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Write For MLB Trade Rumors

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We’re looking to add to the MLBTR writing team, in a part-time position that pays hourly.  The criteria:

  • Availability to work every Sunday from 7am-3pm central time.  This would be your regular weekly shift.  The ability to occasionally fill in on Saturdays as well would be helpful.
  • Exceptional knowledge of all 30 baseball teams, no discernible bias. Knowledge of hot stove concepts like arbitration, the competitive balance tax, and new aspects of the latest collective bargaining agreement.
  • A high school degree is required, and further education is preferred. Please include your highest completed level of education in your application.
  • Writing experience is necessary, and online writing experience is preferred.
  • Attention to detail and ability to follow the MLBTR style and tone.
  • Ability to craft intelligent, well-written posts analyzing and contextualizing MLB hot stove news quickly and concisely.
  • Ability to use Twitter, Tweetdeck, and WordPress.  Experience with these is strongly preferred.
  • Ability to incorporate feedback to improve performance.
  • If you’re interested, email mlbtrhelp@gmail.com and explain how you stand out and qualify in a couple of short paragraphs.  Please attach your resume to the email.  We often receive several hundred applications, so unfortunately we will not be able to reply to each one.

At the end of your application, please fill in the blank:  After the ____ season ends, assuming he does not sign a contract extension or go to the minors, Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal will become a free agent.  Rather than give an explanation, simply write, “Skubal question: [Year]” at the end.

Pavin Smith Suffers Wrist Fracture

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Diamondbacks outfielder Pavin Smith suffered a nondisplaced fracture in his right wrist over the weekend, farm director Josh Barfield tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Smith, who also incurred some ligament damage in the area, suffered the injury diving for a fly ball with a game for Triple-A Reno. Barfield tells Piecoro the wrist will be immobilized for the next six weeks. The club is hoping he’ll be able to avoid surgery and return at some point this season, but the full extent of the damage and a treatment program will be known after he undergoes a CT scan.

It’s a brutal blow for Smith, who was just optioned on Saturday. He suffered the injury two days into the minor league stint, dealing a hit to his chances of earning another big league call in the near future. Because he suffered the injury in Triple-A, Smith lands on the minor league injured list and won’t receive big league pay or service time, at least for now. It’s possible the D-Backs eventually recall him and put him on the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man roster spot, but the club could elect to leave him in the minors for the duration of his recovery to avoid paying him at an MLB rate.

The seventh overall pick in the 2017 draft, Smith has suited up for the D-Backs in each of the past three seasons. He tallied 545 plate appearances last year, hitting .267/.328/.404 with 11 home runs and 27 doubles. It wasn’t an impact performance, but the left-hander showed solid contact skills and plate discipline and looked as if he could serve as a contributor in the long-term corner outfield mix.

His follow-up in 2022 has proven a disappointment, however. Smith has fanned in 26.1% of his 241 big league plate appearances, a clip nearly seven points higher than last season’s rate. He showed some more over-the-fence power, popping nine homers in 65 games, but the uptick in whiffs and a spike in his rate of infield fly balls led his batting average to crater. The 26-year-old hit .207 with a .290 on-base percentage before the Snakes optioned him.

Giants Place Evan Longoria On Injured List

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The Giants have placed third baseman Evan Longoria on the 10-day injured list due to a left oblique strain, the club announced. Catcher Joey Bart was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to take his place on the active roster.

Longoria lands on the shelf for the second time this year. The three-time All-Star missed the first month-plus of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn finger ligament late in Spring Training. He returned to play on May 11 and has started 35 of the club’s 48 games since his reinstatement. Longoria has continued to produce at the plate when healthy, as he carries a solid .242/.331/.462 line through 151 plate appearances. That’s obviously not at the level he showed at his peak with the Rays, but it’s a second straight season of decidedly above-average power production.

Manager Gabe Kapler has relied upon Longoria as his primary third baseman. They’ll presumably need to mix and match at the hot corner at least through the All-Star Break now, with Wilmer Flores, Tommy La Stella and recent call-up David Villar among the various infield options on the roster. (La Stella has played mostly designated hitter this year but is getting the nod at second base tonight against Arizona). The club hasn’t provided a specific timetable on Longoria’s return, but Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle notes he took part in pre-game activities today to gauge his availability for tonight’s game. Obviously, his body didn’t respond to that work as hoped, but that the Giants initially believed there was a chance he could avoid the IL seemingly suggests they’re not anticipating a long-term absence.

Longoria is in the final guaranteed season of the extension he originally signed a decade ago with Tampa Bay. The Giants hold a $13MM club option on his services for next year, but it remains to be seen if he’ll continue playing. In a reflective conversation with Slusser last week, the 36-year-old (37 in October) acknowledged he’s given some thought to the possibility of hanging up his spikes at the end of the year. Longoria certainly didn’t commit to retirement, saying he hasn’t yet “made up (his) mind” and has “really gone back and forth with (his) wife about this so many times.” He nevertheless acknowledged that a handful of injuries and being away from his family in recent years has taken both a physical and emotional toll.

That’ll presumably be sorted out a few months from now, but Longoria’s immediate focus will be on making his return to a San Francisco team that has scuffled of late. The Giants have dropped six in a row and eight of their last ten, falling to 40-39 in the process. They’re two games back of the Cardinals and Phillies in the race for the National League’s final Wild Card spot entering play tonight.

Avila: Tigers Have Not Had Recent Contact With Eduardo Rodriguez

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Eduardo Rodríguez has been away from the Tigers for nearly a month, as the club placed the starter on the restricted list on June 13. Detroit announced at the time he was attending to personal matters, which Jon Heyman of the New York Post subsequently reported was a marital concern. There was no timetable for his return at the time, and it seemingly remains up in the air when he’ll be back with the club.

Speaking with reporters this afternoon, Detroit general manager Al Avila stated the team hasn’t heard from Rodríguez recently (link via Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic). “We reached out, but obviously he hasn’t reached out back. We’re just kind of waiting it out,” Avila said. “It is unusual, but we have no choice but to wait it out right now and see how it develops as we move forward.”

Manager A.J. Hinch offered a similar report last week. “From what I know, there’s been no movement whatsoever and no communication,” Hinch said at the time. “We know he’s safe, we know he’s home with his kids, we know he’s back in Florida, but it’s been pretty quiet.”

As part of an aggressive offseason, the Tigers added Rodríguez on a five-year, $77MM free agent contract last November. The deal also affords the southpaw an opportunity to opt-out following the 2023 campaign. He made eight starts over the season’s first couple months, working to a 4.38 ERA through 39 innings. Rodríguez landed on the injured list on May 22 with a ribcage strain; he’d been on a minor league rehab assignment working his way back from the injury at the time he stepped away from the club.

Players on the restricted list are not paid, so Rodríguez is forfeiting salary for any time he spends away from the team. Avila declined to answer when asked if the Tigers would look into the possibility of attempting to void his contract entirely. “I’m not going to get into that at this point. Obviously that’s a situation, it’s a private situation right now on his part. I won’t get into that.“

Rockies Designate Colton Welker For Assignment

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The Rockies announced they’ve designated corner infielder Colton Welker for assignment. The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for José Ureña, who has been selected onto the active roster. (The team first announced Ureña’s forthcoming promotion last night). Reliever Justin Lawrence was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque to open space on the active roster.

A former fourth-round pick, Welker developed into one of the system’s more interesting prospects early in his pro career. Baseball America placed him among the organization’s top ten farmhands each season from 2018-21. That’s partially a reflection of Colorado’s generally shallow systems of late, but some evaluators suggested Welker could blossom into a bat-first regular at the hot corner. He posted strong numbers in the lower minors and consistently ran lower than average strikeout rates on his way up the ladder.

Welker has seen his stock fall considerably over the past two seasons. He was hit with an 80-game suspension in May 2021 after testing positive for a banned substance. That kept the Florida native to a 23-game stint in Albuquerque. Welker was called up to make his major league debut last September, but he scuffled during a 19-game cameo.

Optioned back to the Isotopes to open the 2022 season, Welker suited up just ten times and tallied 45 plate appearances. He got out to a fast start and seemed as if he’d be on the radar for another MLB look, but he landed on the minor league injured list on April 23. Six weeks later, he underwent shoulder surgery that ended his 2022 season.

Players on the minor league injured list still occupy a spot on the 40-man roster. Colorado could’ve recalled Welker and placed him on the major league 60-day IL, but doing so would’ve required paying him at the prorated MLB minimum salary for the rest of the year (a bit under $350K). Colorado instead elected to take him off the 40-man roster and risk losing him to another club.

Injured players cannot be outrighted, so the Rockies will have a week to trade Welker or release him. The latter course of action is likely, at which point the league’s 29 other teams would have a chance to grab him off release waivers. That’s not unheard of — the Giants have added Luis González and Darien Núñez in similar situations, for instance — but it’s also possible he’ll pass through waivers unclaimed. In that event, Welker would be a free agent, and the Rockies could then look to bring him back on a minor league deal.

Blue Jays Designate Shaun Anderson For Assignment

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The Blue Jays have designated righty Shaun Anderson for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the roster will go to fellow righty Matt Peacock, whose previously reported waiver claim has now been announced by the team.

Anderson’s stay on the 40-man roster lasted a bit less than two weeks, as he was initially selected in late June. He made a lone big league appearance, serving up two runs in a mop-up relief inning during a win over the Red Sox. The 27-year-old has otherwise spent the entire season with the Jays’ top affiliate in Buffalo, posting a 3.88 ERA through 48 2/3 innings. That’s solid run prevention, but Anderson has only struck out 20.1% of opposing hitters at the top minor league level.

While the former third-round pick has spent most of this season in the minors, Anderson has a fairly lengthy track record in the big leagues. He’s appeared in parts of four campaigns, with the majority of his work coming as a rookie with the 2019 Giants. He posted a 5.44 ERA through 96 innings that year, starting 16 of his 28 outings. Over the next few seasons, Anderson has worked exclusively in relief at the major league level, although he’s gotten six starts in Buffalo this year. Altogether, he owns a 5.84 ERA in 135 2/3 MLB frames split between five different teams (San Francisco, the Twins, Orioles, Padres and Jays).

Toronto will have a week to trade Anderson or place him on waivers. The Jays succeeded in passing him through waivers last fall after grabbing him from San Diego. That previous outright means Anderson would have the right to refuse another assignment in favor of minor league free agency if he passes through waivers unclaimed.

Reds Place Tyler Mahle On Injured List With Shoulder Strain

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2:54pm: Mahle tells reporters that an MRI revealed only irritation but no structural damage (Twitter thread via Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer). Mahle said the issue is “not concerning at all” and that he plans to return shortly after the All-Star break.

1:28pm: The Reds announced Wednesday that right-hander Tyler Mahle has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder strain. The move is retroactive to Sunday. Righty Ian Gibaut, whom the Reds claimed off waivers this week, will take his spot on the active roster. Cincinnati also announced that catcher Chris Okey cleared waivers and will remain in the organization after being assigned outright to Triple-A Louisville.

Mahle, one of the more notable trade candidates in the National League, had been scheduled to start a game for the Reds tomorrow. The team has not yet provided a timetable on his potential return, but the earliest he’ll be able to return is just two weeks prior to the Aug. 2 trade deadline.

The timing of the injury is brutal for the Reds, who have watched as Mahle has shaken off a poor start and rounded into form as next month’s deadline looms. After pitching to a grisly 7.01 ERA through six starts and walking 14 of the first 120 hitters he faced (11.7%), Mahle has rebounded to the tune of a 3.51 ERA, 27.8% strikeout rate and 8.0% walk rate across his past 66 2/3 frames. Nearly one-third of the 26 runs he’s allowed dating back to May 8 came in one nightmare outing against the Cubs on May 24 (eight runs in four innings). Since that start, Mahle owns a 2.58 ERA, 28.3% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate in 45 1/3 frames.

For much of the season — and for much of the offseason — it’s looked as though Mahle, teammate Luis Castillo and A’s ace Frankie Montas would be the three most coveted names on the trade market. All three are affordably controlled through the 2023 season and have made substantial strides in recent years to establish themselves as (at least) quality mid-rotation hurlers. Now, with Mahle on the injured list for a yet-to-be-determined period and Montas dealing with shoulder inflammation of his own, Castillo suddenly stands as the lone, healthy member of that heavily speculated-upon trio.

It’s still possible, of course, that Mahle makes a quick return from the IL, pitches well and that his medical records look sufficiently clean for a trade to come together. There’s little denying that a shoulder strain just three-plus weeks from the deadline, however, is going to give any number of would-be trade partners a fair bit of trepidation regarding the righty’s short- and long-term outlook. If the Reds are ultimately unable to move Mahle, they’d be able to try again this winter or at the 2023 deadline, health permitting. His value won’t be nearly as high at either juncture, however.

With Mahle shelved for at least the next couple weeks, an even broader focus will be placed on Castillo, who has been excellent since missing the first month of the season recovering from a spring shoulder injury. Utilityman Brandon Drury has become an oft-suggested trade candidate, but the Reds also have a series of other possible candidates. Outfielders Tyler Naquin and Tommy Pham and southpaw Mike Minor are among the other veterans the Reds could peddle in the weeks to come.

Pirates Designate Austin Brice For Assignment

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The Pirates have designated right-hander Austin Brice for assignment and optioned lefty Cam Vieaux to Triple-A Indianapolis, per a team announcement. That pair of moves creates space for right-hander Yerry De Los Santos to return from the Covid-related injured list and for newly acquired southpaw Manny Banuelos to be added to the active roster.

Brice spent a couple weeks in the majors, having been selected to the roster in late June. Signed to a minor league deal over the winter, the 30-year-old earned a brief look with a strong showing in Indianapolis. Across 26 2/3 innings, Brice posted a solid 3.04 ERA while striking out a lofty 27.2% of opposing hitters and inducing grounders on more than half the batted balls he allowed. Since adding him to the MLB staff, Pittsburgh has deployed him on only two occasions for low-leverage relief work.

While a limited look, that did mark Brice’s seventh consecutive year stepping onto a major league mound. He’s also played for the Marlins (a pair of separate stints), Reds and Red Sox. He’s typically racked up grounders at a solid clip and sports a fastball in the mid-90s, but he’s generally had issues keeping runs off the board at the highest level. Brice has allowed fewer than four earned runs per nine innings just once in a season, and he owns a 5.16 ERA through 165 2/3 career MLB innings.

The Pirates will presumably try to send Brice through waivers over the coming days. His quality Triple-A numbers may earn him a look from another team, but he is out of minor league option years. That means any team that claims him would have to keep him on their active roster or designate him for assignment themselves. Brice cleared outright waivers twice last season with Boston, meaning he’ll have the right to refuse an assignment back to Indianapolis in favor of minor league free agency if he goes unclaimed again.

Chris Taylor Diagnosed With Foot Fracture

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JULY 6: Taylor has landed on the injured list as expected, with utilityman Zach McKinstry reinstated from the IL take his active roster spot. Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged it’s “a safe bet” that Taylor wouldn’t be back before the All-Star Break, but the club hasn’t provided a more specific timetable (via Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times).

JULY 5: Dodgers outfielder Chris Taylor was diagnosed with a fracture in his left foot, he told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). He’ll likely be placed on the injured list tomorrow; a timetable for his return isn’t yet clear.

Taylor departed last night’s contest against the Rockies in the sixth inning. The club called the issue ankle swelling at the time, but he went for a CT scan this afternoon. The testing revealed the presence of a fracture, an injury which seems likely to cost him a fair bit of time. Los Angeles will surely provide more details on Taylor’s specific diagnosis and recovery outlook over the next few days.

Re-signed to a four-year contract over the offseason, Taylor has again served a key role for manager Dave Roberts. He’s gotten the start for 56 of the club’s 79 games in left field, in addition to seven nods in center and right field apiece. Long noted for his defensive versatility, Taylor has played exclusively in the outfield this season but no doubt still retained the ability to step onto the infield dirt if the club needed.

It hasn’t been a vintage offensive showing for Taylor, who owns a .238/.319/.409 line through 285 plate appearances. He’s still walking at a strong rate and has collected 19 doubles, but he’s struck out at a personal-high 35.4% clip. Nevertheless, Taylor’s five-year track record of solidly above-average offense offered reason to believe he’d bounce back from a down month of June.

It’s the second corner outfield injury in recent weeks for L.A. to navigate. Mookie Betts missed time with a small rib fracture, returning over the weekend. While Roberts suggested Betts could break back in as a second baseman to ease his throwing responsibilities, he’s been pencilled into right field in two of three games since his reinstatement. The Dodgers dealt for Trayce Thompson to platoon with Eddy Alvarez once Betts went down; the club has since selected Jake Lamb (who’s starting in left field tonight) and optioned Alvarez out, but they figure to turn to another platoon arrangement to handle left field in the short term.

Depending on Taylor’s recovery outlook, it’s possible the Dodgers could look to the trade market for a more impactful pickup than Thompson. Ian Happ, Anthony Santander and Andrew Benintendi are among the higher-impact, regular outfielders who could be made available over the coming weeks. There’s also the possibility of a prospect promotion to help fill the void. Miguel Vargas, for instance, is hitting very well with Triple-A Oklahoma City and was floated as a potential alternative once Betts was injured. Vargas, a trade baseman by trade, made a pair of minor league starts in left field recently but otherwise has played exclusively on the infield as a pro.

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