Playing Fact or Fiction with Top MLB Waiver Trade Buzz, Rumors
As one window shuts, another one opens.
While MLB's non-waiver trade deadline came and went at 4 p.m. ET on Monday, the opportunity to continue making deals exists thanks to the waiver trade period, which runs through Aug. 31.
There are multiple ways for players to switch teams—check out this handy guide that Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter did in 2015 for more details—but the gist of it is this: Team A places a player on waivers; Team B submits a claim; negotiations take place; and then the involved teams may agree to a trade.
Of course, speculation about trades isn't the only thing making noise in the rumor mill.
Will untimely injuries to a pair of All-Star shortstops force their respective teams to swing waiver trades? Has time run out for two of the game's most polarizing figures?
We'll hit on all that and more in this week's edition of Fact or Fiction.
Fact: Yasiel Puig Has Played His Last Game with the Dodgers
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Demoted to the minors on Tuesday after Los Angeles failed to trade him before the non-waiver trade deadline, per ESPN.com, Yasiel Puig has played his last game for the Dodgers.
On one hand, it's a stunning development in the career of a player who, only two years ago, looked like an invaluable piece of the team's future. On the other, it's something we should have seen coming. There were plenty of warning signs, as Bleacher Report's Scott Miller detailed in December:
"Tucked somewhere among the salacious stories of [Zack] Greinke tossing Puig's suitcase off the bus and onto a street in Chicago, ace Clayton Kershaw allegedly advising the Dodgers front office this winter to dump the outfielder and third baseman Justin Turner almost getting into a fight with Puig last spring looms one of the biggest questions facing the Dodgers for 2016:
Is the relationship between Puig and his teammates inside the Dodgers' clubhouse irreparably broken?
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It's not just the relationship between Puig and his teammates that's irreparably broken—it's the relationship between Puig and the organization.
“I don’t want to handicap that situation,” Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi told the Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett on Tuesday, when asked if Puig would play for the Dodgers again. “It certainly is a possibility. Beyond that, it’s just speculation.”
That speculation has led many, including this writer, to peg Puig as a waiver trade candidate. Fans seem to agree with that sentiment. When I asked which player, among six, was the most likely to be traded in August, Puig received more than 50 percent of the vote.
It's been a question of attitude rather than ability when it comes to Puig, who's talented enough for a team to give him a second chance. Zaidi won't get fair market value for him, but at this point, parting ways is the only thing that can save Puig and the Dodgers from each other.
Fiction: Trevor Story's Injury Will Change Colorado's Plans
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Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story told MLB.com's Thomas Harding that he'll undergo surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb and, as a result, "expects to miss the rest of the season."
Without Story, the National League's home run leader, it's even harder to envision the Rockies fighting their way into the playoffs than it was a few days ago, despite the club sitting only 3.5 games out of a wild-card berth entering play Wednesday.
That is, unless you're part of the team.
“It’s a loss, but it’s part of the game, and that’s the only way you can take it,” Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez told the Denver Post's Nick Kosmider. “Not having him is tough, but we’ve just got to figure it out. We have enough guys here to get it done.”
For those expecting the Rockies to panic and look to sell off pieces, such as CarGo and Charlie Blackmon, think again. If a short-term upgrade over the likes of Cristhian Adames, Daniel Descalso and Rafael Ynoa—the trio who will try to replace Story—comes across the waiver wire, though, it's reasonable to think that general manager Jeff Bridich will look to pull off a trade.
No matter what anyone else may think, the Rockies are going to try to make a run at the playoffs without Story in the middle of their lineup. What a story it'd be if they're able to pull it off.
Fact: Kansas City Won't Sell If It Keeps Falling out of Contention
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One of the more surprising developments at the non-waiver trade deadline was Kansas City's decision to not make a single move. With it looking less and less likely the Royals will be able to defend their World Series crown—they sit 7.5 games out of a wild-card berth entering play Wednesday—unloading their pending free agents seemed like an obvious choice.
Obvious to everyone except general manager Dayton Moore, that is.
“We just felt that we trust our players,” Moore told Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star. “They’ve done an outstanding job getting us to a point where we’ve won, and we want to give them a chance to dig back out of this mess that we’re in.”
That's going to be difficult without relievers Wade Davis and Luke Hochevar, both the subject of trade speculation leading up to Monday and currently on the disabled list—Davis with a flexor strain, Hochevar with a shoulder issue.
Edinson Volquez, the team's de facto ace, is expected to decline his $10 million mutual option, which includes a $3 million buyout, after the season and test free agency, per Mellinger. While the right-hander wouldn't clear waivers, the Royals could add a prospect or two to their farm system by completing a trade with the claiming team.
But even that scenario appears to be off the table.
“We’ll see,” Moore told Mellinger when asked if holding on to Volquez indicated the team will make a qualifying offer. “Obviously we have to evaluate that, but that’s certainly a part of our thinking.”
Sink or swim, the Royals you see are the Royals you're going to get through the end of the regular season.
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Fiction: Alex Rodriguez Won't Finish the Season in New York
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He won't be gone this season, but Alex Rodriguez's days with the New York Yankees are numbered.
A source told Peter Botte and Christian Red of the New York Daily News on Monday that the Yankees' releasing A-Rod “could happen” before the end of the regular season. It's a scenario that owner Hal Steinbrenner said he's yet to seriously consider, however.
“Let me put it this way: I haven’t discussed with the baseball people anything about what we’re going to be doing in the hours and days to come,” Steinbrenner told Michael Kay on 98.7 FM ESPN Radio in New York (via the New York Times' Tyler Kepner). “The last two weeks have been about trades, trades, trades.”
Those trades, which sent Carlos Beltran, Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Ivan Nova elsewhere and brought an impressive haul of young talent back to the Yankees, only made the 41-year-old Rodriguez's status with the club look even more tenuous.
Clearly, the Yankees are looking to the future.
“No matter what happens, I’m at peace with myself,” Rodriguez told Kepner.
Due roughly $28 million through the end of 2017—not to mention the more than $300 million he's already made over the course of his 22-year career—it's easy to understand why he'd be at peace with whatever decision the team makes. He's getting paid regardless of how things play out.
It's not as if the club needs to clear his roster spot in order to add a more productive player to try to reach the playoffs, and with rosters set to expand from 25 to 40 players on Sept. 1, there's no point in the Yankees releasing him now.
After the season, the Yankees will gladly eat the $21 million left on his deal and wish him well in his future endeavors. But that's still a few months away.
Fact: St. Louis Won't Look to Add Another Infielder
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St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak knew that shortstop Aledmys Diaz had a fractured thumb before the non-waiver trade deadline passed, but he still wasn't motivated to look for a replacement.
“I assumed that question might come up,” Mozeliak told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “You’re not going to go out and find that kind of impact player, and the fact that we get Jhonny Peralta activated (Tuesday) I think he can slide in right there. … I think we’re covered. Trying to find a middle infielder that would have had some type of impact on this roster—I think it would be hard to top.”
And Mozeliak is right—there wasn't another Diaz-like shortstop available.
Outside of an early report from the Tacoma News Tribune's Bob Dutton about a possible deal between the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati involving Reds shortstop Zack Cozart, Monday's deadline passed with little chatter revolving around middle infielders.
With Peralta activated and Matt Carpenter on a minor league rehab assignment and nearing a return to action, the Cardinals not only have the pieces to replace Diaz, but they maintain their infield depth, with Greg Garcia and Jedd Gyorko waiting to step in if needed.
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs and are current through Tuesday games. All contract information courtesy of Cot's Contracts (via Baseball Prospectus).
Hit me up on Twitter to talk trade deadline and all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR.
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