roster, but couldn’t work out any such trade prior to the deadline.

“I think this group has earned the opportunity to continue to compete. To me, we did not go into this trade deadline with the mindset of, ‘Let’s do a total rebuild’ or anything like that.”

With a 51-52 record, the Angels are only on the outskirts of the playoff race, sitting seven games out of a wild card slot and 12.5 games behind the Astros in the AL West. Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon are still on the injured list, so it isn’t entirely out of the question that Anaheim could mount a late charge once those two stars eventually return, and even this slim chance of contention was enough to hold the front office off on unloading all of its rental players. Rumors circulated around closer Raisel Iglesias in particular, though Iglesias remains in an Angels uniform.

Alex Cobb is another of the rental players who wasn’t dealt, and it could be that the veteran righty’s health situation factored into that situation. Cobb was placed on the 10-day injured list last night (after the deadline) due to inflammation in his right wrist, though the injury is thought to be relatively minor.

Acquired in a trade from the Orioles last February, Cobb’s first Angels season has been very solid, as he has delivered a 3.84 ERA/3.62 SIERA over 77 2/3 innings despite dealing with blister issues and now his current wrist problem. Re-signing Cobb would certainly seem like a solid option for a Halos team that still needs pitching, and Cobb told MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger that he has let Minasian know that he would like to stay in Los Angeles, though the two sides haven’t yet had any official extension talks.

“I knew this was somewhere I wanted to be months ago….I’ve told a lot of people, you can kind of see which team is on the verge of being a championship-caliber team, and I don’t know that ’on the verge’ is right, because we have so many talented guys,” Cobb said.

In less-positive news for the Angels, the team announced that Taylor Ward suffered a non-displaced left rib fracture during a Triple-A game yesterday, and Ward has been placed on the minor league injured list. There isn’t any current word on how long Ward could be out of action.

It’s a tough break on multiple levels for Ward, who won’t accumulate any MLB service time while on the minors IL. He was only optioned to Triple-A last week after spending much of the season on the Angels’ roster, hitting a respectable .240/.322/.426 over 232 plate appearances and playing at all three outfield positions.

Mets Designate Anthony Banda, Outright Akeem Bostick

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 22:12:25 +0000

The Mets announced that left-hander Anthony Banda has been designated for assignment, while right-hander Akeem Bostick has been outrighted to Triple-A. The moves open up some 40-man roster space for the two particulars of yesterday’s big trade with the Cubs — Javier Baez joins New York’s active roster, while righty Trevor Williams was optioned to Triple-A.

More to come…

Marlins Reinstate Trevor Rogers From 10-Day IL, Designate Preston Guilmet

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 22:07:15 +0000

The Marlins announced four roster moves prior to their game with the Yankees, most notably the activation of tonight’s scheduled starting pitcher. Trevor Rogers has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list, and newly-acquired catcher Alex Jackson has also officially been added to the roster. In corresponding moves, right-hander Preston Guilmet was designated for assignment and righty Jordan Holloway was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville.

More to come…

COVID Notes: 7/31/21

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 21:47:05 +0000

The latest on coronavirus situations from around baseball…

Marlins manager Don Mattingly has tested positive for COVID-19, the team announced (MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola was among those to report the news). Mattingly is experiencing some mild symptoms but has been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Bench coach James Rowson will serve as acting manager while Mattingly is absent for the mandatory quarantine period. Tests of other Marlins personnel revealed no other positive cases.
Brewers right-handers Hunter Strickland and Jake Cousins both tested positive for COVID-19, manager Craig Counsell told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Haudricourt (Twitter links) and other reporters. Righty Jandel Gustave is also not available due to contact tracing. No official moves have been made in regards to the COVID-related injured list or roster replacements, though newly-acquired relievers John Curtiss and Daniel Norris are both on hand and could be activated for tonight’s game. Counsell said that Strickland and Cousins both reported mild symptoms, and both relievers have been vaccinated.

Yankees Designate Sal Romano For Assignment

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 21:27:16 +0000

The Yankees announced that right-hander Sal Romano has been designated for assignment. The move creates a roster spot for left-hander Andrew Heaney, acquired yesterday in a trade with the Angels.

More to come…

Diamondbacks Sign First-Rounder Jordan Lawlar

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 21:19:40 +0000

4:19PM: The D’Backs have officially announced their agreement with Lawlar.

3:45PM: As originally reported yesterday by John Gambadoro of 98.7FM Phoenix, the Diamondbacks reached an agreement with sixth overall pick Jordan Lawlar. The high school shortstop signed for a hefty $6,713,300 bonus, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis (Twitter links). This is both well over the $5,742,900 assigned slot price for the sixth pick, and the largest bonus for any position player in the 2021 draft.

The highly-touted Lawlar was seen by some as a potential first overall pick, and as a consensus top-five selection, it was perhaps a bit of a surprise that he fell to the D’Backs. Arizona used the remaining money in its $11,271,900 draft pool to sign Lawlar, so the Diamondbacks didn’t exceed the threshold by more than five percent and thus won’t have to surrender any future draft picks.

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo each ranked Lawlar as the best prospect of the 2021 draft class, with McDaniel calling Lawlar “the best combination of skills, hit tool and track record” of all the top high school shortstops available this year. The 19-year-old has strong all-around ability, and Collazo feels that Lawlar has a “regular all-star” ceiling if he develops a bit more power.

Diamondbacks To Sign First-Rounder Jordan Lawlar

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 20:45:40 +0000

As originally reported yesterday by John Gambadoro of 98.7FM Phoenix, the Diamondbacks reached an agreement with sixth overall pick Jordan Lawlar. The high school shortstop signed for a hefty $6,713,300 bonus, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis (Twitter links). This is both well over the $5,742,900 assigned slot price for the sixth pick, and the largest bonus for any position player in the 2021 draft.

Deadline Notes: Rockies, Story, Mets, Bryant, Gibson, Nationals, Dodgers

TC Zencka — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 20:07:05 +0000

The Rockies reportedly received offers for All-Star shortstop Trevor Story from the Yankees, Brewers, White Sox, and Rays prior to Friday’s trade deadline, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter). The Rockies have been criticized for their failure to move Story, given that they are all but assured to lose him as a free agent after the season. They will get a draft pick when he departs, and their front office did not deem any of the offers received as appreciably better than that draft pick will be.

Despite all the talk, the Mets never came particularly close to acquiring Kris Bryant from the Cubs, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter). The two clubs were obviously in steady communication — and eventually consummated a deal for Javier Baez — but the Cubs kept the conversation away from Bryant. Given how long Bryant had been “on the block,” the Cubs certainly had a sense of what was available.
The Mets did, however, explore the cost for Kyle Gibson of the Rangers, notes Puma, but the Rangers informed them that they had a better offer on the table from the Phillies.
The Nationals had the pieces in place for a deal that would have sent Max Scherzer to the Padres on Thursday night, but they also had a deal in place with an American League East team, per Juan Toribio of MLB.com. The Yankees, Blue Jays, Rays, and Red Sox were all said to have interest in Scherzer at one point or another.
As for the Dodgers’ side of that deal eventual deal, they were intent on holding onto Ryan Pepiot, Bobby Miller, and Landon Knack, despite wide-ranging interest in that trio of arms.

Astros Select Jake Meyers, Designate Nivaldo Rodriguez For Assignment

TC Zencka — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 19:39:00 +0000

The Astros announced a number of roster moves today. Phil Maton — acquired yesterday from the Indians — was added to the active roster, while Jake Meyers had his contract selected. To make room on the active roster, Bryan Abreu was optioned to the taxi squad and Brandon Bielak was optioned to Triple-A. To create a spot on the 40-man roster, right-hander Nivaldo Rodriguez was designated for assignment, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26.

Meyers, 25, is the most interesting addition of the bunch here, despite his lack of prospect status and unheralded beginnings as a 13th-round pick. His revelatory play in Triple-A this season seems to be one of the driving factors in Houston’s decision to trade Myles Straw for Maton. It’s certainly not standard operating procedure for a first-place team like the Astros to deal their starting centerfielder for a middle reliever in the middle of a playoff race — especially with Straw being cheap and controllable through 2025.

But Meyers raked in Triple-A, slashing .343/.408/.598 with 16 home runs for the Sugar Land Skeeters. He brings a less extreme version of Straw’s positive approach at the plate, but with the added benefit of some power potential. Meyers has walked at an 8.2 percent clip while striking out just 19.4 percent of the time. He has benefited from a .389 BABIP, and the power marks – .255 ISO, .598 SLG — are way above his career averages prior to this season.

Defensively, he has split his time evenly between all three outfield spots this year. Back in June, Kevin Goldstein of Fangraphs noted that he profiles as an above-average defensive centerfielder, though without Straw’s arm. If his power proves to be for real, Meyers ought to be an upgrade in centerfield, assuming he can outbid Chas McCormick for playing time. The 26-year-old McCormick has a head start on the starter’s job with a 113 wRC+ through 178 plate appearances this season.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, will be left exposed to waivers as a result of Houston’s trade deadline additions. The 24-year-old righty has nine career appearances between this season and last. He logged 16 innings, allowing eight earned runs on 19 hits and 10 walks while serving up five long balls. Given the need for pitching league-wide, there’s certainly a possibility somebody takes a chance on Rodriguez either as a starter or a reliever with multi-inning potential.

Top 100 Hitters: Trading Frenzy

Jeremy Brewer — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 19:00:57 +0000

The top 100 hitters for the rest of the fantasy baseball season returns this week as the baseball world enjoyed a spirited trade deadline. Seriously, I can not remember a more entertaining few hours as big names in the majors and minors were flying off the board. This will take some time to digest, but that was potentially a historic 48 hours. As well, it is an exciting time in our fantasy game as values quickly change and fantasy writers like me tell our editors that being wrong this time really is not our fault! I simply guarantee these rankings for the next 17 minutes! Time to break down the big moves from Anthony Rizzo to Joey Gallo to Starling Marte to Kris Bryant to Trea Turner and so much more! Check your tray tables and buckle up for another rousing rendition of the top 100 hitters for the rest of the 2021 fantasy baseball season.

A’s Place James Kaprielian On 10-Day Injured List, Designate Domingo Acevedo, Jacob Wilson For Assignment

TC Zencka — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 18:50:52 +0000

The A’s made a number of roster moves today to make room for the additions of recently-acquired Yan Gomes and Josh Harrison. Aramis Garcia was optioned to Triple-A, and James Kaprielian was placed on the 10-day injured list with a shoulder impingement. To make room on the 40-man roster, Domingo Acevedo and Jacob Wilson, per Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links).

Kaprielian was supposed to start tomorrow’s ballgame. Daulton Jefferies will get the call-up to take his place, so another roster move will need to be made at that point, tweets Kawahara.

More to come…

Points Leagues: Votto Takes Flight

Butters — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 18:00:57 +0000

Deadline day is upon us and the baseball world could look very different this time tomorrow. However, that hasn't stopped the games from being played. Joey Votto (60) is on some kind of tear right now. He's here to chew bubble gum and hit dingers and apparently he's all out of bubble gum. That's a bomb in six straight games and thanks to a couple of multi homer efforts he has 8 over that span. Votto has long been the type of guy who gets a boost to his value in points leagues. It's likely that he's already on a roster in your league, but he's not universally rostered so I would take a peek at the wire.

Braves Option Orlando Arcia, Sean Newcomb

TC Zencka — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 17:45:28 +0000

Deadline acquisitions Richard Rodriguez and Jorge Soler are in Atlanta and active or tonight’s ballgame, per the team. To make room for their arrival, Orlando Arcia and Sean Newcomb have been optioned to Triple-A.

Arcia came over from the Brewers midseason and had mostly played left field for the Braves — his first outfield appearances in the Majors save for one game in center last season. Arcia doesn’t carry enough bat to hold down the position long-term, however, and the Braves added Soler, Eddie Rosario, and Adam Duvall to along with Joc Pederson in the outfield corners. Arcia hit just .204/.264/.347 in 53 appearances with the Braves.

More to come…

Performance Report: 7/31

Gabe Zammit — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 17:00:38 +0000

Trade deadline moves create new opportunities

The post Performance Report: 7/31 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Tokyo 2020: Post Round-Robin Recap

Adam Sloate — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 17:00:20 +0000

Dingers, filth, and bullpen carts!

The post Tokyo 2020: Post Round-Robin Recap appeared first on Pitcher List.

Tyler Glasnow Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

TC Zencka — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 16:35:25 +0000

Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery next week, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan (via Twitter). That not only officially marks an end to his 2021 season, but perhaps his 2022 season as well. Passan adds that he may not return until 2023, though there remains a “small chance” that an alternative way to rehab his partially torn UCL will be found before a potential surgery date next week.

More to come.

Bullpen Depth Charts: Relievers To Stream — 7/31

Rick Graham — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 16:30:24 +0000

Which relievers might be in line to vulture a save or win today?

The post Bullpen Depth Charts: Relievers To Stream — 7/31 appeared first on Pitcher List.

July Headlines: National League

TC Zencka — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 16:28:18 +0000

This year’s trade season did not disappoint. After a wild couple of days, we’re gonna do our best to recap the action from one of the busiest trade deadline in recent memory. Let’s start with the headlines coming out of the Senior Circuit this month…

The Champ Are Still The Champs: This phrase, in many ways, could serve as an ironic headline for this year’s trade deadline, as we saw the dismantling of a couple of former championship teams. The reigning champ, however, was not one of them. The Dodgers reasserted themselves as the team to beat in the National League by making the splashiest move of the deadline in acquiring Max Scherzer and Trea Turner from the Nationals.

The Dodgers stepped up, and now they have perhaps the most intimidating starter of his generation slotted into a rotation with Clayton Kershaw, probably the best pitcher of his generation, along with young stud Walker Buehler. It’s an amazing collection of talent for a single team.

That said, the Turner acquisition might be even more impactful, as he’s under contract through next season. Turner and Mookie Betts as a 1-2 punch in the lineup are devastating. Interestingly, the Dodgers also got Corey Seager back from the injured list today, and it remains to be seen how the Dodgers will deploy their pair of All-Star shortstops (to say nothing of Gavin Lux and Chris Taylor). The Dodgers have options now and for the future. Remember, Seager is a free agent after the season. They can still bring back their World Series MVP at the right price point, but they won’t be pressured to now that they have Turner in the fold.

The Padres Don’t Land Mad Max: The trade deadline madness really began on Thursday night when it was announced that the Padres and Nats had agreed on the players involved in a Scherzer deal. That didn’t sit well with the Dodgers, who swooped in to remind the Padres of who still runs the West. The Padres were expected to turn their attention to Jose Berrios, but they weren’t able to get him either.

At the end of the day, the Padres didn’t get Scherzer, Berrios, Joey Gallo, or any other of the big names. They did add Adam Frazier, a versatile defender and good contact hitter, along with Daniel Hudson, who is a legitimate get for the bullpen, and Jake Marisnick, who compliments their centerfield options nicely, even if he’s not much more than a depth piece. It was a less impactful deadline than expected, but what’s worse: Fernando Tatis Jr. promptly reaggravated his shoulder injury. Add it all up, and the swing from potentially acquiring Scherzer to potentially losing Tatis is enough to give any Padres fan whiplash.

Giants Add Bryant: The Padres took a big swing and missed, the Dodgers took their swing and connected, and sure to form, the Giants played the deadline slow and steady. Does the tortoise win again? Time will tell, but the Giants did ultimately nab a former MVP in Kris Bryant without giving up a top prospect. Bryant fits their profile like a glove, and he’ll be able to fill in at third until Evan Longoria returns and then move to the outfield.

Remember: The Giants have a three-game head start on LA and a five-game lead on the Padres. Adding Bryant has game-changing potential, while Tony Watson was a solid, low-key add to the pen. The Dodgers are scary, but if the Giants keep playing their game, LA may find themselves in the wild card game anyway.

Cubs Collapse, Dismantle 2016 World Series Champs: In a vacuum, the Cubs had a pretty good deadline. They added a number of buzzy, interesting young players like Nick Madrigal, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Alexander Canario. But it came at a cost. After years of rumors, Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Baez were finally shipped out of town, along with Craig Kimbrel, Andrew Chafin, Ryan Tepera, Marisnick, and Trevor Williams. New players — and new narratives — are long overdue in Chicago, and the next chapter awaits.

Nationals Collapse, Dismantle 2019 World Series Champs: It’s appropriate that the Cubs are in DC to play the Nats this weekend, because really, the two clubs are mirror images of one another, right down to their interconnecting pieces like Kyle Schwarber and Jon Lester. Both teams were trying to contend on the legs of recent title teams, both teams had disastrous months of July, and both clubs desperately needed an influx of young talent. Both teams got it on Friday.

The Nats farm system was even more barren than Chicago’s and their need to restock even direr given the presence of young superstud Juan Soto. So Washington said their fare-thee-wells to Scherzer, Turner, Hudson, and Yan Gomes from the title team, plus recent additions Lester, Schwarber, Brad Hand, and Josh Harrison. GM Mike Rizzo does not sell off pieces willy nilly, but in doing so, they got some high-end, near-ready pieces as they look to quickly rebuild a contender in context around Soto before the Scott Boras client reaches free agency after the 2024 season.

Brewers Take Their Place Atop The NL Central: Milwaukee made their big acquisition back in May, and Willy Adames has transformed himself and the club since his arrival. They were last under .500 on the day before Adames arrived, they’ve gone 41-19 since and taken firm hold of the NL Central. Still, some tinkering remained on the docket for July, as the Brewers picked up Eduardo Escobar, Rowdy Tellez, John Curtiss, and Daniel Norris.

Injuries Keeping Mets From Runaway Division Title: The Mets left deadline day with a more acute awareness of what they lost than what they gained: Jacob deGrom has been shut down for another couple of weeks, leaving the all-world hurler out until at least September. That’s heartbreaking for a Mets team with a clear path to an NL East title. Plenty of upside remains in the Mets rotation with Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker posting career years, Carlos Carrasco set to make his debut, and Tylor Megill providing the surprising rookie breakout contenders seek. Still, deGrom and Noah Syndergaard are questionable at best for the rest of the season, and the only rotation additions the Mets made at the deadline were Rich Hill and Trevor Williams.

They did, however, account for Francisco Lindor’s injury by adding Javier Baez, Lindor’s friend and countrymate who can ably fill in while Lindor is out and then slide to second or third when he returns. Baez isn’t, perhaps, the former Cub that Mets fans expected, but he’s an excellent fit alongside Lindor and should bolster the pitching staff with his stellar glove — even if acquiring him did cost them a former first-rounder in Crow-Armstrong.

Braves Lose Acuna For The Season: The deadline might have looked a lot different for Atlanta had they not lost Ronald Acuna Jr. for the season back on July 10th. Without Acuna and Mike Soroka, the Braves weren’t expected to make any major swings at contention. But even a 13-12 July was enough to keep them within four games of first. A fourth consecutive NL East title remains in reach. So they nabbed one of the top available relief arms in Richard Rodriguez, as well as, seemingly, all the outfielders: Jorge Soler, old pal Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario, and Joc Pederson, plus Stephen Vogt to reinforce their catching corps.

Soft Buys From The Fringes Of Contention: The Giants and Dodgers made headline additions, while the Nats and Cubs took a firm step away from contention. In the middle, there were a number of clubs that neither sold the farm nor raised the white flag. Such as…

…the Phillies… who seemed poised to add a bevy of arms given their bullpen situation, not to mention a starting rotation that’s received underwhelming performances from the back end. Instead, only Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy came to help, and they cost the Phillies’ top prospect Spencer Howard. Howard’s handling had been in question all season, and now he’s been served an unceremonious end to his Philly tenure. Gibson’s had a fine season thus far with the Rangers, but his groundball approach will be tested in front of Philly’s subpar infield defense. Sure,

Sit/Start Week 19: Reviewing All Starting Pitcher Matchups From 8/2-8/8

Lucas Zenobi — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 16:20:30 +0000

Lucas Zenobi scores every starting pitcher matchup for the week ahead.

The post Sit/Start Week 19: Reviewing All Starting Pitcher Matchups From 8/2-8/8 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Fanduel: Who’s on First Edition

everywhereblair — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 16:00:18 +0000
Welcome, welcome! Are you all as terribly confused about who plays for whom in MLB today? As a member of the Twins fandom (and I can't say I carry that card with me...even in the house when nothing else is on TV) I saw our team act like a mattress fundraiser over this past week. The Twins jettisoned most everything (and by everything I mean "the franchise" Jose Berrios) and got some prospects in return, but if you know me, I want my players at the table and my dice loaded instead of sleeping in hotel lobbies on foldout chairs. ENYWHEY! Rosters are a freaking mess at the time of writing, and your due diligence should be to check, check, check who is playing today. That's three checks. You know what makes this job *super* easy? Rudy's DFSBot. I know, you might be looking at the price of the DFSBot and saying, "it's so late in the season, I'll wait." But wait! Grab yourself a Roto Deluxe subscription for $26 (that's like $2/week ROS) or $35 to turn off the ads (trust me, it's great when they're off). You don't get the optimizer, but you do get automatically updated lineups and some of the best projections out there, and you can home brew your own Google Sheets dashboard as a lineup optimizer. Plus, it keeps the pantry full of Pop Tarts for all of us. OK, done with the sales pitch (and I really, truly use Rudy's stuff every day). New to FanDuel? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well, be sure to read our content and subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays. Just remember to sign up through us before jumping into the fray. It’s how we know you care!

DFS Plays of the Day – July 31

Ryan Amore — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Ryan Amore previews Saturday's DFS slate.

The post DFS Plays of the Day – July 31 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Featured Images: June 2021

Justin Paradis — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 15:50:41 +0000

Reviewing the Graphics Team's favorite images designed last month.

The post Featured Images: June 2021 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Baez and Bryant Go Coast to Coast and Atlanta Buys an Outfield

Dan Pants — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 15:46:58 +0000
The Trade Deadline Spectacular! Lot's to unpack here, where do I begin? First, the Chicago Cubs continued to clean house Friday night sending their remaining superstars to opposite coasts. Kris Bryant is headed to San Francisco in exchange for Alexander Canario and Caleb Killian, and Javier Baez was sent to Queens to play shortstop for the Mets. The Mets will send outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong back to Chicago. Look, I'm not going to pretend to know who any of these prospects are, I will leave it to The Itch's Top 100 Prospects for 2021 Fantasy Baseball to tell you which of these kids are worthy of your 2021 consideration, but I will confirm that Pete Crow-Armstrong is an awesome name, so he must be very good. Anyway, Bryant should gel nicely with this Giants team and they get a "true star" to keep up with the big boys in the NL West. Javier Baez will keep doing the Javier Baez thing he does, now in NYC City, and it should be fun to watch a Javy/Lindo infield combo when Lindor returns in a few weeks. Meanwhile down South, the Braves were so distraught about Acuña (same, Braves, same), they traded for an entirely new outfield. Retail therapy! I get it! Altana acquired Eddie Rosario, Jorge Soler and Adam Duvall all from different teams, all within about an hour of each other, and all of whom are basically the same player. But for real though, how insane was this deadline? Quality and quantity. Twitter Friday afternoon was probably more exciting than most of the MLB games I've watched this season. Blockbuster deals! Twists and turns! 10 all-stars traded! Headlines that would make Suni Lee say, "oh, wow that's a pretty intriguing story." And she's not even talking about Trevor Story! For me, it was an exciting, drama-filled 48 hours in sports and I'd love to go on about how fun it is to watch athletes displaced from their homes but there is too much to cover today so will get right to it. Here's what else happened in fantasy baseball Friday night:

The 7 Best MLB Moments from Friday

Alex Kleinman — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 15:40:40 +0000

What an exciting Friday! Let's have another trade deadline next week!

The post The 7 Best MLB Moments from Friday appeared first on Pitcher List.

Best Bets of the Day: July 31

Nathan Hursh — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 15:30:01 +0000

Nathan Hursh gives away his best bets of the day.

The post Best Bets of the Day: July 31 appeared first on Pitcher List.

The 10 Nastiest Pitches From Friday

Max Posner — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 15:20:42 +0000

Friday's Nastiest Pitches is heavy on sinkers and changeups

The post The 10 Nastiest Pitches From Friday appeared first on Pitcher List.

Nationals Expected To Activate Josiah Gray, Mason Thompson

TC Zencka — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 15:18:33 +0000

In trading away much of their current roster before yesterday’s trade deadline, the Nationals prioritized talent that was close to Major League ready. The hope and expectation was that many of the players acquired over the past few days will soon join Juan Soto, Victor Robles, and company in DC to begin shaping the next Washington contender.

As such, it is expected that Mason Thompson — acquired from the Padres in the Daniel Hudson deal — will be activated and placed on the active roster later today, while Josiah Gray — a key piece in the Max Scherzer trade — will be activated to join the rotation later this weekend, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post (Twitter links). They won’t need a corresponding roster move to add Thompson, as the Nats played with only a 25-man roster for yesterday’s game.

More to come…

Nick Mariano's Waiver Picks - Get 'Em While They're Hot (Premium Content)

Nick Mariano — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 14:58:29 +0000
All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. We have two months left in the fantasy baseball season now. It may not feel like a lot, but there's still plenty of time to make a charge or slip due to complacency. Take advantage of those who lose focus due to fantasy football's... Read More

Diamondbacks Release Jon Duplantier

Anthony Franco — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 14:58:16 +0000

July 31: As anticipated, the Diamondbacks did in fact re-sign Duplantier on a minor league contract, per the team.

July 28: The Diamondbacks have released right-hander Jon Duplantier, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The move clears a spot on the D-Backs 40-man roster.

Arizona is hoping to bring Duplantier back on a minor league deal, according to Piecoro. The righty recently suffered a season-ending lat strain while pitching in the minors. Injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers, so the D-Backs’ only options to clear a 40-man roster spot were to place Duplantier on the 60-day injured list (entitling him to big league pay and service time) or to release him. The organization has apparently chosen the latter course of action.

It’s not uncommon for players in this kind of situation to eventually re-sign on a minor league pact. Franklin Perez re-upped with the Tigers in May, for instance, a few days after being released when he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. As a free agent, though, Duplantier would have the right to explore options with other organizations — assuming he clears release waivers.

Duplantier was once one of the better pitching prospects in baseball, appearing on Baseball America’s preseason top 100 lists in both 2018 and 2019. A series of injuries has derailed his progress to this point, and he’s tallied just 49 2/3 major league innings to date. Duplantier made four starts for the D-Backs this year, allowing 19 runs across 13 frames.

Diamondbacks Re-Sign Jon Duplantier

Anthony Franco — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 14:58:16 +0000

July 31: As anticipated, the Diamondbacks did in fact re-sign Duplantier on a minor league contract, per the team.

July 28: The Diamondbacks have released right-hander Jon Duplantier, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The move clears a spot on the D-Backs 40-man roster.

Arizona is hoping to bring Duplantier back on a minor league deal, according to Piecoro. The righty recently suffered a season-ending lat strain while pitching in the minors. Injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers, so the D-Backs’ only options to clear a 40-man roster spot were to place Duplantier on the 60-day injured list (entitling him to big league pay and service time) or to release him. The organization has apparently chosen the latter course of action.

It’s not uncommon for players in this kind of situation to eventually re-sign on a minor league pact. Franklin Perez re-upped with the Tigers in May, for instance, a few days after being released when he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. As a free agent, though, Duplantier would have the right to explore options with other organizations — assuming he clears release waivers.

Duplantier was once one of the better pitching prospects in baseball, appearing on Baseball America’s preseason top 100 lists in both 2018 and 2019. A series of injuries has derailed his progress to this point, and he’s tallied just 49 2/3 major league innings to date. Duplantier made four starts for the D-Backs this year, allowing 19 runs across 13 frames.

Two-Start Pitcher Streamers: Week 19

Michael Grennell — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 14:49:25 +0000
Wow, that was a crazy trade deadline. It seemed like every other player was getting traded on Friday. Now that things have settled down we can begin to analyze how all these moves will impact fantasy leagues, but one thing they haven't changed are this week's two-start streamers. First thing's first, let's recap the last... Read More

Week 18 Starts & Sits - All Starting Pitcher Matchups

Ellis Canady — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 14:42:20 +0000
Another week and there continues to be a mess with starting rotations around the league. More starters are succumbing to the injury bug and some might even get traded. The SP planner should help you identify a few different options for Week 18 and assist in determining an optimal lineup. As always, do a little... Read More

SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings – 7/31 & 8/1

Nick Pollack — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 14:00:32 +0000

Nick Pollack ranks every SP matchup for today and tomorrow.

The post SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings – 7/31 & 8/1 appeared first on Pitcher List.

Nationals Sign First-Rounder Brady House

TC Zencka — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 12:40:31 +0000

As reported yesterday, the Nationals signed first-round pick Brady House. His deal is worth $5MM, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter). The slot value for the 11th overall selection is $4.55MM.

House’s signing represents a bit of good news for Nats fans amid their sell-off yesterday. The high school shortstop was long considered one of the top prospects in the draft, but he ended up slipping to the Nats at number 11, largely because of signing concerns. Many of the small market teams picking ahead of the Nationals went with draft picks they could sign to below-slot deals.

The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked House as the 11th best prospect in the class, but he was the low man. ESPN had him as high as sixth on their draft board, Fangraphs at ninth, and Baseball America at seventh. The Nats represented a potential floor, then, at number 11 where they got him.

House brings a big bat, but there are some concerns about his hit tool, and most expect him to eventually move to third base. Still, his ceiling is tremendous, and for the Nats, he represents good value.

The Nats farm system looks much more robust today than it did yesterday with House joining trade acquisitions like Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray. Prior to those acquisitions, House was probably going to be near the very top of the Nats’ prospect chart. Now, he’ll slot in further down, but he’ll still be a top-ten prospect from the jump.

House represents a class of his own in some ways, however, as most of the prospects the Nationals targets should be in the big leagues within the next year or two. House’s timeline is probably further out than that. High school prep athletes tend closer to the three-to-five-year development path.

Grand Theft Votto

Dave Swan — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 10:30:28 +0000

Dave Swan breaks down the top-hitting performances from yesterday.

The post Grand Theft Votto appeared first on Pitcher List.

Ambulance Chasers: Jacob deGroannnnnn

JKJ — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 07:05:39 +0000
Howdy, Razzfolks! Dooooooozy of a week. Obviously, trades were banananananas, but we had plenty of injury news, too! Don't you worry.

Raisin’ Cookie

Nick Pollack — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 05:33:01 +0000

Nick Pollack reviews every starting pitcher performance from Friday.

The post Raisin’ Cookie appeared first on Pitcher List.

Trevor Story “Confused” By Lack Of Trade

Darragh McDonald — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 04:16:58 +0000

Rockies’ shortstop Trevor Story is “confused” after not being traded before today’s deadline, according to Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. “I don’t have really anything good to say about the situation and how it unfolded,” Story says.

Story has been often mentioned as a logical trade candidate, given the fact that he’s a pending free agent on a non-competitive club. Even here at MLBTR, Steve Adams placed Story 7th on a list of top trade candidates just a few days ago, noting that it was unlikely the club would hang onto him, though admitting there was a slight chance of the club hanging onto the slugger and making him a qualifying offer at year’s end. That appears to have been the thinking in the Colorado front office.

“With what we were offered, we thought the (competitive balance) pick was better suited for us and we could have Trevor on our team for another two months,” general manager Bill Schmidt said. The White Sox, Rays and Blue Jays apparently made offers that didn’t match up to that draft pick, at least in the estimation of Schmidt and his team.

Perhaps the offer were somewhat dulled by Story’s subpar season. His wRC+ of 84 is well below his marks over the past three years, which all ranged between 117 and 128. But given that his strikeout and walk rates are in line with previous years and his BABIP is way down, some teams surely could have believed that regression was due. Regardless, Story will remain a Rockie for two more months, with his seeming frustration with management not boding well for their chances at re-signing him in free agency.

Jon Gray, another impending free agent, also remains a member of the club after the deadline. Saunders notes that Gray “wants to stay in Colorado” and the club has “begun preliminary talks about a new contract with him.” It will be interesting to see if such talks are able to come to fruition. Gray is having an excellent season, with his current 3.67 ERA tied for a career-best, especially impressive in the thin Colorado air. Speculatively speaking, it might be tough to get a player to sign an extension when he’s so close to free agency and enjoying a solid platform year.

Going forward, Schmidt doesn’t believe a big rebuild is in the cards for the club. “I truly in my heart believe that this is a very talented team that underperformed the last couple of years. I’m not even going to count last year because it was a difficult year, but I think we underperformed,” Schmidt says. This seems to be quite a rose-colored view of the situation in Colorado. They are at least 15 games behind each of the Giants, Dodgers and Padres. And all three of those teams seem to have enough talent and resources to be well-positioned to continue playing at high levels into the future. With the already-struggling Rockies poised to lose a talent like Story, and perhaps Gray as well, it’s hard to envision them gaining so much ground on their competitors.

Diamondbacks Reinstate Carson Kelly, Place Five On COVID-IL,

Darragh McDonald — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 03:46:53 +0000

The Diamondbacks appear to be deadline with a COVID outbreak, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. He lists Stuart Fairchild, Joe Mantiply, Noe Ramirez, Riley Smith and Pavin Smith as those going on the IL.

Manager Torey Lovullo told Zach Buchanan of The Athletic that Ramirez and Fairchild actually tested positive. Because of those positive tests, they will have to be isolated for at least 10 days. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic quoted Lovullo as saying that they are dealing with symptoms. Steve Gilbert of MLB.com added that Mantiply and the Smiths were placed on the IL for as close contacts, which means they will have to quarantine for at least seven days.

The team later announced many roster moves to compensate for the loss of so many players. Carson Kelly was reinstated from the IL. J.B. Bukauskas was recalled. Miguel Aguilar, Ryan Buchter, Stefan Crichton and Drew Ellis had their contracts selected.

Kelly has been out since June 20th with a fractured wrist. When healthy, he’s been a force at the plate, playing 50 games and producing a wRC+ of 128, well above average for any player but certainly for a catcher.

Ellis, a 25-year-old infielder, was a second round pick by the Diamondbacks in 2017. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs describes him as “a power-over-hit first base type.” In 65 games at Triple-A this year, he has a slash of .286/.396/.554, good enough for a wRC+ of 129.

In 14 2/3 innings this year, Bukauskas has struggled to an ERA just under 8. Though advanced metrics think there’s some bad luck in that small sample size.

Buchter is a 34-year-old journeyman lefty who also pitched 14 2/3 innings for Arizona this year, with an ERA of 5.52, before being designated for assignment and clearing waivers a few weeks ago.

Crichton, a 29-year-old right-hander, threw 22 1/3 innings of 6.04 ERA ball before himself being designated and outrighted last month.

Aguilar is a 26-year-old right-handed pitcher who has spent some time in the Reds’ system and has no major league experience.

Fernando Tatis Leaves Game With Apparent Shoulder Injury

Darragh McDonald — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 03:07:51 +0000

Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. left tonight’s game after sliding into third base and seemingly re-injuring his left shoulder, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic.

There isn’t any word yet on the severity of the injury. But this is an issue that has been bothering Tatis on-and-off for the entire season. It first flared up in March, before the season even began. Tatis then appeared to re-aggravate the issue, landing on the IL April 6th. Thankfully, he was reactivated after a minimum 10-day stay, being reactivated April 16th. But then on June 19th, Tatis was again removed from a game with what seemed like another shoulder injury. Though Padres manager Jayce Tingler later said that the move was precautionary and Tatis did not end up going back on the IL.

Losing Tatis for any amount of time would be a serious blow to the Padres. They are currently holding down the last playoff spot in the National League, but have the Reds nipping at their heels, just 4 1/2 games back. The calendar will flip over to August on Sunday as teams will be pushing to make their final pushes for the postseason. Tatis has been superb this year, despite dealing with this ongoing injury. He’s produced a 165 wRC+ on the season so far on his way to accruing 4.7 fWAR, easily the best on the team. Tatis and Padres fans will surely be hoping this is just another precautionary measure.

Draft Signings: 7/30/21

Darragh McDonald — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 02:33:22 +0000

Today’s most notable signings from last week’s amateur draft. As always, you can get more background on these players via the prospect rankings and scouting reports compiled by Baseball America, Fangraphs, MLB Pipeline, The Athletic’s Keith Law, and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. As well, here is MLB Pipeline’s breakdown of the slot values assigned to each pick in the first 10 rounds, as well as the bonus pool money available to all 30 teams.

The Diamondbacks signed first-round selection Jordan Lawlar, according to Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline. Lawlar will receive almost $1MM above slot value. As Callis notes, this was the highest number the team could give without exceeding their bonus pool.

Marlins have also signed their first-round selection Kahlil Watson, pending a physical. Callis expects Watson to get well above slot, similar to Lawlar.

The Nationals have also signed their first-round pick Brady House, according to a team announcement. Terms were not disclosed. But the slot value is $4.55MM.

The Red Sox have signed fifth-round pick Nathan Hickey, $1MM on a slot of $410k. As noted by Callis, this is the highest bonus given to any player in rounds 4 through 10 so far this year.

Deadline Day Roster Moves

Darragh McDonald — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 02:27:08 +0000

After what was arguably the wildest trade deadline in years with dozens of deals around the league, multiple teams made follow-up roster moves. Trades end up squeezing some players off of rosters, or creating holes that need to be filled. This post will itemize the many 40-man roster moves that teams made after a dizzying array of blockbuster deals earlier in the day.

AL East

The Orioles claimed Ryan Hartman off of waivers from the Astros, according to Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com. The 27-year-old lefty was recently designated for assignment when Brooks Raley was reinstated from the COVID-IL.

The Red Sox designated outfielder Marcus Wilson for assignment. The move was needed to accommodate the acquisition of reliever Hansel Robles from the Twins.

The Yankees announced that they designated Ryan LaMarre for assignment. The outfielder was recently selected to help the team patch some holes during their COVID outbreak.

The Rays designated righties Sean Poppen and Jake Reed for assignment, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. This was to create roster space after the acquisition of Jordan Luplow and DJ Johnson from earlier today.

AL Central

Pablo Sandoval was released by the Indians. This was just hours after he was acquired in the Eddie Rosario trade. Based on his release, it’s clear that he was only included as salary offset.

The Tigers selected the contract of reliever Ian Krol. The left-hander is back after being designated for assignment earlier in the week.

AL West

The Mariners outrighted Vinny Nittoli to Triple-A. The righty recently had his contract selected, throwing one inning before being designated for assignment.

The Rangers announced they were selecting the contracts of right-handers Jharel Cotton and Drew Anderson. Both hurlers signed minor league deals over the winter.

NL East

The Marlins selected the contracts of outfielders Bryan De La Cruz and Brian Miller. Both players are now in line to make their major league debuts.

As expected, the Mets officially reinstated starter Carlos Carrasco from the 60-day injured list. The righty made his team debut this evening against the Reds.

The Phillies designated reliever Brandon Kintzler for assignment and transferred outfielder Matt Joyce to the 60-day injured list. The moves were necessary to create roster space to accommodate Philadelphia’s three deadline acquisitions.

The Nationals selected the contracts of Gabe Klobosits and Adrian Sanchez, according to Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post. Klobosits, a right-handed pitcher, is a 36th round draft pick from 2017. He has no major league experience. Sanchez had a couple of cups of coffee with Washington from 2017-2019 before being outrighted in 2020 and then re-signing on a minor league deal.

NL Central

The Cubs selected the contracts of RHP Michael Rucker and utilityman Andrew Romine, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. Rucker was picked up by the Orioles in the Rule 5 draft in 2019 but returned to the Cubs before the season started and has yet to make his major league debut. As for Romine, the 35-year-old utility man was signed by the Cubs to a minor league deal earlier this year. The Cubs also selected the contract of righty Jake Jewell prior to yesterday’s game.

The Brewers announced that they designated RHP Patrick Weigel for assignment. Weigel was acquired as part of the Orlando Arcia trade with Atlanta back in April.

NL West

The Diamondbacks claimed outfielder Jake Hager off waivers from the Mariners. This will be Hager’s fourth club on the season, having been previously designated for assignment by the Mets, Brewers and Mariners. Arizona also selected the contracts of infielder Drew Ellis and left-hander Miguel Aguilar.

The Dodgers announced that they claimed catcher Chad Wallach off waivers from the Marlins. Wallach was recently designated for assignment when Brian Anderson was reinstated from the IL.