Lukewarm Stove: Archer Talks “Intensifying,” Astros Get a Reliever, Gallo Drawing Interest, More

The rumors have been flying all over the place lately, as we draw nearer and nearer to the trade deadline (and the BN Trade Deadline Blogathon! We’re less than $700 away from our $12,000 goal!).

Here’s the latest …

• Yesterday, the Minnesota Twins sent Eduardo Escobar to the Diamondbacks, which we discussed in reference to the Brewers missing out (they’ve since grabbed Mike Moustakas though), but that wasn’t their only move. They also sent reliever – and theoretical/potential Cubs target – Ryan Presly to the Astros. The Twins got two of the Astros top 15 prospects (in a good system), which, whatever. There are still plenty of quality relief options out there to be had, especially if you’re willing to pay the price.
• Speaking of which, the Cubs are considered to be in the running for Marlins’ groundball specialist Brad Ziegler. He’s not perfect, but there’s plenty there to work with:

#Cubs relief target Brad Zieger has allowed just TWO earned runs since June 5 (26.2 IP).

The 11 BBs and 20 Ks don't look great, (hence the 3.99 FIP), but an 83.1% GB% and 29.2% soft-hit% is about as good as it gets.

Maybe we should start coming around:https://t.co/CjptItu7nU

— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) July 27, 2018

• But the hottest rumor of the day, no doubt, is the “intensifying” discussions surround Tampa Bay Rays starter Chris Archer. According to Jeff Passan, the Padres (!) have “made progress” towards a deal and the Rays are more likely to move him than ever – which is strange given his mediocre season, but still great contract. The price is reportedly still quite high though, so we’ll have to see just how series the Padres are about … next season? I guess.
• Of course, the Padres are not the only ones involved in the market:

#Yankees, #Dodgers and #Padres among teams trying for #Rays’ Chris Archer, sources tell me and @JimBowdenGM.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 28, 2018

• The Dodgers have really been involved with a lot this deadline, despite not having a ton of room to maneuver under the luxury tax cap. That said, they are in a very tight battle with the Diamondbacks (1.5 games back) and Rockies (2.0 games back), so you can understand the urgency. The Dodgers made a choice not to blow past the luxury tax cap this offseason – knowing that they would this upcoming winter – so sneaking back into the playoffs without having done much to supplement the roster from where it stood at the end of 2017 would undoubtedly feel like a freebie.
• As for the Yankees, Ken Rosenthal reports that some team officials fear that the Rays won’t move Archer within the division, which does make some sense given how many more years of control he has. That said, while the Yankees could use a starter and Archer is a good one, much of the value he provides is thanks to his extremely affordable contract … which is something the Yankees don’t really need (as long as they can stay under the cap until this winter). A competitive, but more tightly-financed team should be willing to pay more, in my opinion.
• One final note on that expected price tag:

The #Rays trade talks on Chris Archer are "intensifying'' as the deadline nears, sources say. Still hard to handicap if anyone will ante up with the return Tampa Bay wants. It's a No. 1 starter type of price tag, and he's under team control through 2021. Multiple teams involved.

— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 28, 2018

• Asking for “No. 1 stuff” is probably not fair given his production, but again, the upside and overall contract make justify a big asking price. The Cubs have been tied to him – again – but it’s very unlikely they go after him right now.
• The Rangers have already made a few moves this deadline (including sending Cole Hamels and Jesse Chavez to the Cubs), but they may not be done yet. According to Evan Grant (via NBC Sports), the Indians and the Phillies (among others) have expressed interest in slugger Joey Gallo, though no offers are reportedly on the table just yet. The Indians have the fourth-worst outfield production in the AL, so adding to that weakness as they approach the deadline and postseason seems wise.