The San Francisco Giants, in need of infield help due to injuries, have acquired an All-Star infielder on Thursday.
The team announced that they have traded for Minnesota Twins' shortstop and third baseman Eduardo Nunez in exchange for left-handed pitching prospect Adalberto Mejia. Nunez fits well in San Francisco because they have had to deal with ailments to key parts of their infield. Second baseman Joe Panik was just activated from the concussion disabled list, and third baseman Matt Duffy is currently out with a strained achilles. The 29-year-old is enjoying his most successful season to date, posting a .300/.326/.444 with 12 home runs and 49 RBI over 391 plate appearances, adding 26 stolen bases. With decent defense, Nunez has been worth 1.5 Wins Above Replacement (FanGraphs). Due to a great year this year, Nunez was named to the American League All-Star team, his first as a professional. Another positive to acquiring Nunez is his contract status. Formerly signed by the Yankees as a Dominican free agent, Nunez is still signed through next season and is set to hit arbitration for his final time during the offseason. He is making $1.48 million on his current one-year deal. As for the Twins, Mejia is currently pitching in Triple-A Sacramento. The 23-year-old has a 4.20 ERA and a 43 to 11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 40 2/3 innings pitched. He was named as the Giants' 7th-best prospect in MLB.com's updated midseason prospect rankings. --Devan Fink
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The Toronto Blue Jays have made a trade on Monday, adding a useful outfielder to bolster their already great offensive attack.
According to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal and FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman, the Blue Jays acquired San Diego Padres' outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. in exchange for right-handed pitcher Hansel Rodriguez. Amid trade rumors, Upton has sat out of the Padres' lineup for the past two games. Besides the Blue Jays, the Orioles had interest in trading for Upton's services, and it appeared that they would be the team that ultimately acquired him until Rosenthal reported yesterday that the Blue Jays became the "front runner" in the talks. This season, Upton has enjoyed a rebound campaign, showing glimpses of what made him one of baseball's best young outfielders from 2007 to 2012. In 374 plate appearances, Upton has hit .256/.304/.439 with 16 home runs and 45 RBI in 92 games. He also has 20 stolen bases in 25 attempts, and according to FanGraphs, he has been worth 1.5 Wins Above Replacement. Despite these solid numbers, Upton still has posted a high strikeout rate, striking out 106 times in his 374 plate appearances, good for a 28.3 percent strikeout rate. According to Heyman, the Padres will pay all but $5 million of the remaining approximate $22 million on Upton's salary. Upton will likely fill in at center field with the Blue Jays, where he can spell Kevin Pillar if needed. Overall, he will likely be a semi-regular, helping out at all three spots when necessary. The 19-year-old Rodriguez has gone 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA and a 26 to 11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 32 1/3 innings in the Rookie-level Appalachian League this season. He heads to the Padres. --Devan Fink
The Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees completed a blockbuster trade on Monday, marking the second major move of the 2016 trade deadline season.
According to numerous reports, but first reported by Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the Cubs have acquired All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman from the Yankees in a blockbuster deal. In exchange for Chapman, the Yankees received the Cubs' No. 1 prospect, shortstop Gleybar Torres. In addition, right-handed pitcher Adam Warren and outfield prospects Billy McKinney and Rashad Crawford are also heading to the Yankees. On Saturday, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported that the Yankees were telling teams that they were close to dealing Chapman. They wanted to finalize the process of getting a deal done. Today, those intentions were fulfilled. As of Sunday, the Cubs were reportedly asking for an extension with Chapman before pulling the trigger on a deal. He is scheduled to hit free agency at the end of the season. It's unknown if the sides are discussing a deal. The 28-year-old left-hander was suspended the first 30 games this season due to a domestic violence incident last offseason but has returned to his former ways since. Chapman, who is known for reaching 100 MPH with his fastball quite frequently, has a 3-0 record with a 2.01 ERA and a 44 to 8 strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.93 FIP) in 31 1/3 innings pitched this season. He has recorded 20 saves in 21 chances. Chapman will be a good fit for the Cubs. He will probably serve as their closer going forward, though Hector Rondon, the Cubs' current closer, has been phenomenal this season (1.95 ERA, 18/22 in saves). With this deal, Rondon will likely be converted to a setup man, and he could return to the closer's position if Chapman leaves in the offseason through free agency. For the Yankees, this deal does not signify a complete rebuilding effort, but it is more of a retooling effort. Dealing Chapman makes sense purely because he will not be there long-term. And they got some good talent for him. Torres, 19, is one of the best prospects in all of baseball and is listed as the Cubs' No. 1 prospect on MLB.com. He has a .791 OPS this season in High-A Myrtle Beach, where he is three-and-a-half years younger than his average competition. Warren, 28, has a 5.91 ERA and a 27 to 19 strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.83 FIP) in 35 innings pitched with the Cubs this season. He was just optioned to Triple-A Iowa. The thing with Warren is that he was successful while with the Yankees from 2012 to 2015, however. He posted a 3.39 ERA in 289 1/3 innings pitched there, being used as both as a starter and a back-end reliever. He is very versatile. McKinney, 21, is a consensus top-100 prospect and was acquired in the Jeff Samardzija deal from the Athletics. In Double-A this season, he has a .677 OPS in 349 plate appearances. Crawford, 22, is a former 11th round pick by the Cubs who has a .713 OPS at Class-A Myrtle Beach this season. --Devan Fink
Three top prospects around the league were promoted to the Major Leagues on Sunday.
Astros promote Alex Bregman In a move that was expected to come for quite some time, the Astros officially promoted shortstop Alex Bregman after their game tonight. His MLB debut will come tomorrow against the Yankees. Bregman, 22, was the Astros' 1st round (2nd overall) pick in last year's MLB Draft out of LSU. He has absolutely crushed every pitching he faced in the minor leagues and has a .986 OPS this season with 20 home runs in 368 plate appearances at Double-A and Triple-A. With Houston, Bregman is expected to fill in at both the infield and the outfield, where he has gotten some in-game experience more recently. Diamondbacks promote Braden Shipley The Diamondbacks promoted right-handed pitching prospect Braden Shipley to start for them tomorrow against the Brewers. The 24-year-old Shipley was the Diamondbacks' 1st round pick (13th overall) in 2013 out of the University of Nevada-Reno. In 19 starts this season with Triple-A Reno (quite fittingly), Shipley has posted a 3.70 ERA and a 77 to 22 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 119 1/3 innings pitched. It's currently unknown if Shipley is expected to stay in the Majors for an extended period of time or make just tomorrow's start. Rockies promote David Dahl After a long road through the minor leagues that included having his spleen removed after an in-game injury, the Colorado Rockies will be promoting outfield prospect David Dahl before tomorrow's game, a source confirmed to Cover Those Bases. Dahl, who had to have a splenectomy in May 2015 due to an outfield collision, picked up right where he left off in 2016. Thus far, the Rockies' 2012 first round pick (10th overall) has a .963 OPS with 18 home runs in 400 plate appearances between Double- and Triple-A this season. In 16 games at the minors' highest level, Dahl has posted an outlandish 1.417 OPS with five home runs. It's not currently known how long Dahl's stay in the Majors will last, a source said. --Devan Fink
The New York Yankees are on the verge of making a move.
According to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees are telling teams that they are close to trading left-handed relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman. Rosenthal clarifies his statement in a follow-up report. A trade of Chapman is not necessarily imminent, however, the Yankees are ready to bring the process of dealing him to a conclusion. So while Chapman may not be traded today, a trade appears to be coming in the next few. The 28-year-old fireballer from Cuba has had a successful year serving as the Yankees' closer. After missing the season's first 30 games due to a domestic violence suspension, Chapman has returned to his former form. In 30 games this season, Chapman is 3-0 with a 2.15 ERA in 29 1/3 innings pitched. He has a 41 to 8 strikeout-to-walk ratio, good for a 2.05 FIP. Chapman has converted 20 of his 21 save opportunities this season. The Nationals, Cubs, Giants and Indians have been in on Chapman over the past few weeks, as Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reiterates. Stay tuned for more updates. --Devan Fink |
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