****OFFICIAL TRADE DEADLINE THREAD****

[SilenceS]

Post all trade deals in here.

Brewers just acquired Lyles from the Pirates

 

[CSF77]

Phillies To Acquire Jason Vargas
By Jeff Todd | July 29, 2019 at 3:51pm CDT

3:57pm: Vargas is heading to the Phillies, ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter link). A catcher currently on the Mets’ Double-A roster is heading in return, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.
3:51pm: The Mets are close to striking a deal to ship out veteran lefty Jason Vargas, according to Andy Martino of SNY.tv (via Twitter). Details, including the prospective trade partner, aren’t yet known.
If indeed the Mets do send Vargas elsewhere — and it has long been anticipated they’ll do just that — it’ll clear a rotation spot for just-acquired righty Marcus Stroman. The more interesting question remains whether any of the club’s other starters will end up on the move.
Vargas, 36, has bounced back from a terrible start to the season and steadily delivered solid work. He carries a 4.01 ERA through 94 1/3 frames, with 7.7 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9.
Though Vargas is far senior to Stroman in age and MLB service, they’re in similar contract situations. The former is earning $8MM this year with a $8MM club option ($2MM buyout) still remaining. The latter is taking down a $7.4MM salary in 2019 and stands to earn a nice raise on that amount in the offseason, when he’ll go through the arbitration process for the final time.

 

[CSF77]

Brewers Acquire Jordan Lyles
By Steve Adams | July 29, 2019 at 2:17pm CDT

2:17pm: The teams have announced the deal.
2:02pm: The Brewers have reached a deal to acquire right-hander Jordan Lylesfrom the division-rival Pirates, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). Milwaukee will send Double-A right-hander Cody Ponce to Pittsburgh in return, tweets Robert Murray of The Athletic.

It’s the second straight season that Brewers general manager David Stearns has acquired Lyles, as the Brewers also picked him up in an August waiver deal a season ago. He tossed 16 1/3 innings of 3.31 ERA ball out of the Milwaukee ’pen down the stretch last season before hitting free agency and inking a one-year, $2.05MM deal with the Pirates as a free agent. He’s still owed about $705K of that sum between now and season’s end.
That contract looked like a steal for the first couple months of the season, as Lyles pitched to a 3.09 ERA with a 61-to-19 K/BB ratio in 57 innings through the end of May. He missed time with a hamstring injury last month and has struggled mightily with control issues dating back to early June, however. In 27 innings across his past seven outings, Lyles has been torched for 30 earned runs on 46 hits (including 11 home runs) and 14 walks. He’s still whiffed 34 hitters in that time, maintaining his career-best strikeout tendencies, but the Brewers will obviously be looking for a way to bring back the April/May Lyles rather than the June/July iteration that has manifested.
Clearly, the Brewers aren’t putting much stock in Lyles’ earned run average — few, if any, front offices do at this point — and are instead betting on the career-best strikeout rates and Lyles’ increased reliance on his curveball. It’s a relatively low-profile pickup but one that’ll give Milwaukee a much-needed arm to help stabilize an increasingly worrisome rotation. Brandon Woodruff will be out until September with an oblique strain, and Jhoulys Chacin just hit the injured list within the past few days due to a lat strain. Jimmy Nelson is also on the shelf due to an elbow issue.
Ponce, 25, was the Brewers’ second-round pick back in 2015 but isn’t regarded among the organization’s top tier of prospects. He is, however, in the midst of a strong season in Biloxi, having pitched to a 3.29 ERA with a 44-to-12 K/BB ratio and a 56.5 percent ground-ball rate in 38 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. The 6’6″ inch, 240-pound Ponce ranked as the Brewers’ No. 27 prospect on the offseason, per Baseball America, and BA pegged him 25th among Brewers farmhands on their recent midseason update of their farm system.

 

[CSF77]

Mets Acquire Marcus Stroman
By George Miller | July 28, 2019 at 8:08pm CDT

8:08PM: The deal has been officially announced. The Mets will also receive some cash considerations from the Jays.
5:41PM: The Mets and Blue Jays have reached an agreement on a trade that will send Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman to New York, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. The deal is pending medical review. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, minor-league pitchers Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardsonwill be sent to Toronto in the deal.
Stroman emerged as perhaps the most coveted starting pitcher on the market, with contenders like the Yankees, Braves, and Astros linked to the New York native. In a surprise development, though, the Mets entered the fray as a seemingly unlikely suitor given their competitive state. However, Mets brass have been staunch in their belief that the team, while likely out of the race this season, can contend in 2020 and beyond. For that reason, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and the front office have targeted controllable pitchers like Stroman, who will remain under team control next season.

At first glance, it’s a somewhat puzzling acquisition for a team that doesn’t boast an especially deep farm system and yet isn’t in a position to contend immediately. However, there may be more moves on the horizon. As has been speculated, Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, and Edwin Diaz will be in high demand for contenders, meaning that New York could strengthen the farm system by dealing away those assets. Adding Stroman affords increased flexibility to sell off Major League talent while remaining competitive.
Syndergaard in particular would likely command a more impressive prospect haul than Stroman, so perhaps the Mets’ thinking is that, in trading Syndergaard and acquiring Stroman, the improvements to its prospect pool will offset any dropoff in pitching and allow the team to remain comptetive while capitalizing on the value of existing assets. Of course, the Mets may demand Major-League ready pieces in exchange for Syndergaard, supporting the notion that the club plans to avoid a rebuild.
Wheeler is in his last year of team control and is slated to hit free agency at season’s end, making him perhaps the most obvious trade candidate from the Mets’ impressive crop of starters. It’s possible that, in hopes of contending next season, the team could hang on to Wheeler and vie to keep him around for the foreseeable future. If he departs in free agency, they can collect a compensatory draft pick, and if he stays, they would boast one of the National League’s most formidable starting rotations on paper, with Jacob deGrom, Wheeler, Stroman, and Syndergaard.
After a disappointing 2018 season in which injuries limited Stroman to making just 19 starts, he has bounced back considerably this season, returning to the form that he showed in 2017, his best season. In 124 2/3 innings this year, he’s posted a 2.96 ERA, good for fifth-best in the American League. The 28-year-old is undeniably not a strikeout machine, but he makes his living by inducing weak contact and ground balls: in 2019, he’s conceded just 0.7 home runs per nine innings, which is all the more impressive given the homer-happy league environment. That ground ball style has driven a solid 3.52 FIP despite average walk and strikeout numbers.
In Kay, the Blue Jays will receive the Mets’ 4th-ranked prospect and top-ranked pitching prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. The Mets’ first-round draft selection in 2016, Kay is a 24-year-old left-hander who is pitching in the upper minors, a proximity arm who could earn a promotion this season. After dominating Double-A and earning a promotion to Triple-A, he has encountered some difficulty, as evidenced by his 6.61 ERA after seven starts. Still, this is a prospect who is on the brink of cracking the Majors, and is viewed long-term as a back-end starter—a nice contrast with the second pitcher headed to the Blue Jays in the deal.
Woods Richardson, meanwhile, was the Mets’ No. 6 prospect and 2018 second-round draftee. Just 18 years old, he has risen up prospect lists after sriking out 97 batters in 78 1/3 innings at Low-A ball. His 4.25 ERA is not a sterling mark, but a 5.6 K:BB ratio in 2019 indicates that there is potential that perhaps has yet to be unlocked. MLB Pipeline touts his ceiling, noting that no “pitcher in the system can rival the young right-hander’s upside.” Between him and Kay, the Blue Jays will boost their minor-league pitching with a combination of Major-League readiness and high upside.

 

[zack54attack]

Geez. Didn't realize how bad Lyles was over his last 10.

 

[CSF77]

Cardinals Acquire Zac Rosscup
July 29th, 2019 at 4:41pm CST • By Jeff Todd
The Cardinals have acquired lefty Zac Rosscup from the Dodgers, per a club announcement. He had been designated for assignment recently.

Cash considerations are going to Los Angeles in return. Rosscup will begin his tenure with his new organization on optional assignment at Triple-A.

Rosscup, 31, has already appeared with three other clubs this season. He owns a 5.16 ERA in 83 2/3 career innings at the game’s highest level, averaging a healthy 12.2 K/9 but also an ugly 5.9 BB/9. The free passes have been a particular issue this season.

In other moves from the Dodgers, utilityman Kike Hernandez is going on the 10-day injured list with a sprained hand. The club optioned down righty Jaime Schultz while activating just-acquired infielder Kristopher Negron and calling up righty reliever Josh Sborz.

 

[zack54attack]

Cubs acquire a reliever:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1156269950941761538

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1156273964085338112

 

[DanTown]

Phelps sounds like the kind of 6tb/7th inning guy Edwards hopefully could have been.

 

[CSF77]

Cubs acquire a reliever:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1156269950941761538

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1156273964085338112

That is accually a solid trade.

 

[beckdawg]

Phelps for Hatch is a pretty reasonable price for someone with more upside that I would have expected given Hatch as the price. Hatch had some really good games this year and then utterly got destroyed in others. Plus he's almost 25 and hasn't pitched in AAA yet.

 

[beckdawg]

Oh also apparently Hatch was going to the bullpen soon anyways. So, as an apparently reliever only you really aren't missing a ton.

 

[CSF77]

I don't know if I'm in love with this deal but I am definitely in like with it.

His SO:BB is pretty decent. ERA and Fip dont match but this year is higher than the past there. WHIP is higher than normal also.

Has team opt 2020 so for Hatch it is a good deal. Hatch was going to end up a pen arm anyways.

 

[CSF77]

Phelps for Hatch is a pretty reasonable price for someone with more upside that I would have expected given Hatch as the price. Hatch had some really good games this year and then utterly got destroyed in others. Plus he's almost 25 and hasn't pitched in AAA yet.

I really think that prospects > major league players right now.

Control is a factor but teams are really good at scouting talent now. They know what they are buying and most likely think of this as push him into the pen and shoot him up.

 

[beckdawg]

I don't know if I'm in love with this deal but I am definitely in like with it.

His SO:BB is pretty decent. ERA and Fip dont match but this year is higher than the past there. WHIP is higher than normal also.

Has team opt 2020 so for Hatch it is a good deal. Hatch was going to end up a pen arm anyways.

Hatch apparently has some split problems. The past two years in AAA his ERA vs LH batters is over a run higher.

 

[CSF77]

I see this as set up depth.

So Kimbrel main 9th.
Strop and Phellps as the 8th inning arms. Strop has issues but his underlying numbers are still good.

Then 7th inning arms Kintzler and Cishek.

I'm pretty sure that Wick gets the demote.

So over all I believe that the pen is done. They have to address a bat that hits RH pitching because that is a ongoing issue. Whit IMO would be a good choice. At this point seeing how top 100 prospects are basically gold and only all star quality players can even get them it really pushes a Whit value wise to Russell and 2 arms.

They could go Russell and Garcia. Garcia can DH in that league or play 1B. Russell is a starting quality MI that needs a fresh start. At that point KC could pick a arm. Little etc quality.

 

[CSF77]

Hatch apparently has some split problems. The past two years in AAA his ERA vs LH batters is over a run higher.

Which normally means that he lacks a quality off speed like a change or a palm ball. Before the cutter was the hot pitch it was the split and some pitchers used it as a change up. Palm ball is basically what Trevor Hoffman used. And so on.

That just means 1 inning arm.

 

[CSF77]

Cubs Acquire David Phelps
July 30th, 2019 at 2:17pm CST • By Steve Adams
The Cubs have added another fresh face to the bullpen, announced Tuesday that they’ve acquired right-handed reliever David Phelps and cash from the Blue Jays in exchange for minor league right-hander Thomas Hatch. Chicago moved Xavier Cedeno to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot for Phelps. There are other changes afoot in the Chicago bullpen as well, as ESPN 1000’s David Kaplan reports that righty Pedro Strop is headed to the IL and will be replaced by right-hander Duane Underwood, who is being recalled from Triple-A Iowa (Twitter link).



Phelps, 32, was a high-quality setup piece for the Marlins and Mariners in 2016-17 but missed the 2018 season due to Tommy John surgery. He hit the open market last winter and latched on with the Blue Jays on an incentive-laden one-year contract that promised him a $2.5MM base salary. Toronto quite likely made the deal with this very type of scenario in mind, as Phelps has returned to post solid numbers through his first 17 1/3 innings of action: a 3.63 ERA with an 18-to-7 K/BB ratio.

A swingman with the Yankees from 2012-14, Phelps broke out with the Marlins in the bullpen and has now logged an impressive 2.82 ERA with 10.9 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9 in his past 159 2/3 innings at the MLB level (129 relief appearances, six starts). He’s only appeared in 17 games this season but will see a $250K bump in salary upon reaching each of his 25th, 30th and 35th games pitched. He’ll also earn an extra $350K upon 40, 45, 50, 55 and 70 appearances on the year.

Phelps’ club option came with a tiny $1MM base salary but will jump to $3MM if he reaches 30 appearances, $5MM if he appears in 40 games and $7MM for appearing in 50 games. Obviously, he’s not likely to reach the top tier of his incentives and option escalators after missing the first two and a half months of the season, but it’s certainly plausible that he could push that 40-game threshold in 2019.

Phelps gives the Cubs an immediate boost in the ‘pen — even if he’s not a dramatic upgrade — and also presents them with a relatively affordable option in 2020 due to that floating club option. Payroll constraints have been an ongoing obstacle for the Cubs’ front office dating back to the winter, but they’ll have a huge slate of free agents off the books this winter (Cole Hamels, Brandon Morrow, Strop, Steve Cishek, Brandon Kintzler and Brad Brach among them), which will render any decision on Phelps’ option a fairly small-scale consideration.

Hatch, 24, was the Cubs’ third-round pick back in 2016 and has spent the 2019 season in his second trip through the Double-A level. He’s tossed 100 innings of 4.59 ERA ball over the life of 21 starts, averaging 8.4 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and 1.17 HR/9 to go along with a 35.2 percent ground-ball rate. He didn’t crack the Cubs’ top 30 on Baseball America’s recent re-ranking of their system, but he landed at No. 26 on Fangraphs’ summer update of Chicago’s farm system. There, Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen noted that he hasn’t developed the control one would want to see to keep him in the rotation but could find success in the ‘pen. Entering the season, MLB.com ranked him 29th in the Cubs’ system and actually gave him the potential for three average or better offerings while expressing similar concerns about his control. The Jays may well see if Hatch has the ability to start in the short-term, as there’s little harm for a rebuilding club to try it out.

Shi Davidi of Sportsnet first broke the news of the Phelps deal (via Twitter). Joel Sherman of the New York Post added that the Jays were sending cash in the deal (Twitter link).

 

[CSF77]

More I look at it as he more I like it. Might be a gold trade. There is really nothing bad about this.

I kinda figured that Strop had something not right going on. The DL IMO was overdue. I really think he came off the DL last time and was really not right. Now they can take their time with it and have him get 100%

Underwood has been moved into the pen at Iowa. I'm really not sure if this will be anything going forward. I guess extra depth in case Chatwood needs another start.

 

[bears5150]

If he can pitch as good as he can swim it will be a great pick up

 

[anotheridiot]

Just talked about Underwood last week, glad he gets another shot. Not too many bargains out there we can afford. Maybe tomorrow someone will take a flyer with Addison russell for a guy that a team expected to move today. Cant argue with the talent he has, just needs a new home.

Gotta wonder when teams will start complaining about the injury stints of guys they need to get off the 25 man for a while. Maybe if the cubs start a winning streak.