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With the Atlanta Braves limping to the National League‘s worst record to start the season, the team is a prime candidate to have a fire sale and stock up on prospects, leaving outfielder Nick Markakis as a possible candidate to be dealt. 

Continue for updates.

Several Teams Showing Interest in Markakis

Monday, May 23

Per Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Kansas City Royals and Philadelphia Phillies are “looking at” Markakis, “though the money is an issue there, especially with the Royals.”

According to Spotrac, Markakis is due a $10.5 million base salary with a $500,000 signing bonus in both the 2017 and 2018 seasons, so his addition won’t be cheap for prospective buyers.

And the 32-year-old hasn’t exactly been lighting up opposing pitching this season, hitting .245 with one home run and 24 RBI. He did hit .296 with the Braves last season, though he managed only three home runs and 53 RBI. It was the first season in his career he didn’t hit 10 or more home runs.

Nonetheless, Markakis remains a good defensive outfielder and was a Gold Glover in right field twice during his time with the Baltimore Orioles (2011, 2014), giving him added value.

And while his .354 on-base percentage is hardly elite, he’s still managed to find ways to get on base despite his low batting average this season.

Both the Royals and Phillies are intriguing options for Markakis, though perhaps for opposite reasons. The defending World Series champions are just 22-21 this season and could use added depth in the outfield to bolster another potential October run. Meanwhile, the Phillies are one of the biggest surprises in baseball and currently sit at 25-19 after being MLB‘s worst team a year ago.

With the Braves mired in the basement and unlikely to claw their way out, players like Markakis will almost assuredly be dealt this year, and more contending teams will likely join the fray for his services. Even if the Royals or Phillies don’t pull the trigger, there will be a team on the market willing to absorb his salary over the next two seasons.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

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Mondays don’t have to be awful with DraftKings daily fantasy baseball. Even with only 10 games to pick apart on Monday, the possibilities are endless with a massive amount of stars playing.

However, several players have recently started to shine again heading down the final stretch of the season. Here’s a look at those names on the rise before locking in your lineups on DraftKings.

Pitcher: Julio Teheran, Atlanta Braves ($8,100)

Julio Teheran has finally turned a corner. The Atlanta Braves starter got off to a rocky start this season but seems to have stabilized down the stretch. Teheran has tallied more than 21 fantasy points in three of his last four starts.

Another factor to take into consideration is his home-away splits with 20.9 fantasy points per game at Turner Field. That pales in comparison to his 8.8 points on the road. Going against the Colorado Rockies, who are 1-5 in their last two series, Teheran should shut the door for fantasy owners.

First Baseman: Mark Trumbo, Seattle Mariners ($3,600)

A change of scenery appears to have benefited Mark Trumbo. The former Los Angeles Angels star was scuffling with the Arizona Diamondbacks before being traded to the Seattle Mariners. If his recent starts are any indication, he might be the weapon Seattle needed for the future.

Over his last three games, Trumbo has just three hits. However, two were home runs and the other was a double. With an average of 15 points per game in the last three starts, look for Trumbo to serve as a solid first-base option against Felix Doubront and the Oakland Athletics.

Second Baseman: Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds ($4,000)

He might not be the player he once was, but Brandon Phillips is more than capable of putting up great fantasy numbers. Starting the year on my “Duds” list, Phillips has put together a good season with several stretches of great production.

As one of the more expensive options on this list, the Reds infielder is well worth the price thanks to his matchup. Going against Buck Farmer, who has an ungodly 8.39 ERA and has been shelled nearly every start, look for Dat Dude to tee off on the rookie. At $1,000 less than the top option, Phillips is worth the price.

Third Baseman: Brett Lawrie, Oakland Athletics ($2,900)

Every once in a while, DraftKings owners can find gems at or below the $3,000 mark at key positions. For those in need of a third baseman who is heating up, Brett Lawrie is the perfect starter.

Since his return to the lineup after back soreness, Lawrie lit up the Rays over the weekend with six hits in three games. Averaging 10.7 points in that series, Lawrie will look to continue that on Monday. Even against Hisashi Iwakuma, Lawrie should outperform his salary for DraftKings owners.

Outfielder: Nick Markakis, Atlanta Braves ($3,500)

Nick Markakis still hasn’t found the consistency he once had in Baltimore, but the Braves outfielder is starting to churn out good numbers. Over his last five games, Markakis has averaged 9.2 fantasy points with three extra-base hits and two multihit outings.

At his price tag, owners can afford to put him as a low-end No. 2 option or high-end No. 3. Going against Jorge De La Rosa, who has been erratic in four August starts, Markakis will put up solid numbers for owners at a decent value.

DraftKings is hosting one-day MLB contests! Claim your free entry by clicking on the link and making a first-time deposit!

Follow R. Cory Smith on Twitter for more MLB DraftKings advice.

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Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis made an error during the first inning of Thursday’s game against the Washington Nationals, ending his record-setting streak of 398 consecutive games in the outfield without making an error, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The miscue allowed Nationals outfielder Denard Span to advance to second base on a leadoff single and later led to an unearned run on a groundout by Nationals infielder Yunel Escobar.

Markakis‘ previous error came back on Aug. 10, 2012, while he was playing for the Baltimore Orioles. He recently set an MLB record for an outfielder when he made it to 393 straight games without an error, breaking the old mark of 392 set by Darren Lewis to start his career between 1990 and 1994, per Ian Denomme of Yahoo! Sports.

Despite the record and his two Gold Gloves (2011 and 2014), Markakis isn’t universally recognized as one of the game’s top defensive right fielders—largely because his performance in advanced metrics has been inconsistent.

In his first Gold Glove season (2011), for example, he finished just 15th among 18 qualified right fielders in ultimate zone rate per 150 games (UZR/150), according to FanGraphs.

Although that ranking was fairly typical of his later years in Baltimore, the 31-year-old is eighth among 21 qualified right fielders in UZR/150 this season after finishing fourth out of 16 last year, per FanGraphs.

He may still draw occasional criticism for playing overly conservative defense to avoid mistakes, but it seems Markakis has struck a nice balance the past two years.

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The Baltimore Orioles had a fantastic 2014 season, as they won their division and went to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 1997.

After experiencing success and entering the offseason with just a few players hitting the free-agent market, fans hoped to see the O’s jump on their window of opportunity and build their roster for an even deeper postseason run in 2015.

Unfortunately, the offseason was probably the opposite of what Birdland was hoping to see. The team lost veterans Nick Markakis, Nelson Cruz and Andrew Miller, and the biggest name it added was Travis Snider.

That, coupled with the ugly rumors that surrounded Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette from the beginning of December through the end of January (that were ultimately silenced), made for quite a disappointing offseason for the O’s.

There wasn’t much available on the market that made sense for the Orioles, but there were some moves that the team could have made this winter.

Let’s take a look at a few opportunities the team missed this offseason.

Begin Slideshow

Yasiel Puig and Nick Markakis put on a fielding clinic Friday night.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles didn’t play each other, but these two stars made their cases to be featured on ESPN’s “Web Gems” segment at almost the same time.

Puig is no stranger to highlight reels—he seems to make at least one incredible play every night. On Friday, that play came in right field.

Puig ran about a mile in a split second to track down a ball in foul territory and make a tough grab against the wall to end Anthony Rendon’s at-bat.

If you lost Puig and the ball because the cameraman did, here’s a sideview:

Wondering how pitcher Paco Rodriguez reacted? Wonder no more:

Needless to say, the Dodgers were impressed.

Yasiel Puig channels his inner Spiderman this time to make a catch that the cameras could not. Video coming shortly.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 20, 2013

This came just five innings after Puig made one of the best throws of his career to double up Bryce Harper, who was trying to advance to third on a fly out to right. However, the third-base umpire botched the call and called Harper safe.

Replays clearly show that Harper was out, however, and that Puig’s throw from clear across the field was right on the money.

If Puig’s sensational fielding wasn’t enough for you, Markakis came back and made a highlight-reel catch of his own.

The O’s outfielder robbed a home run against the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Markakis reached well over the wall to rob Adrian Beltre of his 22nd home run of the season. He was pretty excited about it.

Reading lips, after Markakis made HR robbing catch last inning he yelled to Jones “Thats the 1st time I’ve ever done that.”

— Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) July 20, 2013

You would’ve never known that that was his first HR robbery based on that play alone. Markakis wasn’t done, either. He got the job done for the Orioles at the plate, too.

Nick Markakis, after that great play, with an RBI double to score TYM. #ho-hum. 3-1.

— Brittany Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) July 20, 2013

If you love defense, then Friday night was like Christmas in July for you, as we saw some truly spectacular plays being made in the outfield.

Follow @JoshSchoch

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We’ve reached the midway point in the 2013 MLB season, and the Baltimore Orioles have provided plenty of intrigue during the first few months.

There have been plenty of surprises (Manny Machado’s doubles, Chris Davis’ home runs) and just as many disappointments (pitching struggles, injuries) throughout the season so far, as baseball often provides.

Heading into the second half, one interesting thing to keep an eye on will be whether or not players having strong years can keep that going as well as struggling players turning their years around.

Let’s take a look at how I think the second half of the season will treat every Orioles player.

Begin Slideshow

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis is a vital cog in the lineup for a team coming off a 93-win campaign and a postseason appearance.

Yet his career is an enigma.

News of his impending return to the Grapefruit League should ease the minds of Baltimore fans wondering about the short- and long-term health of their right fielder.

More than likely, Markakis will be leading off for Buck Showalter‘s lineup on Opening Day next week.

After that, his future, both in 2013 and beyond, is anyone’s guess.

As the years have passed, Markakis has developed as a major league player, but not quite how it seemed he would.

During his first three big league seasons (2006-2008), Markakis posted a .476 slugging percentage. Due to a steady rise through the farm system, those years were also his age 22-24 seasons.

Using Baseball-Reference.com’s Player Index—sorting by OFs since 1901 with at least 1,800 plate appearances—Markakis posted the 30th highest slugging percentage during that age period.

In other words, he was in the company of some of the game’s best sluggers.

Some names close to him on the list: Justin Upton, Jay Bruce, Andruw Jones and Matt Kemp.

Some names below Markakis on the list: Barry Bonds, Carlos Beltran, Andrew Dawson.

Unlike his peers, Markakis never developed middle-of-the-order power.

The following is a chart of his year-by-year slugging percentage, home runs and age.

It’s hard to explain exactly where Markakis‘ power went as he aged. Ideally, he would have developed more power as he aged, grew stronger and matured as a hitter. His .306/.406/.491 slash line in ’08 at the age of 24 suggested a superstar and future MVP candidate.

A quick look at Fangraphs‘ batted ball data suggests that he simply doesn’t hit the ball in the air as often as in the past.

In 2009, over 40 percent of balls put in play by the Orioles’ right fielder were fly balls. Further back, 13.1 percent of fly balls put in play during his rookie season landed over the fence for a home run.

Last season, Markakis only put 31.4 percent of batted balls in the air. His HR/FB percentage dipped to a career low 6.1 in 2010.

To put that into perspective, Jay Bruce, a young slugger comparable to Markakis during their respective age 22-24 years, puts 43.7 percent of his batted balls into the air. Of those, over 17 percent leave the park.

Don’t let the power outage fool you, though.

Markakis is still an above average, if not very good, player for Baltimore. In fact, the Orioles’ offense was dramatically different in 2012, depending on his availability.

Despite suffering from two separate hand injuries that landed him on the DL, Markakis posted his best slugging percentage (.471) since ’08. He also led the team in on-base percentage (.363), while thriving in the leadoff spot, a job unfamiliar to him before Buck Showalter placed him there last July.

Baltimore was 62-42 with him in the lineup, yet only 31-27 without him in 2012. Despite the continued dip in power, the Orioles scored 4.64 runs per game with him, yet only 3.94 without him.

Heading into 2013, it’s clear that the Orioles have a valuable cog that must get healthy for their offense to sustain success.

He’s just not the same type of cog that one would have envisioned just a few years ago.

Agree? Disagree? Comment below, follow me on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports or “Like” my Facebook page to talk all things baseball.

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With 22 games left of the regular season, the Baltimore Orioles enjoy their place in the rear view mirror of the New York Yankees in the race for the AL Eastern crown. However, with the devastating loss of Nick Markakis and a murderous stretch of contending teams in the final three weeks of their season, the Orioles dream season may end in nightmarish fashion with the Tampa Bay Rays passing them in the division and for a wild card spot.

In his first meaningful September, Markakis was the catalyst for the Orioles offense before breaking his thumb in game three of last weekend‘s series with the Yankees. He led the AL in hits since the all-star break at the time of his injury and was as productive as Derek Jeter at the top of the lineup. Though he wasn’t the typical leadoff hitter, Markakis drove in runs and set the table at the top of the lineup in an atypical fashion.

He will be missed this week when the Rays invade Camden Yards. Despite the unbelievable starting pitching the Orioles have gotten over the second half of the season, this will not be the same offense they faced in Tampa last month.

Evan Longoria has been the same catalyst for the Rays as Markakis was for the Orioles. Longoria, however, is a legitimate run producer in the middle of the Rays lineup, even after he struggled to find his rhythm because of a lengthy stay on the disabled list. Over the last week Longoria has hit .316 with 2 HR, which is not good for a pitching staff that has been vulnerable at times this year.

The biggest challenge for the Orioles right now is trying to contain B.J. Upton. He blistered the league, hitting .412 last week with 4 HR, hitting .407 overall for September. This is not good news for a team that just lost the glue of their offense, Markakis.

Though most in Charm City are just happy to have a team in the hunt this September, the reality is that the series against Tampa sets the tone for the final stretch of the season. By the end of the week, Baltimore could find themselves where the Rays are currently—not in the playoffs—after the series at Camden Yards.

Last week was about the promise of trying to sweep the Yankees and get to first place in the division. This week is about finishing no worse than .500 in a six game stretch against teams that are their bookends in the wild card race. 

After three games in Tampa, the Orioles head to Oakland for the most critical weekend series of year. If the they can take three of those first six games, the road trip could pay dividends in Seattle where they have enjoyed success this year.

Baltimore will play all AL East teams after leaving the pacific northwest to finish the regular season. They’ll end the season with three games at Tampa, although Boston and Toronto may prove to be difficult before they get there.

Although Baltimore has enjoyed being in the Yankees rear view mirror all season, the Rays are now officially in their blind spot. With Longoria and Upton producing, and the A’s enjoying a magic carpet ride of their own, Baltimore’s task of winning the division is becoming increasingly daunting.  

Losing Markakis, however, is the blow that makes the hill a steeper climb for the Orioles to keep a wild card spot. These next few weeks will test the resilience that has defined them this season.

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The Baltimore Orioles are in a tough battle with the New York Yankees in the AL East. They’ve erased a four-game deficit over the last two weeks with an 11-3 stretch.

Baseball players can be a bit superstitious, and the last thing Baltimore needed was something disrupting their momentum.

Well, perhaps the last thing they needed was having their momentum disrupted while losing one of their best offensive players.

Richard Justice of MLB.com is reporting that Nick Markakis will likely miss the next six weeks. 

Nick Markakis broken bone in thumb. Gone around six weeks pending more exam. “We lost a big part,” Buck Showalter said.

— Richard Justice (@richardjustice) September 9, 2012

He injured the thumb on a pitch from CC Sabathia.

Markakis has put together a very good season for Baltimore. He leads the team with a .298 average and has hit 13 home runs with 54 runs batted in.

He also contributes in right field, but his bat is what the Orioles will miss the most.

Markakis missed the month of June and half of July with a broken hamate bone in his right wrist. He was hitting just .263 at the time, in part due to struggling with the injury for two weeks before it broke completely, requiring surgery.

There is no word on how the Orioles will respond, but backup first baseman Chris Davis filled in for Markakis during his first absence from the lineup.

MLB.com tweeted a video of the pitch that hit Markakis.

BREAKING: @orioles RF Nick Markakis out roughly 6 weeks with broken bone in left thumb from this @cc_sabathia pitch: atmlb.com/P0nYVA

— MLB (@MLB) September 9, 2012

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On Saturday, New York Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia struck Baltimore Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis in the hand with a pinpoint inaccurate fastball.

This tragedy struck in the fifth inning.

Markakis seemed to know his fate immediately, shaking his hand while jogging over to Orioles athletic trainer Rich Bancells. With Buck Showalter and trainer looking intently, Markakis removed his batting glove. After a short boots on the ground look, Markakis and Bancells disappeared into the darkness of Baltimore’s first base dugout.

Wind fled the sails of 46,000 strong at Camden Yards, for the clap of Sabathia’s 93-mph fastball smacking bone sounded more like it hit wood.  

For Baltimore’s faithful, watching Markakis leave the game briefly conjured thoughts of more bad luck that has plagued this team for over a decade.

At the time, the game was 3-2 in the Orioles’ favor—but the crowd was hush hush. Potentially losing an ironclad player like Markakis will do that to a fan base.

Markakis has stuck with this ball club through thick and thin, never making excuses, and performing at a high level his entire career.

But for the apparent sadness in the crowd and in the O’s dugout, something happened—something that has been a trademark of this increasingly special baseball club.

Baltimore’s players did not make excuses.

Nor did they buckle in the face of tragedy.

As Baltimore has done all season, when one flag-bearer dropped the flag, another man picked the flag up and kept marching with his head held high.

Enter Orioles’ shortstop JJ Hardy, who led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a solo homer—just beyond the outstretched glove of Ichiro Suzuki.

After Mark Reynolds flew out to left the following at-bat, Adam Jones delivered a one out double. Lew Ford singled Jones home with an opposite field single to right field to make the score 5-2 Orioles.

Then, in the bottom of the seventh, Nate McLouth—who had entered the game when Markakis left—chased Sabathia from the game by smashing a one out double over Suzuki’s head.

The Orioles’ went on to win the game 5-4, and in the process guaranteed a two-game split with the Yankees.

Markakis did come back to the dugout in the eighth inning, wearing a brace—a sad sign of a broken thumb that was confirmed by Buck Showalter during his press conference (per the Baltimore Sun).

Markakis will be out for the next six weeks.

But while obviously disappointed, Markakis still had a subtle grin on his face. Perhaps this is because, unlike season’s past, he has grown men beside him in the dugout who smile in the face of adversity.

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