CarterHud

       The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired forwards Kasperi Kapanen and Pontus Aberg, plus defenseman Jesper Lindgren from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forwards Evan Rodrigues and Filip Hallander, defenseman David Warsofsky, and a 2020 1st round draft pick (15th overall).

       Immediately, I loved this trade for the Maple Leafs. When attempting to unload Patrick Marleau and his $6 million cap hit last offseason, the Leafs either had to part with their first round pick, or one of Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson. They chose to trade Marleau and a first round pick to Carolina, and the first rounder became the 13th overall pick. Now, they got a year out of Kapanen, and move two spots back in the draft, and they get a solid bottom six player in Rodrigues and a decent prospect in Hallander. A pending RFA, Rodrigues will probably have a cap hit lower than the $2 million he received from Buffalo and Pittsburgh this past year. Acquired at the trade deadline with Conor Sheary for Dominik Kahun, Rodrigues had a disappointing 2019-20 season after he scored nine goals with 20 assists in 2018-19. If the Leafs don\’t want Rodrigues, they do not have to tender him a contract, and he would become a UFA. If he does play, Rodrigues will join the long list of Toronto natives to play for his hometown team. Unloading Kapanen\’s $3.2 million cap hit is huge for Toronto, and he just finished year one of his three year deal. A 2018 2nd rounder, Hallander played in the Swedish Hockey League last year, and he was on team Sweden in the World Juniors in 2019, although he did not record a point in five games. Warsofsky is a depth defenseman with some NHL experience, although he has not played in the NHL since the 2017-18 season. Even with Toronto having a weak blue line, Warsofsky is just a roster space and an AHLer in this deal.

       Rodrigues, 27, scored four goals with six assists for 10 points in 45 games for the Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres in 2019-20. In his NHL career for those two teams, Rodrigues has scored 27 goals with 45 assists for 72 points in 199 games. 

       Hallander, 20, scored five goals with nine assists for 14 points in 27 games for Lulea HF of the Swedish League this past season. In his two year career in Sweden, Hallander has 12 goals with 23 assists for 35 points in 72 games.

       Warsofsky, 30, scored 10 goals with 23 assists for 33 points in 51 games for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Penguins (AHL). In his NHL career for the Penguins, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils, Warsofsky has two goals with nine assists for 11 points in 55 games. 

       For the Penguins, Hallander and a first is a rough price for Kapenen, a middle-six winger. Although, he will likely play with either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh, which is good news for him. The Penguins obviously like the young winger, as they drafted him 22nd overall in 2014, before trading him to Toronto a year later in the Phil Kessel deal. Kapanen had a breakout year in 2018-19, scoring 20 goals with 44 points as he was a pending RFA. However, he regressed in 2019-20, although being on Crosby or Malkin\’s wing will definitely help his production go up. They also get Aberg, a forward who only played in five NHL games this year. He scored 11 goals in 37 games with the Ducks to start off 2018-19, but he struggled after a trade to Minnesota. A 4th round pick in 2015, Lindgren came over from Finland for the AHL playoffs last year, and appeared in 31 games for the Marlins in 2019-20.

       Kapanen, 24, scored 13 goals with 23 assists for 36 points in 69 games for the Leafs this past season. In his NHL career, all in Toronto, Kapanen has 41 goals with 49 assists for 90 points in 202 games. His father, Sami Kapanen, had over 450 points in his 12 year NHL career. 

       Aberg, 26, had one assist in five games for the Leafs this year, and 20 goals with 24 assists for 44 points in 55 games for the Marlins (AHL). In his NHL career for the Leafs, Nashville Predators, Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild and Edmonton Oilers, Aberg has scored 17 goals with 27 assists for 44 points in 132 games. 

       Lindgren, 23, had one goal with eight assists for nine points in 31 games for the Toronto Marlies this past season. 

       The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired RHPs Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree, as well as a player to be named later and cash considerations from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for RHPs Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold.

       The bright side to the 2020 Red Sox does not seem to exist. Starting off 8-18 with the worst record in the American League, Boston has a horrible rotation. Unfortunately, their bullpen was not much better and it gets even worse now with this trade. Workman, who never had an ERA under 3.00 or a K/9 of 9.0 or higher in his first four seasons, absolutely broke out in 2019, becoming the Boston closer, and finishing with a 1.88 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 71.2 innings. While he hasn\’t gotten off to the best start this year, he is an immediate upgrade to the Phillies bullpen that just lost its best reliever so far this year, Jose Alvarez. While Workman is a free agent after the season, Hembree has one more year left of arbitration, before becoming a free agent after the 2021 season. While he doesn\’t compare to Workman, Hembree has been a big part of the Boston \’pen since coming over for Jake Peavy in 2014. The Phillies acquired three relievers today, as David Hale was picked up from New York in the afternoon. While Pivetta has started and came out of the bullpen over the past four seasons, the return of the 2015 Jonathan Papelbon deal has allowed 10 runs in three games this year. 

       Workman, 32, has a 4.05 ERA with eight strikeouts and four save, plus a 2.57 FIP in 6.2 innings so far this year. In his six year MLB career, all for the Red Sox, Workman has a 3.75 ERA with 303 strikeouts and 20 saves, plus a 3.76 FIP in 288 innings. 

       Hembree, 31, has a 5.59 ERA with 10 strikeouts and a 4.72 FIP in 9.2 innings for Boston this year. In his MLB career for the Red Sox and San Francisco Giants, Hembree has a 3.60 ERA with 282 strikeouts and a 4.22 FIP in 265.1 innings. 

       As an awful team, the Red Sox could get some value out of Workman and Hembree. This deal helps their tank for the number one pick, and it could get them a viable starting pitcher. 71 of Pivetta\’s 92 career games are starts, and while his career numbers are not good, he can strike a lot of batters out, and compared to the other options the Sox have, he is an improvement. They have really struggled this year, with David Price and Rick Porcello leaving, plus Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez missing the season due to Tommy John and COVID, respectively. Seabold, a 2017 third rounder, has good minor league numbers, although he is 24 and has never pitched at the AAA level. Ranked as the 23rd best prospect in the Philadelphia system by MLB Pipeline, this return seems weak, although the main part of the trade (Workman) might only be a Phillies for about a month. Still, this could signify a weak pitching trade market this year, about 10 days away from the trade deadline.

       Pivetta, 27, has a 15.88 ERA with four strikeouts and a 9.70 FIP in 5.2 innings for the Phillies this year. In his four year MLB career, all in Philadelphia, Pivetta has a 5.50 ERA with 421 strikeouts and a 4.64 FIP in 396.1 innings. 

       Seabold, 24, had a 2.24 ERA with 58 strikeouts and a 1.012 WHIP in 56.1 innings for three different minor league levels last year, mainly AA. In his three year minor league career, Seabold has a 3.52 ERA with 203 strikeouts and a 1.063 WHIP in 196.2 innings. 

       The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired RHP David Hale from the New York Yankees in exchange for RHP Addison Russ. 

       Hale has been with the Yankees multiple times, as the 2009 third rounder of the Braves has signed with the team a whopping five times, and he\’s only pitched in 28 games for the team over three seasons. In a middle relief role last year, Hale found major league success for the first time since 2014, with a 3.11 ERA in 37.2 innings. He was designated for assignment at the end of the season, but made the team this year as a non-roster invitee. Hale pitched well in five outings this year, but he was DFA\’d when Aroldis Chapman returned from the IL. The Phillies bullpen may be the worst in all of baseball, and it is definitely in the bottom five. One of their best relievers this year, Jose Alvarez, will go to the IL after being recently hit by a line drive. Blake Parker is the only other reliever with at least five innings pitched and an ERA under 4.00 this season. The way Hale has pitched since 2019 with the Yankees, he is probably good enough to be the 7th or 8th inning pitcher for the Phillies right now. The Phillies are also reportedly interested in Red Sox relievers Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree.

       Hale, 32, has seven strikeouts with a 3.00 ERA and a 2.34 FIP in six innings for the Yankees this year. In his MLB career for the Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies and Minnesota Twins, Hale has a 4.23 ERA with 158 strikeouts and a 4.25 FIP in 236 innings. 

       The Yankees have a tendency to acquire talent for just about nothing. Although that has mostly been limited to position players, Russ could fit the bill. While at 25 years of age, Russ is way too old for a guy who has never played at the AAA level, he has amazing minor league stats, and he probably could be very close to MLB ready. While he is not on the 40-man roster, Russ will go to the Yankees\’ alternate site. 

       Russ, 25, was the 19th round pick for the Phillies in 2017. For AA Reading last year, Russ had a 2.54 ERA with 81 strikeouts and 22 saves in 56.2 innings. In his three year minor league career, Russ has a 2.48 ERA with 200 strikeouts and 50 saves in 152.2 innings.

       The San Diego Padres have acquired 1B Yonder Alonso from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for cash considerations.

       Alonso will report to the Padres\’ alternate site, but if he returns to the big leagues, he will be a good veteran presence for the team. Alonso has spent 10 years in the major leagues, and four of them were with San Diego, from 2012-2015. Also, his brother-in-law is Padres star Manny Machado. Alonso is a lefty bat with some power, although his best season was far-and-away 2017, his only all-star year. The 7th overall pick in 2008, Alonso could back-up Eric Hosmer at first base, although with rosters currently at 28 men and shortening to 26 soon, it seems unlikely that we will see Alonso in the bigs this year. For a guy who hits for power, Alonso doesn\’t strikeout too much, with a K% of 18.3% over the last five seasons, and he does walk, with a BB% of 10.4% in that time. Signed by the White Sox last year, Alonso had an awful start to the season, and was released on July 3rd, but he was signed by the Rockies a week later, and improved in Colorado, with an .837 OPS. He signed with Atlanta on February 14th, but has not gotten into a game this year. 

       Alonso, 33, hit 10 home runs with 37 RBIs, a .199 average and a .641 OPS in 335 Plate Appearances for the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies in 2019. In his MLB career for the White Sox, Rockies, Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners, Alonso has hit 100 homers with 426 RBIs, 22 stolen bases, a .259 average and an OPS of .736 in 3773 Plate Appearances.

       The New York Mets have acquired OF Billy Hamilton from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for RHP Jordan Humphreys.