Where are they now department:

Michael Bourn spent some time in the minors and got called up by Arizona. Hitting 292 with 3 steals with 55 plate appearances.

Nick Swisher, if he knows what's sensible, will retire any day now. He's laboring in AAA for the Yankees hitting 234, with 41K against 4 walks. He actually started out ok, 13-34 with a couple homers and 3 walks vs 6 strikeouts. But since April 24 he's had 23 hits in 126 at bats, has walked one more time and K'd 35! and a slash line of 183/189/262.

Robbie Grossman opted out of his deal at Columbus, signed with the Astros and has an OPS of 1012 in 15 games.

Brandon Moss has 11 homers for the Cards.

Ryan Raburn with 5 homers as a partimer for the Rockies.

David Murphy's hitting 194 with the Twins' AAA team

I swear the Tribe has a subscription to "The Mets Way". Build a young starting staff, add veteran bats to a borderline offense.


Kelly Johnson - 2B - Mets

Mets acquired INF/OF Kelly Johnson from the Braves for RHP Akeel Morris.

Johnson played 49 regular-season games with the Mets last year and made 10 postseason plate appearances in their run to the World Series. He gives New York a versatile left-handed bench bat, though he was sporting a brutal .562 OPS this season in Atlanta.

Morris, a 23-year-old former 10th-round pick, holds an ugly 4.62 ERA in 25 1/3 innings of relief this season at the Double-A level. He did have very good numbers in the lower minors.

What the heck, we don't have to pay big bucks for a sucky hitting 3B. We get "em cheap!


Todd Frazier - 3B - White Sox

Todd Frazier's struggles continued Friday against the Indians, as he finished 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts.

Frazier is now hitless over his last four games and is batting just .128 (6-for-47) with 20 strikeouts this month. He has at least managed three homers and seven RBI in that time, but it’s been a brutal stretch for Chicago’s third baseman. His batting average is down to .202 on the year.

Napoli is our Frazier, but he's hitting for a better average and we're bound to him only year. I like that deal better

Down goes Frazier!!! Down goes Frazier!!

For those of us that were around when Ali was fighting.

Sigh ... brag about the bums we signed then bash Todd Frazier. Ridiculous. If you wouldn't trade every right handed bum we signed this offseason even up for Frazier then you're nUtZ

I'm not claiming to be sane, but the White Sox would not take those guys in a deal for Frazier. They wanted good young talent.

Instead, Napoli is outproducing him, playing better defense, and cost us drastically less in player talent.

Bottom line is also this, we really don't know for sure who the Chisox wanted for Frazier. If we knew, we might ALL agree that either the Tribe blew it or the Tribe did the right thing. Media reports? Not like those are never wrong.

So should the Tribe have traded for Frazier? I can honestly say I don't know. And I can honestly say Napoli has been a major bargain.

Add on - add in Napoli's 3 run homer today.

Talk about another total contract fiasco:



Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports that the Red Sox have placed Rusney Castillo on outright waivers
.
Castillo will clear waivers, as there's no one interested in taking on what remains of his contract. The Cuban import has disappointed since Day 1 after inking a $72.5 million deal and will now be off the Red Sox' 40-man roster.

Speaking of that, wouldn't mind the Indians taking a chance on Jose Reyes. He'd be a very low risk gamble.

Yankees’ Nick Swisher, Who Had June 15 Opt Out, Remains on Team Hoping for Bronx Return
June 20th, 2016 at 4:22 PM
By Douglas Rush

Last week, Nick Swisher could have bolted from the New York Yankees for the second time in his career, but chose to stick around for now.



When Swisher signed his minor league contract with the Yankees back in April, he had an opt out clause put in the deal, one that allowed him to pursue other ventures if the Yankees weren't going to call him up. That opt out date: June 15.

It's almost a week since then, and yet, the 35-year-old Swisher, who has yet to be called up to the major leagues, decided not to exercise the opt out and has remained in the minor leagues for the Yankees with the Class-AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

When the Yankees signed former New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis to a major league deal and immediately put him on the major league roster, many felt that was the end of Swisher as a Yankee, but that wasn't the case at all.

Swisher, whose hitting .264 with seven home runs and 25 RBI for the RailRiders in 49 games and over the last 10 games, is hitting .375 with three home runs and 10 RBI, and while he puts up those kind of numbers, he continues to put on a smile and wait for the call up to the majors and return to the Bronx.

"I need to keep that smile on my face, I need to stay positive," he said. "Then I can be myself. That's the way, at the end of the day, I can lay my head on my pillow and feel good about it."

So with the opt out now gone, Swisher is on the team for the rest of the year unless the Yankees either trade him or release him. For Swisher's case, he hopes that he can at least make it back to the Bronx and play in Yankee Stadium before either of those happen. If he keeps hitting the way he has been lately, he can only hope it leads to a Bronx sequel after four years away.

How do the big market teams do it? The Red Sox got Martinez from the Tribe for cash and now have Drew Pomeranz from the Padres for an 18 year old prospect in A ball who has an ERA of 4. The guy may develop into a stud but he has to be at least 2 years away. We never seem to get trades like that if we want someone they ask for Salazar or Carrasco. I am scared to death of getting Miller or any other reliever from the Yankees because we would have to pay up big time.

We have plenty of well-regarded minor leaguers now to deal if we're willing to switch roles from the standard Indians' standpoint of e.g. Westbrook for some AA pitcher Kluber; Lee for a bunch of young guys including minor leaguer Carrasco; Sabathia for great slugger LaPorta and a PTBNL who winds up being Brantley.

MLB Rumors: Chris Sale cuts up White Sox throwback uniforms
by Michael Whitlow

Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale was sent home from a start on Saturday because of a “non-physical clubhouse incident”. He was sent home … for cutting up a jersey he didn’t want to wear.

Chris Sale has been a huge subject of MLB trade rumors with the deadline set for August 1 approaching. He was set to pitch on Saturday night for the Chicago White Sox in their meeting with the Detroit Tigers.

Over the weekend, the Chicago White Sox promoted their 1906 throwbacks that they planned on wearing in their series against the Tigers.

Then, the news and official statement from the White Sox of Chris Sale being scratched from his start on Saturday due to a “non-physical clubhouse incident”.

Was Sale going to be traded after all of the rumors and it lead to an argument of epic proportions?

There was an argument alright, but it wasn’t over Sale being traded. Sale was upset because he didn’t want to wear the throwbacks that were planned for the Sox on Saturday.

Seriously.

No, it’s not a joke.

In terms of ridiculous sports stories in 2016, this one might top every single one of them until this point. A five-time All-Star and one of the best pitchers in baseball didn’t want to wear a certain throwback uniform, so he cut up the jersey and threw a temper tantrum about it.

That’s peak “you can’t predict sports” right there.

With the deadline coming soon, Sale’s days in a White Sox uniform are likely over, especially after this situation that’s about as laughable as a situation in a professional locker room can be.

The question is for the White Sox is, does this hurt Sale’s trade value in any way and will they get enough back for one of the game’s best pitchers?

The prices for pitching are sky high in the trade market’s current state, so the Rangers found a cheaper, off-the-radar alternative. By acquiring righthander Lucas Harrell and lefthanded reliever Dario Alvarez, they patched a hole in their rotation and in their bullpen, all for the cost of one minor leaguer, Travis Demeritte, who might not fit into their long-term plans. With Rougned Odor, Elvis Andrus and Jurickson Profar already in the mix, there’s not much room in Arlington for Demeritte. On the Braves side, they turned two cheap acquisitions into another high-upside prospect for their increasingly high-upside farm system.

“Both guys were available earlier this year, but that’s the nature of the game,” Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said in a conference call. “But that’s the nature of the game now. Sam Dyson was a waiver claim at one point, Andrew Miller was out there as an outrighted player.”


BRAVES ACQUIRE
Travis Demeritte, 2b
Age: 21

Demeritte is a lottery ticket, his game loaded with both high-end tools and holes. Drafted with the 30th overall pick in the 2013 draft, Demeritte has moved slowly. He spent parts of the last two seasons at low Class A Hickory before moving to high Class A High Desert this season. With the Mavericks, Demeritte has slugged a Cal League-best 25 home runs in just 88 games, but that power has come with 125 punchouts as well. Still just 21 years old, he’s got plenty of time to refine his strike zone and let his power play to even bigger value. Scouts who have seen him this year in High Desert say that, besides the whiffs, he’s the overall package. He’s a fine runner and defender and has a chance to stick at second base in the long run. If it all comes together, a power-hitting middle infielder is quite a return in this trade.

“Travis’ talent is real,” Daniels said in a conference call. “The Cal League thing is a factor, but we didn’t draft Travis from the Cal League. The talent is real.”


High Desert (CAL) HiA .272 88 331 73 90 20 4 25 59 41 125 13 .352 .583


RANGERS ACQUIRE
Lucas Harrell, rhp
Age: 31

The Braves didn’t sign Harrell, who spent the early portion of the year in Double-A with the Tigers, until May 20. Since then he’s split time between Triple-A Gwinnett and the major leagues and has performed serviceably when up with the big club. He offers a four-pitch mix fronted by a low-90s four-seam fastball and a cutter in the mid-80s, as well as a changeup and a curveball. He doesn’t strike out a ton of guys or induce a large number of grounders, but he’s never been particularly longball-prone, either. He’s a temporary patch for a rotation bitten by injuries all year and recently tried veteran Kyle Lohse in the same role they’ll now ask Harrell to fill.

“He’ll (probably) start Sunday, barring something changing between now and then,” Daniels said. “Sunday’s his normal turn, we just want him to come in and throw a side before we announce anything.”


Erie (EL) AA 2 1 3.28 5 5 24.2 24 11 9 1 14 16
Gwinnett (IL) AAA 2 1 2.89 9 5 32 35 13 10 1 19 27
Atlanta (NL) MAJ 2 2 3.38 5 5 29.1 25 13 11 1 12 21


Dario Alvarez, lhp
Age: 27

The Braves claimed Alvarez from the Mets on May 25 and built up enough value with him to make the Rangers believe he could be a helpful lefty out of the pen. He has a nasty slider at his best, and it’s helped him get 28 strikeouts in just 15 innings. The three home runs in the same 15 innings, however, is a bit concerning. He got walloped in Triple-A Las Vegas—as most pitchers do—but returned to form nicely once in the more friendly atmosphere provided in the International League. Again, the Rangers’ staff has been bitten hard by the injury bug, and Alvarez provides a nice plug with a little bit of upside to boot.


Las Vegas (PCL) AAA 0 1 9.98 17 0 15.1 22 19 17 3 10 27
Gwinnett (IL) AAA 0 0 1.13 8 0 8 4 1 1 0 4 14
Atlanta (NL) MAJ 3 1 3.00 16 0 15 11 5 5 3 5 28

Carlos Beltran to Indians

Beltran, who has 21 homers and an OPS above .900, still has something left in his bat and could be a difference-maker as a corner outfielder/DH for Cleveland. His switch-hitting ability makes him a highly valuable depth piece. Left-hander Brady Aiken, Cleveland's No. 3 prospect, could be an interesting trade target for the Yankees in such a scenario.

Ranking top 10 teams with prospects to trade

1. Rangers

Number of Top 100 prospects: 4
Top prospect: Joey Gallo, 3B/1B (15)
Last year, Texas acquired Cole Hamels without giving up either of its top two prospects, Gallo and outfielder Lewis Brinson. Could the Rangers manage to do so again? They do have surging lefty Yohander Mendez and intriguing second basemen like Andy Ibanez to consider.

2. Red Sox

Number of Top 100 prospects: 5
Top prospect: Yoan Moncada, 2B (2)
Boston has already been active, sending Espinoza to the Padres to get Pomeranz. Even with that and the offseason deal for Craig Kimbrel (again with San Diego), there's still prospect talent to bring in big league help, if needed. Moncada and outfielder Andrew Benintendi (No. 7 overall) have to be all but untouchable, but third baseman Rafael Devers and right-hander Michael Kopech are a pair of additional Top 100 guys in the system.

3. Dodgers

Number of Top 100 prospects: 5
Top prospect: Julio Urias, LHP (6)
Urias isn't going anywhere. It's an extremely plausible scenario where he and right-hander Jose De Leon (No. 44) could be internal "Deadline acquisitions," helping the pitching staff down the stretch. There are, however, some bats who could be of interest, namely first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger and outfielder Alex Verdugo, both of whom are at Double-A Tulsa.

4. Cubs

Number of Top 100 prospects: 3
Top prospect: Willson Contreras, C/OF (23)
The Cubs have already been buyers. While it's hard to see a scenario where they'd deal Contreras, 2015 first-rounder Ian Happ's bat sure has some value right now.

5. Astros

Number of Top 100 prospects: 7
Top prospect: Alex Bregman, SS/3B (1)
It's possible the Astros will be content in letting the farm system provide help, as they did when Bregman was called up to make his big league debut on Monday. But Houston hasn't shied away from dealing prospects before, like in the offseason Ken Giles trade, and it does have some arms at the upper levels. Right-handers Francis Martes, David Paulino and Joe Musgrove are all in the Top 100.

6. Pirates

Number of Top 100 prospects: 6
Top prospect: Tyler Glasnow, RHP (10)
The Pirates have called upon their farm system to help, particularly on the mound, with Jameson Taillon seemingly a mainstay in the rotation and Glasnow making two starts before right shoulder inflammation sent him to the 15-day disabled list. They've not parted with top prospects in the past, but there is some non-Top 100 pitching depth to deal here.

7. Indians

Number of Top 100 prospects: 5
Top prospect: Clint Frazier, OF (24)
Frazier and fellow outfield prospect Bradley Zimmer just got bumped up to Triple-A Columbus, and it likely would have to be a very good deal for the Indians to part with either one. But they do have assets teams covet, like left-handed pitching in the form of No. 95 prospect Justus Sheffield and catching with Francisco Mejia, who has a 39-game hit streak with the Class A Advanced Lynchburg Hillcats (No. 5 on the Top 10 catching prospects list).

8. Blue Jays

Number of Top 100 prospects: 2
Top prospect: Richard Urena, SS (91)
The Blue Jays may only have two Top 100 players, but both might be of interest to other teams. Urena will stick at shortstop, and No. 93 prospect Sean Reid-Foley looks at least like a solid No. 3 starter. Bonus: Both will be at Double-A New Hampshire next year. Non-Top 100 guys like outfielder Anthony Alford, along with pitchers Conner Greene and Jon Harris, could also bring in big league talent.

9. Giants

Number of Top 100 prospects: 2
Top prospect: Phil Bickford, RHP (67)
Like the Blue Jays, the Giants only have two Top 100 prospects. But both Bickford and shortstop Christian Arroyo (No. 96) would have to be of interest to teams looking to stock their farm system. There's also right-handed pitcher Tyler Beede and first baseman Chris Shaw, both of whom are at Double-A Richmond, to give the Giants more potential prospect bait.

10. Mets

Number of Top 100 prospects: 2
Top prospect: Amed Rosario, SS (18)
Rosario is likely still off the table, and who can blame the Mets there. But in addition to first baseman Dominic Smith (No. 68), guys like outfielder Brandon Nimmo -- who showed what he can do in the big leagues -- and shortstop Gavin Cecchini, both of whom are at Triple-A Las Vegas, could draw interest because of their proximity to the big leagues.

11. Nationals (5; Lucas Giolito, 4)
12. Cardinals (3; Alex Reyes, 9)
13. Tigers (1; Matt Manning*, 81)
14. Marlins (1; Braxton Garrett*, 48)
15. Orioles (0; Cody Sedlock*, No. 1 on O's Top 30)

Trade talks surrounding Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy have intensified over the past 48 hours, sources say, and he was notably absent from Milwaukee's lineup Thursday. While day games after night games are a frequent occasion for everyday catchers to rest, multiple sources indicate the chances of a deal involving Lucroy have increased.

Could Tigers have pieces to trade for Lucroy?

The Indians remain among the strongest suitors for Lucroy, sources say. They need Lucroy defensively (following Yan Gomes' long-term injury) and offensively (with the murky prognosis for left fielder Michael Brantley).

The Tribe's lineup has been inconsistent recently, scoring three runs or fewer in four of the past five games. Cleveland was swept by Baltimore while facing exclusively right-handed starters, and Stephen Strasburg dominated the Indians at Progressive Field on Wednesday afternoon. Lucroy has an .888 OPS against righties this year. Lucroy, widely praised for his game-calling and receiving skills, is the rare catcher who should transition well to a team laden with power-armed starters who are difficult to catch. The Red Sox also are among the teams interested in Lucroy, according to ESPN, and on Thursday afternoon FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal Tweeted that the Brewers had re-engaged the Mets regarding the backstop. The Rangers are known to be looking for a catcher, as well, but they remain focused on upgrading their starting rotation after acquiring Lucas Harrell and left-handed reliever Dario Alvarez from the Braves for Travis Demeritte on Wednesday.

Royals trying to package Kennedy, Davis

The Royals are trying to package Ian Kennedy with Wade Davis in a potential trade, sources told Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan on Thursday.

CHICAGO --

Chris Sale is back after a five-game suspension stemming from his misguided arts-and-crafts session last weekend. He'll make his 136th career start for the White Sox on Thursday, facing the Cubs in the final game of the Crosstown Cup series. And then there's this added subplot: Could this be Sale's last start for the White Sox? In addition to Sale, Quintana and Shields, third baseman Todd Frazier, closer David Robertson, outfielders Melky Cabrera and Adam Eaton, first baseman/DH Justin Morneau and setup men Zach Duke and Matt Albers could be in play.

Will Reds keep or trade Bruce by Deadline?

ESPN reported Wednesday that the pace had "picked up" on trade talks for Bruce, with the Mariners being interested. Jocketty downplayed the level of heat surrounding those talks. "There are clubs that have been engaged on Jay for a while," he said. "It's basically the same clubs, but no one has really come up and been very aggressive. I can't say anything is going to happen imminently. It's not in that position right now." Besides Seattle, the Dodgers, Giants and possibly the Indians are among teams that need left-handed power and a corner outfielder.