AL Central

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jose Quintana is reportedly "drawing interest" from the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees ahead of Tuesday's 2022 MLB trade deadline.

Fansided's Robert Murray reported the update Wednesday and noted the Toronto Blue Jays are also a potential suitor for Quintana, who's posted a 3.70 ERA in 19 starts this season.

The 33-year-old left-hander isn't the most exciting name on the trade market, but he'd provide solid back-of-rotation depth for a contender down the stretch.

Quintana has compiled a career 3.83 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across 302 appearances in 11 seasons with the White Sox, Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants. He made four outings (three starts) for the Cubs in the 2017 playoffs.

Along with his experience, he'd also arrive with a limited financial impact as he's playing under a one-year, $2 million contract.

He'd provide a safety-net option for the Yankees (66-32), who've enjoyed a lot of rotation success thanks to Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Jordan Montgomery and Jameson Taillon but face some uncertainty with the fifth spot.

Domingo German recently returned for New York after an extended stint on the IL with a shoulder injury and Luis Severino is currently sidelined with a lat strain.

It's a similar story for the White Sox, with whom Quintana previously pitched from 2012 through 2017. They could use a depth starter in case Lance Lynn, who's posted a 6.43 ERA in eight starts since returning from a knee injury in mid-June, can't find his form.

In both cases, as well as Toronto, it's possible Quintana could end up in the bullpen by season's end. The Jays are close to getting Yusei Kikuchi back from the IL to fill the No. 5 spot in their rotation.

Getting an asset or two for Quintana would be smart business by the Pirates, who've faded out of playoff contention with a 40-58 record and will likely use the stretch run to evaluate fringe roster players with an eye toward 2023.

All told, it would be a surprise if the 2016 All-Star isn't moved before the deadline.

While sitting in last place in the AL Central, the Detroit Tigers appear to be willing to tear down their roster in hopes of building toward the future.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Tuesday that the Tigers are indicating to teams "just about everyone is available" ahead of the Aug. 2 trade deadline, including promising young starting pitcher Tarik Skubal.

Skubal has been one of the few bright spots in a dismal season for Detroit. Through 19 starts, he has a 7-8 record with a 3.88 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 106.2 innings.

The 25-year-old started the year with a 5-2 record and 2.33 ERA in his first 11 starts. He stumbled with losses in his next five outings before bouncing back in his last three appearances. Skubal will be back on the mound Wednesday for the Tigers' series finale against the San Diego Padres.

Skubal is under club control through 2026 and is over a year away from salary arbitration. Rosenthal added that he's heard speculation that the Tigers "are trying to be opportunistic and extract a big return for Skubal" from teams that don't land more proven starters prior to the trade deadline.

Detroit improved to 39-58 with a 12-4 win over San Diego on Monday. It was the team's third win in its last 10 games. Entering Tuesday, the Tigers averaged a major league-low 3.22 runs per game. The team's pitching hasn't been much better, ranking 21st in the majors with an ERA of 4.17.

Moving Skubal would likely garner a strong package of prospects, so teams might not be willing to meet Detroit's asking price. However, the Tigers have a slew of relievers they can deal, including two-time All-Star closer Gregory Soto.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez suffered a left upper arm contusion in Sunday's game against the Minnesota Twins, the team announced.

Per MLB.com's Jason Beck, Baez "seemed to be dealing with discomfort" after he was hit by a pitch in the fourth inning. He was replaced by Victor Reyes in the bottom of the sixth.

Baez was placed on the 10-day injured list April 16 with right thumb soreness. He suffered the injury while celebrating his Opening Day walk-off hit against the Chicago White Sox on April 8.

The 29-year-old joined the Tigers this season on a six-year, $140 million deal after spending at least part of eight seasons with the Chicago Cubs and a short stint with the New York Mets in 2021.

In 138 games split between the Cubs and Mets last season, Baez slashed .265/.319/.494 with 31 home runs and 87 RBI. He hasn't lived up to his contract this season, hitting .218/.259/.634 with nine home runs and 36 RBI through 81 games.

The Tigers were 38-57 entering Sunday, fourth place in the AL Central.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Friday a pair of legendary first basemen, the St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols and Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera, will take part in the 2022 All-Star Game as legacy selections.

These two legends will be playing in the #AllStarGame!

See you in LA, @PujolsFive and @MiguelCabrera. pic.twitter.com/4oSTm2HtFx

— MLB (@MLB) July 8, 2022

The league will celebrate their career accomplishments as part of the 92nd Midsummer Classic, which will take place July 19 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Manfred said in a statement:

I am delighted that Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera have agreed to participate in the All-Star Game. Albert and Miguel are two of the most accomplished players of their generation. They have also represented the baseball traditions of the Dominican Republic and Venezuela with excellence for the last two decades. Albert and Miguel are two all-time greats whose achievements warrant this special recognition.

Pujols announced in March he will retire following the 2022 season. Cabrera told ESPN's Sage Steele last year that he plans to play out his contract (via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press). His eight-year, $248 million deal is guaranteed through 2023.

They are two of the best pure hitters of their generation.

Pujols has compiled a .296/.374/.541 slash line across 3,016 games with the Cardinals, Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers. He debuted with St. Louis in 2001 and returned to the Cards for the 2022 season to put the final touches on his Hall of Fame career.

Final season, final All-Star Game!@PujolsFive is heading to LA! pic.twitter.com/8PJ6AjYCt3

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 8, 2022

Cabrera, 39, reached the 3,000-hit plateau this season after surpassing the 500-homer mark in 2021. His career slash line stands at .310/.386/.528 after 2,657 appearances.

He's no longer the Triple Crown threat he was during his peak seasons, hitting just three long balls in 70 games this season, but he's still put up a .347 on-base percentage in 2022.

3,000 hits, 600 doubles, 500 home runs and now his 12th All Star appearance.

Miguel Cabrera has been selected to the American League All-Star team by Commissioner Rob Manfred for his accomplishments as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. pic.twitter.com/RFSwt7eFBz

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 8, 2022

Cabrera started his career with the Florida Marlins in 2003 before arriving in Detroit in 2008. He and Pujols have combined for 23 All-Star selections, 13 Silver Slugger Awards, five MVP Awards and three World Series titles.

Starters for the 2022 MLB All-Star Game will be announced Friday night followed by the full roster reveal Sunday.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi is reportedly a potential target if the Philadelphia Phillies dip in to the trade market to help replace Bryce Harper, who's out indefinitely after suffering a broken left thumb on Saturday.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported Wednesday that Benintendi is a "name to watch" given the limited financial impact of his expiring contract and his connection to Phillies president Dave Dombrowski after four years together with the Boston Red Sox.

A single trade isn't going to fill the massive void left by Harper. The reigning National League MVP was putting together another terrific season with a .318/.385/.599 slash line, 15 home runs and nine stolen bases through 64 games before the injury.

That said, Benintendi could provide a stabilizing force for a Phillies lineup that lacks depth.

The 27-year-old Cincinnati native posted his best season with the World Series-winning Red Sox in 2018 when he compiled a .830 OPS with 16 homers and 21 steals in 148 games en route to a 5.0 WAR, per FanGraphs.

He's lacked that type of all-around production with the Royals this season, tallying just three long balls and one swipe in 72 appearances, but he's maintained a .303 average and .368 on-base percentage.

Benintendi could slot in nicely in the second spot in the Philly order behind leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber (.344 OBP) to give the club a pair consistent on-base threats ahead of Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto.

The 2021 Gold Glove Award winner may also be available at a reasonable cost since he's set to become a free agent at season's end and the Royals are already fading from playoff contention with a 26-47 record.

Philadelphia is in the thick of the playoff race as the campaign approaches the halfway mark with a 39-36 record, which is third in the NL East and three games behind the final wild-card spot.

The goal is trying to remain within striking distance of a postseason berth with the hope Harper can return at some point in the second half for a late-season charge.

Benintendi would help in that quest, though trying to find another power bat would still remain on the Phils' to-do list ahead of the Aug. 2 MLB trade deadline.

As he's not so much fearsome as immensely frustrating for opposing pitchers, the best hitter in Major League Baseball today is a guy who basically doesn't belong in today's baseball.

It's all there in his triple-slash ranks. This guy gets his hits and takes his walks, but he's not likely to slug anyone:

• .361 AVG: 1st
• .443 OBP: 1st
• .439 SLG: 55th

It's OK if you looked at this and did a double take. Modern greats—think Juan Soto, Mike Trout and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.—don't hit like this. Heck, you have to go back to Tony Phillips in 1993 to find the last time a batter finished with an OBP over .440 and a SLG under .440.

Tony Gwynn never did it. Neither did Ichiro Suzuki, who's unsurprisingly a big fan of the guy who is doing it: Luis Arraez.

As far as how he's doing it, let's start by granting two things about the Minnesota Twins' multi-use infielder. Given that he was a .313 hitter with a .374 OBP between 2019 and 2021, this is not his first rodeo as a tough out. He also isn't devoid of power.

Arraez, 25, came into this season with a career high of four home runs, yet he has three through 58 games. And at 403 feet, the grand slam that he hit June 11 against the Tampa Bay Rays was the longest of his career.

Can't stop watching this 😍 pic.twitter.com/WxVFYbwZEo

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) June 12, 2022

But while he's clearly capable of doing so, trying to hit for power isn't Arraez's style. At 9.0 degrees and 22.2 percent, both his average launch angle and fly-ball rate are lower than ever in 2022.

In other words, Arraez wants no part of a "Fly Ball Revolution" that's very much ongoing in MLB. Since the dawn of the Statcast era in 2015, the league's launch angle and fly-ball percentage have gone up and stayed up as more and more hitters have chased the long ball.

The catch this year is that fly balls aren't traveling as far. That's not an accident, as a new model of ball and universal humidor usage have conspired to make the baseballs mushier than usual. The difficulty most hitters are having in adjusting is plainly visible in the league's collective batting average. At .241, it's the fourth-lowest in MLB history.

Though it's premature to call Arraez a trendsetter, his fellow hitters can learn something from him. For their convenience, let's break down his main lesson points.

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Don't Give Away At-Bats

You've presumably heard of the three true outcomes (i.e., strikeouts, walks and home runs) and about how they may or may not be ruining baseball by making it more boring.

But given that two of those outcomes are indeed good results for hitters, dare we say that the real problem they're facing is a shortage of what we'll call competitive at-bats?

These would be at-bats free of non-competitive results, of which there are at least two. There are strikeouts, which have a zero percent chance of producing a hit. There are also pop-ups, which in 2022 have just a 2 percent chance of going for hits.

Since batted-ball data became available in 2002, this is the first season in which more than 22 percent of plate appearances end in strikeouts and more than 10 percent of all fly balls in play are pop-ups on the infield. Strip away the strikeouts and pop-ups, and only 72 percent of at-bats have been competitive in 2022. That's down from a peak of 79 percent in 2005.

Among individual hitters, however, you can take a wild guess who's not part of the problem in 2022 by way of a large percentage of competitive at-bats:

• 1. Luis Arraez, MIN: 89.8 percent
• 2. Jose Iglesias, COL: 88.8 percent
• 3. Steven Kwan, CLE: 87.8 percent
• 4. Michael Brantley, HOU: 86.8 percent
• 5. Jose Ramirez, CLE: 85.8 percent

This mostly has to do with how Arraez's swing is geared for contact. He's extraordinarily direct to the ball, resulting in the league's second-highest contact rate (91.9 percent) and third-lowest strikeout rate (8.5 percent).

As for infield pop-ups, Arraez has a lone "1" in that column this season. Between that and his 20 strikeouts, he's given away only 21 of his 235 at-bats.

That alone has meant a high hit probability for his other 214 at-bats, though other reasons help boost his batting average all the way up to .361.

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Line Drives Are Good, but Ground Balls Can Be Too

Hitters have fallen in love with fly balls in recent years for a reason. That's where power is, as even in 2022 the .523 ISO (isolated power, or slugging percentage minus batting average) on fly balls is more than twice as high as the .239 ISO on line drives.

If it's merely hits that a hitter is after, though, line drives are the way to go. They have a .627 average in 2022, compared to .261 for fly balls.

Go figure who loves to hit line drives.

"I just only try to be hitting line drives. That's how I [contribute]," Arraez said earlier this month, according to Phil Miller of the Star Tribune. "I know Ichiro could hit home runs, but I just want to hit line drives."

And hit line drives he does. At 27.6 percent, Arraez's line-drive rate is four percentage points higher than the league average. He even gets more out of his line drives than the average hitter, batting .804 on them.

To be fair, this is where Arraez might be due for regression as the season goes along. At 91.4 mph, he hits his line drives more than 2 mph slower than the league average. Because hard-hit line drives have a better chance of becoming hits than softer-hit ones, it's no surprise that his .635 expected average on line drives is slightly lower than the league norm of .639.

Yet even if Arraez doesn't get as many line drives to find pay dirt between now and the end of the season, he should still collect plenty of hits like the first one in this clip:

Look up “professional hitter.” You’ll see this guy: @Arraez_21.#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/gose5yK1Ws

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) June 6, 2022

That was a ground ball that left his bat at 94.7 mph and easily snuck through into left field for a single. Basically, the kind of hit we might as well start calling a "Luis Arraez Special."

He actually doesn't do well (3-for-36) when he pulls the ball on the ground, which is still another unsurprising thing. He only hits those balls at an average of 84.3 mph, whereas ground balls to the pull side generally average 86.9 mph.

Yet when Arraez hits ground balls up the middle or to the left side of the field, he typically mashes them:

This is why Arraez is batting .426 on ground balls up the middle and to the opposite field, whereas the average hitter is batting only .288 when he tries that.

It's also why opposing teams don't bother shifting their infields against him. It's happened on only 3.0 percent of all pitches against him, which isn't close to the standard 56.7 percent shift rate for left-handed batters this season.

Between this and Arraez's fondness for competitive at-bats, his basic lesson on hitting can be summed up this way: The best way to beat 'em is to not make it easy for 'em.

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Oh, and Make Pitchers Work

Arraez's 2022 season would be impressive enough if his .361 average was all he had going for him. But as his .443 on-base percentage shows, he's not just hitting his way on.

Notably, he's taking ball four more frequently. His walk rate is 11.9 percent, which is a career high and a tick above Aaron Judge for 23rd among qualified hitters.

As much as anything, this aspect of Arraez's season defies common sense. Not just in the sense that less powerful hitters should theoretically see more strikes, but also in the sense that his zone discipline hasn't undergone any immediately noticeable changes. His swing rates both inside and outside the zone are roughly in line with his career rates.

Yet one thing that has changed in Arraez's approach is his willingness to let the pitcher set the tone. Even more so than in previous seasons, he's not swinging at the first pitch:

• 2019: 18.8 percent
• 2020: 19.8 percent
• 2021: 20.8 percent
• 2022: 15.3 percent

To the extent that he's finding himself in 1-0 counts more often, this is working. It's also key that Arraez isn't toning down his discipline once he is ahead in the count. Quite the contrary, in fact. When ahead in the count between 2019 and 2021, he chased 25.6 percent of the pitches he saw outside the zone. This year? Just 20.8 percent.

That's a good way to get to ball four, and Arraez also has a method for extending at-bats. He's fouling off 47.1 percent of the pitches he swings at in the "shadow" of the zone when he's behind in the count. It's just 38.3 percent for the average hitter, which is to say Arraez is on another level when it comes to defending the strike zone.

Of course, the problem with the suggestion that other hitters might be like Arraez is that he didn't choose to be the hitter he is. This is the hitter he's always been. Even before he arrived in the majors, Baseball America's scouting reports raved about him as a "hit-tool fiend" with "hand-eye coordination [that's] off the charts."

Arraez's example is nonetheless more than worthy of appreciation, and not just because he's so many different kinds of good at what he does. He's living proof that, in order to be great, a hitter doesn't necessarily have to be better at doing what everyone else is doing.

Instead, he can be the best at doing his own thing.

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Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.

Cleveland Guardians slugger Jose Ramirez will miss Saturday's matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers with a thumb injury, per MLB.com's Mandy Bell.

According to Bell, Ramirez jammed the thumb in Friday's game against the Rockies, and Guardians manager Terry Francona told reporters they hope he'll be OK with three days of rest.

Ramirez, 29, has already dealt with a minor injury this season after suffering a bruised lower right leg in May after fouling a pitch off himself. Generally speaking, however, injuries haven't been a major storyline in his career.

The three-time All-Star and 2020 AL MVP runner-up hit .266 with 36 homers, 103 RBI, 111 runs and a .893 OPS in 152 games last season, remaining one of the game's most dangerous offensive weapons. He's followed it up with a .305 average with 16 home runs so far this season.

With the Guardians letting a number of talented players, including Francisco Lindor, depart in recent years, it was questionable if Ramirez would remain with the team for the long term.

But he surprisingly answered that question, signing a team-friendly seven-year, $141 million extension in April.

It was a deal his camp apparently didn't want him to sign.

"I tried to talk him out of it," his agent, Rafa Nieves, told ESPN's Alden Gonzalez in May. "Everyone tried to talk him out of it."

"They told him that they can't afford what he's worth, and he told them that he didn't care," Nieves added. "He wanted to stay there, and they made it work. He knows that he left money on the table, but he says, '$150 million or $200 million, my life is gonna be the same. I'm happier with $150 million in Cleveland than $200 million somewhere else.'"

Whether the Guardians repay that hometown discount with a true contender around him over the duration of that contract remains to be seen.

In the short term, look for Ernie Clement to take Ramirez's place at third base.

Amid their struggles this season, the Detroit Tigers are hoping to get a spark from top prospect Riley Greene.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Greene will be called up prior to Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers and be the team's full-time center fielder.

There was hope that Greene would make the Tigers' Opening Day roster, but he fractured his foot late in spring training after fouling a pitch against the New York Yankees.

Greene made his season debut on May 27 with the Tigers' Single-A affiliate in Lakeland, Florida. He was called up to Triple-A after two games. The 21-year-old is hitting .279/.347/.382 with one homer and four stolen bases in 17 minor league contests.

The Tigers selected Greene with the No. 5 pick in the 2019 draft. He received a $6.2 million signing bonus two days later.

In 198 career minor league games, Greene has a .291/.372/.483 slash line with 30 homers, 120 RBI and 25 stolen bases.

Greene is the No. 2 prospect in Major League Baseball, per MLB.com. He's ranked behind Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, who was called up to the big leagues last month.

"The weight of the world is not on his shoulders," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters about calling up Greene. "We have a lot of guys that need to pick up the slack...If we expect him to be the sole reason for an offensive turnaround, that’s completely unfair to him."

According to MLB.com's scouting report, Greene has "a potent combination of hit and power tools from the left side" with "power that has gone from raw strength to in-game prowess with some added muscle."

The addition of Greene comes at a time when the Tigers are trying to find an identity amid their ongoing rebuild. The front office did spend money during the offseason to sign Javier Baez and Eduardo Rodriguez.

Things haven't gone as planned in Detroit. Rodriguez hasn't pitched since May 18 because of a rib injury and subsequent personal matter. Baez has a .524 OPS in 51 games. Spencer Torkelson, who was the team's No. 2 prospect coming into 2022, per The Athletic's Keith Law, has been a disappointment with a .569 OPS in 57 games.

The Tigers' 24-39 record is the third-worst mark in the American League entering Friday. Greene alone won't change their fortunes, but he has the potential to provide a much-needed spark to a team that has failed to live up to even slightly elevated expectations.