Tampa Rays showing interest in Christian Vazquez

The Tampa Rays have expressed interest in acquiring catcher Christian Vazquez from the rival Boston Red Sox. Up to this point in the season, the Rays have hardly received any offensive production from catchers Mike Zunino and Michael Perez who have a combined .160/.241/.340 slashline, .254 wOBA, .274 xwOBA, and 60 wRC+. Vazquez would be an immediate upgrade as he currently sports a .260/.294/.423 slashline, .307 wOBA, .263 xwOBA, and 88 wRC+. Vazquez hasn’t been nearly as good in 2020 as he was in 2019 when he had a .276/.320/.477 slahline, .331 wOBA, .317 xwOBA, and 102 wRC+. Vazquez is under contract through the 2021 season with a $7 million team option for the 2022 season.

Blue Jays have inquired on Andrelton Simmons

A couple of weeks ago, the Blue Jays placed rising star and starting shortstop Bo Bichette on the injured list. With the Angels off to a disappointing 2020 season, it’s been rumored that the organization will look to sell before the trade deadline. Last night, the Angels made their first move by shipping Tommy La Stella to Oakland in exchange for former top prospect Franklin Barreto. Simmons’ contract expires at the end of the season so it would make sense for the Angels to at least explore potential trade packages for the shortstop. Simmons has been a below average hitter since the start of the 2019 season with a .263/.308/.358 slashline, .288 wOBA, .274 xwOBA, and 79 wRC+ but he is arguably the best defender in all of baseball. From 2017-2019, Simmons has 75 DRS, a 47.7 UZR, and 42 OAA at the most important defensive position in baseball. If the Blue Jays were to acquire him, Simmons would most likely take over as the everyday shortstop but the Blue Jays’ defensive alignment could be interesting if/when Bichette returns from the injured list; Simmons would probably start at shortstop with Bichette sliding over to second base and Cavan Biggio moving over to the hot corner.

Asking price for Mike Clevinger is “ridiculous”

After he lied to the Indians organization about breaking COVID-19 protocols, Mike Clevinger has been the biggest name known to be discussed in trade talks. Since the start of 2018, Clevinger has pitched 348.2 innings to a 2.92 ERA, 3.29 FIP, 3.64 xFIP, and 3.71 SIERA while striking out 10.38 and walking 2.87 batters per nine innings. Clevinger is widely regarded as one of the best starting pitchers in all of baseball and his team friendly contract through the 2022 season makes him an even more appealing trade target. With or without Clevinger, the Indians have one of if not the best rotations in all of baseball but it should be interesting to see whether or not Clevinger is indeed traded.

Reds are not planning to sell at the trade deadline

Heading into today, the Reds are currently 14-17 and would not be in the playoffs if the season had ended last night. Despite the Reds not in current possession of a playoff spot, they’re only .5 GB of the Cardinals for second place in the NL Central (second place team in each division automatically receives playoff berth) and 1.5 GB of the Phillies/Rockies for the eighth and final National League playoff spot. This upcoming offseason, Trevor Bauer, Wade Miley, Anthony DeSclafani, and Freddy Galvis are all set to be free agents while Nick Castellanos could join them if he declines his player option. If the Reds do change their mind and decide to sell, Trevor Bauer would be one of the hottest names discussed between the Reds and rival teams. In 32.2 innings of work in 2020, Bauer has a 1.65 ERA, 2.76 FIP, 2.90 xFIP, and 2.66 SIERA while striking out 13.50 and walking 2.48 batters per nine innings.

First off very big thank you to Will Guay for doing this interview, make sure to follow him on Instagram (@will_guay) and Twitter (@WillyGuay).

What was your favorite team and player growing up?

“My favorite team was the Marlins, and my favorite player was Jose Fernandez and from the older teams it was Hanley Ramirez.”

What is your favorite and most effective pitch you throw?

“Favorite pitch to throw is the fastball, there is something fun about throwing a fastball by somebody.”

What is the best thing about being in the Cardinal’s organization?

April 27, 2020

Earlier today, I had the privilege to ask Angels prospect, Chris Rodriguez, some questions about his baseball career! Rodriguez was selected in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Angles straight out of high school. Rodriguez has played in parts of 3 MiLB seasons but injuries have held him out of the 2018 season and most of the 2019 season. The highest level Rodriguez has played in is A+ but he is still rated the seventh best prospect in the Angels farm system by mlb.com.

When did you first realize you had a chance to play professional baseball? What did you focus on to help achieve this goal?

I knew I had a chance to play pro ball my senior year of high school. The biggest thing I did was compete on and off the field and made sure I tried working harder than anyone out there and focus on one thing at a time.

Why did you decide to skip college baseball and enter the 2016 MLB Draft? What was the biggest difference from high school baseball to minor league baseball?

Well, my dream was to play pro ball and although college is a great experience for some guys, I had my mind set on pro ball. And (the) talent level is the biggest difference. I was just turning 18 and I was facing guys who were as old as 24 with a lot of experience so I had to mature (quickly).

What was the MLB Draft process like? How were you able to stand out to the Angels and other teams that scouted you?

It was a weird process! You never know what’s gonna happen or who’s gonna take you and you just gotta pray for the best! And to be honest, I don’t know why I stood out to the Angels but whatever the reason was I’m thankful!

Although injuries have held you back the last couple of seasons, how have you been staying in game shape? What has motivated you through your injuries?

I’ve been mainly working on my core! When you have a back injury you have to make sure your core is able to keep you stabilized in your delivery and also in your lifts so you’re not using your back. The love of the game has kept me motivated and missing these two seasons have made me hungrier than ever!

How would you describe yourself as a pitcher? How will this (hopefully) help the Angels (or another team) win ball games in the future?

I’m competitive and pitch with a lot of intent. All I want to do on the mound is win and give my team the best possible chance of winning so god willing one day, I will help the big league team get some wins and compete to be the best team out there.

Image via @MiLB on Twitter