MLB Rumors: Red Sox could reunite with former IF Jose Iglesias after opt-out
The Boston Red Sox have had a much more difficult time filling the shortstop hole left by Xander Bogaerts' departure for the beaches of San Diego than expected.
Trevor Story's injury in the preseason put the Red Sox in a bind right away, but there has also been the failed Kiké Hernandez experiment there in addition to a rotating cast of other players — most hilariously the one game that Bobby Dalbec started up the middle — that have produced middling defensive results.
As of the latest reports about his recovery, it does appear that Story is nearing a return soon. But in the meantime, a true shortstop option familiar with the franchise and Alex Cora is now on the market for what should be an extremely budget-friendly deal.
Jose Iglesias, who started his career with the Red Sox in 2011 and 2012 and more recently played 23 games with Boston in 2021, opted out of his minor-league deal with the San Diego Padres on Monday.
Iglesias isn't a spectacular player by any measure, but he's long been solid with a career .279 batting average and .701 OPS. More importantly for this iteration of the Red Sox, he's accrued 4.7 dWAR in his career, including a positive 0.3 last year in Colorado.
Moreover, the 33-year-old still looks to have plenty of life left in baseball. Over 28 games in Triple-A El Paso this season, he posted a .317 average with an .893 OPS. With the upgrade in defense at shortstop while being able to get on base in this surging lineup for Boston, a reunion would make a lot of sense to help fill the rest of the gap until Story returns and then, thereafter, provide necessary depth.
MLB Rumors: Dodgers trade deadline plans shifting to crowded pitching market
Coming into the season, the Los Angeles Dodgers and President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman were confident that pitching would not be an issue. After all, why would they think otherwise? The Dodgers had posted the best team ERA since 2019 over that span.
Things have changed, though. With the Dodgers now sitting shockingly in third place in the NL West, one game back of the Giants and 4.5 back of the league-leading Diamondbacks in the MLB standings, pitching has been the culprit. And now Friedman is thinking it could have a serious effect on the upcoming MLB Trade Deadline.
"In spring training, I did not expect that in July we would aggressively be looking for pitching. With the injuries and where we are, I think that focus has shifted," Friedman said, via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic (subscription required). "There's no question that (targeting pitching) is more likely than it was in March."
The unfortunate part for the Dodgers, however, is that they aren't alone. Yes, they have historically been one of the more successful and aggressive teams on the trade market, but with the competition for the worthwhile pitching that is actually available this season and a bevy of playoff contenders still alive, that could make things complicated for Los Angeles.
At the same time, though, it's necessary. Injuries haven't helped the Dodgers, without question. Julio Urias has been out for over a month and Dustin May remains out too. Meanwhile, Tony Gonsolin missed the start of the season and has been a bit up-and-down since his return.
There have been bright spots, most notably the immediate ascension of Bobby Miller and the aced debut of Emmet Sheehan. But even then, this team is still searching for bullpen consistency and more stability in the rotation so they aren't relying on so many young arms. And now we'll likely see how aggressive the club plans to be to address this given how the tides have shifted.
MLB Rumors: Braves trade for Jack Flaherty proposed by insider
How the early MLB Trade Deadline talk is shaping up, it seems quite obvious that the Atlanta Braves are going to make an effort to upgrade their pitching, both in the rotation and the bullpen. How that specifically shakes out, however, has often only been able to be speculated upon in terms of the players that they could target in order to accomplish that goal.
One MLB insider has named at least one target who should be available and makes sense for the Braves: St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com listed out trade fits for 10 players he referred to as "on the rise" with Flaherty being one. And the first team listed as a possible fit was Flaherty, something I have also connected the dots on previously.
Here's what Feinsand said on Flaherty:
After allowing 10 ER in just 2 1/3 innings against the Angels on May 4, Flaherty posted a 2.06 ERA over his next six starts, helping St. Louis to victories in five of those games. The right-hander — who is slated to become a free agent at the end of the season — was roughed up by the Giants (6 ER in 4 1/3 innings) on June 13 and by the Nationals (6 ER in 6 1/3 innings), but he would be a valuable piece for most contenders seeking a rotation upgrade.
Flaherty is one of the top change-of-scenery candidates at the trade deadline and the Braves could not be more of an upgrade than whatever the hell the Cardinals are doing this season. Bringing Flaherty, especially if they can help him find more consistency and protection from the offense, could be a huge addition to fortify the Atlanta rotation in their World Series plight.