Dodgers Leading To Get Manny Machado?

A new leader has appeared in the running to land Orioles star Manny Machado, and it looks like that team is the Dodgers.

The latest coming from Bob Nightengale of USA Today is that the Dodgers are currently in the lead right now, and appear to have a framework in place to get Machado from the Orioles. However, Nightengale also says that the Phillies are still "aggressively pursuing" Machado, and reports are that the Phillies are willing to give up one of their prized pitching prospects in order to land Machado.

I will update more on this when Nightingale or anybody else has new news regarding this or the players that the Dodgers are willing to give up on this deal. As for now, it looks like it's no surprise that the Dodgers have jumped out in front. Without Corey Seager on this team for the rest of the year, the Dodgers are desperate to find a short-term fix. They've had okay moments from current shortstop Chris Taylor, but it's clear they would like an update.

Landing Machado could put them over the top in the NL West and the National League, in general. Question is: Who are they willing to give up in order to land Machado?

Giants Willing to Part With Samardzija

Bob Nightengale of USA Today has a new report centering around San Francisco Giants pitcher Jeff Samardzija.

According to Nightengale, the Giants are willing to part with him, and have let the Yankees know that he is available via trade. The Yankees have had some slight interest in him lately. However, the Yankees are not sure if he's the right fit for their stadium, as the Yankees are worried that the short right-field porch is a death trap for him. Another thing that they are worried about: He has been sent to the 10-day DL with inflammation in his right shoulder, further worrying the Yankees.

For the Giants, trading away Samardzija would be a big task. He's currently due $19.8M per year through the 2020 season, and other than his injury problems, he's had a rough season. Not only has he missed time with pectoral and shoulder issues, but when he's on the mound, he's managed a 6.42 ERA.

If the Giants can trade him away, that's great. The problem may be that they'll have to eat some of that salary if they can find a trade partner, either with the Yankees or somebody else.

Mets Considering Trading deGrom?

Mets ace Jacob deGrom has been at the center of trade talk that he's going to be the next to go from the Mets, despite all efforts for the past few seasons to put together a long-term deal to keep him in the Big Apple. Now, his agent has come out and seemed to indicate that a trade may be coming in the next few days.

deGrom's agent, Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA Baseball, said this statement to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal about the state of the relationship between deGrom and the Mets:

“We have discussed Jacob’s future with the Mets at length,” said Van Wagenen. “Jacob has expressed interest in exploring a long-term partnership that would keep him in a Mets uniform for years to come. If the Mets don’t share same interest, we believe their best course of action is to seriously consider trade opportunities now. The inertia of [the] current situation could complicate Jacob’s relationship with the club and creates an atmosphere of indecision.”

Van Wagenen later added in a follow-up that he is not demanding a trade for his client, but it looks like he is trying to push the Mets into either getting a deal done soon or thinking about other options for the ace pitcher looking to find a winning team somewhere else. Trust me, there's plenty of teams out there that can use him.

If deGrom is not traded by the deadline, he'll become a prominent trade target for teams when the 2018-19 offseason opens up. This could add another level of complexity to this offseason that is set to feature the most impressive free-agent class in recent memory.

During All-Star festivities today, deGrom had a chance to respond to his agent's comments, saying this:

“We’ve been open to discussing long-term deals with the Mets. There’s been no numbers discussed, and I’ve enjoyed my time here. … I would love it to be here with the Mets. We’ll just have to see what happens. … I would love to play here for my whole career. I think it’s just kind of deciding what we see as the future. It’s something that’s in the Mets’ control, and kind of out of mine.”

Despite all that has been said about deGrom and his agent, it's become very unlikely that the two sides will be able to reach a deal before the trade deadline. If that were the case, the rest of the front office would be thinking about trading other players. That would have to happen if they expect to sign him long-term.

These types of comments from agents don't always serve as a catalyst for a trade, but there was one notable one recently: Christian Yelich. Yelich was moved from Miami to Milwaukee not long after his agent Joe Longo made comments that were similar in tone to those of Van Wagenen. J.T. Realmuto was a rare exception, when his agent Jeff Berry said back in February that Realmuto would prefer to be moved.

deGrom is still under control by the Mets til 2020, and he's already earning $7.4 million. At the end of his arbitration years, he could find his salary bumped up to as much as $20 million. Any extension talks would have to be at least five years. It's very likely, however, that deGrom and his camp would like to push that extension to an either six or seven-year deal.

Assuming deGrom gets an extension, it could possibly be a franchise-record contract for this organization. Currently, David Wright holds that distinction on an eight-year contract with $138 million. Maybe deGrom is looking to break that record.

Jeff Samardzija Headed To the DL

The Giants are shutting down pitcher Jeff Samardzija again.

Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group is reporting that the San Francisco Giants are placing Samardzija on the 10-day disabled list with what is being called inflammation in his pitching shoulder. In a corresponding move, the Giants have recalled infielder Kelby Tomlinson from Triple-A Sacramento.

For Samardzija, this is the third time this season he's gone to the DL. This is the second time he's gone for shoulder troubles. Entering this year, he was known for his durability and had been pitching 200-plus seasons for five straight seasons going into 2018. This season hasn't been great in those numbers. He's only thrown 44 2/3 innings as we reach the halfway point of the season. Not only that, he hasn't been healthy enough when he's taken the field and now there are reports the Giants are going to try to dump his salary.

This season, Samardzija has pitched to a 6.25 ERA, thanks in part to a poor strikeout rate and a high walk rate with 5.24 walks a game. There's also been a decline in his velocity throw, which is not good for a guy who's been durable for this team for the past few seasons.

Samardzija is in the middle of a five-year, $80 million contract. He was rewarded with that contract when he proved himself to be a quality mid-rotation starter. Now, with the Giants hoping to stay under the $197 million competitive-tax threshold, they'll be hoping to find a trade partner and get rid of his contract. The club has already reportedly make him available in trade offers, but his 2018 performance and his injury troubles could make him an immovable piece.

Despite his woes, the Giants are still in a good spot with a record of 50-47. They're three games out of a Wild Card spot and 3 1/2 games behind the NL West-leading Dodgers. If Samardzija is scheduled to miss time after the All-Star break, the club will most likely turn back to Derek Holland to fill that role. Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Andrew Suarez, and Dereck Rodriguez currently make out the starting rotation for the Giants.

We'll see if Samardzija can make a solid return again to the Giants rotation but considering his injury woes and his pitching numbers, it seems more likely they'll try to find a trade partner before they have to make a pitching decision on him.

Cardinals Fire Mike Matheny

The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Saturday that manager Mike Matheny is out as their manager. Also leaving the team are hitting coach John Mabry and assistant hitting coach Bill Mueller. Bench coach Mike Shildt will serve as the interim manager for the rest of the season.

Also being promoted are minor league assistants Mark Budaska and George Greer to serve as hitting coaches. This is all according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. There is yet to be word on whether or not the Cards will name a bench coach to take over for Shildt, though it's likely that they will not name one before the end of the season.

Matheny has been at the managing helm for the Cardinals for the past six seasons. During that time, he helped the club get to four consecutive players from 2012-2015. It included an NL pennant in 2013. His Cardinals tenure will end with a 591-473, which is a pretty great record, considering what has been going on there lately with that team.

President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak scheduled a news conference this morning around 11:00 AM to address the firing, releasing this statement below:

“These decisions are never easy, but we felt that a change in leadership was necessary as the team prepares to enter into the second half of the season. I would like to thank Mike for his exceptional commitment and devotion to the Cardinals organization, including many fond memories of our years working together.” 

While many were surprised by the sudden firing of Matheny, he was actually on the hot seat going into the 2018 season, as his team had been struggling the last couple of seasons, including one of the seasons that saw the Cubs win the World Series. If the Cardinals again fail to make the playoffs this season, it would be their third consecutive season without a playoff berth. That would've been unacceptable to the Cardinals brass. That hasn't happened since the 1997-1999 season. And also certainly, the Cardinals didn't expect to take a seat backwards with the latest additions of Marcell Ozuna and Bud Norris. They also some pretty good talent coming up through the farm system.

Lately, however, this team has been surrounded by controversies, mostly in regards to player management. Recent reports have been surfacing that Bud Norris has been "mercilessly riding" 21-year-old rookie Jordan Hicks, who is expected to take over the closer role at some point. Many have described it as bullying in the clubhouse. Matheny's response to the whole thing? Norris was "from a different generation of players." It's still unclear whether this played a role in his dismissal, but it now raises questions about his performance as manager and whether or not it becomes a factor in his next job.

Another controversy that has been brewing is his current relationship with players like Dexter Fowler.  Even Mozeliak recently criticized Fowler's latest performance. Despite all that, this Cardinals team is much younger than previous teams, thus the emotions and the controversies seem to bubbling up more than usual for such a championship-caliber team.

Looks like the Cardinals now will be searching for a candidate who can get the most out of the young players on this team as they gear up for a second-half push towards the playoffs. It could be Shildt or it could be somebody else.

Hoby Milner Heading to the Rays

The Rays and Phillies made a trade earlier today.

The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired left-handed reliever Hoby Milner from the Phillies in exchange for cash considerations, according to the Rays. Earlier this week, Milner was designated for assignment by the Phillies and were looking for a trade since then. Looks like the Rays were first to cash in.

Many had expected Milner to stay with the Phillies long-term as a result of their success so far this season. He got out to a 2.01 ERA across 31 1/3 innings back during the 2017 season and was helpful in preventing runs from scoring.

This season, Milner has only made ten appearances for the Phillies over 4 2/3 innings. He allowed four runs, including three of those coming in one appearance. In his Triple-A appearances this season,  he has out pitched his numbers like he did last season. He's had a 2.39 ERA despite a 4.78 walks per game. However, his strand rate was 87.7%, which can be attributed to the walks per game.

For the Rays, he'll most likely serve as one of their depth relievers in their bullpen and in Triple-A. He could also start for the Rays at some point this season. They've become known lately for having their relievers become starters for 2-3 innings.