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6/25 to 6/27 Series Preview: Philadelphia Phillies

June 25, 2018 by Steven Tydings Leave a Comment

Get ready for the Odubel bat flips. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

The Yankees trip to Tampa? Yuck. Back closer to home, the Bombers make a stop down I-95 at Citizens Bank Park to face the Phillies. The Phils are coming off a Sunday Night Baseball game in Washington D.C. that lasted until 12:30 in the morning.

The Last Time They Met

It’s been 12 years since the Yankees visited CBP during the regular season and three years since they last played the Phillies, when Philadelphia took two of three in the Bronx on June 22-24, 2015.

Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia and Dellin Betances were each lit up by a rebuilding Phillies squad over the first two games, producing an 11-8 and an 11-6 loss.
Then-rookie Maikel Franco was the culprit for a lot of those runs. He went 6-for-8 with 1 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 1 BB and 1 HBP in the first two games.
Ivan Nova returned from Tommy John surgery to throw 6 2/3 shutout innings in a 10-2 win to salvage the series. Alex Rodriguez took Cole Hamels deep in the finale.

For more information, check out Katie’s Yankeemetrics post on that series.

Injury Report

The Phillies’ infield depth is shot at the moment with J.P. Crawford (broken left hand), Pedro Florimon (foot surgery) and Jesmuel Valentin (paternity leave) all away from the team right now. Valentin will likely return by the end of this series, but Franco slipped on first base and left Sunday’s game, so he may be unable to play early in this series.

SP Jerad Eickhoff (lat, hand) is on the 60-day DL while relievers Luis Garcia (wrist) and Pat Neshek (shoulder) are on the shelf as well.

Their Story So Far

The Phillies are surprise contenders in the NL East, coming into this series at 41-34. They currently hold an NL Wild Card spot. Despite some early-season hiccups, Gabe Kapler has acquitted himself well as the manager. The team smoothly added 1B Carlos Santana and RHP Jake Arrieta in the offseason and has the payroll flexibility/cadre of prospects to trade in order to add more at the deadline.

Aaron Nola has fronted a rotation that has surprised many and been a large reason why the team is so good. The bullpen has held the team back some. In the lineup, Franco has been beleaguered at the plate and Scott Kingery hasn’t found his bearings yet. However, Odubel Herrera has been killing the ball recently and Rhys Hoskins is in the midst of a strong June.

Lineup We Might See

1. 2B Cesar Hernandez (.265/.376/.390, 113 wRC+)
2. LF Rhys Hoskins (.257/.379/.478, 133 wRC+)
3. CF Odubel Herrera (.305/.358/.505, 134 wRC+)
4. 1B Carlos Santana (.226/.357/.441, 115 wRC+)
5. RF Nick Williams (.239/.306/.443, 100 wRC+)
6. SS Scott Kingery (.224/.279/.329, 65 wRC+)
7. 3B Maikel Franco (.256/.300/.423, 91 wRC+)
8. C Jorge Alfaro (.242/.288/.382, 75 wRC+)
9. Pitcher’s Spot (.153/.189/.204, 5 wRC+)

Aaron Altherr often gets starts as part of the outfield platoon. Franco is hurt, so Mitch Walding could take a start at third base. Finally, Andrew Knapp and Alfaro each get starts behind the plate.

Best mascot in baseball? (Mitchell Leff/Getty)

The Starting Pitchers We Will See

Monday (7:05 PM ET): RHP Jonathan Loaisiga vs. RHP Vince Velasquez
Vinny Velo is supremely talented but his production fluctuates wildly. He’s 11th among MLB starters with 10.87 K/9 and has struck out as many as 12 in a game this season. He also has a propensity to walk a few too many batters and gives up 1.34 homers per nine. He allowed 10 runs a few starts ago against the Brewers. Yikes.

His typical start is 5-6 innings, heavily featuring a mid-90s, a low-80s curve and a mid-80s slider. In the past, he’s struggled heavily to go deep into games and has only eclipsed 100 pitches twice this year. It seems like he’ll either have a no-hitter through 4-5 innings or be lit up for 4-5 runs by the middle innings.

Last Outing (vs. STL on June 19) – 6.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 8 K, 2 HR

Tuesday (7:05 PM ET): RHP Luis Severino vs. RHP Jake Arrieta
Arrieta has had a weird season since coming over the Cubs in the offseason. The 32-year-old righty has a 3.42 ERA over 79 innings, but he’s only struck out 54 batters. Through May, batters had just a .601 OPS off Arrieta, but he’s struggled in May, giving up five homers in four starts while walking seven batters in his last three outings. In June, batters are hitting a crisp .284/.359/.494 off the veteran. Yikes.

He lives in the low-90s, high-80s with his sinker and cutter/slider, mixing in his curve and change a combined 20 percent of the time. His sinker has produced some high groundball numbers, which is why he’s produced a respectable ERA thus far. Keeping the ball on the ground and in the park is the key for him.

Last Outing (vs. SEA on June 20) – 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 2 HR

Wednesday (7:05 PM ET): RHP Luis Cessa vs. RHP Zach Eflin
Though it’s early, Zach Eflin appears to have broken out in 2018. The 24-year-old has mid-90s fastball and he’s eschewed his bowling ball of a sinker for more four-seamers, changeups and sliders this season. Like so many in our current league, he’s started to strikeout batters, though he’s also limiting homers like he never has before.

I won’t forget when Eflin gave up four homers to the Reds last May, was demoted after the game and ready to own up to his struggles to reporters right after the game. No pouting. He knew he needed to work on his game in the minors and he’s showing his talents off now. He’d had already overcome surgery on both knees in one offseason.

He’s won each of his four starts thus far in May, though he’s only gotten into the seventh inning in two of nine starts this year and into the sixth in four of nine.

Last Outing (at WSH on June 22) – 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K

The Bullpen

The bullpen as a whole has an ERA above 5.00 in June and has probably been the Achilles heel for this team. Kapler employs a closer-by-committee approach after Opening Day closer Hector Neris was demoted to Triple-A. Seven different players have a save for the Phillies, including rookie Seranthony Dominguez. He averages 98 mph on his fastball and has been the Phillies’ best reliever, though he’s started to experience his first hiccups.

The slider-heavy RHP Edubray Ramos has been highly effective while veteran Tommy Hunter has struggled. LHP Adam Morgan has strong stuff but has middling results. Rookie RHP Victor Arano and Yacksel Rios have been OK in relatively low leverage outings. RHP Austin Davis is the main long relief option while LHP Zac Curtis could be long relief or a LOOGY depending on the night.

Dominguez and Hunter have pitched each of the last two nights while Arano, Curtis, Ramos, Davis and Rios all pitched on Sunday.

Yankees Connection

Rob Thomson, who spent the last 28 years as a part of the Yankees organization, is the bench coach for Gabe Kapler. The nephew of former Yankee Al Leiter, Mark Leiter Jr. is in the minors. Third baseman Maikel Franco was a Yankee target as an international free agent, but the Bombers were outbid by the Phillies by $5,000.

Who (Or What) to Watch?

Odubel Herrera! You can almost guarantee you’ll see one highlight catch or drop and an impressive bat flip by the end of Monday out of him. The one-time All-Star looks like he’ll be making a return appearance to the Midsummer Classic. The former Rule 5 pick may just get some MVP votes this year, too.
Besides Herrera, the Phillies are one of the worst defensive teams in baseball. Hoskins is a first baseman by trade playing left field while Kingery is normally a second baseman yet has taken over short in Crawford’s absence. However, Jorge Alfaro has a cannon behind the plate like Gary Sanchez.
The Phillie Phanatic is a gem. Let’s hope no Yankees get hurt by his mighty hot dog cannon.

Yankees will reportedly visit Philadelphia next year for first time since 2009 World Series

August 30, 2017 by Mike Leave a Comment

At some point next month MLB will release the 2018 regular season schedule, though bits and pieces are already starting to leak out. The Yankees are due to face the NL East during interleague play next year, and according to Ryan Lawrence, they are tentatively scheduled to visit the Phillies next summer. It’ll be the first time the Yankees visit Citizens Bank Park since the 2009 World Series.

The three-game series in Philadelphia is scheduled for Monday, June 25th, through Wednesday, June 27th. Aside from the 2009 World Series, the Yankees have visited Citizens Bank Park for an interleague series only once. They took two of three from the Phillies back in June 2006. The Yankees starting pitchers that series: Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina, and Jaret Wright. Prior to that, their last trip to Philly was to Veterans Stadium in 2001.

The Yankees and Phillies have played two series at Yankee Stadium since the 2009 World Series. The Phillies took two of three in June 2010 and again took two of three in June 2015. They also played three regular season games at Yankee Stadium in May 2009. The Phillies won two of three that series too. Eh, whatever. That has no bearing on what happens next year. (Also, kiss the ring.)

With the NL East on tap next year, the Yankees figure to get a firsthand look at Bryce Harper before his impending free agency, possibly even in Yankee Stadium. Harper went deep when the Nationals visited the Bronx back during his MVP season in 2015.

Chances are the Yankees will visit new SunTrust Park in Atlanta next year, a ballpark they helped open with an exhibition game back earlier this spring. Greg Bird hit the first (unofficial) home run at the new building. The Yankees play the Mets during the Subway Series every season, so that’s nothing new. Visiting the Phillies and getting to see Bryce Harper up close don’t happen to often for the Yankees, so that’ll be fun. If nothing else, at least interleague travel will be easy next year.

Scouting the Trade Market: Tommy Joseph

July 13, 2017 by Steven Tydings Leave a Comment

If the Yankees are going to be buyers at the deadline, they’re more likely to go for a temporary replacement at first base rather than a long-term solution. Despite comments from an anonymous person in the front office, there’s still belief that Greg Bird can be the first baseman of the future.

Assuming the Yankees go that route, Domenic covered the options pretty well already. However, I’d like to throw out a name of a player that’s under long-term control and could fill the short-term need as well.

Phillies first baseman Tommy Joseph is in just his second MLB season and isn’t arbitration eligible until 2020. This isn’t a rental. But with first base prospect Rhys Hoskins knocking on the door of the major leagues, the team has made Joseph available.

Does he fit the Yankees? Let’s take a look:

Current performance

Joseph has been in the major leagues for nearly a year and a half now. He was called up last May. Initially, he was primarily a platoon bat alongside Ryan Howard. However, his early power earned him everyday playing time last summer before Howard surged in the second half.

This year, he has been the starting first baseman all season. He put together an abominable April (.179/.222./.254 in 19 games) before killing the ball in May to the tune of a .300/.373/.600 line with seven home runs. He’s hit well since then. In total, he’s hit .252/.313/.466 (102 wRC+), below the average first baseman’s line. Still, it’s better than anything out of a Yankees’ first baseman this season. For what it’s worth, he’s hitting .273/.339/.529 (125 wRC+) since May 1.

Diving further into his stats, Joseph has one significant tool: Power. 32 of his 74 hits have gone for extra bases, including 15 home runs. He hit 21 home runs in just 347 plate appearances last year. That power has been his calling card at every level. Through 670 MLB PAs, he has 36 home runs and 31 doubles to go with a .233 ISO.

He struggles to command the strike zone. His walk rate is up from 6.3 to 7.7 percent this year, but his strikeout rate also climbed from 21.6 to 23.5. Hoskins, who will likely take his job soon, has drawn plenty of walks in the minors, which Joseph never did.

Joseph, who turns 26 on July 16, was drafted by the Giants as a catcher, but concussions moved him out from behind the plate. He’s a well below-average first baseman. Better than Howard, but not by much. He makes the routine plays better than Chris Carter but his lack of range limits his ability to make any tough plays.

He’s also a negative on the base paths. His 25.7 ft/s sprint speed according to Statcast would make him the slowest player on the Yankees and he’s tied for third in baseball in double plays grounded into with 15, just two behind teammate Maikel Franco and Matt Kemp for first place. He often pulls the ball on the ground, though he hits the ball to all fields in the air. He’s still primarily a pull hitter, as you’ll see below.

He’s produced 0.2 bWAR (0.0 fWAR) this year after 0.5 bWAR (0.9fWAR) as part-time player last year. The Phillies have the third worst bWAR at first base, only one spot ahead of Yankees. That’s largely because of Joseph’s fielding and nearly zero production from the Phillies’ backups.

Contract and injury situation

Joseph is very cheap when it comes to first base options on the market. He won’t be a free agent until 2023 and won’t make above the minimum until 2020. He’s been barely above replacement level thus far, but his contract gives him value, especially for a team that has received below replacement value at first this year. He still has options left as well.

As for injuries, Joseph has had a clean bill of health in the majors. His concussions issues have subsided in the last two years and that led to his resurgence as a prospect and, ultimately, his call-up to the majors. He’s been able to handle first base consistently without breaking down this season.

While he’s under control, the Phillies aren’t in a spot to demand much. Most teams don’t have a need for a no-glove first baseman with some power as most teams already have someone who at least fits that. The Yankees are one of a few teams that have an opening and could make sense.

Teams also know that the Phillies need to dispatch Joseph to give Hoskins an opportunity in the majors. Neither has the range to play the outfield and they’re both RHBs, so one has to go. Acquiring him shouldn’t cost too much more than a secondary or tertiary prospect or so.

Does he make sense for the Yankees?

Joseph would be an immediate improvement for the Yankees at first in the lineup, adding some power towards the end of the lineup. Realistically, he could do what Carter was expected to do. He’d make sense in a platoon with Ji-Man Choi for the time being as Joseph was solid in that role last season.

If you’re going to acquire a first baseman with this much control, you need to be certain that he fits into your long-term plans. And it doesn’t seem like he fits in New York beyond this season. In the case Bird comes back healthy, Joseph becomes a platoon bat at best. Expendable or optionable like he is for the Phillies at worst. If Bird isn’t healthy, the Yankees would likely acquire a veteran free agent to start in his place.

Joseph could be a serviceable placeholder with the requisite power to play first. The 25-year-old is not someone to acquire for significant assets, but he’s a useful depth piece in the short term. If the Yankees are intrigued by Pat Neshek, a package deal could work. Ultimately though, it’s tough to see where Joseph gets playing time beyond 2017 in New York.

The Rest of MLB [2016 Season Preview]

April 1, 2016 by Mike Leave a Comment

The new season is upon us. Opening Day is Monday, which means it’s time to wrap up our annual Season Preview series. As always, we’ll end the series with a quick look around the league. Some of this is serious, most of it isn’t. Enjoy.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Why They’ll Suck: The middle infield is a mess and their corner outfield defense is going to be pretty bad if Yasmany Tomas plays left everyday. Also, they’ll probably trade some good players to unload a bad contract again.
Bold Prediction: Shelby Miller actually pitches well. I have no idea why so many analysts think he’s bad.

Atlanta Braves
Why They’ll Suck: Because they are trying to suck. Rebuilding is just a nice way of saying tanking.
Bold Prediction: Nick Markakis beats his ZiPS projection and slugs .370.

Chicago Cubs
Why They’ll Suck: They’re going to strike out way too much. It’s also only a matter of time until someone gets bit by some wild animal Joe Maddon brings into the clubhouse.
Bold Prediction: Adam Warren is their best starter. Boom!

Chicago White Sox
Why They’ll Suck: They lost their leader, Drake LaRoche.
Bold Prediction: We find out Adam LaRoche was the one who complained about Drake LaRoche being in the clubhouse all the time.

Cincinnati Reds
Why They’ll Suck: Their rotation is Homer Bailey, Anthony DeSclafani, Michael Lorenzen, Jon Moscot, and John Lamb. No, wait, that’s the list of their injured starters. Now they have to turn to the B-team.
Bold Prediction: Joey Votto finally loses his mind, but in a polite, Canadian way. He’s already doing this between pitches:

Cleveland Indians
Why They’ll Suck: In all seriousness, their entire starting outfield is either hurt (Michael Brantley, Lonnie Chisenhall) or suspended (Abe Almonte). They’re a Corey Kluber or Carlos Carrasco injury away from 85 losses. Beware.
Bold Prediction: Francisco Lindor leads all shortstops in WAR.

Colorado Rockies
Why They’ll Suck: The Rockies exist in a perpetual state of suck. Fun Fact: They have never once won a division title. They’ve finished as high as second place only three times in their 23 years of existence.
Bold Prediction: They finally trade Carlos Gonzalez. I’m thinking … Orioles.

Detroit Tigers
Why They’ll Suck: They’ve punted defense at the four corner positions and, inevitably, the relievers they acquired this winter will stink.
Bold Prediction: Justin Verlander bounces back and finished in the top five of the Cy Young voting.

Houston Astros
Why They’ll Suck: Karma for doing very little in the offseason outside of adding a new closer and fifth starter. The rebuild is supposed to be over.
Bold Prediction: Carlos Correa is more Alex Gonzalez than Alex Rodriguez.

Kansas City Royals
Why They’ll Suck: They replaced Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist with Ian Kennedy and Christian Colon. Like, on purpose.
Bold Prediction: Kennedy wins 18 games and Colon hits .310. Eff the Royals, man.

Los Angeles Angels
Why They’ll Suck: The Angels have surrounded Mike Trout with as little position player talent as possible in an effort to make him look even greater by comparison.
Bold Prediction: Jered Weaver’s fastball hits 84 mph once or twice.

Los Angeles Dodgers
Why They’ll Suck: The Dodgers have surrounded Clayton Kershaw with as little pitching talent as possible in an effort to make him look even greater by comparison.
Bold Prediction: It becomes clear Yasiel Puig peaked early.

Miami Marlins
Why They’ll Suck: The fans and players are doomed to pay for Jeffrey Loria’s evil villian-ness. Fun Fact: They’ve never won a division title either. They’ve also never lost a postseason series.
Bold Prediction: Christian Yelich breaks out and puts up Andrew McCutchen numbers. I’m serious about that one.

Milwaukee Brewers
Why They’ll Suck: They’re another team that is going to suck on purpose. Before long they’re going to trade Jonathan Lucroy too.
Bold Prediction: Ramon Flores hits 15 dingers with a .350 OBP.

Minnesota Twins
Why They’ll Suck: I don’t know, but I’m sure Twins fans will blame it on Joe Mauer.
Bold Prediction: Miguel Sano plays right field better than Torii Hunter did last year.

New York Mets
Why They’ll Suck: They’re still the Mets. Case in point: the recent Matt Harvey bladder story. Last year’s pennant didn’t change anything in that regard.
Bold Prediction: They have to trade for a starting pitcher at the deadline.

Oakland Athletics
Why They’ll Suck: No joke, I can name only one A’s starter (Sonny Gray) and one A’s infielder (Marcus Semien). Is Bobby Crosby still playing?
Bold Prediction: Josh Reddick gets traded for a holy crap package at the trade deadline. I’m thinking … Royals.

Philadelphia Phillies
Why They’ll Suck: Still reeling from the 2009 World Series, obviously.
Bold Prediction: Someone not named Maikel Franco or Ryan Howard hits a home run.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Why They’ll Suck: The baseball gods will not let John Jaso’s hair go unpunished.

Bold Prediction: Mark Melancon is traded at the deadline. I’m thinking … Dodgers.

St. Louis Cardinals
Why They’ll Suck: The Cardinals will never suck. The only thing they suck at is sucking. Their ace made four starts and their highest paid position player hit four home runs last season, and they still won 100 games. The Cardinals, man.
Bold Prediction: Three years after learning to play second base and one year after learning to hit for power, Matt Carpenter picks up pitching and saves 46 games.

San Diego Padres
Why They’ll Suck: I’m not entirely convinced the Padres exist at this point. Are we sure MLB still lets them into the league? What an amazingly nondescript franchise.
Bold Prediction: Someone throws the first no-hitter in franchise history. I’ll go with Colin Rea, who is a real player and definitely not someone I just made up.

San Francisco Giants
Why They’ll Suck: They buy into the “even year trend” a little too much and give Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner weeks off at a time this summer.
Bold Prediction: Bumgarner out-slugs the starting outfield.

Seattle Mariners
Why They’ll Suck: I don’t know how it will happen exactly, but they’ll suck. The Mariners are the Wile E. Coyote of MLB. Every time they looked poised for success, they crash into the mountain with a tunnel painted on the side of it.
Bold Prediction: Bob Cano mashes 30 taters and finishes in the top three of the MVP voting. I’m expecting a big year from Robbie.

Texas Rangers
Why They’ll Suck: They won’t suck. They’ll be just good enough to get thisclose to winning something meaningful before having it ripped away again. Think Game Six of the 2011 World Series, or the seventh inning of Game Five of last year’s ALDS. That’s how the Rangers roll.
Bold Prediction: Josh Hamilton leads the team in home runs.

Washington Nationals
Why They’ll Suck: They’re the NL version of the Red Sox. They have talent and everyone buys the hype. It should work! But it doesn’t.

Bold Prediction: Bryce Harper is even better this year.

Phillies trade Chase Utley to Dodgers

August 20, 2015 by Mike Leave a Comment

The Phillies traded franchise icon Chase Utley to the Dodgers for two prospects on Wednesday night, both teams announced. Utley had ten-and-five no-trade protection and agreed to a deal to his hometown team. Reports indicate his preference was to go to a contender in Southern California, which limited his market to the Dodgers and Angels, basically.

The Yankees reportedly had some interest in Utley — or at least they had been scouting him in recent weeks — which makes sense because they haven’t gotten a whole lot from the second base position this year. Utley is hitting a weak .217/.284/.333 (66 wRC+) on the season, but he’s been much better since coming off the DL, going 15-for-31 (.484) with five doubles and one homer in eight games. He missed about seven weeks with an ankle problem.

For all intents and purposes, Utley was the final second baseman on the trade market. (The Marlins don’t seem too inclined to move Martin Prado, at least not at a reasonable price.) If Utley truly only wanted to go to Southern California, then the Yankees had no shot at him. It seemed like a long shot the whole time anyway. Like it not, Stephen Drew’s the second baseman going forward.

Hamels off the board: Cole heading to Rangers

July 29, 2015 by Mike 545 Comments

The race for Cole Hamels appears to be complete. Multiple reports say the Rangers have either acquired Hamels from the Phillies or are on the verge of doing so. Four prospects are heading to Philadelphia in the deal, it appears. There is also some cash involved and possibly other players going to Texas.

According to Baseball America’s 2015 Prospect Handbook, the Rangers are sending their preseason No. 3 (C Jorge Alfaro), No. 5 (OF Nick Williams), and No. 13 (RHP Alec Asher) prospects to the Phillies as well as non-top 30 prospect RHP Jerad Eickhoff. A comparable Yankees package is something like Gary Sanchez, Mason Williams, Bryan Mitchell, and an extra arm. Ballpark. Not a perfect comparison.

The Yankees have been connected to Hamels for weeks and months now, but, according to Mark Feinsand, they never pursued him aggressively. Given their reluctance to trade top prospects, I guess that’s not surprising. The Phillies have reportedly been asking for Aaron Judge and/or Luis Severino in return.

Hamels is lined up to start tomorrow but I doubt he does given the travel and all that. The Yankees probably won’t see him. Either way, Hamels is now off the board along with Scott Kazmir and Johnny Cueto. Maybe Mat Latos too. David Price, Mike Leake, Ian Kennedy, and Hisashi Iwakuma are the top available starters now.

Update: Apparently it’s a six-for-two trade. The Rangers are getting Hamels and lefty Jake Diekman (and cash) for Alfaro, Williams, Asher, Eickhoff, right-hander Jake Thompson, and left-hander Matt Harrison. Thompson was ranked as the team’s No. 2 prospect before the season. He was their Luis Severino.

2015 Trade Deadline Open Thread: Wednesday

July 29, 2015 by Mike 2,969 Comments

Just three days left now. The 2015 non-waiver trade deadline is this Friday at 4pm ET, and while the Yankees have not yet made any moves, I’m sure they will at some point in the next few days. Pitching is a bit of an issue — I’d rather not see Chris Capuano make another spot start — and second base could use an upgrade as well. Maybe another righty bat too.

On Monday and Tuesday we learned the Yankees are engaged in the pitching market, both starters and relievers. They had conversations with the Reds about Johnny Cueto before he was traded to the Royals, and they were also in the hunt for Ben Zobrist before he joined Cueto in Kansas City. Final offers for Cole Hamels are reportedly due today as well. We’ll keep track of the day’s Yankees-related rumors right here.

7:04pm ET: The Mat Latos trade from earlier is currently on hold because of someone’s medicals. Not necessarily Latos’. So he could, in fact, still be an option for the Yankees. [Wittenmyer]
4:33pm ET: The Yankees will indeed talk to the Tigers about David Price. They remain unwilling to part with top prospects — the Phillies against asked about Aaron Judge and Luis Severino — but I’m sure at least part of that is just posturing. [Heyman]
4:31pm ET: The Phillies had a scout watching Ivan Nova on Monday. The Yankees did discuss Cueto with the Reds during Johnny Cueto talks, so it stands to reason he would be available for Cole Hamels as well. [Mark Feinsand]
3:32pm ET: The Tigers called teams today to tell them they are “rebooting” and willing to listen on David Price, Yoenis Cespedes, and others. I certainly expect the Yankees to make a run at Price. [Stark]
2:56pm ET: If the Phillies do indeed trade Cole Hamels, it is unlikely to happen today. Any trade would have to wait until Thursday or even Friday as the Phillies mull over offers. [Jayson Stark]
2:23pm ET: The Padres requested shortstop prospect Jorge Mateo in trade talks about Craig Kimbrel, but the Yankees said no. New York is willing to eat the entire $28M left on Kimbrel’s contract, but they won’t surrender top prospects. [Jon Heyman]
11:24pm ET: Mat Latos is apparently off the board. The Marlins are reportedly trading the right-hander (and others) to the Dodgers for prospects. Earlier this week we heard the Yankees had some interest in Latos. [Gordon Wittenmyer]
9:30am ET: The White Sox still have not given any indication they will trade Jeff Samardzija. They Yankees have had their eye on him for a few weeks now. The ChiSox are now only 3.5 games back of a wildcard spot, so they might hold on to Samardzija and go for it, knowing they’ll get at least a draft pick for him after the season. [Jerry Crasnick]
The Reds are fielding offers for Aroldis Chapman but are not devoted to trading him because he’s under team control next season. They moved Cueto because they were going to lose him to free agency. The Yankees are said to be open to adding another high-end reliever. [Buster Olney]

Reminder: Your trade proposal sucks.