Whereas trades of relievers on the deadline are hardly ever the most well liked strikes that includes the very best prospects, there are often plenty of them. Because the summer season reaches its peak, contenders begin to consider their bullpens down the stretch and past, and with fashionable bullpens seemingly as densely populated as the quilt of Sgt. Pepper’s, there’s all the time room so as to add a top quality arm. Let’s dig via them!
Editor’s Notice: This reliever roundup doesn’t embody the newer trades for Carlos Estévez, Nick Mears, and Jason Adam. Ben Clemens will cowl these strikes in a separate publish.)
The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired LHRP A.J. Puk from the Miami Marlins for 1B/3B Deyvison De Los Santos and OF Andrew Pintar
Don’t focus an excessive amount of on the uncooked ERA or unimpressive stroll charge when judging the deserves of Arizona’s commerce for A.J. Puk. Partially in response to their myriad rotation accidents within the spring, the Marlins took Puk’s try to get again into the rotation critically, and he began the season there after a profitable spring. I nonetheless assume that was a well-founded experiment, but it surely didn’t pay dividends for Miami. Puk was completely dreadful as a starter, and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than he landed on the IL with shoulder fatigue. His 4 begins resulted in a 9.22 ERA, a 6.29 FIP, and an alarming 17 walks in 13 2/3 innings. He was moved again to the ’pen upon his return in mid-Could, however the injury to his seasonal line was so vital that it nonetheless seemed underwhelming on the time of the commerce (4.30 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 44 IP).
As he has the previous few years, Puk has dominated as a reliever; throughout 30 1/3 aid innings with the Marlins, he had 33 strikeouts and, maybe most significantly, solely six walks. The end result was a 2.08 ERA/2.42 FIP, with batters managing a bleak .159/.204/.252 in opposition to him. The Diamondbacks are brief on lefty relievers, with Joe Mantiply shouldering a really giant share of the southpaw burden. Puk has traditionally been higher in opposition to righties than Mantiply, so he can be utilized in additional conditions.
In return, the offense-starved Marlins decide up a few attainable bats so as to add to their farm system. With a .325/.376/.635 and 28 homers mixed at two ranges within the excessive minors this 12 months, Deyvison De Los Santos appears to be like spectacular at first look, but it surely’s vital to contextualize these numbers. He’s enjoying in some very excessive offensive environments and there’s plenty of scorching air to take away from these numbers to show them into anticipated MLB efficiency. ZiPS interprets his 2024 minor league efficiency to .263/.302/.428 within the majors and initiatives for wRC+ strains between 95 and 110 within the coming years with the Marlins. Now, that’s sufficient for the Marlins to be concerned about him and chase any upside, however don’t be shocked if he’s not an offensive pressure.
Equally, ZiPS interprets Andrew Pintar’s season at .235/.302/.365 and doesn’t see a ton of progress from him offensively, viewing him as most definitely to be a spare outfielder if he reaches the majors. I talked a bit with my colleague Eric Longenhagen about him on Friday and Eric nonetheless grades Pintar as a fifth-outfielder kind, which is about how ZiPS evaluates him. Nonetheless, as with De Los Santos, Pintar’s attention-grabbing sufficient for a crew just like the Marlins to take an opportunity on him and provides him an prolonged look; projections are incessantly incorrect, in spite of everything, by design!
The Seattle Mariners acquired RHRP Yimi García from the Toronto Blue Jays for OF Jonatan Clase and C Jacob Sharp
With the Blue Jays as short-term sellers, it’s hardly stunning to see them commerce Yimi García, who’s a free agent on the finish of the season. His three-year, $16 million deal turned out to be a hit for the Jays; he’s been value 2.7 WAR and put up a 3.44 ERA/3.28 FIP over 163 appearances throughout two-plus seasons. This season has arguably been his finest, as he’s placing out almost 13 batters per 9 innings. With Gregory Santos limping a bit after a knee harm – not believed to be extreme – García slots in behind Andrés Muñoz within the Mariners’ bullpen pecking order. Seattle’s aid corps has been in the midst of the pack, however including García to a gaggle that options Muñoz, a wholesome Santos, and Taylor Saucedo offers the M’s a superb quartet of high-leverage guys, which could possibly be essential in what’s shaping as much as be a decent AL West race.
Jonatan Clase was listed with a FV of 40 earlier this month when Eric ran down the highest Mariners prospects, however with Julio Rodríguez entrenched in middle subject and backed up by different outfielders who can capably cowl the place (specifically Victor Robles, Cade Marlowe, and even, in a pinch, newly acquired Randy Arozarena), Clase’s capability to take action was merely much less helpful in Seattle. Past that, the crew wants extra thump in its lineup at this level, and that’s not Clase’s speciality. For the Jays, Kevin Kiermaier is a free agent after the season and the group has an actual lack of middle subject candidates anyplace close to the majors. ZiPS initiatives Clase at .218/.291/.373 with an 84 wRC+ for 2025 however views him as an above-average defensive middle fielder, suggesting that he’s not less than an affordable stopgap possibility or a helpful function participant for Toronto. Jacob Sharp has been off the radar as a prospect, a reasonably small catcher who’s hitting decently properly, albeit as a 22-year-old in A-ball.
The New York Mets acquired RHRP Ryne Stanek from the Seattle Mariners for OF Rhylan Thomas
The Mets have an especially unimpressive bullpen when you get previous Edwin Díaz, and now that they’re firmly in rivalry for an NL Wild Card spot this season, they wish to enhance their aid corps. Ryne Stanek hasn’t excelled in Seattle, however the veteran reliever nonetheless throws within the high-90s, is sturdy, and misses bats. Guys like that can all the time resurface. Particularly after buying and selling for García, the Mariners have higher choices than Stanek to pitch in high-leverage, non-save conditions. However that’s not the case in Queens, and he’s a welcome addition to the bullpen.
Rhylan Thomas isn’t a excessive value to pay and he largely fills the same function to the departed Clase in Seattle’s group, although he’s a special kind of participant. As a high-contact hitter, Thomas might fare properly in pitcher-friendly T-Cell Park. ZiPS sees Thomas as a .263/.313/.333 hitter with plus protection within the corners in 2025.
The Tampa Bay Rays acquired RHRP Cole Sulser from the New York Mets for money
Cole Sulser is a relative soft-tosser who depends on deception. He had an enormous breakout season in 2021, however after a commerce to the Marlins, he struggled together with his command in ’22 and had his season marred by a lat harm that landed him on the 60-day IL. A shoulder harm ruined his 2023 and he’s spent ’24 making an attempt to rehabilitate his worth within the minors for the Mets, with combined outcomes. That is the third time the Rays have traded for Sulser in his profession, so they appear to see one thing in him, and given Tampa Bay’s report with random relievers, I wouldn’t be shocked if he turned helpful for the Rays subsequent season.
Money is slang for foreign money, which might be exchanged for items and providers. It may be weak to inflation, and due to this, it doesn’t symbolize a secure medium of alternate in some international locations. However money additionally has the good thing about being very versatile.
The Chicago Cubs acquired RHRP Nate Pearson from the Toronto Blue Jays for OF Yohendrick Pinango
Nate Pearson was rightly a scorching prospect again within the day, and there have been good causes to assume he’d play a key function in Toronto. Each scouts (he graduated at a FV of 55 right here) and projections (ZiPS was a fan) thought plenty of his skills, however the query was how he’d maintain up bodily as a starter. This fear turned out to be an actual subject, and for probably the most half since 2019, his seasons have been marred by all kinds of nagging accidents, costing him vital improvement time. Pearson throws arduous, however he’s nonetheless fairly uncooked, an issue on condition that he turns 28 in just a few weeks and he has solely two years left of membership management after this one — not plenty of time for a reclamation undertaking. The Cubs have determined to take a shot at fixing him. They’re short-term sellers, but when Pearson pays off, he could possibly be a big participant for his or her ’pen in 2025 and ’26.
Yohendrick Pinango is fairly uncooked as properly, a nook outfielder with respectable energy upside who hasn’t actually proven that house run pop within the minors to this point. The Cubs are sort of stacked with uncooked, attention-grabbing outfield prospects, whereas the Jays are fairly wanting them, making Toronto a greater house for Pinango. ZiPS solely interprets Pinango’s 2024 season to a .344 slugging proportion; he hit properly in Excessive-A, however that was as a 22-year-old in his third stint there. Like Pearson, Pinango’s a lottery ticket.
