Right-handed bats are at a premium this deadline. The Mariners and Phillies were already known to be looking for help against lefty pitching, but there’s ample competition for righty-hitting outfielders in particular.
Jorge Castillo of ESPN and Bryan Hoch of MLB.com each report that the Yankees have been seeking a right-handed hitting outfielder — a search that predated Cody Bellinger’s recent placement on the injured list with a hamstring strain. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com listed a righty outfielder among the Braves’ targets last night (in addition to their hunt for pitching). Will Sammon, Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic reported yesterday that Texas was also looking for a right-handed hitting center fielder who can platoon with Evan Carter.
There are a few other teams who’d speculatively make sense for a righty-swinging outfielder. The Guardians have a below-average outfield and have a putrid .174/.271/.260 team batting line against lefty pitching since the start of June. The Padres should be in the left field market. The Twins have struggled against left-handed pitching and have an abundance of lefty-swinging outfielders.
The demand outstrips supply. The Royals are going to trade Lane Thomas, an impending free agent who is hitting lefties at a .265/.368/.434 clip this season. Thomas, who’ll be due around $1.55MM after the deadline, has a career .288/.360/.490 slash with the platoon advantage.
Jo Adell has been unplayable against righties but is pummeling lefties at a .313/.349/.591 clip with 10 of his 16 home runs. Only Kyle Schwarber has more homers against southpaws this year. He’s also due around $1.5MM post-deadline and would make something in the $8MM range for his final arbitration season. The Angels should move him despite the extra year of control, as they’re seemingly more amenable to a retool than they’ve been in previous seasons.
Cincinnati’s Spencer Steer would’ve been a popular target based on his numbers against lefties and positional versatility. A trade is far less likely now that he suffered a partially torn tendon in his right wrist, which will be in a splint beyond the deadline. San Francisco’s Heliot Ramos is a career .284/.349/.509 hitter against lefties and has hit them well in a tiny sample this year. He’s playing on a pre-arbitration salary and controllable for three seasons. Jeff Passan of ESPN wrote this morning that the Giants could make him available.
The Mets have a couple impending free agent outfielders in Luis Robert Jr. and Tyrone Taylor. They’d need to eat a good chunk of the nearly $6MM remaining on Robert’s $20MM salary, and he’ll be due a $2MM buyout on a $20MM club option at season’s end. Taylor will make around $1.1MM for the final two months and would make speculative sense for Texas’ search for a platoon center fielder.
Taylor Ward would get plenty of attention if the Orioles make him available. He’s a borderline trade candidate with the O’s remaining 2.5 games back in the Wild Card picture. Ward would be an everyday player rather than a short side platoon type. Miami has reportedly listened on controllable left fielder Heriberto Hernández, but Kevin Barral and Isaac Azout of Fish On First reported this morning that the Marlins were holding a high ask that other teams were unlikely to meet.
The Dodgers aren’t selling but could consider fourth outfielder Alex Call a bit of a spare piece. George Springer has been close to a full-time designated hitter this season but makes sense as an impending free agent on a disappointing Toronto team. That’s complicated by his $22.5MM salary and full no-trade rights. Toronto would surely listen on Myles Straw as well, but he’s a speed and defense depth piece who isn’t going to provide an offensive boost against lefties.
Hoch reports that the Yankees have had some conversations with the Angels regarding Adell. He’d fill a similar role to the one for which they signed Randal Grichuk. Grichuk struggled and was released in May, leaving the Yankees without a short side platoon outfielder. (He has bounced back since signing with the White Sox.) They’re also known to be looking for a righty-hitting catcher.
Atlanta could use a platoon partner for Mike Yastrzemski and/or Dominic Smith. They’re using Eli White in that capacity but should aim for a bigger bat. Texas has limited Carter to 112 career plate appearances against southpaws, in which he’s batting .102 without an extra-base hit. Rookie Cam Cauley has provided a boost since coming up a month ago but has the athleticism and versatility to play a utility role.
