TBNL: Pre-deadline day chaos, relievers on the move

Eleven more trades were completed on Wednesday (before midnight EST). The final hours leading up to Thursday’s deadline (6 PM EST) may prove to be quite busy.

Reds pick up Ke’Bryan Hayes

Third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes is something of an enigma. He is among the best at his position defensively, ranking highly in many of the newer defensive metrics. Offensively, however, he’s among the game’s worst. Hayes’s struggles over the last two seasons — he’s hit .234/.281/.290 (60 OPS+) since the start of 2024 — have been especially notable.

Hayes and the Pirates agreed to an eight-year, $70 million contract extension before the 2022 season. In addition to the $2+ million remaining on his salary this year, Hayes is due $30 million over the next four seasons. There is also a club option for the 2030 season. Cincinnati will assume responsibility for all of that.

Heading back to Pittsburgh are two players: left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers and minor leaguer Sammy Stafura. Rogers, a veteran reliever with a 3.28 ERA (129 ERA+) for his career, will be a free agent following the season. It’s not out of the question to think that the Pirates could turn around and trade him elsewhere before Thursday’s deadline, as he could help a playoff contender.

Stafura was Cincinnati’s 2nd-round pick in the 2023 Draft. The shortstop has hit .254/.379/.398 over 874 PA in the minors, reaching Class-A Daytona this season.

Braves add to bullpen

The Braves likely won’t be going to the postseason this year, but neither are the Rockies. Tyler Kinley will at least get to play in more meaningful games now. The right-handed reliever was dealt to Atlanta for minor league right-hander Austin Smith.

Kinley, 34, has a 5.08 ERA (93 ERA+) over his 8-year career. He will walk his share of hitters, but also picks up strikeouts at an above-average rate. He’ll be a free agent at season’s end. Smith was Atlanta’s 18th-round pick in the 2021 Draft after a strong career at the University of Arizona. The Braves moved him to a bullpen role and the results have been mixed for the now 26-year-old, posting a 5.10 ERA with 63 walks over 114.2 IP.

Yankees get their right-handed bench bat

New York has been searching for another right-handed bat off the bench. With Aaron Judge’s elbow a new concern, it wouldn’t hurt if they added someone who could also play the outfield. Spencer Jones has been impressing at Triple-A, but it’s clear the organization is not looking to rush him to the major leagues (he’s also left-handed).

Chicago signed Austin Slater this winter, partially thinking that they could flip him at the deadline. He can handle all three outfield positions and hits left-handed pitching well. Slater spent most of his nine-year career in San Francisco, hitting .250/.339/.388 (102 OPS+) in nearly 2,000 PA. He should be a good fit on the Yankees’ bench.

Heading to Chicago is minor league righty Gage Ziehl, New York’s 4th-round pick in 2024 out of the University of Miami. He pitched 82.1 innings across three levels this year, posting a 4.15 ERA with 70 strikeouts.

Mets address bullpen; Rogers twins both traded

Injuries have had a big impact on the Mets’ bullpen this year. Mets owner Steve Cohen wants to win. It was pretty certain that the team would add at least one arm before the trade deadline. They struck early, nabbing the relatively low-cost Tyler Rogers from the Giants.

Taylor Rogers was dealt earlier in the day to Pittsburgh. Now his twin brother, Tyler, moves to the Mets. Amazingly, this wasn’t the first time in league history that twins were traded on the same day. Tyler, a right-handed reliever, has spent his whole career with the Giants. The submariner has a 2.79 ERA (145 ERA+) and has been one of the game’s most durable arms. He’s appeared in 392 games in his career, the most in MLB since he debuted in August 2019.

San Fran will get three players in return, with reliever José Buttó being the one who’ll figure most immediately into the Giants’ plans. A 24-year-old righty, Buttó has a 3.45 ERA (115 ERA+) over his three-plus seasons in New York. He’s out of options, so the Giants will need to find a role for him.

Right-hander Blade Tidwell and outfielder Drew Gilbert round out the deal. Tidwell, the Mets’ 2nd-round pick in 2022 out of the University of Tennessee, made his MLB debut in May but has spent most of the year at Triple-A. Gilbert was Houston’s 1st-round pick in that same draft and was also a Volunteer. The Mets acquired him from the Astros in the Justin Verlander deal in 2023. He’s a .260/.359/.452 hitter in 1192 PA in the minors since turning pro.

Mariners add a lefty to the pen

Seattle jumped at the chance to add a second left-hander to its bullpen, landing the veteran Caleb Ferguson from the Pirates for minor league right-hander Jeter Martinez. The 29-year-old Ferguson will be joining his fifth team in his seventh big league season. He has a 3.69 ERA (113 ERA+) with 348 strikeouts in 305.0 IP. The Mariners signed Martinez as an international amateur in 2022. The 19-year-old was at Class-A Modesto this year, where he was likely overmatched against older competition, posting a 6.18 ERA over 62.2 IP.

….. Okay, we’re going to go quickly with the rest of these. It’s super late and more trades keep coming through. Like I said, the next few hours will be chaos (in the very best way).

Philly lands its closer

Philadelphia finally landed a big arm to close out games, something they’ve arguably needed for 2-3 seasons now. Jhoan Duran is among the best relievers in the AL and still has two years of team control left. Minnesota got a solid return for their veteran reliever, adding right-hander Mick Abel, who could step into their rotation, and minor league catcher Eduardo Tait. Tait is just 18 but has shown a lot of promise both at the plate and behind it.

Angels make puzzling bullpen move

With the deadline approaching, the Angels looked more like sellers than buyers, which is why it was so puzzling to see them go out and add a pair of veteran (and aging) relievers. Los Angeles added 35-year-old lefty Andrew Chafin and 38-year-old righty Luis García from the Nationals. Both have lengthy resumes, but neither should be considered a difference-maker at this point in their careers.

Washington will get a pair of minor leaguers in return. First baseman/outfielder Sam Brown is likely the more notable of the two. Brown (who was born on 9/11/01) was a 12th-round pick in 2023 from Washington State. In 218 minor league games, all at Double-A Rocket City, he’s batted .226/.320/.325. Eder has worked just 20.1 IP in the majors in his career, including eight appearances for the Angels this year. Once a well-regarded prospect, he has struggled since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2021.

Mets add again, landing Helsley

New York continued loading up their bullpen, this time taking advantage of a Cardinals team in transition. Ryan Helsley once looked like a long-term answer at the back of the St. Louis bullpen, but with the team out of contention and facing a change in the front office following the season, it became clear they no longer planned to extend him after the season. With the Mets, he’ll serve as a high-velocity setup option in front of Edwin Diaz. Manager Carlos Mendoza suddenly has an impressive bullpen to work with.

St. Louis will get a trio of prospects in return: pitchers Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt, plus infielder Jesus Baez. The 20-year-old Baez is the biggest prospect in the group, ranking at No. 92 on Baseball America’s Top 100 before the season. He’s hit .242/.332/.390 in 319 PA this year, mostly at High-A Brooklyn against competition two years older. Dohm (3rd) and Elissalt (19th) were both 2024 Draft picks.

Cubbies settle on Soroka

Chicago has been looking for pitching help. Soroka will be a free agent after the season. Washington signed him to be a starter, but he was lights out as a reliever for the White Sox late last year (one of the few bright spots in a horrifically poor team). Presumably, that’s the better role for him with the Cubs.

The Nats will get a pair of minor leaguers, infielder Ronny Cruz and outfielder Christian Franklin. Franklin is closer to being MLB-ready. He’s a .261/.395/.404 hitter in the minor leagues and reached Triple-A this year for the first time.

Tigers add another reliever

It makes more sense for the Braves to be trading away relievers than adding them. Atlanta sent right-hander Rafael Montero to Detroit for minor league infielder Jim Jarvis.

Rays move Littell in three-team trade

Cincinnati gets Zack Littell from Tampa Bay. The veteran pitched well on Wednesday, throwing five shutout innings against the Yankees. At one point during the game, YES broadcaster Michael Kay even joked that “Littell’s price was going up with the way he’s pitching if the Rays want to think about selling”.

The Reds will send left-hander Adam Serwinowski to the Dodgers and right-hander Brian Van Belle to the Rays.

The Dodgers will send catcher Hunter Feduccia to the Rays.

The Rays will send catcher Ben Rortvedt and right-hander Paul Gervase to Los Angeles.

Got all that?

Elsewhere, around the sport …

Not to get lost in the pre-deadline day chaos, but Padres right-hander Yu Darvish made history on Wednesday. Darvish collected the win in San Diego’s 5-0 victory over the Mets, the 204th combined win between his NPB and MLB careers. He is now the winningest pitcher all-time to appear in both leagues, breaking a tie with Hiroki Kuroda.