High-profile targets abound as MLB inches toward the Monday trade deadline.
The Aroldis Chapman deal was a fun way to start. The San Diego Padres shipping away Andrew Cashner, Colin Rea and Tayron Guerrero to the Miami Marlins for prospects Josh Naylor and Luis Castillo, among others, provided additional fireworks, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.
In hindsight, those deals might pale in comparison to what could come. The rumors flying around fall into the "possible" category, sure, but if they come to fruition, it's going to change the hierarchy of the league right away, if not for a long time.
With such a theme in mind and the main course likely still ahead, here's the latest off the rumor mill.
Yasiel Puig on the Block?
The Los Angeles Dodgers might have had enough of Yasiel Puig.
Puig's name has been all over the place as of late, in large part thanks to alleged talks between the Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds surrounding Jay Bruce.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports provided the context:
That doesn't mean the deal is dead in the water, and it especially doesn't mean fans can expect to stop hearing Puig's name.
According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, Puig's name coming up in talks isn't anything new:
What's with the potential change of heart?
The outfielder is 25 years old now and has a slash line of .254/.315/.375 with seven homers and 32 RBI. Each number is the worst of his career, so the front office might want to unload him while his value remains somewhat high. If the Dodgers believe it's all downhill from here, he's liable to end up in a deal soon.
Puig still has plenty of value for teams in need, so long as his body can hold up. He's dealing with hamstring issues for the second season in a row, and by the sounds of the rumblings, the Dodgers might be tired of waiting to see if he can stay on the field.
Mets in on Jonathan Lucroy
The Jonathan Lucroy sweepstakes continues to heat up.
He has plenty of value, so it makes sense the selling Milwaukee Brewers (45-56) want to capitalize and get a nice return with the future in mind.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mets have offered catcher Travis d’Arnaud as bait in a potential deal for Lucroy. He explained why the Mets are so hot after the streaking catcher:
The Mets baseball operations department continues to believe the club will hit better with runners in scoring position, which has been the main plague to the offense this year. The .204 mark going into Friday would be the third worst in history. But the front office feels they just can’t operate on that belief and have to try to upgrade the offense if possible.
Lucroy would provide a welcome boost in that regard. He's batting .300/.360/.484 with 13 homers and 50 RBI this year—a huge improvement from his 2015 totals of .264/.326/.391, seven homers and 43 RBI.
As Sherman mentions, though, it's hard to know if the Brewers want prospects in return or d'Arnaud. The 27-year-old catcher has a .238 average this year with two homers and 10 RBI. The real issue is his ability to stay on the field, as he's appeared in more than 67 games just once in his four-year career.
By the sound of it, the Mets are willing to meet whatever price the Brewers want for Lucroy. Which, of course, is exactly what a struggling team wants to hear when it needs as many assets as possible to build for the future.
Rangers "All Over" Vince Velasquez
Hanging onto a four-game advantage over the Houston Astros in the American League West, the Texas Rangers want to make a move to improve the pitching staff at the deadline.
As a result, the Rangers have targeted 24-year-old Vince Velasquez of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal was first on the scene for this one:
Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly followed with further context, revealing talks had progressed after Velasquez took the mound Friday:
A major league source told CSNPhilly.com that the Phillies and Texas Rangers are “pretty deep” in trade discussions involving Velasquez. The Rangers, the source said, also have some interest in Jeremy Hellickson, who pitches for the Phillies on Saturday night, but he appears to be a secondary target
Any interest in Velasquez shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Not only is he young, but he's in just his second season in the majors and has shown a marked improvement over his campaign with the Astros last year.
Over 18 games, Velasquez boasts a 3.32 ERA with 108 strikeouts and an 8-3 record. Those are decent numbers for a youngster who is on a team that is 15 games out of first place in the National League East.
One way or another, it sounds like the Rangers will poach someone from the Phillies staff. Who remains the question, though Texas hopes it is Velasquez.
The Rangers had better act fast, because it's hard to imagine other teams won't have an interest in testing the waters now that Velasquez's name is out there.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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