Kuzul

The Oakland Athletics (47-58) dealt starting pitcher Rich Hill and outfielder Josh Reddick to the Los Angeles Dodgers (59-46) prior to Monday’s MLB trade deadline. 

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan first reported the trade. Reddick thanked the A’s on Twitter following the trade.

The A’s smartly played Hill’s market to their favor after signing him last November. He looked surprisingly strong at the end of 2015 with the Boston Red Sox, posting a 1.55 ERA with 36 strikeouts and five walks in 29 innings pitched. 

Because of Hill’s limited track record, which included just 20 total MLB appearances across the 2014 and 2015 campaigns, he didn’t find robust offers as a free agent last winter. The rebuilding A’s inked him to a one-year, $6 million deal that has turned out to be one of the best bargains of the offseason. 

This season, Hill has a 9-3 record with a 2.25 ERA, 90 strikeouts, 28 walks and 1.09 WHIP in 76.0 innings.

The 36-year-old did suffer a mild groin strain in May and was later placed on the disabled list after tweaking the injury during a bullpen session. He has also been dealing with a blister since July 17 and was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday, retroactive to July 20. 

Despite Hill’s injury history, this is an important move for the Dodgers. Ace Clayton Kershaw is still recovering from a back injury, and the Orange County Register‘s Bill Plunkett reported on July 26 that he “still has not been cleared to start a throwing program.”

Rosenthal noted in May that the Athletics could have kept Hill and extended a qualifying offer that would at least have netted them a compensatory first-round pick if he signed with another team during the winter (via Connor Byrne of MLB Trade Rumors). However, Oakland general manager Billy Beane understands the best move for the franchise is to deal players heading into free agency to acquire assets who have already begun their professional careers. 

Hill figured to be among the most sought-after players available at the deadline by virtue of being one of the only valuable assets playing in a walk year. This winter’s free-agent class was dreadful to begin with and only got worse when Stephen Strasburg signed his extension with the Washington Nationals this spring. 

Per Steve Adams and Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors, the list of starting pitchers who could become free agents after 2016 includes Hill, Clay Buchholz, Bartolo Colon, Scott Kazmir and Andrew Cashner. Since teams don’t figure to be moving many starters under team control this summer, Hill’s production and salary immediately made him one of the best players available. 

At 36, Hill is at an age in which he’s more susceptible to injuries than a typical pitcher, to say nothing of his long track record of ailments, but starters with his kind of swing-and-miss stuff are hard to come by. 

As for Reddick, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported on July 9 that the Kansas City Royals were “closely” following Reddick, while the San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs, along with the Dodgers, were also believed to be keeping an eye on him.

Reddick is currently hitting .296 with eight homers and 28 RBI. The Dodgers’ incumbent right fielder, Yasiel Puig, is hitting .260 with seven homers and 34 RBI. Puig’s struggles this season have caused his name to surface in trade rumors. 

Buster Olney of ESPN.com reported Monday that the Chicago White Sox “want [Puig] if they make a deal with the Dodgers.” Today’s Knuckleball’s Jon Heyman reported Sunday that “word is [the] Dodgers are still trying to move [Puig].”

Puig responded to the rumors Sunday, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times: “If they decide to trade me, then I’ll have to go to another team and work hard there. I just came to this country to play baseball. I would like to stay here. But I also understand this is a business. You never know where you are going to end up.”

If the Dodgers do trade Puig before the deadline, it may persuade them to re-sign Reddick, who is a free agent after the season.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki‘s 2016 season took another turn for the worse Sunday. Manager John Gibbons said he suffered a “small little chip fracture” in his thumb, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. 

Continue for updates. 

Tulowitzki Could Avoid Disabled List

Sunday, July 31

Smith said the team will observe how Tulowitzki “progresses” before deciding if the shortstop will head to the disabled list. 

Tulowitzki already hit the disabled list this season after suffering a right quad strain in May. That was just the tip of the iceberg for the former All-Star. 

Prior to his first stint on the DL, the shortstop was hitting .204/.289/.383 in 46 games. He did have eight home runs, but none of his other skills were showing up in the stat line. He has a long injury history and is now 31 years old, so the window for him to be an elite shortstop may have already closed. He is slashing .241/.308/.452 with 17 homers as of Sunday.

The Blue Jays have depth in the middle of their infield, though. Darwin Barney and Devon Travis will likely be asked to shoulder the load in Tulowitzki’s absence.

If the Blue Jays are going to reach the postseason in the tight American League East race, Tulowitzki may have to play at least close to his usual standards. Their lineup is deep enough—with Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion—to survive without him, but a healthy Tulowitzki gives them more offense than most teams in the majors.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Yankees are remaking their bullpen prior to Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline, acquiring right-hander Tyler Clippard from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.

MLB Network’s Jon Heyman first reported the deal. Joel Sherman of the New York Post noted Clippard, under contract through next season, will serve as the seventh-inning setup man for the Yankees, with Adam Warren and a slate of young arms such as Luis Severino, Chad Green and Brian Mitchell bridging the eighth inning to Dellin Betances in the ninth.

The acquisition of Clippard is an interesting one for New York, which is in sell mode for the first time in decades.

The Yankees traded Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs on Monday, and Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported Sunday that New York dealt Andrew Miller to the Cleveland Indians.

Clippard has struggled this season in Arizona. He has a 4.30 ERA, which would be his worst mark in a full season, and he’s allowed seven home runs in 37.2 innings.

The 31-year-old is still missing bats with 46 strikeouts, but the key for him to succeed will be keeping the ball in the park. Left-handed hitters have tattooed him for a .534 slugging percentage in 2016, per Baseball-Reference.com.

The Diamondbacks, who are 43-61 and in last place in the National League West, had no reason to keep Clippard. They also perhaps wanted to dump his $6 million-plus yearly salary.

The Yankees are in an awkward position because they are 52-51 but also loaded with aging players—such as Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia—who likely can’t be moved because they are owed too much money.

It’s a credit to New York general manager Brian Cashman that the club reaped solid returns in the deals for Chapman and Miller. Clippard isn’t going to turn the Bronx Bombers’ fortunes around, but he will provide a veteran relief presence.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Milwaukee Brewers attempted to trade All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy to the Cleveland Indians on Saturday.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports first reported the news and noted the Brewers would have received four players in the trade. However, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel‘s Tom Haudricourt reported on Sunday that “Lucroy has exercised his no-trade clause and vetoed [the] trade.”

Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan, citing sources, reported, “Lucroy wanted Indians to rip up 2017 club option to get him to waive no-trade clause. Understandably, Cleveland said no.” Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball reported that the Indians have “moved on,” adding “there will be be no reworking” of a potential trade.

“If Lucroy had agreed to the trade, he would have lost his everyday catching job in 2017. Made no sense to agree,” noted USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale.

Adam McCalvy of MLB.com shared Lucroy’s comments after vetoing the trade:

Heyman previously said “well-regarded young catcher” Francisco Mejia would have headed to the Brewers. Rosenthal passed along a few other players who would have gone to Milwaukee:

Lucroy has bounced back after a poor 2015 season in which he hit .264/.326/.391, though that came with an injury caveat after he suffered a broken toe in April 2015 that cost him 39 games. 

It wasn’t a lost year for Lucroy, though, as Stat Corner metrics graded him as the 10th-best catcher by runs above average on defense (min. 5,000 pitches). Given the defensive demands of his position, the All-Star is a tremendous asset.

There seemed to be some uncertainty about how interested the Brewers would be in dealing Lucroy in 2016. General manager David Stearns told Haudricourt why the team was hoping to keep the 30-year-old.

“We are still open to discussing any number of players on our roster, but as I’ve said from the opening press conference, [Lucroy] is a really good player,” Stearns said. “He provides a tremendous amount of value to the organization. He’s a reason why we can be better next year.”

This year proved injuries were the primary cause for Lucroy’s issues in 2015. He was named to the National League All-Star team in 2016 for the second time in his career after hitting .304/.361/.491 in the first half. 

The Brewers, coming off a 94-loss season in 2015 and with another losing campaign in the works, are trying to contend in a loaded NL Central with the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates at the top. 

Rosenthal reported in January the Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals and Oakland Athletics backed off discussions with the Brewers about Lucroy because “they perceived the price to be too high.”

Things changed after the season started and playoff contenders found themselves in the market for an upgrade at catcher. A good defensive backstop who can hit for average, get on base and hit for power is one of the most precious position-player commodities in MLB.

Milwaukee’s farm system is getting better; Christopher Crawford of Baseball Prospectus wrote in December 2015 the Brewers’ collection of prospects “has impressive offensive depth, intriguing pitching and talent to make several teams quite jealous.”

The Indians needed to make a bold move. They are in a position to win their first American League Central title since 2007 and have a starting rotation deep enough to carry them in a postseason series. They landed Yankees reliever Andrew Miller on Sunday, before Lucroy vetoed the deal.

Catcher has been a black hole in Cleveland this year. Yan Gomes, who is on the disabled list with a separated right shoulder, was in a season-long slump before getting hurt. Chris Gimenez has built a nice rapport with Trevor Bauer as his personal catcher, but even a bench backstop has to hit better than .200/.238/.274.

Per FanGraphs, Cleveland’s catchers rank last in MLB with minus-1.2 wins above replacement. The Indians don’t have a large-market budget, which is what would have made Lucroy a perfect addition because of his $4 million salary this season and $5.25 million team option in 2017. 

Adding Lucroy’s bat to the middle of Cleveland’s lineup, especially with the uncertainty around Michael Brantley’s shoulder, would have addressed yet another need the club had. 

Age isn’t a problem for Lucroy at this stage of his career, nor should he be considered injury-prone after playing 300 total games between 2013 and 2014.

Catchers with Lucroy’s offensive and defensive stability who have a team-friendly contract don’t come along often. He’s been an underrated star because the Brewers haven’t been strong playoff contenders since 2011.

Stats and contract info per Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Ichiro Suzuki has been one of the biggest stars in Major League Baseball since his arrival in 2001. The Miami Marlins outfielder is on the verge of becoming the 30th player in MLB history with 3,000 hits, needing just two more to hit that milestone.

Speaking to ESPN.com’s Marly Rivera, Suzuki downplayed the significance of 3,000 hits because of where he is at in his career right now:

If you’re at the end of your career and you are limping toward that number, the goal is just to get to it. But for me, when you are part of a team, you’re out there just playing baseball, and you [just happen to] get to that number. I am not limping to that number. I am playing the game, and I happen to get to that number because that’s where I am.

This will actually be the second time Suzuki has made it to 3,000 hits, though the first time didn’t get nearly as much fanfare because it was in combination with the 1,278 hits he had in nine seasons playing in the Japan Pacific League. 

Suzuki told Rivera he’s not overwhelmed by this particular moment because of what his current job with the Marlins entails:

Obviously, I have had experiences in Japan and here regarding reaching particular numbers. But right now, I feel pressure every day because I am in a position where if you don’t perform, you don’t play. I am the fourth outfielder. I am trying to do well today so I can play tomorrow. I think it might be different if I was in the lineup every single day. But you’ve got to hit in order to play.

Playing in the National League without a designated hitter has afforded Suzuki plenty of opportunities to stay fresh. He has appeared in 86 of Miami’s 102 games, hitting a robust .335/.408/.394 with more walks (23) than strikeouts (18) in 214 plate appearances entering Friday’s slate of games. 

On the subject of career hits, Suzuki recently passed Pete Rose’s record of 4,256 hits, if you combine his numbers from Japan and MLB. 

Rose did make sure to pump up his own MLB accomplishments while still saying he would applaud when Suzuki reaches 3,000 hits, per the Associated Press (h/t Fox Sports): “Absolutely because he’ll be the 30th guy to get 3,000. There’s been two get 4,000, and I’m the only one you’re going to talk to at the present time because the other one is Ty Cobb.”

Suzuki told Rivera he didn’t mind anything Rose said about his career hit total: “I was actually happy to see the Hit King get defensive. I kind of felt I was accepted. I heard that about five years ago Pete Rose did an interview, and he said that he wished that I could break that record.”

Despite being 42 years old, Suzuki said he does not see himself retiring anytime soon, noting he wants to keep playing “until I am at least 50.”

He noted there really is no difference in the way he feels today in 2016 and how he felt in 2004 when he set the MLB record for hits in a season with 262. 

Based on the numbers Suzuki has put up so far in 2016, even in a more limited role, it’s hard to argue with him. He might be one of the few athletes who could reasonably expect to keep playing until they were 50 because he has such a unique hitting ability. 

Suzuki’s prime is in the past, but his physical conditioning has allowed him to remain one of MLB’s best bench assets at this stage of his career. 

It will culminate in a proper celebration with the Marlins when Suzuki reaches 3,000 hits and eventually gets elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame five years after he does decide to retire. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Outfielder Ryan Braun would make a good trade candidate, especially with the Milwaukee Brewers squarely in sell mode before the August 1 non-waiver trade deadline, as he’s in the midst of another strong season.

Continue for updates. 

Brewers Reportedly Receive Lackluster Offer

Friday, July 29

Per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the Brewers did receive “at least one [offer]” for Braun that was described as “terrible” given his success in 2016.

There are two sides to the coin with Braun that would explain why a reported trade offer for him is not up to the standard Milwaukee might be seeking. 

On the one side, Braun is hitting .321/.383/.515 with 14 home runs in 85 games. A power bat like that would make a huge difference in the middle of a contending team’s lineup down the stretch in 2016. 

However, looking on the other side of this particular coin, Braun is 32 years old and hasn’t played more than 140 games in a season since 2012. He’s signed through 2020 with a mutual option for 2021 and is due to make $76 million over the next four seasons, per Baseball-Reference.com. 

If Braun were still 27-28 years old, making a deal for a player with that many years and that kind of salary left on his contract would not be as much of a problem. 

The Brewers have every incentive to try to get out from Braun’s contract. Their payroll decreased by nearly $41 million from 2015 to 2016, and Braun’s $20 million salary this season accounts for nearly one-third of Milwaukee’s $63.9 million payroll, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. 

A team trying to rebuild its farm system cannot afford to be paying one player so much money over the next four years.

Catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who has been one of the most-buzzed about trade candidates, makes sense as a chip because he plays a premium position, has an OPS of .848 and has a team option for $5.25 million in 2017, per Baseball-Reference.com. He will net a huge return if the Brewers deal him because of his positional value and salary. 

It’s just going to be hard to convince a contending team in need of a bat that Braun is the answer when he is still owed so much money into his mid- and late-30s. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The tenures of Andrew Cashner and Colin Rea with the San Diego Padres have come to an end, as the team announced the pitchers were traded to the Miami Marlins on Friday

ESPN’s Buster Olney was the first to report the move, with Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports confirming the deal. Rosenthal reported that pitcher Tayron Guerrero was traded to Miami along with Cashner and Rea. In return, San Diego received Jarred Cosart, Josh Naylor, Luis Castillo and pitcher Carter Capps.

Miami entered play Friday five games out of first place in the National League East and in a tie with the St. Louis Cardinals for the second wild-card spot.

Acquiring Cashner and Rea gives the Marlins starting rotation depth behind ace Jose Fernandez, which is desperately needed in order to make a deep playoff run. Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that one reason for Miami’s move for Cashner and Rea is because Fernandez’s innings are “likely to be restricted.”

This season continues the downward spiral for the Padres, though at least they have now taken steps toward rebuilding for the future by trading James Shields and Drew Pomeranz before shipping Cashner to the Marlins. 

Cashner was one of the “old” veterans in San Diego, playing with the franchise since being acquired in a deal with the Chicago Cubs in January 2012. He has dealt with injuries and inconsistency throughout his career.

This season has been problematic for Cashner, who owns a 4-7 record with a 4.76 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 67 strikeouts in 79.1 innings.

He has shown signs of life recently, though, allowing one earned run in three of his past five starts.

Even so, there are glaring red flags that Cashner’s new team has to consider. He’s made more than 25 starts in a season only twice in his career and has never come close to hitting 200 innings.

Pitching primarily in Petco Park should have kept Cashner’s ERA totals down, but he had an ERA over 4.00 in 2012 and is far beyond that number this season. He was excellent in 2013 and in 2014, however, with a combined 2.87 ERA in 50 games.

Rea is 26 years old and in the middle of his first full season as a starter at the major league level. He is 5-5 with a 4.98 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 76 strikeouts in 99.1 innings.

This is a classic buy-low trade for Miami that could look like a bargain at the end of this season. Cashner has his work cut out to reach his full potential, but the talent is there for him to be a good investment at a low cost.

He is set to hit free agency at the conclusion of the season, so this move looks to be a pure rental meant to push the Marlins over the top and into the playoffs for the first time since 2003.

While Cashner isn’t having a great year by any means, Miami’s starting rotation is likely its biggest weakness. Fernandez is unhittable at times, and Adam Conley has performed well behind him. But Tom Koehler has struggled, while Wei-Yin Chen is on the disabled list.

The Marlins desperately need an arm capable of eating innings and keeping them in games. Rea provides some insurance in that regard, and if Cashner can stay healthy down the stretch and maintain his recent form, then he should at least give the team some solid outings at a reasonable price.

Stats via FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Mets can’t catch a break this season, as All-Star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes has been scratched from Thursday’s lineup against the Colorado Rockies and could be forced to miss multiple games.

Continue for updates.

Collins Comments on Cespedes Injury

Thursday, July 28

“Last night he came in when the game was over and said it was starting to bother him pretty bad,” Mets manager Terry Collins said, per Adam Rubin of ESPN.

Cespedes was unable to play in this year’s All-Star Game, despite being voted in as a starter, after he suffered a quad injury against the Washington Nationals on July 8. 

Losing Cespedes’ potent bat in the middle of the lineup leaves the Mets scrambling for offense. He leads the team in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs and RBI, per Baseball-Reference.com.

Runs have been hard to come by for the Mets this year. They are 28th in the league in runs scored, succeeding in large part thanks to a deep pitching staff.

Yet even those power arms have taken a beating, with Matt Harvey out for the season and Noah Syndergaard suffering a “dead arm” in the same game in which Cespedes injured his quad.

It’s been a constant battle for the Mets to stay in the National League East race with the Nationals. Cespedes’ absence will only compound the problems in New York as the team looks to return to the postseason in October.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

After missing the last 80 games due to a suspension, Dee Gordon is finally making his return to the Miami Marlins.  

Per the Marlins‘ official Twitter account, Gordon was reinstated from the restricted list, and Don Kelly was designated for assignment to make room on the 25-man roster. 

Gordon was suspended for 80 games for violating Major League Baseball’s drug policy after testing positive for two performance-enhancing substances, exogenous testosterone and Clostebol. 

He did appear in 21 games before the suspension, hitting just .266/.289/.340 in 94 at-bats. The 28-year-old was an All-Star the previous two seasons, including leading the National League with a .333 batting average and MLB with 205 hits in 2015. 

According to Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said on Tuesday that “it will be nice to get Dee back. He’s that guy who helps with that continuity in your lineup.”

Gordon issued an apology to Marlins fans before his return to the team:

He will not be coming back cold, as MLB rules did permit him to go out on rehab assignment before being reinstated. The two-time All-Star hit .257/.278/.343 with two extra-base hits in nine games with Triple-A New Orleans. 

The Marlins can use a boost at second base, where their group has hit a collective .267/.339/.356 in 2016, per Baseball-Reference.com. 

This has been a surprisingly successful season for the Marlins. They enter play Thursday in the second wild-card spot at 55-46, one game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals, who Miami is playing for four games this weekend. 

Gordon was struggling before his suspension was handed down, but if he plays up to the standard he set over the past two seasons, it will be like a huge midseason acquisition that can boost the team into the postseason. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Melvin Upton Jr.’s solid bounce-back season was enticing enough for the Toronto Blue Jays to acquire him from the San Diego Padres, Padres executive vice president and general manager A.J. Preller announced Tuesday.

“The San Diego Padres announced they have acquired right-handed pitcher Hansel Rodriguez from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. and cash considerations,” the press release read.

“Thank you to the Padres organization, fans and teammates for all the support and the opportunity,” Upton tweeted. “I enjoyed everything about my time in SD.”

“Im [sic] excited to join my new Blue Jays teammates today and can’t wait to help continue the winning tradition that’s been built here,” Upton added.

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball reported the Padres will pay all but $5 million of Upton’s remaining salary.

According to Spotrac, the 31-year-old Upton is earning $15.45 million this season and will make $16.45 million next year before his contract expires at the end of the 2017 season.

Not long ago, Upton’s career looked like it might be over. He was still putting on a uniform, but he wasn’t doing anything to help his team.

Upton’s stint with the Atlanta Braves was especially difficult, as he amassed a negative-0.2 WAR during 2013 and 2014, per FanGraphs.

After the Braves dealt Upton to the Padres as part of the Craig Kimbrel trade in 2015, he turned things around. He hit a respectable .259/.327/.429, playing in just 87 games because of a foot injury that caused him to miss the first two months of the season.

Upton’s numbers haven’t completely returned to his peak years in Tampa Bay, but he’s hitting for more power this season with 16 homers and is showing good speed with 20 stolen bases.

Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs wrote July 6 that Upton’s performance this season makes him close to worth the salary he will make through 2017:

In the past year, Upton has clocked in with a 36% hard-hit rate, matching Jay Bruce and Andrew McCutchen. The Braves got burned. You do have to wonder how much another team would trust Upton, at this point. But he’s made himself appealing again, at least to some extent, and his contract extends through next year, when he’ll earn around $17 million. What’s crazy now is it’s not too hard to imagine Upton actually being worth that salary. All he’d have to be is something like an average outfielder, and lately he’s been clearing that bar.

Upton has managed to reinvent himself after it looked like all hope was lost. He still has some limitations to his game—his on-base percentage isn’t good (.304)—but he is making up for that by using his legs and pop.

There’s always the chance Upton could regress because his career arc has never followed any kind of consistent pattern. But he does have more than 170 games of solid performance since 2015 that suggest he’s going to hold good value until his contract expires.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com