The St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to acquire right-hander Justin Masterson from the Cleveland Indians, Peter Gammons reported Wednesday afternoon. Outfield prospect James Ramsey is headed to Cleveland, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Reports said the Indians were opening up to listen about Masterson a short time ago, but nobody expected that the deal would get done before Thursday's 4 pm trade deadline. Considering the large contract extension that Masterson wants (he is a free agent after this season), and the fact that he has endured some struggles as of late, many expected the Indians to hold on to the hurler through the deadline. That drastically changed on Wednesday. Masterson is in the third and final year of his arbitration eligibility. He agreed to a one-year, $9.76 million contract with the Indians prior to this season. While he is a free agent at the end of the year, Masterson wanted to sign an extension with the Tribe, but the sides agreed to halt extension talks until the endif the 2014 season. At the time, Masterson was looking for a deal worth about $17 million annually. This year, he has not pitched like a pitcher that is worth $17 million. To put it plainly, Masterson has struggled mightily. In 19 starts, Masterson has pitched to a 4-6 record with a 5.51 ERA, 4.08 FIP, and a 93 to 56 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 98 innings pitched. His 68 ERA+ is the lowest of his career. He will make his first start for the Cardinals on Saturday. He has been on the DL since July 8th with knee inflammation, but will be eligible to come off on Friday. In return, the Indians will be getting Cardinals' prospect James Ramsey. St. Louis drafted the 24-year-old back in the first round of the 2010 MLB Draft. He is currently with Double-A Springfield. In 281 plate appearances, Ramsey is hitting .300/.389/.527 with 13 home runs and 36 runs batted in. He looks like an intriguing prospect. The Cardinals have had a lot of outfielders in their system, which may have hurt the growth of Ramsey. But now with Cleveland, the path to the big leagues should be a lot clearer for him. The Cardinals do get their man in Justin Masterson to help out the rotation. They have been looking at other options, including the likes of Jake Peavy and David Price, to fill out their staff, but they found a buy-low guy in Justin Masterson that may be able to pay huge dividends for them down the stretch. Cleveland gets an intriguing prospect in return. But the Cardinals continue to make the tightly packed NL Central a more interesting one, as the plot continues to thicken. But for now, Justin Masterson is a St. Louis Cardinal. And that is all he has to worry about for the time being.
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The San Francisco Giants have acquired right-handed starter Jake Peavy from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor league left-hander Edwin Escobar and minor league right-hander Heath Hembree, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported late Saturday morning. San Francisco is also expected to receive cash along with Peavy in the deal, as Boston will be paying just over half of the remaining $5 million that Peavy is owed for the remainder of the 2014 season. The Giants' interest in Peavy was first reported by Robert Murray of SportsRumorAlert.com on July 21st. The Red Sox had reportedly been in deep talks with the St. Louis Cardinals over Peavy, as the Cardinals have been looking for starting pitching, but they could not get a deal done. Jen Royle of the Boston Hearld heard this morning that Peavy was close to being traded to a National League team, however it was not the Cardinals. The Giants swooped in and grabbed the pitcher, but not cheaply. The Red Sox will be receiving two pretty good prospects for Peavy's value. Escobar, at age 22, is already at the Giants' Triple-A affiliate in Fresno. However, he has been struggling on the year. Previous to this season, MLB.com ranked Escobar as the Giants' second-best prospect on their top 20. But it was not just Escobar that was included in the deal. The Red Sox also acquired the Giants' 11th-best prospect as well in Heath Hembree, who is currently pitching in Triple-A as well. On the season, Escobar is 3-8 with a 5.11 ERA and a 4.98 FIP. The Venezuelan native does not have a fancy repertoire, pitching only three pitches, all of which could become above-average offerings at best. His fastball velocity is average; sitting in the 88-92 mph range. His second-best pitch is his curveball, but he also has a change-up that has had its good moments. He is projected to be a number two or three starter, but be a big innings-eater. As for Hembree, he is 1-3 with a 3.89 ERA and a 4.14 FIP in 39.1 innings pitched on the season. The relief pitcher has appeared in the major leagues for a brief stint with the Giants in 2013, striking out 12 hitters in only 7.2 innings of work. He brings the heat more than Escobar, throwing his fastball into the mid 90s, sitting at around 94-95 mph. He also brings to the table a slider, possibly making himself a back-end of the bullpen candidate into the future, either as a closer or a set-up man. His control does need to improve, however, but with some polishing, he could be fantastic setting up for Koji Uehara in Boston. But the main piece in this deal was Peavy, whom the Giants have acquired to help them make a run into the postseason and beyond. Peavy has not looked happy in Boston this season, going 1-9 with a 4.72 ERA and a 4.81 FIP in 124 innings pitched thus far. Peavy was in this situation last season, as the Chicago White Sox dealt the 33-year-old to Boston to pitch for a contender, where Peavy was pretty good. Peavy also has postseason experience, something that many teams value highly. While he does have experience, his starts on the big stage have not been particularly exceptional. In five starts in the playoffs, which includes his start in game three of the 2013 World Series, Peavy is 0-3 with a ugly 9.27 ERA. That cannot possibly be a good sign for what is to come. However, Peavy brings to the table something that the Giants really need. He is able to pitch very well against the National League West division, where he spent eight years with the San Diego Padres. Peavy is historically good against the Los Angeles Dodgers in particular, who currently sit just behind the Giants in second place. In 25 starts versus Los Angeles, Peavy is 14-2 with a 2.21 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. The former Cy Young award winner may only reside in San Francisco for the rest of this year. He does have a 2015 vesting option, but it is highly unlikely that it will vest. But if the Giants can win a World Series this year, no matter how long Peavy remains with San Francisco, it will not matter. They will have succeeded their goal, so therefore the trade will be a winner. The Seattle Mariners have acquired first baseman / designated hitter Kendrys Morales from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for right-hander Stephen Pryor, they announced. The Mariners, currently sitting at 53-48, are in a tie for the second American League Wild Card, with both the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. They have wanted to buy at the trade deadline since becoming a surprise contender, something not many expected when the season started. Nonetheless, Seattle is right in the thick of it, and adding a familiar face in town may not be the worst for them. Morales, 31, signed a contract with the Minnesota Twins on June 8th, becoming the last 2013 qualifying offer player to sign a new deal (via the Mariners, his 2013 team). The deal was for $7.41 million. In a short 39 game stint with Minnesota, the Fomento, Cuba native hit .234/.259/.325 with only one home run and 18 runs batted in. This came in 162 plate appearances, which worked out to be a 62 OPS+. Morales did have the chance to go back to the Mariners in free agency, including on a reported three-year, $30 million contract they did offer him at one point during free agency. Now, Morales has no choice but to head back to Seattle, but the one plus for him is that he will have the option to head elsewhere in free agency at the end of the season. So if Morales does not want to return to the Mariners following this season, he does not have to. But who would not want to play for a contender? In return, the Minnesota Twins will be getting right-hander Stephen Pryor, who, at the age of 25, seems to be ready for the big leagues full-time. Back in 2012, Pryor did pitch in 26 games, going 3-1 with a 3.91 ERA and a 5.27 FIP, resulting in a 99 ERA+. He struck out 27 and walked 13 in 23 innings pitched. The acquisition for the Twins may pan out, but it seems like they got a high-potential type of guy. The Mariners will likely not be done buying now. They could still make a run at perhaps the biggest piece on the trade market, David Price. But for now, an old friend heads back to the old stomping grounds, as Kendrys Morales will be heading back to the Seattle Mariners. The Detroit Tigers agreed to acquire right-handed reliever Joakim Soria from the Texas Rangers, in exchange for righties Jake Thompson and Corey Knebel late Wednesday night, the teams announced. The Tigers had been interested in Soria prior to the deal, and back on July 18th, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported that the sides were having "ongoing discussions" over Soria. The Tigers had also been interested in Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon and Padres reliever Joaquin Benoit. However, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the Tigers were "locked in" on acquiring Soria and did not heavily pursue the ex-Tiger Benoit. On the season, the 30-year-old Soria has been fantastic. He is 1-3 with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.07 FIP in 33.1 innings pitched, recording 17 saves in 19 opportunities. Soria has a 42 to 4 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the year. He has yet to allow a single home run on the season. However, the price tag on Soria may have been a bit high -- he is a free agent following this season, after signing a two-year, $8 million contract with the Rangers before the 2013 season that has more than paid for itself. In return for the reliever, the Rangers will be getting two intriguing prospects. Right-hander Jake Thompson is one, who was the Tigers second round pick back in 2012. He progressed through the minors nicely, and at age 20, he is already pitching in Double-A. On the season for the Tigers affiliate in Erie, Thompson is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA and a 3.49 FIP in 2 starts. He was just promoted from Single-A Advanced Lakeland, where he went 6-4 with a 3.14 ERA and a 3.11 FIP in 16 starts. The Rangers will also be receiving Corey Knebel, who has appeared in the major leagues already this season. In a short stint with the Tigers that lasted eight games, the 22-year-old Knebel, who was selected in the first round of the 2013 draft, had a 6.23 ERA and a 1.64 FIP, striking out 11 and walking three in just 8.2 innings pitched. On the season for Triple-A Toledo, Knebel is 1-1 with a 1.96 ERA and a 3.00 FIP in 18.1 innings pitched out of the bullpen. Both Thompson and Knebel landed on the Tigers top ten prospect list from Baseball America prior to the season. Thompson came in at fourth on the list; while Knebel came in at sixth. Both look like superb acquisitions by the Rangers. Even giving up two pitching prospects, the Tigers filled the gaping hole that was in their bullpen. Soria is a great addition to a bullpen that posted the fifth-highest ERA (4.37) and sixth-highest FIP (3.92) in the major leagues coming into today. Soria will join a bullpen that includes the likes of Joe Nathan, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Coke, Al Alburquerque, Ian Krol, and Blaine Hardy. He may move into the closer role, where Nathan has struggled on the season, but will definitely be a back end force for Detroit. The New York Yankees have acquired third baseman Chase Headley from the San Diego Padres in exchange for infielder Yangervis Solarte and Rafael De Paula, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported on Tuesday. The Padres will also be paying the Yankees $1 million in cash. The 30-year-old Headley was close to being dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays back on July 6th, but after a deal that was deemed close fell through, the Jays never really were close to getting Headley again. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports did report that the Blue Jays were still in talks with the Padres over Headley on July 19th, but it seems now that the teams could never get a deal done. On the season, Headley is hitting a triple-slash line of .229/.296/.355 with only seven home runs, 32 runs batted in, and a 1.6 fWAR. He has an 88 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus), which is the lowest total of his career (minimum 350 plate appearances). However, it was just two years ago when Headley seemed to break out, hitting 31 bolts with 115 RBI, which lead the National League. His OPS was .875. Since the 2012 season closed, however, Headley was a completely different player. In 218 games since, Headley has just 20 home runs and 82 runs batted in, to go along with a .714 OPS. The Yankees may have overpaid just a bit to get a veteran who is a free agent at the end of the season. Headley was arbitration-eligible for the final time prior to this season, in which he signed a one-year, $10.35 million contract with the Padres. But after this year, he becomes a free agent, which really added to the urge for the Padres to go ahead and deal Headley. And they get a nice return for him. The Padres will be receiving Yangervis Solarte. The 27-year-old Solarte was signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent back in 2005, and has had to work his way through their system, the Rangers system, and now the Yankees system before getting his chance in the major leagues. Solarte started off the season hot, posting a .303/.404/.461 slash-line in the month of April. However, his .349 BaBIP suggested that he would regress. Since that time, Solarte has a .233/.307/.347 slash-line with a very low .237 BaBIP, suggesting that he will get better. Overall, on the season, Solarte is hitting a .254/.337/.381 slash-line with six home runs and 31 runs batted in. Something positive from Solarte's performance is his walk rate. Solarte walks in 10.4 percent of his plate appearances, thus he has a high on-base percentage. The goal of baseball is to get on base and score runs, so Solarte is underrated in that sense. On the year, he has a 0.9 fWAR. The diamond in the rough the Padres may have just acquired is righty Rafael De Paula. As pointed out by former Yankees prospect (now with the Cubs) Corey Black, De Paula was just in the 2013 Futures Game and still has a chance to be a good starter in the future. However, the 23-year-old is still in High Single-A, where he has a 6-5 record with a 4.15 ERA and a 3.34 FIP. De Paula was not ranked on the Yankees' top prospect list (via MLB.com). In Yankee Stadium, Headley may be able to return to his power-hitting ways and lead the Yankees to a postseason spot. A change of scenery could be fantastic for him, but a quiet guy like Headley might be rattled by all the pressure of New York. Nonetheless, he is headed there, as the Padres have just dealt the 30-year-old third baseman to the New York Yankees. |
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