The Daily Bernie, 7/30/16: Rich Hill set back again

Welcome back to the Daily Bernie! It’s the best dance in the game, so let’s get rolling once more!

• Athletics lefty Rich Hill will not be ready to make his Sunday start, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports. His blister is still “hot”, meaning he also could be a DL candidate, since he could be backdated 10 days. Hill is the top rental starter on the market and one of the best pitchers in the AL this season, so this is very disappointing news for the A’s, who had expected to receive a big return for the veteran prior to the deadline. However, General Manager David Forst remains confident, reiteratng that the club would be confident and happy to bring Hill back for 2017, and would not be giving him away for free. Due to Hill’s injury, a saturated outfield market, and the team’s recent hot stretch, the A’s could end up going from one of the biggest deadline sellers to one of the quietest. Only time will tell.
• The Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres completed a significant deal on Monday morning, as righties Andrew Cashner, Collin Rea, and Taylor Guerrero were sent to the Marlins in exchange for righties Jarred Cosart, Carter Capps, and Luis Castillo, and first baseman Josh Naylor. The move has been made official. Only five games out of first place in the NL East and tied for the second NL WIld Card spot, Miami desperately needed quality arms to slot behind ace Jose Fernandez. They picked up two viable arms with some upside in Cashner and Rea, and an interesting prospect in Guerrero, but the trio didn’t come cheap. Naylor, only 19, has a future as a big time slugger, although he is still far away, while Castillo is in the midst of a breakout season. Cosart is at worst decent rotation depth and still does have some upside, while Capps has become one of the most dominant relievers in the game, but is rehabing from pre-season Tommy John Surgery. The Marlins gave up quite a bit, but the package the Padres received is full of risk, so this will be a very interesting trade to watch develop over the years.
• Around baseball, the relief market has been slow, but not for lack of interest. Executives have balked at the high price for bullpen arms, according to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish. The Atlanta Braves seemed to be close to moving reliever Jim Johnson on Friday, as Cotillo reported, but any potential deal has not yet been finalized. The Mets, looking for another righty, have discussed Joe Smith with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, according to Marc Carig of Newsday, but nothing sems to be imminent. Jon Heyman of TodaysKnucleball.com also adds that the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, and Seattle Mariners have shown interest in Smith. It seems like teams looking to bolster their bullpens could get creative, rather than pay a huge price for an arm like Wade Davis of Mark Melancon.
• Something was brewing in Los Angeles on Friday night, as the Dodgers emerged as the frontrunners for Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce, per Heyman. From there, rumors began to flow, including those of a potential three team deal involving the Tampa Bay Rays. Per Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, the Dodgers would like to move current right fielder Yasiel Puig in a deal for Bruce, but the Reds would prefer prospects, and as Heyman notes, they like some of the Dodgers young hitters, including Alex Verdugo and Willie Calhoun. This is very much a developing story, so be sure to keep an eye on it.

Bernie’s Daily Deal: Ryan Madson to the Washington Nationals for Max Schrock and Koda Glover

The Nationals, after missing out on Aroldis Chapman, have searched expansively for relief help. They have shown interest in Ryan Madson, who along with Jonathan Papelbon, Shawn Kelley, and Blake Treinen would form a formidable relief corps.

Max Schrock is a 21 year-old second baseman. One of the top prospect crushes of FanGraphs writer Carson Cistulli, Schrock has done nothing in the minor leagues but hit. The left-handed hitter was promoted to High-A in only his second professional season after slashing .326/.381/.459 with four homers and 15 stolen bases in Single-A, and has seemed to only get better, hitting .378/.410/.528 with another four homers and six stolen bases in only 29 High-A games. While he hasn’t made any noise on prospect lists, Schrock seems to have a chance to develop into a Dustin Pedroia-lite.

Koda Glover is a 23 year-old reliever currently in Triple-A. The righty boasts a high-nineties fastball and a wipeout slider, to go along with a solid changeup. Glover leapt all the way from High-A to the big leagues in 2016. He has thrown two Major League innings this year, so with a little bit more minor league seasoning he should be ready to replace Madson.

That’s all for today. Dillon Overton will take the bump for the Athletics tonight, looking to even the series against Josh Tomlin and the Indians. First pitch is at 4:10 PM. Feel free to dump any links in the comments below. Until next time - lean on, A’s fans!