CarterHud

            A minor deal has broke in the MLB. The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired utility player Rob Refsnyder from division rival New York Yankees in exchange for minor league 1B Ryan McBroom.

            After completing a big trade with the White Sox, the Yankees had to DFA Refsnyder to free up a 40 man roster spot, so they looked to trade him. They probably thought they\’d get a player to be named later or cash for him, so getting a prospect for him is a win. McBroom was in AA with Toronto, so he stays there with the Yanks.

             McBroom, 25, has a .243 batting average, 12 home runs and 54 RBIs in 392 Plate Appearances for New Hampshire (AA). In his minor league career, McBroom has a .280 batting average, 57 homers and 288 RBIs in 1775 Plate Appearances.

              The Blue Jays have seen Refsnyder many times, and must of seen good things out of him. Refsnyder is mostly a second baseman, but can play all over. He played some first base, right field and left field this year. The Blue Jays might want to trade RF Jose Bautista, since he can be a free agent after this season if his options are declined. Refsnyder can play if Bautista goes, but for now, Refsnyder will go to Buffalo (AAA).

            Refsnyder, 26, has a .135 batting average, no RBIs and two steals in 40 Plate Appearances this year. In his MLB career, all for the Yankees, Refsnyder has a .241 batting average, two homers, 17 RBIs and six stolen bases in 262 Plate Appearances.

            I think the Blue Jays win this trade. The reason? It\’s simple. I\’d rather have an MLB ready/ AAA player than an AA player. So, the Jays win.

            In the latest edition of daily rumors, the New York Yankees have been looking at numerous starting pitchers for their playoff run. The Yankees were looking at starters before the season started, but weren\’t able to complete a trade, or sign a free agent. Rookie Jordan Montgomery has had a good season as starter number five, but Michael Pineda is done for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

            Things looked like Braves LHP Jaime Garcia would be the newest member of the Twins after trade talks were nearly completed. But, medical concerns with the return for Garcia stopped the trade. The next night, Garcia had a great outing against the Dodgers, and the price for him raised. Many teams are still interested in him, and FanRag Sports; Jon Heyman reported today that the Yankees are one of the six teams interested in Garcia. Garcia is a nice rental that won\’t cost too much.

            The Texas Rangers look like they are about to make an important decision: if they are buyers or sellers. Ace Yu Darvish is a free agent after this year, and is rumored to be on the market. Several sources are saying that the Yanks have asked about Darvish. Also, they\’ve sent scouts to one of his starts. Darvish is another good rental for the Bronx Bombers. Only thing is that they\’d have him for as long as they\’d have Garcia, but he\’ll cost more.

            The third starter they\’ve been linked to is Sonny Gray of the Athletics. Gray will cost more than the other two, because he is under contract for more years. He\’s had a very good season so far, after a rough 2017. He could cost them a top prospect, but it\’s worth it, I think.

            Welcome to a new series on Carterhud.com, where we will gossip about the latest rumors and trades and free agency in the MLB. I don\’t know how long this series will last, but I hope it lasts a while. I might also do some editions on the NHL. But anyways, here\’s the first edition.

            With just a half game lead over the Chicago Cubs for the first place spot in the NL Central, the Milwaukee Brewers have looked at many trade targets to help them down the stretch. First,  Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweeted: \”The Milwaukee Brewers, hanging on for dear life in the NL Central, have been in aggressive talks with Tigers for veteran Justin Wilson. The Brewers have a mediocre bullpen ERA of 4.14 and opponent batting average of .247. Closer Corey Knebel has been lights-out this year, but the rest of the pen isn\’t as strong.

             Earlier today, ESPN\’s Buster Olney reported that the Brewers also had interest in another Tiger, this time second baseman Ian Kinsler. With 2B Jonathan Villar struggling on the season, the Brewers could look to see if Kinsler could replace Villar. I can imagine the Brewers getting Kinsler and Wilson from the Tigers for a big prospect (not Lewis Brinson) and a little more.

             The third guy the Brewers have seemed to have interest in is the Athletics starting pitcher Sonny Gray. Today, FOX Sports\’ Ken Rosenthal said that the Brewers, Yankees and Braves are well positioned for Gray. But, reports suggest that the Brewers are the front runners for him. The Brewers rotation is pretty weak with Matt Garza in it. The are lacking an ace, also. Junior Guerra, Jimmy Nelson and Wily Peralta aren\’t good enough to lead a rotation. I can definitely see them landing Sonny.

       
         Today, the Chicago White Sox added veteran RHPs Jean Machi and Mark Lowe to their organization, sending cash to the Seattle Mariners.

          After trading relievers Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson to the Yankees, the White Sox pen is very weak. In this trade, they acquired two vets with MLB experience that have a chance at cracking the roster, even for a day. Also, both were known as good leaders in Tacoma (AAA) this season. The White Sox might as well give both Machi and Lowe a chance in the pen. To start, both players will start their White Sox careers in Charlotte (AAA).

         Machi, 35, has a 1.17 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and four strikeouts in 7.2 innings this year for the Mariners. He has a 3.44 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 10 saves and 29 strikeouts in 36.2 innings for Tacoma this year. In his five year MLB career for the Mariners, Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Gianta, Machi has a 3.38 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 152 strikeouts and six saves in 191.2 innings.

         Lowe, also 35, hasn\’t played in the majors this year. He had a rough stint in Tacoma, with a 6.23 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, one save and 37 strikeouts in 39 innings. In his 11 year MLB career with the Mariners, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays, Lowe has a 4.22 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, six saves and 352 strikeouts in 385.2 innings.

        For the Mariners, it clears up some money (not much, though) and roster spots down in AAA. It could be the start of something bigger, but the Seattle Times\’ Ryan Divish says it\’s unlikely. For the Mariner fans: this does not clear up a spot on the 40 man roster. Both players were not on it.

        For this trade, I won\’t pick a winner, because it\’s two old relievers for basically nothing. I don\’t expect either guy to do amazing with Chicago. They might never play for them. So, it\’s just a minor league trade at most.

          In an interesting decision, the Seattle Mariners traded OF Tyler O\’Neil to the St. Louis Cardinals for LHP Marco Gonzales.

          The Cardinals were most likely not the one\’s offering the trade, because they don\’t need an outfielder, but the 22 year old O\’Neil is a very good hitter, and a big prospect, so they are probably ecstatic about acquiring him. They give up a young pitcher in Gonzales, but they get a good prospect, so it\’s worth it. O\’Neil was the Mariners second best prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

          O\’Neil has never played in the MLB. This year in Tacoma (AAA), he has a .244 batting average, 19 home runs, 56 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 396 Plate Appearances. He has a .269 batting average, 89 HRs, 300 RBIs and 44 stolen bases in 1794 Plate Appearances in his minor league career.

         I\’m not really sure why the Mariners made this trade. They will have Gonzales under team control for a while, but he isn\’t as big as a prospect as O\’Neil. He has some major league experience, which O\’Neil doesn\’t have, but he also has injury history. He\’s 25 years old and has already gone through Tommy John surgery.

          \”Marco is a quality athlete with high character and a strong pitching pedigree who we feels fits our roster well in both the near and long term,\” Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. \”We find his current performance, preparedness and proximity to the major leagues to be appealing traits in a pitcher, particularly a young lefty who is now under club control through the 2023 season.\”

           Gonzales has one start in the majors this season. He gave up five runs in 3.1 innings in the losing effort. In 68.1 innings for Memphis (AAA), Gonzales has a 2.90 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 57 strikeouts. In his MLB career, (all for the Cardinals) Gonzales has a 5.53 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 40.2 innings.

           I think the Cardinals win this trade. They get a highly touted prospect in O\’Neil, and don\’t give up a roster player for him. The Mariners could\’ve gotten more for O\’Neil, but maybe there\’s something they see in Gonzales that I don\’t, because establish veterans would have a chance of winning a trade if they were traded for O\’Neil, but not Gonzales.