MLB Maturity in 2019: Possible Targets for the Yankees After Missing Dallas Keuchel

The New York Yankees won and lost Thursday night. The formidable DJ LeMahieu helped the club put an end to their series of three consecutive defeats against the Blue Jays (NYY 6, TOR 2), but the Yankees lost to Dallas Keuchel. The left-handed veteran has accepted a one-year contract with the Braves. He would earn $ 13 million the rest of the season.

The Yankees were in the game for Keuchel but, according to Joel Sherman of New York Postthey would not increase their offer beyond $ 11 million the rest of the year. I think Keuchel's decision was easy given the money and the opportunity to meet with receiver Brian McCann, plus a field in the NHL without DH. Here's what Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters, including Randy Miller of N.com.com, about the team's continuing signing after Keuchel's signing:

"Yes, I think (our rotation is) pretty good … There are a lot of things that need to be unveiled, but we have guys in this room, absolutely, to be an elite … I knew we obviously had conversations but it was only the extent of it. "

Even with their injuries, the Yankees currently have a 3.80 ERA, the fifth lowest in baseball, and their 3.83 rotation average is the seventh. Their rotation is the fifth best baseball racing prevention unit with 16% better than the league average. The Yankees are not trying to reach the top spot. Not quite, anyway. The pitching was very good.

That said, Luis Severino missed the season with an injury and both James Paxton and CC Sabathia visited the injured list. Here is the New York Depth Chart for the moment:

1. Luis Severino (who is expected to come back from an inflammation of the shoulder and latent fatigue after the break from the match of the stars)
2. James Paxton (missed most of May with knee inflammation)
3. Masahiro Tanaka
4. CC Sabathia (missed two weeks with knee inflammation last month)
5. J.A. Happ
6. Jordan Montgomery (planned return of Tommy John's operation in August)
7. German Domingo (on an undisclosed workload limit)
8. Jonathan Loaisiga (with inflammation of the shoulder and there is no date of return)
9. Chance Adams
10. David Hale

Given the problems of persistent injuries – Severino could return in a few weeks, but given the history of shoulder and lat shoulder injuries, he is far from certain that he will come back as a All Star caliber launcher, it was the last two years – and workload, it is clear that the Yankees could use another starting pitcher. They could have added Keuchel for nothing but money, their biggest resource, but they refused to beat the Atlanta offer.

Because of this, the Yankees must now focus more on the trade market. Andy Martino, of SNY, thinks baseball player Clint Frazier could be mentioned as a commercial chip in the coming weeks. Frazier had a little argument with the media last weekend that undeniably embarrassed the Yankees, although its availability is probably related to the depth of the team's outside field. Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton have signed a long-term contract and Aaron Judge is under the control of the team until 2022.

Now that the 2019 project is over, the teams will focus on the next deadline of the exchanges. The deadline is in just under eight weeks and remember that there is only one trading date left on July 31st. Surrender transactions in August (and technically in September) are a thing of the past. Do you want to add help? This must be done by July 31st. The trading market can and will grow over the next few weeks. Here are some possible business goals for the Yankees after losing Kimbrel.

The rental of the big name

People, get ready for a tonne Madison Bumgarner's trade rumors, involving both the Yankees and many other contenders. The Giants are pretty bad (25-36) and Bumgarner is an impending free agent. It is also an icon of the franchise, which means that an exchange may not take place. The new managing director Farhan Zaidi would not do his job if he did not have at least one commercial offer on sale for Bumgarner.

At two months of his thirtieth birthday, it is clear that Bumgarner is no longer the pitcher in his youth. All these sleeves and all these wears have an impact. Its output rate is down and it allows a contact harder than ever. In addition, although his post-season exploits are a strong selling point, five years have passed since his Herculean 2014 post-season. Time goes really fast, huh? I'm not sure that 2014 Bumgarner is all about 2019 Bumgarner.

Nevertheless, Bumgarner is a big name and there is at least a chance that it will be available before July 31st. He'll be connected to the Yankees, the Phillies, the Astros and pretty much all the contenders in the next few weeks. The Yankees should navigate around its non-trade clause, which is a headache more than a dealbreaker. With Keuchel off the chart, the fit is evident here. This is a relatively low risk hiring with a potentially high reward.

Cleveland & # 39; s Stars

Apparently, nothing is going right for the Indians. They were hit hard by injuries, some very sharp and others less, and the former MVP candidate, Jose Ramirez, seems to have forgotten how to hit. He hits .204 / .301 / .305 this year and has a line of strikes hard to believe .189 / .304 / .299 in 438 appearances (!) Since August 15th of last year. Add to that a relatively quiet season and you have a recipe for a record of 31-31 and a 10 1/2-match deficit in Central AL.

Indians remain in the game for a wild-card spot – Cleveland is currently two-game Rangers for second-place wild-card – although their front-office is very pragmatic. If they do not consider this team as a post-season team, they might consider selling at the trading deadline, with Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer as main chips. Bauer is certain to be moved at some point, whether at the deadline or during the winter. He will be a free agent after the next season and has not hesitated to explore his own will.

As for Kluber, he is currently on the list of injured with a broken forearm and is not expected for several weeks, perhaps not after the deadline for exchanges, which would really complicate things. Even before the injury, however, Kluber posted an ERA of 5.80 with by far the highest walking rate (3.8 BB / 9) since his rookie season in 2011. The increase in the number of Hard contacts allowed and the decline in the number of withdrawals on hold is worrying for a period of 33 years. old with so many sleeves on his arm:

Corey Kluber's strike and hard contact rates are going in the wrong direction.

Fangraphs

Unlike Bumgarner, Kluber and Bauer are not rentals. Kluber's contract includes a $ 17.5 million club option for 2020 and $ 18 million for 2021. Bauer has one year eligibility for arbitration and his salary is expected to approach $ 20 million dollars next season. Sabathia is about to retire after this season and Kluber or Bauer would be perfectly placed in his vacant place of rotation alongside Happ, Paxton, Severino and Tanaka next year.

Indians desperately need outside help and Frazier executive for Kluber or Bauer might make sense – Cleveland originally drafted Frazier and sent him to New York as part of the Andrew Miller affair – as Indians sell or not. The Yankees asked about Kluber and Carlos Carrasco over the winter, although it was primarily due diligence. As the Indians escape and the Yankees need a starter, they could relaunch these talks seriously in the coming weeks.

The long shot

In addition, as they played recently, the Nationals are 28-34 and five games in second place with eight – eight! – the teams in front of them in the standings. Washington is closer to the National League's worst record than its playoff spot. They dug a huge hole in the first weeks of the season.

Last year, general manager Mike Rizzo showed he was ready to sell when the team is not tied to the playoffs. Matt Adams, Gio Gonzalez, Shawn Kelley, Brandon Kintzler and Daniel Murphy were all moved to the deadline (or in an August waiver exchange) last year, and more particularly, Rizzo has come up with an agreement to send Bryce Harper to the Astros before the property crushes him. If the Nationals are not eager to play, it could be a new summer of players exchange.

It's one thing to move impending free agents like Murphy and Harper. This is another way to move one of the best baseball pitchers when he signs two years longer than this one. Max Scherzer is always excellent and he would definitely help the Yankees even after moving into a batting park in the DH league. Scherzer still has a lot of money (more than 90 million dollars), which would complicate matters. There is an adjustment though, obviously.

The point is, would the nationals really exchange Scherzer? They see me as the kind of team that would reload and try to do it next year instead of destroying everything and rebuilding everything, and it would be much easier to win next year with Scherzer than without him. I will have to see Scherzer traded to believe that it will happen. There is a reason why I call it a long shot.

The target of intradivision

Why does Marcus Stroman's signature on an extension seem not to be an option for the Blue Jays? I do not understand. He is only 28 years old, he is very good, he was born at home and he seems to love Toronto. It sounds like someone to keep and build, not someone to exchange. And yet, commercial rumors persist. This is what The Athletic's Jayson Stark wrote at the end of last month:

Almost everyone left the 2015-2016 series teams. But the Blue Jays have already made it known that they could be aggressive in trying to trade Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez, who will both be one and a half years of free will. And "they are the perfect place to move guys like this," said one of the leaders mentioned earlier. "All their fan base is sold on the concept that guys like Vlad [Guerrero] and [Cavan] Biggio are their future. So, they will not even pay attention [to those trades] because they understand that they build around young people. "

An intradivision exchange is always complicated, but the Yankees and Blue Jays have shown their willingness to reach an agreement. Last year, they gathered for the Happ trade. An experienced shooter in AL East with a Yankee Stadium friendly ground rate history, plus a year of team control as an eligible player at the refereeing, would seem to be an ideal choice for the Yankees .

Perhaps more than any other pitching candidate, Stroman will be in great demand by the deadline because he is so young, so good and under control next year. Only competitors will want a rental like Bumgarner and, realistically, only a handful of teams will want to absorb Kluber's contract or Bauer's arbitrage number. Stroman is more affordable (his next year's arbitration salary is about $ 12 million) and, frankly, he far surpasses the performance of these guys this year.

Competitors like the Yankees and Phillies will be after Stroman, but promising teams like the Padres, for example, are perhaps only one year away from the quarrel. The Rangers, surprisingly competitive, could show interest as they prepare to enter a new baseball stadium next year. Astros, athletes, brewers, cardinals, twins and White Sox could (and should, honestly) get involved. The bidding war will be fierce.

The other left-handed

Naturally, Bumgarner is the leftmost starter on the commercial rumor circuit. Rangers south wing Mike Minor has dominated Bumgarner this season, and Statcast figures are a perfect fit:

• Fast rotation speed: 2650 rpm (99th percentile)
• Output speed: 86.3 mph (82nd percentile)
• Hardly hit rate: 32.9% (75th percentile)

The Yankees are convinced of the speed of rotation and, with the fastball, the speeds of the slider and the Minor curve are well above average. He is checking analytically and owing the rest of his salary of $ 9.5 million this year, plus $ 9.5 million next year. Minor is very good and very affordable.

Here's the thing though: the Rangers are good! Well, it's good. Better than expected, it is certain. Texas has 32-28 points and percentage points ahead of the Red Sox for second place. A few more good weeks and the Rangers could look to add Minor to the trading deadline, without subtracting it.

The Rangers will play 12 of their next 15 games against Athletics, Indians and Red Sox. This should provide clarification on their suitability status. If they sell, I imagine that Minor will be at the top of the Yankees' wish list.

Depth Arm

The Yankees traded against two starting pitchers for each of the last two deadlines. In 2017, they introduced Sonny Gray as the centerpiece (it did not work) and Jaime Garcia as the deep guy. Last year, they added Happ as the centerpiece (which worked) and Lance Lynn as the deep guy. They could do something similar this year, although the eventual return of Severino and Montgomery could reduce the need for a second starter. Here are some deep starting options.

Normally, a pitcher of the caliber of Zack Greinke would deserve his own section. In this case, however, the Yankees avoided it whenever it was available (trade, free competition, etc.), and they made it clear that they did not think that it was possible. he would be fine in New York. They may underestimate Greinke or overestimate the difficulty of playing in New York (it's probably a bit of both), but they believe it. In addition, Greinke still owes more than $ 90 million until 2021. This money would be an obstacle.

Mariners' salary dropped Jay Bruce earlier this week and Jeff Passan of ESPN announces that Seattle is ready to trade all veterans on the listand they are willing to eat money to make it happen. Mike Leake is a stable and boring type of handle (which is valuable!) Who is under contract until next year. It would probably not cost much to get it, so if the Yankees miss the guys from Bumgarner or Stroman or Cleveland, they could turn to Leake. His 2.0 HR / 9 might not play well at Yankee Stadium.

The Reds are stuck in the wrong central division. They are in last place in the center of NL despite the Division's second-division differential (plus-37). The Twins are the only team to register a positive differential in Central AL. I must think that Cincinnati would be better off in this division. Be that as it may, the Reds have acquired Tanner Roark as part of their off-season shopping frenzy and, if they do not return to the fight in the playoffs, topple the impending free agent for a prospect by the deadline will probably be on the table. Roark is suitable as a Garcia / Lynn-esque depth lease.

Unlike most deep pickups, Jose Urena is young and offers stealth potential. He's only 27 years old and his big ball in the mid-90s gives him a ton of sink. The exit rate (6.2K / 9) leaves you wanting more, but an organization with an analytical tendency like the Yankees might be able to unlock new upheavals with some adjustments. Urena has a reputation for being a little sickening – the incident of Ronald Acuna last year reinforced these concerns – which could be a dealbreaker. Yet a 27-year-old who throws hard and still has two seasons of team control? Could be a clever little pickup, depending on the price.