Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Nats On The Mark
It’s rare that two teams with designs on postseason play make a trade at the deadline, but it could have happened Saturday.
The Nationals and Pirates, two teams with winning records and real chances of making the playoffs — for the Nationals, likely as the winner of the NL East; for the Pirates, as a Wild Card qualifier in a crowded race for the two spots — swapped late-inning relievers, with the Bucs sending closer Mark Melancon to the Nats for southpaw Felipe Rivero and left-handed pitching prospect Taylor Hearn.
In Melancon, the Nationals found their answer to a question created when closer Jonathan Papelbon allowed seven earned runs while recording three outs over his past three appearances. Melancon was having another fantastic season at the back end of the Pirates’ bullpen before the trade, posting a 1.51 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 38/9 K/BB ratio over 41 2/3 innings while recording 30 saves, fourth-most in the NL. The addition of the 31-year-old, who will be a free agent at season’s end, allows Papelbon to be used in lower-leverage spots.
The Pirates began seriously considering moving Melancon when they saw what pending free agent closer Aroldis Chapman brought in return from the Cubs. The haul isn’t on the level of the Gleyber Torres-led package the Yankees got, but Rivero is a 25-year-old with years of club control left and a 53/15 K/BB ratio over 49 2/3 innings this season. Rivero’s fastball has averaged 95.3 mph this season, per PITCHf/x, and his fastball, changeup and slider have all registered as plus pitches according to Fangraphs.
Like the Joel Hanrahan deal in December 2012 that brought Melancon to the Pirates, general manager Neal Huntington said Rivero’s addition could pay dividends now and later.
“Our goal in this move is to attempt to continue that chain of quality production,” Huntington said. “We’ve strengthened ’17 and ’18 and we’ve dealt from an area of strength and strengthened our future without changing our goals and our intent for this season.”
The big winners, fantasy-wise, from this trade are Melancon, who moves to a better team that should, ostensibly, provide more save chances down the stretch, and Tony Watson. The Pirates’ southpaw has been anointed as the new closer with Melancon’s departure, and he’s having another strong season in relief for the Bucs. Watson owns a 2.66 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 39/15 K/BB ratio through 44 innings of work this year. He should be owned in all leagues.
The trade deadline is hours away, so be sure to keep refreshing Rotoworld’s constantly-updating player news page for all the latest. And while you’re at it, follow @Rotoworld_BB and @nate_grimm if you are on Twitter.
Lucroy On The Move?
A team with the worst production out of its catching position is primed to acquire one of the game’s best catchers.
The Indians, who had gotten a major league-worst .504 OPS from its catchers prior to Saturday’s game, had an agreement in place with the Brewers late Saturday to acquire Jonathan Lucroy for three minor leaguers. The deal was pending Lucroy waiving his no-trade clause, as the Indians were not among the teams he could be traded to without his approval.
If the deal does go through, the position will immediately go from a weakness to a strength for the Tribe. The 30-year-old is hitting .300/.360/.484 with 13 homers and 50 RBI this season, and the Brewers’ catchers have the most wins above average in 2016, per Baseball Reference. Indians’ catchers have been the worst, by the metric.
In exchange for Lucroy’s services, the Indians gave up a package headlined by minor league catcher Francisco Mejia. Shortstop Yu-Cheng Chang and outfielder Greg Allen would also go to Milwaukee in the deal.
Mejia is the prize. The 20-year-old backstop is known for both his offense and defense; he’s currently in the midst of a 42-game hitting streak at Class A, batting .385/.408/.609 with eight home runs and 37 RBI in that span, and a scout told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale that Mejia’s arm is the best he’s seen in the minors this year.
It’s not just for 2016 that the Indians would potentially get Lucroy, either. The club has a friendly $5.25 million option for 2017 as well, although the team may have to guarantee Lucroy more money or years, or both, to coax him to waive his no-trade clause.
With more than a day left before the non-waiver trade deadline, it should be fun to see what other big names change teams before Monday afternoon.
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National League Quick Hits: Braves acquired OF Matt Kemp and cash considerations from the Padres in exchange for OF/3B Hector Olivera. The 31-year-old has had a productive year so far, hitting .262 with 23 HR and 69 RBI. He’s been especially hot since the All-Star break, batting .315 in the second half with seven round-trippers in only 54 at-bats. He won’t have a great lineup around him in Atlanta but fantasy owners shouldn’t be concerned … The Padres, immediately after acquiring Olivera, designated him for assignment. He won’t be officially DFA’d until Tuesday when he comes off the suspended list. Olivera’s career has hit the skids following his April arrest for assault and battery. The 31-year-old obviously offers an intriguing skill set but it remains to be seen if anyone is willing to take on his off-field baggage … Colin Rea left Saturday’s start against the Cardinals with right elbow soreness. That’s obviously not how he wanted his Marlins debut to go. Rea pitched well before he got hurt, allowing just one hit over 3 1/3 shutout innings. The Marlins are calling him day-to-day … Yoenis Cespedes (quad) left Saturday’s game against the Rockies for precautionary reasons. He came out in the fifth inning after going 0-for-2 with a walk. The Mets are downplaying it but it’s pretty evident that Cespedes is playing at less than 100 percent. He’s been dealing with quad issues off and on for most of this month … According to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, the Mets are “very involved” in talks for Jay Bruce. The Mets signed Justin Ruggiano on Saturday but are still looking for more outfield depth with Juan Lagares sidelined by a thumb injury and Yoenis Cespedes still hampered by a quad strain. It looked like Bruce might be headed to the Dodgers in a three-team trade on Friday but those talks seemed to have died down … Trevor Story left Saturday’s game against the Mets with a jammed left thumb. His X-rays came back negative and the Rockies are calling him day-to-day. Story went 1-for-2 with a single before exiting in the fourth inning … Ryan Braun (side) was a late scratch Saturday against the Pirates. Braun was hoping to return after missing two games with right side tightness but apparently the injury is still lingering. His absence has nothing to do with recent trade rumors … Yasiel Puig (hamstring) remained out of the Dodgers’ lineup Saturday against the Diamondbacks. Puig made a pinch-hitting appearance on Friday night but the Dodgers played it safe by keeping him out one more day. Manager Dave Roberts said he expects Puig to return for Sunday’s series finale … Dee Gordon went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and three runs scored as the Marlins skunked the Cardinals 11-0 on Saturday. In his third game back from suspension, Gordon showed what the Marlins were missing, stealing his seventh base of the year and playing catalyst atop the lineup … Mets placed 3B Jose Reyes on the 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique. Reyes was diagnosed with an intercostal strain earlier this week and will now sit down for at least the next 15 days. The 33-year-old has hit .239 with three homers, eight RBI and three steals since returning to the Mets earlier this month. His roster spot will be absorbed by Justin Ruggiano … Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Derek Norris is a near-lock to be moved before the trade deadline. Rosenthal also notes that Norris is a much more likely target for the Rangers than Jonathan Lucroy would be. The 27-year-old is only hitting .204/.263/.279 on the season, though he does have 12 homers, 33 RBI and five stolen bases. The Padres want to move him to create a spot for Austin Hedges to share the catching duties with Christian Bethancourt.
American League Quick Hits: Wade Davis is flying back to Kansas City for an MRI on his right forearm. Davis hasn’t looked sharp since his return from the disabled list (4.15 ERA in five appearances) and now we might have a better idea why. The right-hander missed the minimum 15 days when he suffered a strained forearm earlier this month but apparently the pain hasn’t subsided much. An extended absence would be a huge blow to both the Royals and his fantasy owners. Davis had been drawing some trade interest but we’re guessing those talks are on hold now … Rich Hill (finger) felt good after throwing a 60-pitch bullpen session on Saturday. Hill had his blister covered for the first 45 pitches but took it off for the last 15. Assuming he isn’t traded, Hill should return to the A’s rotation either Thursday against the Angels or Friday versus the Cubs. He left his last start on July 17 after throwing just five pitches … Justin Verlander struck out 11 while allowing two runs in a complete-game, 3-2 win over the Astros on Saturday. The right-hander has been vintage Verlander for much of the year, posting a 3.54 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 155/40 K/BB ratio over 147 1/3 innings … Royals acquired OF Billy Burns from the Athletics for OF Brett Eibner. The speedy outfielder fell out of favor with the Athletics after opening the year as their starting center fielder and leadoff hitter. He hit just .234/.270/.303 with 14 stolen bases before his demotion to Triple-A. The Royals will certainly find ways to utilize his blazing speed … Mitch Moreland whacked a walk-off home run to lead the Rangers over the Royals on Saturday. It was his 17th home run of the season in 294 at-bats … J.A. Happ delivered a brilliant outing in Saturday’s victory over the Orioles, punching out 11 over seven innings of one-run ball. Happ allowed just three hits and three walks on the day. His lone mistake came on an 0-2 pitch to Pedro Alvarez in the second inning that caught too much of the plate and was deposited into the seats in right field. Happ has been a tremendous addition to the Blue Jays rotation this season, posting a 13-3 record with a 3.16 ERA and 1.16 WHIP … Yulieski Gurriel has had his visa approved and will debut with the Gulf Coast League Astros on Saturday. The 32-year-old Cuban slugger is expected to need a couple of weeks of at-bats in the minor leagues before joining the Astros in mid-August. He signed a five-year, $47.5 million deal with the Astros last week and is expected to start at third base once he arrives.
