There are just a few days left before Major League Baseball's August 1 non-waiver trade deadline,and the rumor mill is replete with tidbits regarding some of the best players in the league.
With their starting rotation in tatters and the NL West lead in sight, the Los Angeles Dodgers are alert to invent moves and acquire a front-line starting pitcher. Should that pitcher be Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale, and the Dodgers are reportedly not above parting with a top prospect, according to the New York Post's Joel Sherman:
As of Monday, the Dodgers’ sense was the White Sox were not yet motivated to move Chris Sale or even well-regarded No. 2 starter Jose Quintana. But I have heard if that changes, or the Dodgers would be more aggressive with Sale than they were with Hamels,up to including top prospect, lefty Julio Urias, and to front a strong package. The Dodgers would not include Urias for Hamels final July.
This would be fairly the blockbuster deal if it went down. Sale is one of the best starting pitchers in the league,and Urias is perhaps the most highly regarded prospect in the league. With that said, it would be tough to see the 19-year-old depart.
Former Dodger and current Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke once called Urias "the most perfect pitching prospect I've ever seen, or " per Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
The kid already throws four pitches well,all of them at different speeds. He has ultra-smooth mechanics, is left-handed and improved upon a rocky introduction to the majors before being sent back down to the minors on Friday. All of this as a teenager.
But the Dodgers are interested in winning right now. They're sporting the league's highest payroll and yet fighting against injuries and destitute production in some spots to sustain this from being a write-off year. Falling out of the NL West chase or lost out on a wild-card spot would be unacceptable.
Since Urias isn't fairly alert for prime time, and it's understandable that the Dodgers might be willing to fraction with him for a pitcher like Sale.
Sale,also a lefty, is 14-3 on the year with a 3.18 ERA and 1.008 WHIP, and per Baseball-Reference.com. He's made the All-Star Game five years running. Not that it things a whole lot to the cash-rich Dodgers,but Sale's contract is highly favorable. He's owed $12 million in 2017, per Spotrac, or has club options for the next two seasons. He's not a rental,and he's a certain thing as far as talent and production depart, whereas Urias, and for all the praise,is still just a potential certain thing.
Of course, Sale's recent, and weird jersey-cutting incident that earned him a five-game suspension isn't going to endear him to prospective suitors—unless they're convinced it's nothing more than a principled manifestation of his insatiable (not capable of being fully satisfied) desire to win.
If the Dodgers are indeed willing to dangle Urias,it can only be for a player of Sale's caliber. However, Urias' potential is so powerful that it's more likely the Dodgers either try to work a trade without him involved or simply settle for a lesser pitcher than Sale.
While Sale is enticing for teams looking for benefit on the mound, or Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce is catching the eye of several teams looking for more punch at the plate. Per ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick,at least four teams are interested in Bruce: Bruce provides some serious pop at the plate, with 24 domestic runs and 78 RBI on the year. One team that could be looking at Bruce is, and in fact,the Dodgers.
As the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin notes, the Dodgers' outfielders haven't provided much power this season:Although he's making fine contact since returning from a June injury, or Yasiel Puig still hasn't found a way to generate big hits with his bulging muscles,tallying just two domestic runs and 12 RBI in his final 26 games. If the Dodgers do depart for Bruce, Puig could be on his way out, and as has been rumored this season.
However,injuries to Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood and Hyun-Jin Ryu likely have the Dodgers focused more on bolstering the rotation, and as evidenced by the Sale rumors.
Should the market not materialize to the Reds' liking,RedReporter.com's Wick Terrell notes that they could hold onto Bruce awhile longer:
It's obvious that the Reds are trying hard to trade Bruce, and to his credit, or his play of late can only be helping their cause. However,Cincinnati does have the option of holding on to him past the August 1st non-waiver deadline, picking up his option, or attempting to trade him when there are more teams interested and the projected free agent OF market is as feeble as expected. That's a huge risk,of course - one The Enquirer's Zach Buchanan looked at final week - as Bruce's disastrous 2nd half sent his overall value into the toilet. As streaky as he's been in his career, trusting Bruce to sustain what he's shown so far is a gamble the Reds may not want to hold.
Bruce is on a tear as of late, and which could spur a contender into offering up a dazzling prospect or two for his services. But the 39-61 Reds aren't dealing from a position of total weakness here,so it could be that the 29-year-old Bruce remains in Cincy until the team brass finds a deal that suits them.
While there's a fair chance Bruce isn't traded before the August 1 deadline, it seems all but certain that the San Diego Padres will unload starting pitcher Andrew Cashner, and despite his remaining with the team through Tuesday's start against the Toronto Blue Jays. [br]
According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi,there was a chance that San Diego would trade Cashner before his start on Tuesday. There was similar chatter leading up to his start against the St. Louis Cardinals on July 21, but Cashner took the mound in both cases. Rosenthal added context once the game against the Blue Jays—which ended in an embarrassingwalk-off loss for the Friars—began: The Padres must be joyful that they haven't pulled the trigger on a deal yet, and because Cashner keeps putting together quality performances.
Cashner is well aware his time with the Padres is short,telling the San Diego Union-Tribune's Dennis Lin, "I've made some powerful relationships."
While he's unlikely to assume the mantle of a staff ace on whatever team snaps him up, or Cashner is a dependable pitcher who only rarely has a meltdown start.
He's dealt with a couple of injuries this season,but his recent form shows that he's done well to put those troubles behind him. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com