Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Chris For Sale?

A Chris Sale trade went from unlikely to possible — and maybe even probable — in the course of a few hours Saturday.

Sale, whom the White Sox have been adamant about keeping in trade discussions, per reports, was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday and eventually sent home for what the team called a “clubhouse incident.”

“The incident, which was non-physical in nature, currently is under further investigation by the club,” the team said in a statement. “The White Sox will have no additional comment until the investigation is completed.”

It later came out that Sale had taken a knife to the team’s throwback uniforms they’d been scheduled to wear for Sale’s Saturday start. Sale didn’t like the “uncomfortable” throwbacks, according to Rosenthal, but the organization didn’t budge when he asked not to wear them.

The most recent incident, coupled with the Drake LaRoche dust up with the front office from this spring, suddenly makes a trade of the White Sox’ ace seem plausible. Leadership may see a player, even one of Sale’s talent, openly questioning authority as being detrimental to the organization as a whole.

If that were the case — and there’s no indication that it is, at this point — there would be no shortage of suitors for the 27-year-old. Sale is in the midst of another stellar season, owning a 14-3 record, 3.18 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 129 strikeouts through 19 starts.

The price won’t be discounted as a result of Saturday’s incident — the Sox apparently asked the Rangers for Jurickson Profar, Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara in a Sale trade, per MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan — but suddenly the Sox may be more willing to consider such a deal ahead of next week’s trade deadline.

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Chapman Going, Miller Staying?

One domino falling won’t set off a chain reaction in New York, it seems.

There had been some thought that the Yankees might deal both Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller, among others, if they were to fall out of contention, but the team on Saturday was telling other clubs that it will keep Miller if it does find a destination for Chapman. Late Saturday, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the Yankees were telling teams they are prepared to trade Chapman, perhaps in the next day or two.

The fantasy implications are numerous. The easiest to discern is that of Miller, who would slide back into a role that saw him earn 36 saves with a 2.04 ERA last season. The 31-year-old also filled in for Chapman while the latter was serving a suspension for violating the league’s domestic abuse policy earlier this season.

For Chapman, there are few scenarios where his stock goes anywhere but up. The southpaw has 20 saves in 21 chances with a 2.01 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 44/8 K/BB ratio this year, and any courting team would almost certainly insert him as its closer upon arrival. Pitching for a new contract this winter, the 28-year-old could have a huge stretch run at the back end of a contender’s bullpen.

A potential deal would also affect Dellin Betances, who would move up in the world with Chapman’s departure. Betances picked up nine saves as the peanut butter to Miller’s jelly last season, and the right-hander is having another strong campaign, owning a 2.63 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 84/12 K/BB ratio in 48 innings. Betances could find a few saves as a situational reliever if Chapman were to leave, and he would be hugely valuable if something were to happen to Miller over the next two months.

Rosenthal clarified later that no trade is imminent, so the speculation is just that for now. Of course, that can all change in an instant.

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National League Quick Hits: Julio Teheran (lat) performed well in strength tests Saturday. The hope is that Teheran — a possible trade chip for the rebuilding Braves — won’t have to miss a rotation turn. He left his start Friday against the Rockies because of a minor lat strain. Look for a decision on Monday or Tuesday, after he throws a bullpen session … Tyler Glasnow was pulled from his second major league start Saturday due to shoulder discomfort. Shoulder troubles rarely end well, but there’s no word yet as to the severity of this particular issue. Glasnow figures to see a specialist within the next couple of days … Diamondbacks pitching prospect Braden Shipley will be called up to make his major league debut Monday in Milwaukee. Shipley will be filling in for Zack Greinke, who remains sidelined with an oblique injury. The former first-round draft pick (15th overall in 2013) has registered a 3.70 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 77/22 K/BB ratio in 119 1/3 innings this season at Triple-A Reno. It’s not clear whether he’ll get another turn after Monday … Wei-Yin Chen has been scratched from his scheduled start Monday against the Phillies. It’s an injury, but there are no specifics yet. Look for an update Sunday morning. Jarred Cosart will be called up from Triple-A New Orleans to take the hill instead … Cameron Rupp is showing no concussion symptoms. That’s great news. Rupp was pulled from Saturday’s game against the Pirates after taking a 91 mph fastball from Tyler Glasnow off the side of his batting helmet … Yasiel Puig (hamstring) remained out of the Dodgers’ lineup Saturday against the Cardinals. Puig was used as a pinch-hitter in Friday’s extra-innings marathon, but he isn’t ready to return to the outfield and probably won’t start Sunday either. He tweaked his right hamstring Thursday afternoon in D.C. … Ryan Zimmerman (rib cage) went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer Saturday with High-A Potomac. That makes him 5-for-12 with five RBI on his three-game minor league rehab assignment. Out since July 7 because of a left rib cage strain, Zimmerman is expected to return to the Nationals’ active roster on Tuesday … Zack Wheeler (elbow) will begin facing live hitters next week, per Mets manager Terry Collins. That’s the final step before a minor league rehab assignment. Wheeler has run into multiple setbacks in his recovery from Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery, but he could become an option for New York in late August if everything runs smoothly from here … Trevor Story stuffed the box score on Saturday, going 4-for-4 with two home runs, five RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base. He hit a two-run homer in the second inning, then added a solo shot in the eighth. The rookie now has 26 longballs on the season, which is a lot more than he ever hit in a minor league season. He is batting .272/.347/.580 with 63 runs, 67 RBI and seven steals … Giancarlo Stanton broke out of a miniature slump in a big way Saturday, finishing 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBI to lead the Marlins past the Mets 7-2. Stanton connected for a two-run home run in the third inning, later adding an RBI single. The big night broke a 6-for-27 (.222) stretch dating back to last week’s All-Star break … Jay Bruce went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run to lead the Reds to a 6-1 win over the Diamondbacks on Saturday. The blast gave him 20 for the season with 69 RBI … Justin Turner went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI in the Dodgers’ 7-2 win over the Cardinals on Saturday. Turner hit a two-run double in the third inning. The multi-hit game was his fifth in his last six contests, and Turner is hitting a robust .324 with 19 RBI and 14 runs scored in the month of July … Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports that the Orioles and Blue Jays are the leaders in the pursuit of Melvin Upton … Joe Nathan will join the Cubs’ bullpen Sunday. Nathan walked three batters while recording only one out in his last appearance at Triple-A Iowa, but he had been very good before that outing and the Cubs feel the 41-year-old right-hander can offer an instant upgrade in middle relief. Nathan just finished rehabbing from his second Tommy John surgery. He hasn’t pitched in a major league game since April 6, 2015 … Lucas Giolito will return to the majors to start Sunday at home against the Padres. It’s a nice matchup for a talented pitcher, but it will likely be a spot start with Joe Ross (shoulder) nearing his return … Kirk Nieuwenhuis went 3-for-3 with two home runs and four RBI as the Brewers won on Saturday. He hit a solo home run in the fourth inning and followed that up with a three-run bomb to put the game out of reach in the eighth inning. This will likely go down as the best game of Nieuwenhuis’ season and possibly his career.

American League Quick Hits: Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports that several teams have called the Royals inquiring on the availability of closer Wade Davis. The Royals, who are considering selling at the trade deadline, are reportedly demanding a King’s ransom for Davis. Heyman notes that the current asking price for Davis is higher than the Yankees are demanding for Aroldis Chapman. Davis is still under contract for a very affordable $10 million club option for next season, while Chapman hits free agency after the 2016 campaign, so there’s certainly merit to asking for a higher price … Craig Kimbrel (knee) could begin a minor league rehab assignment late next week. Kimbrel is set to throw a bullpen session Sunday or Monday and he’ll do the same on Wednesday. If that all goes well, the next step may be a minor league game … Mookie Betts (knee) is not in the Red Sox starting lineup on Saturday. Betts was removed from Friday’s game due to what has been termed as minor soreness in his right knee, and Red Sox manager John Farrell wanted to be safe and give him an extra day to rest. Expect to see him back atop the lineup for Sunday’s series finale … Rich Hill (blister) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Sunday. He’ll wear a cover on his finger where a blister has developed and is refusing to go away — that cover, by the way, can’t be worn in a live game. The veteran left-hander lasted just five pitches in his first start out of the All-Star break, back on July 17. Hill is one of Oakland’s better trade chips leading up to the August 1 deadline, but he obviously needs to get past this. There is no timetable for his return to the Athletics’ rotation … Yordano Ventura suffered a right rib contusion on Saturday night against the Rangers. Ventura was struck by a comebacker off the bat of Adrian Beltre, and the ball had an exit velocity of 109 mph. But thankfully X-rays turned up negative and he should be fine for his next turn in the Kansas City rotation … Josh Reddick was scratched from the A’s lineup on Saturday due to back soreness. It sounds like a day-to-day type of thing. Reddick has posted a cool .295/.374/.433 batting line in 61 games this season and will be a big trade chip for the Athletics ahead of the August 1 non-waiver deadline. There is known to be interest from the Cubs … Nelson Cruz had a monster day at the dish on Saturday, blasting two long balls and plating seven runs in a 14-5 rout of the Blue Jays. Cruz got the party started in the third inning with a grand slam off of Blue Jays starter R.A. Dickey. He then capped off the offense for the M’s with a towering three-run shot off Drew Storen in the eighth. He finished the afternoon 2-for-5 and is now hitting an impressive .288/.372/.548 with 25 homers and 65 RBI on the year … Evan Gattis homered twice and drove in four runs as the Astros beat the Angels 7-2 on Saturday. Gattis terrorized Angels starter Jered Weaver, blasting a three-run shot in the second inning before tacking on a solo dinger in the fourth. The homers were his 14th and 15th of the year, giving him 40 RBI … Kevin Gausman shut out the Indians for seven innings, striking out seven, walking three and giving up only four hits as the Orioles won 5-2 on Saturday … Miguel Sano went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI as the Twins outlasted the Red Sox 11-9 on Saturday. Sano had three of the team’s 19 hits, including his solo home run in the eighth inning. The dinger was his 15th of the season and his fourth in the month of July … Adrian Beltre went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run to help the Rangers best the Royals 7-4 on Saturday. Beltre also had a double in the game, but it was his big fly with two runners on in the seventh inning that put the game out of reach. The home run was his 14th of the year, giving him 60 RBI and 49 runs scored … Michael Saunders belted his 18th and 19th home runs of the season in a losing effort against the Mariners. Saunders has now homered in each of his first two games against his former ballclub. Saunders is having a monster season in the middle of the Jays lineup, slashing .286/.363/.542 with 19 homers and 46 RBI … Kendall Graveman tossed a complete game and held the Rays to three runs as the Athletics won in walk-off fashion by a score of 4-3 on Saturday. It was his first complete game of the season and only the second of his career.

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