Cincinnati Reds

The New York Yankees are reportedly targeting two of the top starting pitchers on the market, the Oakland Athletics' Frankie Montas and Cincinnati Reds' Luis Castillo, ahead of Tuesday's 2022 MLB trade deadline.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Wednesday the Yanks have made upgrading their rotation a "priority," but so far they aren't close to any blockbuster deals.

New York's starting staff has been mostly strong throughout 2022. Its starters rank third in ERA (3.31) behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers (2.77) and Houston Astros (3.21), per FanGraphs.

Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Jordan Montgomery and Jameson Taillon are all putting together strong seasons, so the only real question mark is the No. 5 spot with Domingo German and Luis Severino both being limited by injuries this season.

The Yankees aiming for a high-end arm like Montas or Castillo is more a product of them owning realistic World Series aspirations than trying to fill a desperate need.

Montas has compiled a 3.18 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 109 strikeouts in 104.2 innings across 19 starts for the A's this season. He's struck out 578 batters in 552.2 career innings.

The 29-year-old Dominican Republic native is one of several players Oakland could move before the deadline with the front office focused firmly on the future. The team owns MLB's second-worst record at 37-63 in large part because of a noncompetitive offense.

After Tuesday's start against the Astros, the right-hander admitted a potential move has been on his mind amid a flurry of trade rumors.

"I'm not gonna lie, of course I've been thinking about it," Montas told reporters. "Especially with the deadline coming up pretty soon. There was a time today that I thought, 'Hey, this might be my last start here.'"

Meanwhile, it's much the same story for Castillo and the Reds, who sit at 37-59 amid a rebuilding project.

Castillo, 29, earned his second All-Star selection this season while on pace to post career-best numbers despite playing home games in the bandbox known as Great American Ball Park. He's recorded a 2.77 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 13 outings.

Like Montas, he also provides intriguing strikeout numbers, having racked up 852 in 785.1 MLB innings.

Either high-profile starter would provide a major boost to the Yankees staff, but that level of marquee trade is not necessary to keep the team in contention. Even a move for a less costly mid-rotation starter would help provide some insurance.

But, at least for now, New York's front office is shooting for the stars ahead of the deadline.

Rival MLB teams reportedly expect the Cincinnati Reds to deal starting pitcher Tyler Mahle ahead of Tuesday's 2022 MLB trade deadline, but there may be a catch.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Wednesday opposing front offices are uncertain about whether the Reds will "insist" the acquiring team also take on infielder Mike Moustakas and at least a portion of what's left on his four-year, $64 million contract in a potential Mahle trade.

Moustakas, who's making $16 million this season, is scheduled to earn $18 million in 2023 with a $20 million club option or $4 million buyout for 2024.

Mahle may not look like a marquee trade candidate because of his lackluster 4.48 ERA through 18 starts this season, but the underlying numbers paint a different story.

Most of his struggles have come on his home field, hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park, where he's recorded a 4.94 ERA in 11 outings. On the road, however, he owns a far more promising 3.83 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in seven appearances.

The 27-year-old right-hander has also struck out 107 hitters in 98.1 innings in 2022. His strikeout rate across a six-year MLB career stands at a strong 9.6 per nine innings.

It suggests Mahle could provide a major boost to a contender's rotation, particularly if he lands in a more pitcher-friendly stadium.

The question for interested teams is whether that upgrade is worth possibly having to take on Moustakas, who's struggled mightily over the past two seasons.

Moustakas signed the lucrative contract with Cincinnati after a 2019 season with the Milwaukee Brewers in which he posted a career-high .845 OPS.

He remained productive in his first campaign with the Reds, compiling a .799 OPS in 44 games during the coronavirus-shortened season, but his numbers have since dropped off a cliff.

The three-time All-Star has posted a .210 batting average and .651 OPS with just 12 home runs across 128 games since the start of 2021.

Getting his salary off the books would be a major victory for the rebuilding Reds, who also count starter Luis Castillo among their trade candidates leading up to the deadline.

Yet, one rival executive told Passan it's possible the Reds will just eat the remainder of Moustakas' contract if it's going to significantly hurt the offers for Mahle and Castillo.

Since Cincinnati, which owns a 37-59 record this season, is in the prospect accumulation portion of its rebuild, the club's payroll over the next few years will likely be quite manageable. So it's not the end of the world to retain Moustakas' salary.

Either way, the Reds figure to rank among MLB's most active teams leading up to next week's deadline as they look toward the future.

Luis Castillo and Frankie Montas are reportedly the most likely star-level pitchers to be dealt ahead of the 2022 MLB trade deadline.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported both pitchers will "almost certainly" be traded before the Aug. 2 cutoff date.

Castillo is fresh off his second All-Star appearance but has not been able to prop up a Reds team that's sitting at 37-59. He is 3-4 with a 2.77 ERA and 1.08 WHIP this season, striking out 82 batters in 78 innings.

Montas has been mentioned in trade rumors dating back to the winter as the Athletics engage in yet another roster teardown. The righty is 4-9 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 109 strikeouts in 104.2 innings for the 37-63 A's.

Both pitchers are under team control through the 2023 season. That will make them attractive to opposing teams, given they should get at least a season-plus of work before they hit free agency.

The number of teams looking for starting pitching help at the deadline is anything but small. The New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres are all reportedly among that group.

Each of the teams mentioned has a legitimate shot at winning a World Series if things break right. Adding an All-Star-caliber pitcher to their rotation will go a long way toward making that October dream come true.

Expect a bit of a bidding war as the deadline approaches.

The New York Yankees reportedly "have talked" about a trade for Cincinnati Reds starter Luis Castillo, according to Peter Gammons of The Athletic.

The Yankees seemingly need little help with an MLB-best 52-20 record entering Sunday, but they still plan to target starting pitching ahead of the Aug. 2 trade deadline. Gammons predicted general manager Brian Cashman will "make a run at" Castillo and Oakland Athletics pitcher Frankie Montas.

The Reds, Athletics, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs have reportedly been scouting the Yankees organization, looking for potential matches in trades. Cincinnati has specifically looked at right-hander Will Warren, per Gammons, while Luis Gil is also on "ask lists."

Castillo would especially be an interesting addition for the Yankees as one of the top players on the trade market.

The one-time All-Star has a 3.71 ERA and 1.137 WHIP through nine starts, adding 49 strikeouts with 18 walks. He's on pace for a fourth straight year with an ERA under four.

Despite his production, the Reds are in last place with a 24-47 record, making them likely sellers at the deadline. Even though Castillo is under team control through the 2023 season, a trade now would give Cincinnati a chance to add better prospects and hasten the rebuild.

The Yankees don't necessarily need a starting pitcher with arguably the deepest rotation in the league already.

New York is tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best ERA in the majors at 2.94, producing 31 quality starts in 72 games. Of the five regular starters, Luis Severino has the worst ERA at 3.38 while pitchers like Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes have simply dominated on the mount.

The Yankees are still ready to strengthen the roster even more as they hope to get over the top toward a title. The organization has reached the playoffs in each of the last five years, but it hasn't gotten to the World Series since 2009.

It's clear the team is prepared to go all in for a championship in 2022.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Graham Ashcraft was forced to take his wedding ring off of his glove hand after a check from an umpire in Saturday's game.

Ashcraft discussed the situation after the 7-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers (1:30 in video):

"He goes, 'You have to take your ring off,'" Ashcraft said of the first base umpire. "I was like, 'No, why do I have to take my ring off? I shouldn't have to.' Apparently, it's some new rule that they came up with yesterday."

The rookie said the next inning he asked the home plate umpire, who also said it was a new rule from the day before.

According to Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer, it's actually an old rule that states players "may not attach anything to either hand, any finger or either wrist," but umpires are now enforcing it.

Manager David Bell acknowledged the team received a memo about new enforcement of the rule.

Ashcraft ended up having the worst game of his young career, allowing six runs and eight hits in five innings.

In his first extended interview about slapping San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson, Tommy Pham said he has no regrets about his actions even though he could have faced legal repercussions.

Speaking to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Pham said the Giants "were talking about pressing charges" as a result of the incident.

"I’m like, 'Go ahead. Assault for a slap? OK. People do way worse," he added.

Pham also noted Major League Baseball threatened him with a suspension of eight to 10 games if he didn't accept an immediate three-game ban that kept him out for the entire series between the Giants and Cincinnati Reds.

The slap has become one of the biggest stories of the 2022 MLB season. It occurred during pregame warm-ups on May 27 when Pham and Pederson appeared to be talking in the outfield, during which Pham struck the Giants outfielder in the face.

Pederson told reporters after the game the altercation stemmed from a dispute over injured-reserve rules in a 2021 fantasy football league they played in:

In response to those comments, Pham told reporters the next day that Pederson also "said some disrespectful s--t in a text message" about the San Diego Padres when Pham was on their roster last season.

After the second game of the Giants-Reds series on May 28, Pederson pulled out his phone to show reporters old texts he exchanged with Pham in a group chat and the GIF he used that apparently set off the 34-year-old.

In his interview with Nightengale, Pham noted he has been waiting a long time to get a chance to slap Pederson.

"I would have slapped him last year if I saw him," Pham said. "He knew that. Everyone knew that."

Pham added: "There were about 100 people that thanked me after I slapped him."

Despite his anger at Pederson over the situation, Pham did have a sense of humor about other aspects of the fantasy league. He told reporters that Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout, who was the league's commissioner, "did a terrible job" because he "allowed a lot of (stuff) to go on, and he could’ve solved it all."

Trout, while wearing a microphone during Sunday's game against the New York Mets, said on the ESPN broadcast (h/t Dave Clark of the Cincinnati Enquirer) that Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman won the league.

MLB issued Pham a three-game suspension retroactive to May 27, keeping him out for the entire series against Pederson and the Giants.

Pham, who spent two seasons with the Padres from 2020 to 2021, signed a one-year deal with the Reds in March.

The Padres collapsed in the second half last season because of a number of injuries and poor performances. They went 26-43 after the All-Star break and finished third in the NL West. The Giants (107-55) beat out the Dodgers (106-56) by one game to win the division title.

The bizarre story of Joc Pederson and Tommy Pham's altercation over a fantasy football disagreement hit another level Saturday night.

After the Cincinnati Reds' 3-2 win over the San Francisco Giants, Pederson shared with reporters messages from the group text they were involved in that included a GIF of him making fun of the San Diego Padres when Pham played for the team.

Speaking to reporters after Friday's game, Pederson said Pham slapped him after a brief confrontation in the outfield during pregame warm-ups.

"He kind of came up and said like, 'You remember from last year?’" Pederson said. "And I was like, 'Fantasy football?' He was like, 'Yeah.'"

It was at that point Pham struck Pederson across the face.

Pederson said that Pham accused him of cheating in a fantasy football league the two were in last year. He said the Reds outfielder was unhappy because he thought Pederson was cheating by "stashing players on my bench."

The dispute revolved around San Francisco 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr., according to Pederson:

I put somebody—a player—on the injured reserve when they were listed as 'out,' and added another player. And then there was a text message in the group saying that I was cheating because I was stashing players on my bench. And then, I don't know, I looked up the rules and sent a screenshot of the rules and how it says that when a player's out you're allowed to put him on the IR, and that's all I was doing. And it just so happened he had a player, (49ers RB) Jeff Wilson who was 'out,' and he had him on the IR. So I said, 'you literally have the same thing on your bench.'

Per the Athletic's C. Trent Rosecrans and Andrew Baggarly, there were disagreements on a group text that included multiple Major League Baseball players from different teams.

Pham admitted Saturday to slapping Pederson while also providing his side of the story:

"It was regarding my former team [Padres]," Pham told reporters. "I didn't like that and I didn't like the sketchy s--t going on in the fantasy. We had too much money on the line, so I look at it like there's a code. You're f--king with my money, then you're going to say some disrespectful s--t; there's a code to this."

"It's over as far as I'm concerned," Pederson told reporters Friday when asked if he might see Pham on Saturday. "I don't think I'll speak to him. I don't think he wants to speak to me I would assume, I don't know."

Pham was originally in Cincinnati's starting lineup prior to the game, but Rosecrans and Baggarly noted the Giants requested he not play and the Reds eventually relented after the game was delayed because of rain.

MLB announced Saturday that Pham was suspended for three games as a result of the altercation. He was also fined an undisclosed amount.

Pederson is in his first season with the Giants. He split last year between the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves. The 30-year-old hit three homers in 15 games in the playoffs to help the Braves win the World Series.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tommy Pham said he received a three-game suspension for slapping the San Francisco Giants' Joc Pederson during a dispute about fantasy football before Friday's game.

Pham told reporters Saturday that Pederson made "disrespectful" comments about the San Diego Padres, the Reds slugger's former team, in addition to their fantasy football issues, which he alleged came down to Pederson "messing with my money."

"I'm a big dog in Vegas," Pham said. "I'm a high roller at many casinos."

Pederson provided a detailed version of the events from his perspective after Friday's contest, a 5-1 Reds victory. He explained the pair were in disagreement about how he handled the use of injured reserve in their fantasy league:

Earlier in the day, players from both teams had to intervene when things got heated between the outfielders during batting practice:

If Pederson's version of events is true—one of his players was ruled out before the start of the game and he then placed them on IR in an ESPN league—he's in the right, unless the league made a special rule about those instances prior to the season.

ESPN allows fantasy managers to utilize IR for any player who's ruled out in a given week, even if it's only a one-week injury.

Pham didn't say how much money he lost in the fantasy league, but MLB confirmed he'll pay an "undisclosed fine" for inappropriate conduct in addition to the suspension.

He sat out Friday's matchup while the situation was under review, so he'll be required to sit out the remainder of the teams' three-game series.

He'll be eligible to return Tuesday when Cincinnati visits Fenway Park for a two-game set.

Pederson played Friday, going 1-for-3 with an RBI, and didn't face discipline from MLB.

Cincinnati Reds left fielder Tommy Pham and San Francisco Giants left fielder Joc Pederson got into an altercation before the two teams faced off at Great American Ball Park on Friday night, but it reportedly didn't have anything to do with baseball. 

According to The Athletic's C. Trent Rosecrans and Andrew Baggarly, the altercation stemmed from a fantasy football league disagreement. Pham slapped Pederson before the two were separated by teammates. 

Pederson confirmed he was slapped and offered a detailed explanation about the origin of Pham's frustration: 

Pham sat out Friday's game as MLB investigates the incident, per The Enquirer's Bobby Nightengale. The 34-year-old agreed not to play. Pederson remained in the lineup. 

Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters the team is investigating the situation and that he won't comment on it further until he has "a clearer understanding" of what happened.

Pham and Pederson spent time as division rivals when they played for the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively, during the 2020 season.  

The San Francisco Giants are reportedly in the market for starting pitching, and the Cincinnati Reds duo of Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle could be in their crosshairs. 

"I'm hearing that the Giants are looking at the Reds' starters, Castillo and Mahle," Jon Heyman of the New York Post said on The Show podcast (25:15 mark). "I do think there is a possibility there. The Mets have scouted at least Mahle as well. We talked about the lack of depth of starting pitching with all of these teams—there's going to be a lot of teams looking at them. But to me, the Giants is a team to keep an eye on for Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle."

Castillo, 29, is 0-1 this season in two starts with a 5.59 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and seven strikeouts in 9.2 innings. Shoulder soreness delayed the start of his regular season, and the 2019 All-Star is clearly still trying to find his mojo after a solid 2021 campaign (8-16 with a 3.98 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 192 strikeouts in 187.2 innings). 

"I thought I felt fine the whole game," Castillo told reporters after his start on Saturday. "My slider and changeup weren't working as well as I wanted them to, but everything else felt fine."

Mahle, 27, is 2-4 on the year with a 5.89 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 40 strikeouts in 36.2 innings. It's been a tough start after his fantastic 2021 showing (13-6 with a 3.75 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 210 strikeouts in 180 innings over 33 starts). 

With the Reds starting the year a woeful 9-26 and likely already out of the running for postseason consideration, barring an incredible turnaround, the buzz has already begun that the team could be sellers and their pair of starters would interest prospective buyers:

The Giants (21-14) and Mets (23-13), meanwhile, look like legitimate contenders, and bolstering the rotation would make sense for both teams. It wouldn't be surprising if both teams were indeed circling the floundering Reds, hoping to add some pitching.