Mega Thread MLB season 2024

[Dixie Flatline]

The Milwaukee Brewers are acquiring RHP Frankie Montas from the Cincinnati Reds, in exchange for OF Joey Wiemer and RHP Jakob Junis. The deal is pending medical reviews. Montas signed a one-year, $16 million contract with the Reds in the off-season after missing almost all of the 2023 season with shoulder surgery and has not returned to the form that made him one of the better pitchers in the league between 2019-2022, when he pitched 480 1/3 innings in total for a 3.67 ERA. In 2024, Montas has a 5.01 ERA with a 19% strikeout rate and a 10% walk rate, while he has lost 1.5 mph on his fastball.

In acquiring Montas, the Brewers have given up a former top prospect to the Reds. Entering the 2023 season, Joey Wiemer was regarded as a top-100 prospect in all of baseball, but he did not produce in the majors in 2023, hitting .204/.283/.362 in 410 plate appearances.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired LHP Jalen Beeks from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for minor league reliever Luis Peralta. The Rockies claimed Beeks off waivers from the Rays in the winter, and in exchange for a salary of $1.675 million, Beeks gave them 49 1/3 innings of relief with a 4.74 ERA in 45 appearances. Beeks will be the second left-handed reliever in the Pirates' bullpen behind Aroldis Chapman.

Luis Peralta is the younger brother of Milwaukee pitcher Freddy Peralta and signed with the Pirates out of the Dominican Republic in 2017. He has pitched in High-A and Double-A this season and has had excellent results, with a 0.91 ERA in 39 2/3 innings, including a 41% strikeout rate.

 

[hotchilli]

The Houston Astros have acquired LHP (and former ABL star) Yusei Kikuchi from the Toronto Blue Jays in order to strengthen their starting rotation that has been decimated by injury this season. Kikuchi has been a workhorse for the Blue Jays, pitching 115 2/3 innings for Toronto so far this season, for a 4.75 ERA.

In exchange for Kikuchi, the Blue Jays have received RHP Jake Bloss, OF/1B Joey Loperfido and minor league infielder Will Wagner (son of former Astro Billy Wagner).

Astros send three players to Blue Jays to add Yusei Kikuchi to banged-up rotation

By Chandler Rome, Ken Rosenthal, Kaitlyn McGrath HOUSTON — To supplement their injury-ravaged starting rotation, the Houston Astros may have authored one of the trade deadline’s biggest overpays. Houston acquired left-hander Yusei Kikuchi from the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday evening, providing...

www.nytimes.com

Not a fan of this trade at all.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired Amed Rosario from Tampa Bay in exchange for minor league RHP Michael Flynn. The Dodgers designated LHP Ryan Yarbrough for assignment to create roster space for Rosario. It's the second season in a row that the Dodgers have traded for Rosario, having traded RHP Noah Syndergaard to the Guardians in 2023 in exchange for Rosario.

 

[RPCB]

Fun fact, the White Sox are currently 27-82, with a risk of losing 120 games, but because they are a large market club, they are locked into Pick 10 of the 2025 draft no matter what their record is this year. Large market clubs can’t pick in the lottery two years in a row.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired RHP Jack Flaherty on the trade deadline from the Detroit Tigers, in exchange for catcher/1B Thayron Liranzo and shortstop Trey Sweeney. Flaherty was the best starting pitcher available on the market, with a 2.95 ERA in 18 starts for the Tigers this year. Among pitchers with 100 innings or more in the season, he has struck out batters 32% of the time, which is the fifth highest. He also cut his walk-rate to 4.6%, which is a career best.

Liranzo has split his time between catcher and first base for the High-A Great Lakes Loons in 2024, with a 106 wRC+ in 314 plate appearances. He was also selected to appear at the Futures Game prior to the All-Star Game. Sweeney was drafted 20th overall by the Yankees in 2021 and was traded to the Dodgers in 2023 in exchange for reliever Victor Gonzalez. He has a wRC+ of 87 in the Pacific Coast League so far this season.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

As recently noticed, the Cardinals had designated RHP Giovanny Gallegos for assignment over the weekend. The Cardinals were unable to trade Gallegos before the trade deadline and he is now set to be released, assuming that no other team makes a waiver claim for him.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Boston Red Sox acquired RHP Luis Garcia from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for four minor league players - first baseman Niko Kavadas, infielder Matthew Lugo, and pitchers Yeferson Vargas and Ryan Zeferjahn.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The San Diego Padres traded RHP Enyel De Los Santos and minor league pitcher Thomas Balboni Jr to the New York Yankees in exchange for outfielder Brandon Lockridge. De Los Santos has a 4.46 ERA, a 28.2% strikeout rate, a 7.6% walk rate and a 34.6% groundball rate in 40 1/3 innings for the Padres in 2024, and has given up 11 homeruns so far this year. De Los Santos became expendable for the Padres after they acquired Jason Adam and Tanner Scott in trades prior to the deadline.

The Yankees also acquired Balboni from the Padres, who is a 24 year old A ball reliever after being drafted by San Diego in 2022.

Lockridge was selected by the Yankees in the 2018 draft and was mostly a centre fielder for the Yankees in Triple-A in 2024.

Yankees get reliever Enyel De Los Santos from Padres

The 28-year-old comes with two markers the Yankees look for: Strikeouts and team control.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Baltimore Orioles announced that they have designated LHP Cole Irvin for assignment and have recalled catcher Blake Hunt for his major league debut. Irvin has previously played for the Phillies and the Athletics before being traded by Oakland to Baltimore in 2023 in exchange for Darrell Hernaiz. Irvin has been made the odd man out by the Orioles' acquisition of Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers before the trade deadline.

The Orioles also acquired LHP Gregory Soto from the Phillies in exchange for pitching prospects Seth Johnson and Moises Chace. Soto has a 26.7% strikeout rate, a 12.1% walk rate and a 50% groundball rate in 35 1/3 innings for the Phillies in 2023, and had been demoted to lower leverage scenarios by manager Rob Thomson prior to the Phillies acquiring Tanner Banks and Carlos Estevez. Soto still throws hard (averaging 98.4mph on his fastball) and is controllable through arbitration until the end of 2025.

Johnson is a 25 year old right handed pitcher, who was drafted 40th overall by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019. He was traded to the Orioles at the trade deadline in 2022 in a three-team deal involving Trey Mancini and Jose Siri. Chace, 21, is generally a long reliever in High-A in 2024, striking out batters 34.2% of the time but also sporting a 13.5% walk rate.

 

[RPCB]

Who died and made Craig Counsell the fun police. Removing Ian Happ from the game a triple shy of a cycle.

 

[Jaymin]

Fair month for Bobby!

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Orioles also acquired Austin Slater and Livan Soto as well as cash considerations in a trade with Cincinnati, according to announcements from both clubs. The Orioles will send cash considerations to complete the deal. Slater is on the move for the second time in three weeks, having been acquired by the Reds from the Giants earlier in July. However, the Reds also acquired Ty France from the Mariners perhaps forcing Slater off their roster.

Slater does well against left handed pitching, but struggles against right handed pitching, as he has hit .274/.364/.433 against left handed pitching, but just .226/.316/.334 against right handed pitching.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The San Diego Padres acquired LHP Martin Perez from the Pittsburgh Pirates prior to the expiration of the trade deadline, in exchange for LHP prospect Ronaldys Jimenez. The Pirates will send $1.3 million in cash to help pay the salary of Perez.

The Pirates signed Perez last off-season to a 1-year, $8 million contract with the expectation that he would become a candidate for trade if the Pirates were not contending by the deadline. Perez pitched 83 innings for the Pirates with a 5.20 ERA, and he spent a month on the IL recovering from a groin strain.

In exchange for the veteran, the Padres give up Jimenez, who was an international signing for the Padres last year. He started his pro career this year with three starts for the Padres' Dominican Summer League, putting up an ERA of 1.50 in six innings of work. Jimenez is a lottery pick prospect.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Prior to the expiration of the trade deadline, the San Francisco Giants acquired OF Mark Canha from the Detroit Tigers, reuniting Canha with his manager Bob Melvin, after Canha played under Melvin while they were both with Oakland Athletics a few years ago. Canha is a free agent after the season, and is hitting .231/.337/.350 in 377 plate appearances for the Tigers, with a 11.1% walk rate and a 21% strikeout rate. The Giants are assuming responsibility for approximately $3.77 million as the remainder of the 1-year, $11.5 million contract Canha signed with the Tigers.

In exchange for Canha, the Giants trade minor league reliever Eric Silva, whom the Giants drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. He was drafted as a starter but has been converted to the bullpen in 2024, spending the season in Double-A Richmond, with a 4.35 ERA through 41 1/3 innings. He sports a 29% strikeout rate and a 10.3% walk rate.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired RHP Dylan Floro from the Washington Nationals prior to the trade deadline, in exchange for corner infielder Andres Chaparro. Floro signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract with the Nationals last offseason and therefore is a free agent at the end of this season. He has a 2.06 ERA so far this year, on a 19.6% strikeout rate and a 6.4% walk rate. Floro will likely slot in to the Diamondbacks bullpen to offer middle inning relief for Torey Lovullo to bridge the gap between the starters and closer Paul Sewald.

In exchange for Floro, the Diamondbacks traded Andres Chaparro, whom they signed to a minor league contract in the off-season after he spent the first part of his career with the Yankees organisation. Chaparro hit .332/.403/.563 with 19 homeruns in a batter-friendly league. He will need to keep the production up with his bat as his efforts on defence have graded poorly so far in the minor leagues.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Tampa Bay Rays traded RHP Shawn Armstrong to the St Louis Cardinals for OF Dylan Carlson before the trade deadline. He is expected to slot for the departed Randy Arozarena, who was traded by the Rays to Seattle prior to the deadline. Carlson profiles as a corner outfielder with his defence having declined over the past few seasons in centre field. Carlson is under control (via arbitration) until the end of the 2026 season so there is still time for the Rays to turn around Carlson's fortunes, which have been decline while with the Cardinals.

In exchange for Carlson, the Rays traded RHP Shawn Armstrong, who has a 4.18 ERA over 327 1/3 career innings with Cleveland, Miami, Seattle, Baltimore and the Rays during his 10 years in the big leagues. Armstrong is a rental, as he is a free agent at the end of the season, and will slot into the Cardinals' bullpen as depth.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Having designated LHP Ryan Yarbrough for assignment, the Dodgers traded Yarbrough to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for OF Kevin Kiermaier, whom the Blue Jays had previously placed on waivers. The Dodgers designated Gus Varland and Nick Ramirez to open space for Kiermaier and RHP Jack Flaherty, whom the Dodgers acquired from the Tigers at the deadline. Kiermaier has previously announced that he intends to retire at the end of the season and has profiled so far this season as a defensive guy first and foremost, given he is batting .195 so far this year.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Chicago White Sox were unable to trade LHP Garrett Crochet before the deadline expired, but they did manage to move a veteran pitcher, sending LHP Tanner Banks to the Phillies in exchange for infield prospect William Bergolla. Banks has been a useful bullpen arm for the White Sox over the past three seasons, with a 3.89 ERA and 3.67 SIERA in 162 innings. Banks has been used for multiple innings in 16 of his 41 appearances so far this season with the White Sox, and he likely will continue to be used by Rob Thomson to pitch multiple innings of relief for the Phillies. There is some talk that he may move back to the starting rotation, if required by Philadelphia.

Bergolla signed as an international free agent with the Phillies in January 2022 and was ranked the tenth best prospect in their organisation at the start of the season by Baseball America. He seems to profile as a contact-type hitter, with a 7.5% strikeout rate in 2023 at Single-A, and a 11.2% strikeout rate in 2024 at High-A.

 

[Jatz]

Dropped our last two to the Angels. Bit of a disappointing week.

We're not far off it but losing too many close games.

 

[RPCB]

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The coordinator of my son's baseball club messaged me this morning about Billy Bean dying, because he knows I'm an A's fan. I had to remind him that Billy Bean was not the former Oakland GM, because that's Billy Beane.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Chicago White Sox made history yesterday when they lost 5-1 to the Oakland Athletics at the Coliseum. The White Sox have now lost 21 straight games, which ties the record held by the Baltimore Orioles set in 1988 for the most losses in a row by an AL team. The overall record since 1900 is held by the Phillies, which lost 23 games in a row in 1961.

The White Sox are currently playing the A's in game 2 of the series at the Coliseum.

 

[Jatz]

The coordinator of my son's baseball club messaged me this morning about Billy Bean dying, because he knows I'm an A's fan. I had to remind him that Billy Bean was not the former Oakland GM, because that's Billy Beane.

I certainly had a double take when I heard the news.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Framber Valdez had a no-hitter going against the Rangers in Arlington, but gave up a 2-run shot to Corey Seager in the bottom of the ninth inning to lose the no-hit bid with two outs. He has been relieved by Astros' closer Josh Hader to finish the game.